DIY Bed Lift for Van or Camper | Happijac Alternative

[@Battlebuddie]

completely awesome. 1 tip to save money. that 200lb rating is for dynamic loads, meaning weight that it's actually lifting. as long as your static load rating is less than the total amount that will be resting on it when it's not in motion, you don't need to spend all that extra money. for instance, 100 lbs of dynamic force is 180lbs of static force. as long as the amount of weight on it when at it's stopping point is less that 180x4, then you can get a lower dynamic. hope that helps with cost saving in the future. really great job. saved a ton of money.

[@brian_onthetrail]

I was thinking the same thing. When it's in the up position it's only having to support the weight of the bed. When it's in the down position the bed itself can sit on those bolts that he put through the track. So the linear lifts are only ever supporting or having to lift the actual weight of the bed. You could even add bolts or pins through the track underneath the carriage wheels when it's in the up position just for safety. And you can also drill holes in the track about halfway down for pins in case if you wanted to put the bed halfway down so somebody could lay on the bed and somebody else could still access the table area.

[@charlessaville1911]

A ratchet system on the rail like a car 4 post lift would be good, then you could could also put a cup and socket at the top of the actuator so they are totally disconnected in the up position and no load put on the actuators,

[@cabasneto]

Corey, you are simply fantastic. Thank you for being so kind in showing us your skills.

[@fizzybubblegumbottles5209]

Thank you man I was worried how I was going to do this in my van and you made it really easy. you just gained a subscriber

[@projectnerdvana2820]

Thank you so much! I'm going without the actuator and electronics for the but thanks for the tracks idea!! It's exactly what I was looking for. I'll just have to manually lift it for now.

[@kanwaljeetsingh2133]

Excellent. Please direct me to the second video on micro aspects of this DIY bed lift.

[@heartofhealingaz2436]

Thank you for the details and even going into the online shopping site going through the products you bought. You made things very easy for us to do. You did a great job with your bed.

[@laurelanderson-rostami109]

Thank your for your generosity with your time, research, wisdom and downloads! You have given me more hope that I can do this!! Gratitude!!!

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

That’s pretty neat. Total fan of ceiling & murphy beds for build. Just makes so much sense for dual use spaces. Imagine the weight savings if the bed frame and slats were aluminum.

[@georgegiles9715]

Have you considered having individual controls for each corner so that the bed can be leveled when parked on uneven surfaces? Taking an even bigger step further, possibly connecting them to some sort thing that tells each corner where to land so that the bed would be level. I think that would be huge.

[@psdaengr911]

A very nice design. To refine it you could install simple magnetic switches as up and down limit-switches and connect them with a DPDT toggle switch so you don't need to babysit the bed when it's moving.

[@avc8130]

Any chance you could go into more detail about the aluminum frame, trolleys, and upright tracks?

[@dee5331]

Thks for getting straight to the build in your videos! Great idea! Very nice!

[@SteadyShadow]

Your are chancing people life, good stuff in here

[@bobaloo2012]

I've watched a ton of videos on bed lifts, this is the one that I'm going to emulate. Having room for a comfortable U-shaped couch is a game changer fro me in an upcoming van build.

[@MrBowNaxe]

What an awesome build Corey! Thank you for sharing and doing a detailed explanation of how you did it. I'm in the process of creating a bed system in my trailer and I think you just solved my Delima. Thanks again.

[@zzsdadYY]

Looking forward to the part two of this with the DIY explained. Subscribed!

[@lifeuhvriley]

You. Are. My. Hero.

[@vice4134]

Thank you so much for the details on how to make it work.

[@hammeraz6017]

Great job I have been doing research to build the exact same bed in a van. You gave me the information I will need to complete my project.

[@chloerhodes1127]

Thank you for showing so much detail on a project you worked so hard on! Saving this video for reference for when i get to that stage in my build.

[@mudspringer]

That is super cool. Yes - you definitely want to use electrical actuators. I used pneumatic for mine. Got it to work but I had to use a few flow control and one-way valves to get the pressure leveled. Anyway - nice work - nice video!

[@gabrieluribe1852]

Thank you for sharing , I've been wanting to install a bed like this on my 23' class c rv, I'm getting to old to jump up on the cabover bed, and this would be fabulous, for us old folks.

[@joicejewerly5579]

Very nice. Use Ropes and Pulleys to save electricity. It doesn’t matter if it is not balanced going up and down. As long it is fine when on the roof and settled down flat and square on the benches underneath 😊😊

[@unhippy1]

lol i used ropes and pulleys but after about 6 months of pulling it manually i put a 2000lb ATV winch in to lift it....10/10 improvement

[@mbperfection]

awesome video ! very inspirational! would be great if you have an instruction videos of how to install the actuator lift .

[@wild-radio7373]

That moss wall is freaking banger 🔥❤️

[@bornonthebayou7926]

Thank you for sharing! I've been waiting for these bed videos. I'm building a utility trailer slide in and will be using this concept to raise and lower the roof so I have a lower height during towing.

[@ebonymitchell2720]

Thanks for the details! I've been looking for an alternative and the other videos didn't quite tell you how it all is put together, more of the what. I appreciate the knowledge 🙏🏾

[@kenanakbayram1460]

I am very much impressed. That's a great solution to the problem. Congratulations and keep up the good work 👍

[@MsHappy-u5o]

Thankyou...your ingenuity is inspiring - this is really great info😃

[@kevinpwa5190]

this is cool. have you thought about using only one actuator on one corner and and use a pulley system for the other 3 corners? I would still keep the track on all 4 sides. i mean.. the actuator can actually hold 200lb. this is just for lifting/lowering an empty bed. use the track to actually hold it when they are in position with the metal pin.

[@simondabbs6053]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing

[@George_us]

Thanks for the information provided in your video. Yes, HappiJac is expensive and I also looked into linear actuators for my tiny house bed lift but I soon realized that the travel distance of linear actuators is limited (30 inches in your design) however HappiJac can travel from floor to ceiling. Thanks again...

[@winston6720]

ives seen up to 1000mm stroke length on aliexpress

[@gordgaines2844]

Awesome job ! I want to build a cargo trailer myself...

[@johnnyjohnny6]

Amazing video! Thank you for sharing. It is obvious that you are a good guy. Keep up the good work!

[@crimson25543]

Interesting DIY, and thanks for sharing your solution. One piece of advice from a professional communicator/consultant: many people have developed a bad habit of saying, "right" after every other sentence or so. It immediately detracts from everything else that is said by the speaker (right?) and it makes the speaker sound unsure of themselves, which is the opposite of what they want (right?). If you can get rid of that unfortunate speech habit, your communication and presentations will be next-level!

[@ubonga]

Yep!

[@Jan-mu6vs]

Really neat project 👌. I'm going for a non electric version for my studio apartment (not a car so I can use iron and balance weights). But I'm definitely building something like this if I ever build a campervan..

[@colchilibeck]

Did you end up making a manual version?

[@patrickschardt7724]

Check out Suspa Movotec. That’s what I use in my 80/20 table lift designs. They have many sizes and all come with 4 lifting cylinders, a motor controller, a switch, the appropriate motor/pump. I made brackets that the switch and cylinders mount to that then mount to the extrusions Upon further inspection, the lift system you are using seems to be bigger than the Suspa Movotecs I use. However, they have other lift systems I need to check out HappiJac and Firgelli

[@NickHolt_2201]

Corey!!! Thank you for an excellent video ... I was thinking that there had to be a system like this, and that HJ couldn't be the only thing available ... its not easily available in the UK at all. I think you may just have solved a big design problem for me ❤ Cheers!!!

[@dmwi1549]

Great bed. Thanks for sharing your build and providing your researched sources!

[@leemarzahl8891]

Very cool build!

[@vsihaman]

Could you do this with one actuator that can lift 300lbs and use pulleys instead to counterbalance the bed? This way the weight of the bed/gravity will lower the bed so you really only need the motor to carry the load to lift the bed. With pulleys you can pretty much make the bed weightless so the actuator doesn't need to be that strong.

[@lissettrodriguez765]

You did great with this project. Good job

[@Zach2Wheels]

Thank, I believe you, I'm going to avoid the 100's of hours and take your advise!!

[@asianpirate4061]

If you wanted to build a televator for your TV in your countertop, you could use the 2 actuator system for that.

[@Southtwnr]

this is the best DIY execution of this i have seen. Very clean! I do wish it was a bit faster but flipping a switch and letting it go while you do other things isnt bad. Great job!!

[@Ciao_its_mikô]

Great work buddy. Really nice to let ppl know where to get all the items 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Is there a second video of the nitty gritty of physical install ?

[@ufoundlou]

Thank you for a fantastic tutorial. My only question is what is the voltage on the system?

[@Searey07]

The same linear actuators I use on my seaplane landing gear legs are 12v and very reliable.

[@ufoundlou]

@@Searey07 Awesome thanks Ken😊

[@Joop3000]

Nice job! What supports the weight when stopped? is their a brake on the linear tracks/wheel carts or is there some kind of mechanism in the actuator? Or is it just a hard mechanical stop?

[@Vanrchy]

Thanks so much for this!subbed in appreciation.

[@NoahfromEarth]

Hey Cory i hope you are well. Thank you so much for you video! it was very informative. Is that moss in the corner of your kitchen real moss? i've been looking everywhere to get something similar! Could you please let me know where you got it?

[@delislac]

Merci beaucoup! This is very well appreciated thanks for all of it.

[@fracesmotivacionales7692]

this is wonderful this System can be used for a floor to celling bed?

[@Dtp2296]

Linear actuators have built in sensors so wire them into the most basic of controller and you don't need to watch it, it will just stop when it is open or closed

[@crazy1901]

Just such a great video. Thanks from uk

[@steveyob]

Great job on this bed lift. And great detail shared. Appreciate it. The controller seems to do very well managing all 4 actuators perfectly together. Are you also able to independently drive the actuators if the van is on an unlevel surface? Was thinking it would be cool to adjust the bed leveling vs. leveling the entire van. Also, I noticed a warning on the controller website that states if power is lost to the controller that the actuators need to be disconnected and recalibrated. Is this true and have you run into this issue? Thanks!

[@SneedTechIndustries-gf5hn]

Do they advise on how to recalibrate?

[@notactuallyjeff3919]

Really nice solution!

[@jansweeney1333]

Good idea with bed lift , I too have put a lot of thought into bed rise & fall; have you ever thought of a counterweight system like say in ‘tiny house -Denis Daigle’ but in a van . Would take away the need for electricity, although I d split the weight equally either side to distribute weight! Also ‘BA Backwater’ was another inspiration. Your thoughts would be good?? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@VillelaHN]

Excellent job. Best DIY I seen on bed lifts. Thank you for sharing.

[@diycargotrailer]

Glad you liked it!

[@unklb7161]

Well done! Thanks for sharing.

[@ginamartinez6308]

This looks amazing! Brilliant

[@mcstuiain9511]

Awesome soution! well done 👏

[@thatgradguy]

Awesome job, man. Really great quality.

[@diycargotrailer]

Much appreciated!

[@moosejammack]

Hi could provide some measurements, so I can get a rough guide as to the resulting bed lift you did? What was the height from the floor when the bed was at its lowest? and when it was completely raised? many thanks, great job by the the way.

[@James-MV]

Nice design and execution. I've been wondering how to keep the bed laterally stable and the use of the track and trolley cars looks great. When the bed is all the way down is it resting on the furniture or supported by the actuators? Also, do you have a link for the extrusion you used for the frame? Thanks!

[@geesus3904]

Something you could also use to address both lifting and a literal track system is using a track linear actuator. A 40" stroke that holds 150 lbs is $208. That's just 1 quick google search so prices may vary, market conditions blah blah blah. 30" are $183 and same weight. Running an additional support on the ends attached to the actuators should help distribute weight. Another option would be using 2 more tracks in the middle on both ends totaling 6. Ideas and options are honestly limitless. Just the time and money. Great video and thank you! Edit: The Firgelli had track actuators as well, up to 600 lbs for $250. Once you hit 200 lbs the cost went up.

[@TroyD-vo1bz]

You did not specify which van you put this in, but most van walls taper. It appears your unistrut is mounted directly to the sidewall, so how did you deal with the trapezoid shape?

[@andrebombardier3021]

Thank you so much for this video. This is exactly what I had in mind but was confused about how to go about it. One quick question please : is it possible to configure the system to have the option to a single switch connected to a sync system has you described, and also, or alternatively (but having both options would be nice) to control each actuator independently ? The reason would be to level the bed to a possibly inclined parking spot after the bed is brought down by the single synchronized switch. Thanks again. Andre

[@AMFIL]

Thanks for the informative info.

[@kenmackenzie7338]

Great idea, can't wait to see how to build it.

[@phdcmd]

What are you going to do if one of motors will malfunction? Can you change the state of the bed manually?

[@BizBBiz]

I had considered doing the exact same thing but using a winch (or two). I ended up going with a murphy-bed, instead. Nice work overall. Your build is much cleaner than mine. I'm curious to know about how the trailer behaves when towing it - with all that weight up high. Noticed anything odd?

[@diycargotrailer]

I keep it in lowered position while towing! Handles great

[@AndyKlevorn]

Could you just use the actuators to raise and lower and then use those pins to actually support the weight while you're in bed?

[@CottonWoodBlues]

a winch does wonders!!

[@williammarcy9342]

Very cool! Did you ever make the 2nd build video?

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

Thankfully, YT has a scan-ahead feature. The content is at 10:00, a linear actuator and controller.

[@DLY0898]

Does the bed stop automatically at a certain height when it’s being lowered or raised? I think you said you have to watch the bed and turn off the switch at the height you choose. That seems a little dangerous, if the motor keeps trying to raise or lower the bed even after it hits the ceiling or bench tops. What if something urgent happens in the rig and your attention is diverted from the bed while it’s going up or down?

[@diycargotrailer]

At the bottom, it stops automatically because thats the lowest position the actuators can go. At the top it WILL stop automatically as I think there is some kind of safety built in that when pressing against so much force, it stops as to not burn out the motor or something. We have definitely accidently let it keep going and it stops on its own. Probably not good for it though.

[@paulraymond1804]

@@diycargotrailer it'd be worth running the output from the rocker switch, the "up" post, via a limit switch's NC post, and place the limit switch such that it engages when the bed frame hits it.

[@hansbrinkveld360]

Super bed solution, i am from Netherlands and i already build same design with actuators but without tracks and everything is not stable. so I want use tracks , which tracks did you use? Dimensions ? Can you pls send me Product link of track? Thank you and best regards

[@Anthonyinkz]

🎉if van on slope does bed level out or still slope with van

[@JCisJD]

Right, got it . Good info but some positive feedback, you could edit this at least in half.

[@GarageProducts625]

You were able to connect all the actuators into one switch? Also, do you think you could have gotten away with 150 pound actuators since it wouldn’t be lifted or lowered with body weight on it?

[@buffalomitch7088]

Did you ever post the "how-to-build" video for the bed lift you mentioned? I can't find it. Thanks!

[@ballwizz23]

I was planning the exact same thing except with a garage door opener type lift system. I think I like this better.

[@charlesmaxey9165]

Great build! About the a/c? What you think about using it in a semi? To reduce idling. You think it would keep up?

[@mariomcsween107]

Hello to you I am writing to you from Quebec, Canada and just like you I am looking at how to raise my bed to the ceiling in my trailer that I am to fit out to slide my motorcycle underneath when moving. I find your system very ingenious, but have difficulty finding actuators that lift so high. Do you have a mark to give me so that I try to find an equivalent here in Quebec ??? Thanks in advance and keep up the good work

[@royalwapiti]

Wonder if you could go with 2 actuators? one on each side.....

[@michaelfoley9047]

Brilliant video bud you have got more specific info on the track roller and bolts etc list of parts I would need many thanks

[@michaelfoley9047]

Great video thanks for sharing do you have a full parts list for the rails etc

[@jaystroup00]

I like the idea of the bed system, but I am worried it could break down while on the road and then I wouldn't have my bed. How would you complete the maintenance on it while away from home? I'm not knocking your design, I just like to be safe and have backup procedures if I am on a long trip away from home.

[@killian5003]

Exactly the solution i'm looking for. Great video 👌 thanks a lot man

[@MrPcphn1]

Great build just curious how much did you spend on it?

[@IanKent-xh5du]

Hi, great project, can you get the synchronising controller on its own? I’ve bought the actuators but still need the controller.thanks

[@PUTDEVICE]

good build. but is it only 30 inches of lift. looks longer. because the one you linked to only has 30 inches. saw that they have longer but then the price goes up a bit. but cheaper than many other systems that are 2000-3000 dollars.

[@davidmoses4664]

Getting a somewhat unclear response from Firgelli on this: Can you just stop the Actuator any height you want via the switch? They are saying you need an external limit switch to stop anywhere except top/bottom of stroke. Also....if you can stop it anywhere with the swtich (without the external limit switches) ---is it rated for static load at all positions?

[@d-arts7139]

nice build! you mentioned having to watch and wait by your switch, but they have internal limit switches which shut off the actuators. or do you have to much actuation? i reviewed their website, but couldnt find and extentions. i suppose someone could make some. hey, looking forward to seeing the build. i really need some form of bed lift. id have so much more usable room. im done with pieced together mattresses. theyre never comfortable.

[@Sam-gf1eb]

I like that you used an up down switch that you just flip. With the others I've seen, they have to hold the button to move it up or down which must be annoying.

[@TheAngryBuddha1]

What are the tracks the bed is running on ? Been searching everywhere for options but am stumped.

[@green-z3u]

so if i use this to hold my rv bed in custom level will it hold my weight ?

[@WilliamBriggsMusic]

Great Video. Do you think you could have used 2 actuators instead of 4? I was thinking you could place them at the middle of each end rather than the corners.

[@diycargotrailer]

Nope! I tried that. It doesn't travel upward correctly and gets hung up in the rails.

[@MichaelUrbanReed]

really coo! nice work. you have the precise up/down times figured out, SO: slap on an electronic timer switch in place of that latch switch, and add a kill switch on the wall *just beyond* your desired (and timed) high/low points. circuit kill switch would only trip if any part of the beds electric system went awry. in addition, you could put up a bike bell or something that will alert you when you are in the last x amount of seconds if you want to be extra safe. i thought you had done something similar for the lights above the bed. there was a moment in the video when the bed reached a certain height in your demonstration, and the lights above the bed went out as it reached the top. I was wondering if this was something you added intentionally, to protect your bedsheets from the heat of the led lights etc. which led me to thinking about the bed auto shut off. again, excellent work, you got my mind cooking with gas now.

[@paulraymond1804]

Simply wiring those wires from the rocker switch to go via an upper limit switch and a lower limit switch would be the best way. Then he could set it to raise/lower and forget about it. Easy.

[@Jyty50]

If I were to make a bunk bed, how would the lift be supported midway?

[@royalwapiti]

I failed to see the other video on the bed lift, is it still out there?