Hatchlift RV Bed Lift Kit - Queen Size

It usually took one of us to lift the bed while the other one rummaged in the storage area for something all the while hoping the bed was not going to drop on their head. This Hatchlift Queen LITE bed support arm kit seems to be just the job. Due to water tank and storage compartment side opening locations I had to extend the side of the bed frame as shown in the pictures. In order to fit the blocks to the bed frame base I also had to move a couple of pieces of wood inboard about 3 inches (see original locn of wood shown by pencil marks in picture). Aside from that installation was a breeze and no adjustment necessary. I did not disassemble the blocks to glue them after the original fit as I can't see it being a problem - there are so many screws as well as the nuts and bolts holding it all together. It arrived yesterday and was installed the same day in less than two hours including mods to trailer.

Let's face it, even the best RV mattresses aren't comfortable. I know that some of the very high end RVs have an option for a Sleep Number, and confess I haven't tried them. I have a 40 foot fifth wheel that came with a 72" X 80" mattress which is the same width and 4' shorter than a standard California king size mattress. My wife has some back issues and we have been sleeping on a TempurPedic for a number of years and I asked if they would make one for our RV. The answer was NO. The bed in the RV is on a slide out and the additional 4" in length would crash the bed into a built-in dresser when the slide was retracted for travel. I decided to rework the bed platform and add heavy duty gas struts to keep the foot of the bed in the raised position when the slide is retracted which would clear the dresser vertically. I tore out the original mattress and rebuilt the frame and platform to support the additional weight. I bought the heaviest gas struts that Hatchlift offered, they were 150Lb as opposed to 80Lb models that came with the coach. To ensure the mattress doesn't drop while being bumped around during travel, I also ordered a pair of CTA Tools 5360 lift support clamps also from Amazon. These clamp onto the gas strut rod at the end of the barrel and hopefully will prevent the struts from collapsing during transit. I'm also considering adding a prop rod similar to what's on a car hood for additional safety. Our mattress is due next week and the store assured me that they could install it in an RV, I think I'll video this, it will be interesting. Obviously I haven't tested the gas struts with the full weight yet, but have tested with weights on the platform and am confident they will work quite well. The kit is reasonably priced. I ended up not using the small wood blocks and short wood screws they furnished, I used heavier lumber and longer screws in addition to some machine bolts with locking nuts. The instructions were very clear on everything except alignment of the struts, which weren't even covered. I'm used to hydraulic and air cylinders where alignment is very critical so as not to side load the cylinders. Since the gas struts mount to a ball at the attachment points, it may not be such a critical factor. I did go to extremes to make sure mine were straight.

This is an amazing addition to the base of the rv bed. Took about an hour to install the hardware. I used wood glue to firmly attach the included wood pieces to the underside of the bed frame (and allowed it to dry overnight). Afterwards, I was amazed at how easily it was to lift up the base of the mattress. The only con is that I would have liked a wider opening once it was opened.

I received and installed this RV Bed Storage cover strut rod kit today in my 22-foot travel trailer with a full-size queen bed mattress. My storage space measures 24.5 inches wide so I bought the BLK-SML kit rated for 80 lbs per rod. The Amazon listing for this kit is pretty confusing to decipher which kit was correct for me to order based on the mattress size, weight and storage lit/space size. I ended up going to the Hatchlift Products website to determine which was the correct kit for my needs. The ordering process on the website takes you back to Amazon but at least the correct kit is selected for you when you are directed back to Amazon. Several reviewers of this kit complain about how the lower rod bracket will break their UNSUPPORTED storage compartment upper cross member. THE VERY FIRST STEP in the kit instructions specifically states that additional wood blocking may be necessary to be installed if the storage frame doesn't have the necessary wood to support the pressure put on that cross member. If you don't have more than a thin cross member in which to screw the bottom brackets to, you MUST cut and install an appropriate size and length piece of wood to the inside wall of your storage space side wall. Luckily I did not need to do this for my trailer. Make sure all of the installed top and bottom bracket screws were HAND TIGHT. DO NOT USE A POWER DRILL TO INSTALL THE BRACKET SCREWS. Most of wood and paneling is very thin and you are likely to strip out your screw holes using a power drill to screw in the screws. Do not overtighten ANY screws. See attached photos of the installed rods and brackets. The instructions provided are for the several different size kits Hatchlift offers so you definitely need to read the instructions thoroughly before beginning the installation process. The lower support placement location for my kit recommends placement 14" from the inside front face of a 24" storage space. The upper rod support is recommended to be placed 4 inches above the center line of the bed board, minus the overhang end of the deck. I screwed the bottom brackets in the recommended 14" backspace from the inside back face of the storage, but it quickly became clear that after measuring for the top bracket location that the top brackets were going to be too far towards the center of the storage space and would need to be closer to the rear face of the storage space. I ended up having to move the bottom brackets back towards the front of the trailer an additional 4 inches (~17.75 inches from the inside front face of the storage space). Be sure to use support wood beams on the bottom bracket locations if needed and add enough screws to the brackets to hold then in place when you test how the rods close. The top brackets need to be installed on the bottom of the bed storage board so that when compressed, they clear the inside front storage wall/support cross member. These rods are ~17.75 inches long and the strut rod is ~7.25 inches long. This means the compressed strut rod will be approximately 10.5 inches long. I basically measured from the center of the bottom support ball 10.5 inches back towards the inside storage wall. I then dropped the storage board to the closed position and marked that 10.5 inches on the bottom of the lid. I then verified my lid cross members would accommodate the support blocks allowing the blocks and rods to clear the inside of the side wall and the inside of the back wall. I ended up having to move my lid support beams inward 2.25 inches to accommodate the support blocks, allowing the blocks room to clear the side walls. I then screwed the top bracket to the center of the support plywood block per the instructions (4 wood screws each) and then attached the blocks to the underside of the storage space lid with the provided long wood screws. I put the polyester foam bed mattress back on the bed platform and tested the closure of the lid after making sure all of the installed top and bottom bracket screws were HAND TIGHT. The board required a little downward force but not enough to bend the plywood or put undue stress on the lower brackets. The bed board closed softly but has a slight bit of uplift pressure from the struts when fully closed. The board barely stays down with the mattress in place but it would easily open back up during travel. At this point I was satisfied that the strut rods were working as intended and not likely to break the lower supports and were clearing the side and rear inside faces of the storage space. I added three self-adhesive rubber bumpers to the rear top edge of the storage area to keep the lid from bumping harshly against the storage box. (see first photo) I decided to install a slide latch (RELIABILT ReliaBilt 2-1/2-in Nickel Sliding Door Latch) in the underside center of the foot board to keep the storage lid board down during travel. (see last photo)

The photos are a little dark, but you can see them better if you open them up. The queen bed in our travel trailer weighs approx 86 lbs. Our storage box is 30" long, 48" wide, and 21" tall. I purchased the Small kit. We bought the mattress without measuring the space in our camper, and really only have about 6 inches between the foot of the bed and the wall. Trying to lift the bed manually to access the storage box was almost impossible, and until now, we have never utilized the storage underneath the bed. This kit took about an hour to install going slowly and following directions exactly. No adjustments were needed to the shocks when I was finished. It worked perfectly on the 1st try. It opens and closes with little effort, and we can now utilize the much needed storage space. Things to Consider: - Asking someone to help. I completed this myself, but having a helper would have been much easier. - Read the instructions carefully. For example, when measuring for the lower bracket, the instructions state to measure from the INSIDE of the foot of the bed, not from the outside of the box. - Does your box need a piece of wood added to install the lower bracket? I had to install 17" 2x4's so the lower part of the bracket could be secured - The thickness of your storage box lid. Mine was 1/2". With the gold screws provided, and the wooded squares in the kit, the screws are almost too long, and if drilled deep into the wooden block, will come out of the lid (and possibly tear the mattress). If your lid is not 1/2" you will need to purchase shorter screws. - I installed a handle on the bottom of the lid that covers the storage box. Since our bed is so close to the wall, I want to ensure we are pulling up in the middle each time, and a handle was a quick / easy fix. - You will need a 3/8" wrench, pencil or sharpie, flathead screwdriver (to remove the shock from the bracket after testing), cordless drill with several size drill bits and a phillips-head bit, tape measure, square, wood glue, additional screws (if wood is needed to secure the lower brackets)

Perfect product with installation hardware and directions! My RV bed is 10" x 74 x 60 wide. The struts handle the weight treating the mattress as a bit light; with our feet on it but it stays with the push of a finger, weight of feet and it will be perfect. Given limited RV trailer space, picking it up with just a few fingers will be very helpful for simple storage access.

I finally got these installed by a professional in my campervan under the bed compartment. I am more than disappointed. I emailed the company and asked them which set I should buy for my size compartment. They did promptly respond. I ordered their recommended size. Well to make this short. As installed, according to the directions, I can not close the lid to the compartment. The cabinet maker is stronger than I am he managed to close the lid but it just opened back up on it own. We thought maybe time and use would make them easier to close but we were wrong. I had to have them removed. It is to late to return them as it took me so long to find someone to install them. But I wants lifts so he wil try to reinstall them differently than what the instructions say to see if that helps. But now it is going to cost me even more To pay for his time to have them reinstalled... Since my first review... I did have them reinstalled and they work now. They are still hard to close and I have to latch the lid to keep it closed but at least they work.. still disappointed though.

Not only are these quality gas struts, their customer service is outstanding. I decided to install these in the RV on a cloudy Saturday when it would be cooler (Phoenix). I had a question regarding the instructions, and left a phone message (and a message via Amazon) expecting to hear from them when they reopened on Monday. Within an hour, the gentleman had returned my call and spent time discussing the best way to install the struts for my situation. He also provided the same information via a response to my Amazon message as well as the updated installation instructions. Fantastic! Thank you.

The lift kit works great, I have it in my Jayco 174BH. It holds the bed up beautifully, and closes nicely and stays closed in transit. The only complaint I had as I initially installed it using the measurements on the card, but had to make adjustments for it to open big enough and close easily. Overall however it works really well once installed using some adjustments in the measurements

Installation was as per instructions. Just take your time and measure twice and drill once. Works well however we have a Queen trailer mattress, upgraded, which is a little heavier than the original manufacturer supplied mattress. The lift kit still works, however, once we need to replace struts I’ll be looking at a ones that can support more weight. It’s still nice to be able to open the storage space without trying to balance the bed frame and what your trying to pack.

Our RV queen bed, replaced our worn out mattress with a house type one, short queen, and the cylinders it came with never did work now that I have installed these new ones. Should have done this years ago. Would have been easier on my back. Thanks so much. Easy to install and works great.

I'm super happy with the kit - makes my life easier for sure.

After reading the other reviews about the "poor instructions" provided I was worried about buying this but I took the leap. I just finished installing my bed lift on a house bed with a very heavy mattress. I'm wondering what the others were experiencing for problems. Mine went together without any issues in about 35 minutes and I even had to make some changes because of cross braces in the bed. This is a well designed kit made out of quality components and even included some spare parts. I would only suggest 2 small improvements: 1. Supply shorter through bolts for the bottom bracket. 2. Step #2 is confusing. The instructions shows the bottom bracket mounted below the top of bed rail but does not give a measurement. If its not important then saying that would help. If it is important, then give a measurement. If its important to put 1/2 the bracket on each of the mated pieces of lumber then indicate that. Overall a well designed bed lift kit that includes everything needed to do the job.