Hi all, I just registered, so am new here. I would like to relate an incident that happened to myself and my fiance, over the Canadian Thanksgiving Long Weekend.
Just some background, after being out of RV'ing..(trailer pull's) for over 25 years, I decided to step once more back into the RV 'pool'.
I settled on a 2018 Winnebago Micro Minnie model 1706FB. A couple had purchased it in 2018, and decided for their needs, they would like ten more feet, so, traded it in on a 30 footer. I was lucky to have had my 'feelers' out with a certain dealer...and they notified me that this particular, practically new, trailer had come in on trade.
The rest is history...and now I own, and love it...a great towing trailer for two, that is being pulled by my 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan with the OEM Mopar Tow Package as ordered. At 60 MPH, set on Cruise Control, I am getting a fabulous 13.5-15 MPG. So, this trailer is truly tow-able for the long thousand mile trip, without breaking the fuel purchase 'bank. Well, that's the recent history, and now onto why I am posting a FYI...
The Micro Minnie 1706FB is a truly great gem for two...if you don't mind having a Queen bed frame and support that you can't walk around. Yes, the person sleeping near the front wall of the trailer has to carefully move over their partner, if one needs to exit the bed during the night...but truly, that is no real hardship, for at least, us.
But...but...it is the very bed frame that supports the plywood, that supports the mattress that is the main point of my first post.
While we were sleeping on it...****IT FAILED*** and we heard a loud, resounding CRACK, like a shotgun blast..as the entire bed frame on the front side of the trailer, fell down at least 3 inches below level. I was on that side, and am a 250 pound, 6'3" man...and my Fiance is 125 pounds at 5'10", so the failure of the bed-frame beneath our sleeping bodies should NEVER have occurred, if the construction by the Winnebago Factory, was manufactured to meet the demands and task of supporting two adults, in slumber.
We scrambled out of bed...and after I asked her to move over to the wall side, as I turned on the Storage Compartment LED light...and could see that the very, flimsy, wall support stud, had failed...and the sound we heard was the ridiculously flimsy wood stock of the bulkhead, ripping out of the screws and falling free. We were lucky we were not hurt, or even impaled by any of the other 'painting mixing sticks' that Winnebago used to create the under-support frame of the bed. We were lucky...
My fiance then transferred to the Dinette, and I placed three towels on the floor in front of the Dinette, and got what little rest I could, on the floor. We tried to not let it ruin the camping trip.
On returning home, I went directly to my selling dealer, and showed them what had happened. They were truly aghast, and (off Winnie warranty, as this was a used trailer), I stated that I wanted the entire bed frame rebuilt with 2X4 under-structure, and an added 3/8's plywood over the ridiculous 1/8 plywood, that was the OEM install. So...two days later, I got the call to come and pick up my trailer.
They did a fabulous job, of rebuilding the Queen bed frame in my 2018 Micro Minnie 1706FB, that two rutting elephants couldn't move 1/16th inch up, down, east, west, north, south, on the frame. The dealer who is 270 pounds, moved over to the wall side that had the failed OEM 'match stick' bulkhead, and then I, at 250 pounds, lay down beside him...the mattress and bed frame beneath us, didn't move (he simulated a person rolling over to their right side, and left side, as I did the same, as two people sleeping during the night would have as movement upon the bed frame beneath you, and the new bolstered beefed up bed frame...didn't even make a squeak. After the demo of their work, (I asked him, if this means, we should get engaged, and he just ROARED out in laughter...and said that comment made his day!) So what did they do?
The assigned RV tech, first created a 'house supporting' 2x4 false wall, bulkhead, that rested vertically off of the very floor of the Cross Through Storage, (at the front wall of the trailer) which only created a loss of 3 and 3/4 inches (the width of a true 2X4), from the storage cubic foot available. No big deal at all.
On the side of the bed frame that houses the access to the HWT (for Winterization), they also trussed up the original bed frame, with added 2X4's, that then were supported (PROPERLY!!!!!) right down to the very floor of the trailer. This is how Winnebago, ***SHOULD*** have manufactured a critical human interaction, feature that would be used 8-10 hours per 24 hours of camping/vacation time!!!!
Folks...better warned than, surprised, for those that own this model--->1706FB (any manufactured year). Your bed frame, will at some time, fail...sooner or later, (most likely as mine did, at the front wall support bulkhead)...and it could be at the most worst time...with you hundreds or thousands of miles from home...and literally, your vacation and enjoyment of your trailer you paid thousands for...could be ruined, or worst yet...cause physically or mortal injury to yourselves. Imagine for a moment, NOT being able to sleep on your RV's bed...because of a cheaply made, and under supported bed frame!) I highly suggest that you think about bolstering, beefing up the OEM match stick bed frame, BEFORE this happens to you, while out upon the road.
All in all, it cost me $343.00 (with tax in) for two hours labour, 4 2x4's, two sheets of 3/8's ply, and shop supplies (screws, etc).
Folks...I am THRILLED by the result...a bed that now has rock solid support for the mattress and two souls laying upon it. For the life of this trailer (I have no need of another...so hope to see this trailer take us down the road for the rest of our RV lives..., with proper maintenance of course!), but...even the dealer was agasht when they lifted up the cheap, flimsy ****1/8' factory supplied plywood***, and found that the entire bed frame was composed of -----get this-----> 1 inch, by 1/2 inch wood stock. Folks..they make paint stirrers out of that stock dimension!!!! THAT is what is supporting you..and most likely, unless you have a Murphy Bed, pretty much in all Winnebago products. My dealer's comment, was that they (probably Thor) cheaped out very badly, in places where the prospective buyer/owner, would not see how flimsy the build stock was...when deciding to purchase the new trailer! They could cheap out on the bed frame...and hope it lasted at least through the warranty period...then...it would be the owner's problem...as it turned out for us...(re-sale).
So, in closing...hello all...and I hope you will at least think of what I relayed...and check out the true construction of YOUR Winnebago (any model) bed frame...and decide if (as insurance against a ruined vacation, or personal injury), you might want to bolster and beef up what supports the mattress under it...and YOU, on top of it...
My guess would be that someone at some point, possibly the prior owner, was standing on the bed and cracked the supports, and then it finally gave way while you were sleeping.
I would think an easier fix for someone who has not yet had the supports actually break would be to simply glue a second layer of 1/4 or 3/8th's plywood over the existing.
Did they screw the 2x4 to the floor across the width of the trailer? Did you just rip out the entire thing and start over? I'm wondering how to retrofit something stronger since mine has not cracked yet and it's all in one piece. I agree it looks so flimsy. I have 5 of those 1 inch boards supporting 2 adults. No way that's gonna hold up for long.
Do you have any photos?
Has anyone else beefed up the bed support?
But on the other hand?
Some thoughts need to be given why the frame is built light as it does change things like the milage and how it rides. Lightweight is important in Rv use.
Second thought is that it may seem cruel but one might point out that your BMI of 31 does put you into a different realm when buying furniture. Normal weight range for your height is 148-199.
I have a neighbor of your size and he now brings his own chair to our house as he has broken two of ours!
__________________
Richard
Why no RV year, make and floorplan on MY signature as we suggest for others?
I currently DO NOT have one!
Well, this exact scenario happened to us this past weekend. I got up at 2 am to pee, and pushed myself upright and heard and felt and loud CRACK! The bed frame where attached to the front bulkhead broke loose.
Got home, removed the mattress and sure enough, the frame is rather thin vertical slats of wood, and headers are attached to the sides with screws - with no vertical supports. The overlay is very thin plywood, almost a veneer.
I am ripping out the existing thin plywood, and replacing with 3/8" as Sun_Seeker states, and adding additional vertical supports to the struts with 1X2 wood. And for the front I will have to add a new footer and vertical supports to the header, and reattached the header to the front bulkhead.
Really like our RV, but wow, Winnebago really cheapened out on the execution of design on this one.
And oh, we are not big people. I'm 188 lbs, and my wife is 135 lbs. It really should have supported us w/o breaking.
No I don't, but can take some...he (the tech) not only built the 2x4 front storage area bulkhead..but added paneling to it...very professionally done. You would thing this came from Winnebago! Actually...for the use of this part of the trailer...it should have been. Done the road...every one is going to see the O.E.M. bed frame match-stick failure. It's inevitable in my opinion....
Unfortunately the front bulkhead is only SCREWED into the front wall...only the screws shafts are supporting the entire front weight of the bed frame...so..in other words, 1/8 inch of metal...times 6, is what is truly holding the bed 1x1 inch softwood bulkhead OEM, to the front of the trailer storage wall. That is where it all failed...they ripped out of the wall, and down I came sleeping near the front wall in the queen. The frame was thoroughly inspected by myself....and there were no spaces...or cracks in the OEM frame. I don't believe that usage by the previous (original owner) led to what happened to us. It failed...by two normal persons sleeping in the bed...and moving and adjusting their sleeping forms...as normal. The OEM bed frame is a failure waiting to happen...it needs bolstering, to avoid that, as we have done. For the rest of this trailer''s service life with us...I will never fear climbing into bed...ever again, and fearing a sudden drop to the 'basement' with all damage that entails! I suggest everybody look at the bed frame...and make a decision for themselves.
Hi Micro...here's a description of what was done..( and again..I was absolutely thrilled by the design and execution of the tech...so much so...that I went out and came back with a two-four of beer...and placed it with him....to show my appreciation to the quality of workmanship, beyond that I of course paid for it.
Here's what he did:
He removed the ridiculous 1x1/2 inch front screwed into the wall, bed frame bulkhead, and placed a frame of two by fours, built to the height of the original 1x1 bulkhead, that now rested fully on the Storage Locker floor! There were four 2x4 vertical supports between the top 2x4 and the bottom 2x4. The bottom 2x4 was screwed into the thick Storage Locker floor via properly driven relief holes for the diameter shaft of the screws. Then, a 1/8 inch skin paneling was placed over the face of the front bed frame new 2x4 bulkhead, for aesthetics appearance. It looks FACTORY! The guy was fabulous! Worth the 2-4!
Then, on the 'interior' side of the queen bed, where my two (2018) 1706FB clothes drawers are situated, he ***removed*** all the 1x1/2 inch stick bedframe...and replaced that with proper 2x4 construction. So, the entire bed frame is now composed of 2x4 spruce from floor, to top 2x4 frames, (think of the walls of a house...and these look like that in micro. As I said...there was almost 500 pounds between we two large size men...and not even a SQUEAK of wood...and certainly, no drop down feeling as you knelt across the mattress for the person at the front wall sleeping position to take their place. We both rolled left and right...and we did that (everybody at home does this...) slight jump llift of our hips to move our feet/hips to another sleeping position...not a squeak..not a feeling of the bed frame reacting to our combined 2 person body weights. FANTASTIC!
So...very happy with that...and finally, he added a sheet of quality plywood...not particle board that sat over the OEM 1/4 plywood (what a laugh...1/4 inch!) and since then...both my wife and I, actually NEVER give our queen size bed and frame beneath it any thought...we climb into bed...settle down...and only think of what great camping adventures the next day will bring...and not crossing our selves...that we make it through the night...without falling into the basement, all over our storage gear. That...if you excuse the pun...'has been put to bed'...LOL! Cheers..and hope this helps you make your decision to act or not... Cheers.
Well, this exact scenario happened to us this past weekend. I got up at 2 am to pee, and pushed myself upright and heard and felt and loud CRACK! The bed frame where attached to the front bulkhead broke loose.
Got home, removed the mattress and sure enough, the frame is rather thin vertical slats of wood, and headers are attached to the sides with screws - with no vertical supports. The overlay is very thin plywood, almost a veneer.
I am ripping out the existing thin plywood, and replacing with 3/8" as Sun_Seeker states, and adding additional vertical supports to the struts with 1X2 wood. And for the front I will have to add a new footer and vertical supports to the header, and reattached the header to the front bulkhead.
Really like our RV, but wow, Winnebago really cheapened out on the execution of design on this one.
And oh, we are not big people. I'm 188 lbs, and my wife is 135 lbs. It really should have supported us w/o breaking.
Mike
That--->is ***EXACTLY*** what happened in our case...the front CRAPPY bulk head (if you can call it that...c'mon Winnebago...really!?!?!?) with the resounding crack like a shot gun blast...the same as you encountered...and the whole frame at the front of the 2018 1706FB queen bed sagged down 3 1/12 inches 'into the basement'. Thank goodness...it didn't sink lower onto our stored items..damaging them..or even injuring me, or my wife by impact/impalement. Same as you....but if you do what my tech did...with a rebuild of 2x4 floor to top of bed frame custom work...you can put to bed, any further fears of this happening ever again... Good luck! This can be remedied...and Mike...Winnie (oh..for the weigh reduction NO..for the cost of materials!) uses paper thin 1x1's...and my tech building a true bed frame with 2.4's...added perhaps 5-15 pounds to the trailer...big deal, on a trailer that can load in (dual 3,500 axles) 7,000 pounds above them.
But on the other hand?
Some thoughts need to be given why the frame is built light as it does change things like the milage and how it rides. Lightweight is important in Rv use.
Second thought is that it may seem cruel but one might point out that your BMI of 31 does put you into a different realm when buying furniture. Normal weight range for your height is 148-199.
I have a neighbor of your size and he now brings his own chair to our house as he has broken two of ours!
Hi Richard...thanks for your response and comments. At my height and body mass..I think that I am well within reasonable weight, as I feel my wife is for her age and height. We have never broken furniture, in our home, other peoples homes, or when having slept on their T.T. beds or converted dinettes. When I looked at what had failed...with a flash light after the front 1x1/2 bed frame screwed into the front wall, failed,...I simply called my wife out to gaze herself at it...and we just knelt there..looking into the Storage Locker..and shook our heads back and forth. Then...I got it rebuilt..and the rest is history.
My guess would be that someone at some point, possibly the prior owner, was standing on the bed and cracked the supports, and then it finally gave way while you were sleeping.
I would think an easier fix for someone who has not yet had the supports actually break would be to simply glue a second layer of 1/4 or 3/8th's plywood over the existing.
I think the main thrust of the repair though..is to have floor to top bed frame support...for most of these bed frames...are very little supported vertically, and are somewhat only supported in mid air, by run of the wood themselves. Honestly, we all want after a wonderful fun filled day at the campsite..to expect to have a fully supported, well supported mattress...and ourselves upon it. Now..that is our experience. The rest of my 1706FB is a GREAT TRAILER...for so many reasons...and now that the queen bed frame will never again offer us failure, our T.T. is simply a gem, from front to back, every linear foot!
Unfortunately the front bulkhead is only SCREWED into the front wall...only the screws shafts are supporting the entire front weight of the bed frame...so..in other words, 1/8 inch of metal...times 6, is what is truly holding the bed 1x1 inch softwood bulkhead OEM, to the front of the trailer storage wall. That is where it all failed...they ripped out of the wall, and down I came sleeping near the front wall in the queen. The frame was thoroughly inspected by myself....and there were no spaces...or cracks in the OEM frame. I don't believe that usage by the previous (original owner) led to what happened to us. It failed...by two normal persons sleeping in the bed...and moving and adjusting their sleeping forms...as normal. The OEM bed frame is a failure waiting to happen...it needs bolstering, to avoid that, as we have done. For the rest of this trailer''s service life with us...I will never fear climbing into bed...ever again, and fearing a sudden drop to the 'basement' with all damage that entails! I suggest everybody look at the bed frame...and make a decision for themselves.
Typo alert. In my post reply above, I typed 1x1 as the OEM bed frame wood dimension. That was a typo..it is really 1x1/2. So for where ever you see me typing 1x1...nope..mentally correct that to 1x1/2 wood dimension. Where that was...is now replaced by 2x4 inch running support and vertical support. Thank you, sorry for the typo, reader, and could be resulting confusion. All my posts above should show the OEM bed frame parts...as put together with 1x1/2 stock.
I went ahead and beefed my bed frame up. Added five 1x2 boards along each of the original 1/2 Inch sticks they had in there, and glued / clamped them in. Ran a 1x4 across the front of the font of the trailer where the existing support is stapled in. The I supported the 1x4 with 3 supports down to the floor. I added some adjustable feet so I could take some of the load off the front bulkhead but not all of it.
Feels very solid now and I think I can avoid the middle of the night crash.
Did they screw the 2x4 to the floor across the width of the trailer? Did you just rip out the entire thing and start over? I'm wondering how to retrofit something stronger since mine has not cracked yet and it's all in one piece. I agree it looks so flimsy. I have 5 of those 1 inch boards supporting 2 adults. No way that's gonna hold up for long.
Do you have any photos?
Has anyone else beefed up the bed support?
Yes, the 2x4 framed bulkhead is from right across the full width of the front, and it is screwed to the floor right across. It will never move or shift from trailer movement and road vibration. Every piece cut of 2x4's are pocket screwed together to form my new frame. They also left the 'paint stirrers!' in place as well, as no need to truly have had them removed from the project. As there is now a 3/8 true plywood mattress support, I have screwed in two low profile metal handles about 4 inches in from each side at the 'get in' front of the bed...so I can lift the mattress and the 3/8 plywood, to then place a 2 foot 2x4 cut off, so I can then access the left side 1/8 OEM original cut out that below that, sits all the valves for Winterizing, etc. It's all working out great. No further worries ever regarding sleeping comfort and security. If most readers of this post decide to act as you did...basically if they can get support for the frame, to the floor...they will have bettered the situation 100 percent, over OEM under-manufacturing...for what should have come out of the factory. I'll take pictures from looking inside the Storage Locker...at the front...at the back and sides...and will post how mine looks now. I'll do that soon on this thread. Cheers!
Took this to heart and used some leftover 2x4s, treated 1x1s, and ripped some 1x2s I had laying around to install three support frames inside the box as well as beef up the existing 1x1 lateral frame pieces with glue and screws. The 2x4 frame is installed up front where that poorly attached header is located. Also installed another layer of luan on top of the existing sheet under the mattress.
Pretty sure they're enough to keep us out of the cargo hold.
__________________ 2019 1706FB Micro Minnie/2011 Z71 Chevy Suburban "What the long road steals in minutes, it returns in serenity."
Took this to heart and used some leftover 2x4s, treated 1x1s, and ripped some 1x2s I had laying around to install three support frames inside the box as well as beef up the existing 1x1 lateral frame pieces with glue and screws. The 2x4 frame is installed up front where that poorly attached header is located. Also installed another layer of luan on top of the existing sheet under the mattress.
Pretty sure they're enough to keep us out of the cargo hold.
You are good to go, and have stress free sleep, from hereon out! We paneled that front 2x4 false wall, with the exact same wall liner material to appear O.E.M factory, and as you saw...it cuts a totally negligible amount of storage space at that location.
In fact...since you have left the false wall exposed..I have a suggestion...screw in two curved I-hooks (you know, the little short screw brass bodied ones) about 4-6 inches down on each inside of the two central 2x4 supports, and then one of those motorcycle expanding netted/thronged storage hold downs, to form a netting wall. Clip the net at the two top I-holders..and two at the bottom, and across the floor, width between the 2 central vertical supports. Congratulations...you have just utilized that space vertically to hold small flat items, like packs of Black Water conditioner, maps, papers, whatever you like...even to folding flat stuff that doesn't weight too much like chairs, etc...
Indeed, there's not a lot of room in front of the bulkhead, Sun_Seeker. I thought hard about finishing it the way you did but I did some poking around and realized I could use the space for the leveling/sway bars and other long, narrow items needing storage while either on the road or camped.
I like your idea for the nets and may look into incorporating them for some additional storage of softer items. Thanks for that tip!
__________________ 2019 1706FB Micro Minnie/2011 Z71 Chevy Suburban "What the long road steals in minutes, it returns in serenity."
Indeed, there's not a lot of room in front of the bulkhead, Sun_Seeker. I thought hard about finishing it the way you did but I did some poking around and realized I could use the space for the leveling/sway bars and other long, narrow items needing storage while either on the road or camped.
I like your idea for the nets and may look into incorporating them for some additional storage of softer items. Thanks for that tip!
No problem, and I might add, you did a great job! No further worries for you! Sleep well!
Linear Mode
