≡ Menu

Non-Electric Bed Lift in his Cargo Tiny House


This post contains affiliate links.

This is a non-electric bed lift that was built for a stealthy cargo trailer to tiny house conversion.

This bed-to-ceiling system could also work for van conversions, tiny homes, and in other small spaces to create more multi-functional space. What do you think?

Don’t miss other interesting stories like this, join our Free Tiny House Newsletter for more! 

Non-Electric Bed Lift System For Tiny Homes So You Can Store Your Bed into the Ceiling!

According to his video description, he used 36″x 100lb and 36″x 40lb supports from www.liftsupportsdepot.com to build the bed lift.

This allows for the manual, non-electric lift of the bed platform which gives flexibility in the cargo trailer for other uses during the day or to simply continue to use the cargo trailer as a cargo trailer when not camping.

In sleep mode, it is still set relatively high, but it gets the job done and leaves plenty of storage space below the bed even when in camping mode.

When the bed is completely lifted, he is able to stand underneath the bed which is pretty amazing. What are your thoughts on this bed lift? Would you use this concept for your tiny house or van conversion?

Video: Cargo to Camper Conversion Bed System

Learn more

You can share this using the e-mail and social media re-share buttons below. Thanks!

If you enjoyed this you’ll LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more! Thank you!

More Like This: Explore our Furniture Section

See The Latest: Go Back Home to See Our Latest Tiny Houses

This post contains affiliate links.

The following two tabs change content below.

Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 18 comments… add one }
  • Trish
    September 14, 2018, 4:05 pm

    Very smart young man, patent that baby and sell the kit.

    • Kate
      March 24, 2019, 10:07 am

      That’s a good idea!

    • Tom
      June 17, 2019, 3:55 pm

      He copied it from someone else.

      • B
        June 4, 2020, 2:24 pm

        Hi you’ve said the above about this lowering bed. I want to copy the idea but am not sure of the lengths. Can you help me please?

  • November 8, 2018, 9:52 am

    You can let yourself go in many ways: When tired you lie down on the chaise longue; when you love the warmth of the sun on your body, which adheres to the sand; or when you abandon yourself to the shiver of a caress. But all this can not missed the relaxation you can experience in the intimacy of a “Small House” made to measure your ” Vital Breath”…..

  • Christine Sowell
    March 20, 2019, 11:01 am

    young man I am blown away — the thought-detail-efficiency-knowledge-practicality-aesthetics of this project is just so impressive!!! Have a wonderful time in your travel adventures – but think about using that ability of yours to find other small space solutions – you have a gift!

  • Sharon Jongerden
    March 23, 2019, 3:29 pm

    I’m interested to know where you purchased your gas struts from please.

  • Lindsey Wagner
    August 29, 2020, 9:57 pm

    Amazon has them really really affordable.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      August 31, 2020, 3:41 pm

      Great to know!

  • Peggy
    March 19, 2021, 4:36 pm

    This an excellent idea and well done presentation. However, often without air circulation under the mattress, your body heat and sweat, plus humidity in the air builds up and will cause mold to form. You may not smell it or even see it until becomes something nasty. Give some thought to having air vents or raising the mattress up off the non-breathable surface by using slats. Similar to what IKEA uses in their bed systems. This is especially important if you store wet gear or damp clothes in the storage area under the bed.

    • James D.
      January 24, 2022, 4:27 pm

      It actually depends on the type of mattress, layers of bedding, humidity level, and air flow through the space. Since, there’s multiple factors involved in how those issues arise and it’s a bit more complicated as to whether or not that will be a problem just because the bed is on a flat platform.

      If you’re in a dry climate, you’re much less likely to develop issues than when in a humid climate, for example. There are places you may even need to add moisture to the air because it gets too dry and with plenty of air flow through an open space can make it very hard to have any moisture issues.

      While inversely, combine high humidity with a lack of air flow in an enclosed space and you could develop issues even with plenty of space below the mattress as then the moisture still gets trapped and creates an environment that mold can thrive.

      Some mattresses, like those with springs, have air gaps within its layers and thus will more naturally breath and avoid trapping moisture, along with being able to dry out more quickly. While some mattresses can act like sponges and not only not breath but make it harder to dry out… So the type of mattress can be an important consideration…

      Though, beds can also have protective covers that prevent moisture from being absorbed by the mattress. Or inversely, a plastic bed cover can make it harder for the bed to dry out and trap moisture. Much like how house walls have to deal with vapor barriers and vapor permeable layers to properly design them for the environment they will be in, the same would hold true of how to treat a mattress for proper moisture management.

      Similarly, hot and cold surfaces can also create condensation issues, as another way moisture can get under the bed and could do so at a faster rate than it can dry out or not dry out at all if there’s a lack of air flow and dry enough air to absorb that moisture and take it away…

      Having a dehumidifier, lots of airflow over and around the bed, etc can also effect how well or badly it’ll manage moisture levels…

      Basically, there’s multiple things to consider and it will depend on multiple factors that work together for determining what is actually required… Could be this will need more than just slats but it could also be that he may just need to flip the mattress every now and then. and maybe just drill some holes in the melamine… Mind, the platform is a box, it’s how he gets the cam lights to work underneath it… So there’s already an open space below the mattress, just adding some holes will allow air flow then and there’s already 2 holes… Could also add a fan to force air flow as well and reduce the number of holes he would need to add…

      • George Andrews
        January 24, 2022, 10:43 pm

        There are many different ways to construct a raised bed. However, it becomes a health danger when it is not ventilated properly. You have two air fans and that is good for circulation. a Flat mattress without air vent holes in the floor becomes a future mold trap. To many van’s lifers do not have the strength to regularly rotate mattress; travel to hot wealth, marooned in rainy downpours. Remove and take a look at home wall vapour barriers. Often black mould is found behind that plastic vapour barrier.within 5 – 7 years. Check Anna White, Alsaka who is constructing a raising bed by using garage door opener.

        • James D.
          January 25, 2022, 10:33 am

          @George Andrews – Well, that’s a bit inaccurate as while the lack of ventilation can cause problems but it doesn’t mean there will always be problems or that it will always be a health issue.

          Again, there’s multiple factors that have to work together. Mold requires specific range of conditions to become active and thrive. Otherwise we would always be having problems because mold spores are basically everywhere, they’re part of the natural ecosystem of life and are usually already inside drywall and other materials, and can be spread by the wind, which is why they can show up so fast after a flood, etc.

          So, we should be wary of creating the conditions that’ll make them a problem but it’s not something that will effect everyone the same, in all situations. Thus it will depends on each situation and should be considered on a case by case condition…

          Dry climates, breathable mattresses, dehumidifiers, anti-microbial materials, UV, etc. are examples of the multiple things that can reduce the probability of having or being at risk of developing issues.

          I also pointed out there are vapor permeable products. Simple plastic barriers aren’t the only option and it really depends on what climate and weather conditions you need it to be in for what is best building practice but there are multiple ways to design a space to perform, including allowing moisture to escape but only in one direction to help ensure the space can dry out…

          Btw, beds don’t need to be hard to flip. There are light weight beds, sectionals that don’t need to be moved all at once, folding mattresses that can be easier to flip, and like any engineering problem there’s multiple ways to make it easier or even automatic.. Besides, it will depend on the specific situation how often that would be needed to be done or ever, especially as some people just replace their mattress every few years or only will use it rarely, such as for RVing, etc a few days to a few weeks out of the year…

          While YMMV with DIY, people do it mainly because commercial products are usually expensive but it should be remembered that DIY involves improvising and not every option will be always idea to use.

          Ana White’s elevator bed is a good option but not everyone will be comfortable modifying a garage opener that way and there could be issues with noise, safety, and reliability versus a more simple mechanical setup with fewer moving parts and requires less skill to do right… Finding the right parts can also be an issue these days and some people may need a solution that doesn’t require power to work…

  • Rick Satts
    December 8, 2021, 6:58 pm

    Thank you so much for explaining your design I want to repeat the exact same setup. I could not seem to find the link to the mattress on Amazon. Could you please send me the link? Thanks so much, Cheers, Ricky

  • Jay
    January 24, 2022, 11:12 am

    Great job and thanks for sharing. How did you run your can light wiring that’s under the bed? ie how does the wiring get stabilized so it isn’t getting caught on anything when the bed raises…..and how did you had the wiring.

  • Doug Potter
    April 4, 2022, 11:03 am

    Great job, I plan a very similar setup. I’m thinking I’ll use rolling door track and wheels. Very well thought out design. Not needing electric is fantastic.

  • Melba
    August 25, 2022, 10:16 pm

    This is so cool, I want to do this in our toy hauler. Could you explain how it stays down, is there a latch? It sounds like it in the video. Thank you in advance.

  • Marsha Cowan
    August 28, 2022, 7:52 pm

    Cool! 😎

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.