making an inclined bed from two Ikea twin, foam mattresses

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making an inclined bed from two Ikea twin, foam mattresses

Postby working on it » Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:58 pm

working on it wrote:
  • FROM ANOTHER THREAD:I haul cargo in the front of y 4'x8' TTT. I started doing this before I had a large tongue-box to hold enough equipment (including battery) to shift my trailer's weight bias forward (I needed more weight forward to have sufficient tongue weight for travel). I installed an e-track on the inside front wall, and D-rings on door frames and on the floor, as well, to strap the cargo down. I folded my mattress back over itself, strapped it down, and put my cargo in.
  • At first, the cargo was usually one 65-75 lb ice chest (loaded), and two seven-gallon Aquatainers (120 lbs for the pair), strapped to the front e-track, and with bungees to the D-rings holding them down. Plenty of tongue weight now! later, as I got the balance to where I wanted it, I could travel without forward cargo in the cabin, but I still carry one ice chest there, to keep it cooler than in my truck bed, in the sun.
  • 107316107315107314
  • But, I have a problem folding the mattress back to make room for the cargo, after I bought a second 75"x38"x3.75" thick Ikea mattress to put on top of the original. I didn't need it, but my wife said she did (she never has used the trailer, yet). So, I'm going to cut the second foam mattress into two sections, to ride on top of the bottom mattress. Then, I can still easily fold back the single thickness mattress, on the bottom, and strap it down for cargo room. By stacking the cut pieces on top of the intact mattress, I can also sleep in a more head-up position, that I prefer, due to periodic acid reflux, and be able to recline, if I just want to relax during a hot day. I may have to trim a little extra off of the cut portion of each piece, to make a smoother transition to the next layer, and I'll have to secure all pieces in place with zip-ties on the side edging (my all-purpose solution). A commercial, 5 mil thick, heavy-duty waterproof bag (I had a mis-placed canopy direct water thru an unsealed door one time, my waterproof bag saved my mattresses!) will cover all. The existing bedding will still fit, as it's oversized, and the excess will work for the new upper layer.
  • The attachment modified double-mattress plan.png is no longer available
  • It may be unorthodox, and a redneck solution to two problems, but I always defer to function over form anyway.
  • I changed my plan. The longest I could leave the "cut" mattress was 40" (coinciding with the rear of the door opening), leaving 35" of "cut" mattress to place on top of it. I used our electric knife to make an effortless cut, after I pulled back the cover. I re-installed the cover (with my wife's help, to pull the zipper while I compressed the foam). No zip ties were needed to hod the upper piece to the bottom, since the foam doesn't slide, even before compression and coverage.
  • I tried the cut mattress on top of the uncut one, as in the plans above, but the transition from one level to the next, was harsh, even on foam. So,I put the uncut mattress on top of the cut pieces (as shown here):
  • revision to cut a mattress for inclined bed.png
    revision to cut a mattress for inclined bed.png (16.2 KiB) Viewed 238 times
  • Trying it out, while lying on it in the bed of my wife's pickup, I felt that this arrangement smoothed the transition fom one level to the next. If it proves unsatisfactory in full night's use, I will taper the cut angles. A further note: I have firm king-size pillows which I can layer on top, to make the reclining angle more continuous than in the line drawing.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
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Re: making an inclined bed from two Ikea twin, foam mattress

Postby working on it » Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:27 pm

  • Wow, did I ever miscalculate. I haven't put either of the two mattresses in the TTT for over 18 months; they were lying on top of the queen size bed in my wife's business trailer (unused for three years), so I lost sight of how thick they were, stacked upon each other. But, I went ahead with the plan anyway, and had great difficulty putting the bed linen over the now triple-thick head portion of the bed, and even more difficulty squeezing it into my door. I had to get inside, and have my wife push from outside, while I pulled. It was a bear. When I put the top sheet on, and added the two king pillows, it pretty much took up all of my allotted headspace (remember, I also added a 2" thick spacer platform under the mattress). However, the angle of the bed was such that my head was thrust out from under a shelf, into the open, and wasn't bad to recline on. It is, actually, very soothing to my back. I'll try it on the BB'17 trip, but I suspect that I'll remove one cut section, just to gain back a little room.
  • P.S. it does fold where I intended, and it is easier to fold than with two thicknesses at the folding point. At least that turned out as planned. I really need to do more camping, to get back to reality, instead of dreaming constantly of modifications (that often don't turn out as desired).
  • P.P.S. I did have to remove the 40" cut section...gained back some needed room (note to others: the super-thick plastic mattress cover under the thin sheet, combined with the steep incline, caused me to constantly slide down towards my feet...not restful). Now that I'm home, I'll cut a bit off the left side of my 35" cut section (I need to access a hinged-door cabinet, located next to the mattress; two thicknesses are too much to let me swing the door open) and try it again.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
173193172890148599
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