Bunk Installation: Ceiling mounted arm catch

[Bitburg]

Good Morning.

I have a question regarding the ceiling mounted arm catch.

For those of you who have seen the skeletal structure above the ceiling’s panel board or would simply know otherwise.. are those 4-screw arm catch jobbers screwed into steel or aluminum?

I’ve traced out a horizontally running metal support (in parallel to) on either side. +/- 5 inches of where I believe the mounts will land if I am forced to used that metal support but those locations are not equally spaced from the sides of the trailer.

Yesterday I did mount the L-brackets for the side guide wires.

I will dry fit the bunk just to take measurements.

I just do not want to pop holes in the ceiling panel but am willing to use the smallest bit to test. An idea I have is to either drop the ceiling panel to see what is above or use the existing arm bolt hole locations on the fabric covered bunk bumper to install the arms, attach the 4-screw bracket to the arm and then see where they land on the ceiling... mark the 4 holes and use that smallest bit for exploration. Resistance would equal aluminum?

I doubt my ceiling would be different... the bunk was an option for the trailer, I doubt each bunk was built different for each ceiling. Lends credence to those 4-screw arm mounts to be secured to aluminum and not steel.

Thoughts?

Will

 

[garyk52]

Mine has approx 2 1/2 x 5 inch metal plates welded to the steel frame that the brackets attach. Take a magnet and see if you have steel plates welded where your brackets go. If not you may have to mount steel or aluminum plates into the frame below the ceiling and then mount your brackets. Whatever you decide go buy really really good drill bits. Ask me how I know.

 

[MTboondocker]

I replaced my OEM catches with 4-hole gate-style 6" long hook latches and their bases screwed right in where the OEM location was. The other end of the latch, on the bedframe itself, I mounted an eyebolt through both walls of the square tubing for the hook to locate in to.

I drilled corresponding holes first, and could peek in to see steel square tubing and what appeared to be a reinforcing plate "X" inches square, as stated above.

This arrangement holds my bunk sturdy and steadily, as I added a 4" thick section of an old TempurPedic mattress to bunk underneath the factory "mattress" for extra comfort. Odd dimensions, not standard for mattresses, I think 44" deep by 80 inches wide? It's been a couple summers. The TempurPedic is heavy and I needed extra length or "drop" from the ceiling downward to account fo rthe extra thickness of the combined mattresses up against the ceiling.

Hope that's helpful?

 

[r67northern]

Hi Everyone,

I went digging through the collection of restoration photos and here’s one that I think could help:

https://flic.kr/p/UP8QbU

You’ll see the flat metal plate that the “catch” is screwed in to, and it is attached to members of the steel tubular structure that form the grid pattern across the top. Hope this helps a bit.

Note that the wood strips that have been attached to the steel grid structure on the roof are my own additions, not factory.