Our Ford Transit DIY camper van conversion is build mostly around the mountain bikes and the platform bed is no exception. We wanted a permanent raised bed above the “garage” (over the bikes and other stuff); no need to fold/unfold the bed at night & it creates a lot of storage room under the bed.
To provide enough clearance for the mountain bikes, there is 40″ height between the floor and the lower frame of the bed. (38″ or 39″ inches is probably enough. Check with your own mountain bikes!)
The platform bed is 76″ long x 72″ wide. We have an Ikea matress that is 75″ long x 54″ wide x 4″ thick; the unused portion of the platform will be use for storage cabinet.
We were quite aggressive with the width of the platform: it is wider than the floor and the frames above, so we’re up for some challenges when we will build the walls! But this way, the living space is maximized.
To maximize the living space between the bed and the driver & passenger seats, we installed the platform bed the most rearward as possible. It leaves 80″ of usable space for the kitchen and the “living room”.
TIME SPENT ON THE JOB: 16-20 hours
TOTAL COST : 220-300$ USD
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MATERIAL:
- 1x 1″ thick, 5’x5′ russian birch (40$)
- 1x 5/8″ thick, 4’x8′ russian birch (48$)
- 2x 3/8″ thick, 4’x8′ russian birch (70$)
- ~60x 1/4 fender washer (Buy from Amazon)
- ~10x 1/4-20, .280 Steel Cross Nut Prebulbed (Buy from Amazon)
- many 1/4-20 bolts, various lengths (Buy from Amazon)
- M8 bolts for existing threaded holes in Transit (10$)
- many #4 wood screw 1″ length (5$)
- Titebond III Wood Glue (7$ as of July 2016, Buy from Amazon)
TOOLS:
If you don’t see the tools list just below, turn your ad-blocker off and reload the page!
Disclaimer
We’re not woodworkers. We’re not well equipped in tools. So this is not a “How-To”. This is just how we did it with our limited knowledge & limited access to appropriate tools. There are probably standards, but we’re probably not following them . That being said, we’re very satisfied with the final result and we are proud of what we accomplished!
First of all, this is what we have in mind
Our actual layout, for now… interactive 3D model is here
Alright now, let’s install a bed in our van!
Legs
The platform bed legs are made of 1″ thick russian birch plywood. The legs are really stiff; there is no flex at all (¾” thick Russian birch would probably have been enough). Each leg is attached to the van frame by two fasteners that are screwed into Cross Nut (Buy from Amazon) (see our post about Cross Nut here).
Squeaks Eliminator 2000
To ensure there will be no squeak at all, wood must never be in contact with metal. We therefore left a gap between the legs and the van walls; the gap is created by the Crossnut flange and two fender washers (Buy from Amazon).
Horizontal Frames
Each pair of legs are connected by an horizontal frame. Horizontal frames will increase “lateral” stiffness (left to right) and provide “vertical” stiffness to support our weight; having stiff frame allowed us to reduce the platform thickness (we used 3/8″ thick Russian birch plywood) and shave some weight.
The horizontal frames are a composition of a 5/8″ x 4″ frame and a 5/8″ x 2″ frame. We found this arrangement to provide plenty of stiffness for our need; there is barely no deflection when we hop on the bed.
There is an additional frame in the back of the van. There is not much loads here so we started with one 5/8″ thick x 2″ height, but to get the stiffness we wanted it finally ended with three 5/8″ thick x 2″ height glued together.
Squeaks Eliminator 3000
Relative movement between components produces squeaks. Even where you think there is no movement…
Therefore, we screwed & glued every wood frame together (the platform is not glued to the frames because we want it to be removable). The glue provides the bonding, the screws hold everything together while the glue cures (the screws could be avoided if we had fancy woodworking tools!).
We use #4 screws (1″ length) (Buy from Amazon) and Titebond III Waterproof Wood Glue (Buy from Amazon):
The Platform
We used two 3/8″ thick, 4′ wide x 8′ long, Russian birch plywood sheets. We trimmed the sheets to get the bed width and length we wanted (72″ x 75″) and fastened them using 1/4″ flat head bolts, nuts and fender washers that we countersunk.
nice & smooth
ON SECOND THOUGHT…
We now have used the platform bed throughout the summer and it is working as intended: it is very stiff and does not squeak. Yay!
The 4″ thick ikea mattress is very comfortable too (if you like firm mattresses) … very neat for a 150$ mattress!
At the time of writing these lines, we still have to finish the wood with Danish Oil or Varnish to add some protection. We will also eventually add a decorative frame at the back & front of the bed.
WANT MORE?
Check out our Build Journal, learn everything about The Van, read our VanLife Guides, or if you’re new to this start by reading The Prologue.
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ABOUT US
Hello! We’re Isabelle and Antoine 🙂 In 2017 we sold our house (and everything in it), quit our engineering careers and moved into our self built campervan. We’ve been on the road since then and every day is an opportunity for a new adventure; we’re chasing our dreams and hopefully it inspires others to do the same!
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CHEERS!
27 comments
Comment by Chris
Chris May 14, 2018 at 1:18 pm
Hi you two!
Would it be okay to use any kind of wood, like solid pine, if it is the same dimensions (width, thickness) for the frames and legs? Or, does the birch plywood add a significant increase in stiffness that is necessary?
Thanks!
Comment by Antoine
Antoine May 16, 2018 at 10:22 am
If you use solid wood, you probably don’t want to go below 2″x3″ because it’s warped and bent when you buy it (go see for yourself at home depot). You will probably have to use different sizes to get a strong base (like 2×3 and 2×4).
Cheers!
Pingback: Best Wood To Build Platform Bed | Woodworking Service Online
Comment by Amber
Amber May 6, 2018 at 8:36 pm
Nice van! Awesome set up. Where did you purchase the sliding hardware that allows you to pull your bikes in and out on the wood platform? Thanks for sharing your van life! Cheers, Amber
Comment by Antoine
Antoine May 6, 2018 at 9:17 pm
It’s all here: faroutride.com/slide-out-bike-rack/
Have a good one!
🙂
Comment by Kevin
Kevin April 7, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Hello Isabelle and Antoine,
Amazing site and I appreciate all the hard work you put into your van and then to share it on the site. I am just wondering how tall you are? I am 6’1″ and am building out a Ram Promaster. We will be storing bikes under the bed as well and I just can’t see anyway to make it so I can sit up in bed. It sounds like you also are not able to completely sit up in bed?
The max amount of space I see myself getting is maybe 29″ above the mattress and that is cutting it close on everything. Is it a problem not being able to sit up? I feel like it would drive me crazy.
Thanks,
Kevin
Comment by Scott
Scott April 21, 2018 at 6:48 pm
Hi Kevin,
Not Isabelle or Antoine, but I am also 6’1″ and in the midst of a Promaster High Roof conversion. My solution to being able to sit up in bed is the Magura Vyron electronic seatpost. I hate the idea of electronics on my bike, but the wireless seatpost means that I can still have a dropper while being able to remove my seat for storage.
With the post out, the highest point on my bike is my handlebar at about 32″ from the ground (including bike rack). This means that the bottom of the bed platform can be 34″, which hypothetically should allow me to fully sit up in bed if I use a fairly thin mattress (something like an Ikea Minnesund or Meistervik at ~4″). I did some pretty detailed figuring to flesh this out, feel free to reply if you want more info.
I haven’t finished building the bed platform yet, but it’s the next thing in our build. If you follow up on this post in about a week, I should be able to report back.
Comment by Daniel Copeland
Daniel Copeland December 3, 2017 at 9:26 pm
What did you use to measure the holes to choose the correct, and desired Plusnut? I have a Chevrolet Express Van, and you sold me on using plusnuts, but am lost as to how to measure a hole that small to ensure I order the correct box of 100.
Thanks ~
Comment by Antoine
Antoine December 3, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Hi Daniel,
A vernier is probably the best tool: http://amzn.to/2idmoW2
Or a good precise ruler (cheaper): http://amzn.to/2jHatAi
Good luck!
Antoine
Comment by micah
micah October 11, 2017 at 9:31 am
Haha ok i believe you! Im curious as to why not have them reach all the way to the floor?
Comment by Antoine
Antoine October 11, 2017 at 9:50 am
Cause we wanted to prevent squeaks (=gap) and the two bolts are doing the job. There not exactly “legs”; the reason they extend so low near the floor is because we needed a solid attachment. If there was a solid attachment higher from the floor, we would have use it.
Comment by micah
micah October 9, 2017 at 4:59 pm
i love this build journal its inspiring me for so many parts of our own bid! So you’re saying the legs aren’t touching the floor then? They look to be in the pictures.
Comment by Antoine
Antoine October 9, 2017 at 8:12 pm
Nope, they’re not touching the floor. There is a small gap, i’m positive! 🙂
Happy conversion! 🙂
Comment by Aaron Traxinger
Aaron Traxinger August 15, 2017 at 6:46 pm
First thanks for the inspiration. We are ordering our Transit in October (to hopefully receive it by March). You have taken all the hard thinking down several notches for me. Which is good because we plan on building while still holding full time jobs. I plan to buy a few things off Amazon and will gladly go though your links.
My question:
I see some people use legs and others (like traipsingabout) just mention supports on the wall. In all your thought process why did you go the legs route?
If you ever make it to Bozeman, MT I hope you say hello and let us show you our favorite trails.
Comment by Antoine
Antoine August 15, 2017 at 9:18 pm
Aaron,
It’s quite simple, the Transit just don’t have support at bed level (at OUR bed level, at least); its just a thin sheet metal without any attachments points. The legs are just an extension to reach two existing holes where we inserted plusnut, they actually are not touching the floor! Having a Sprinter, we would have done like traipsing about… love their build! It’s a big inspiration for us.
Hope that helps!
We would love to ride your local trail, just wait for us :p
Cheers,
Antoine
Comment by Mark
Mark June 16, 2017 at 8:55 am
Would a queen sized foam mattress fit
Comment by Antoine
Antoine June 16, 2017 at 9:02 am
The platform is 72″ wide (a bit less after you add the wood paneling) and a queen mattress is 60″. It will fit, depending if you build a side storage like we did. After we added the storage, we can fit a 54″ mattress.
Comment by Brandon
Brandon June 12, 2017 at 10:49 pm
What’s the max amount of weight you think this could hold?
Comment by Antoine
Antoine June 13, 2017 at 10:05 pm
Good question! I’m not gonna try it :p
Comment by Brandon Hise
Brandon Hise June 15, 2017 at 5:00 pm
Would you say two adults totaling 350lbs?
Comment by Antoine
Antoine June 16, 2017 at 7:46 am
We’re at about 320lbs total i think, so 350lbs should be fine!
If you doubt, you could use 1/2″ plywood in lieu of 3/8″ (or build thicker horizontal frames).
cheers!
Comment by Mike
Mike January 17, 2017 at 9:02 am
Quick question for you, Ford says max cargo length for the LWB EL is 172″ what are they actually referring to as you said you only have 80″ for the kitchen area?
Comment by Antoine
Antoine January 17, 2017 at 4:16 pm
I don’t know how they measured 172″?! I just measured and got 162″ from the back of the driver/passenger seats to the back of the van… so 162″-76″ = 86″ remaining for kitchen/living room (there is some inches lost here and there).
Check the “Van Comparison” table at the end of this page for real-world measures:
https://faroutride.com/ford-transit-camper-van/conversion-planning/van-selection/
Comment by David
David November 1, 2016 at 11:25 am
Man, you guys are the inspiration!
?: what program are you using for your solid models?
?: Can’t remember if it was you guys or ?, but are you not snowboarders as well? Snowboards = winter surfing = close to water surfing = my other passion (besides skiing/mountain biking.
Sooooooooo, where are you all planning on stowing the snowboards? I am looking to do something similar to you but w. space for 3 boards (10’/9’/? for last size) along w. the bikes and skiis.
My modus operandi is to carry all at all times. You never know when you are passing by a once-in-a-life time unknown break going off (can you say malibu @ 4′ w 4 riders…not quit unknown but the quality), or MTB trail, or epic pow day. Grab and go!
Comment by Antoine
Antoine November 1, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Grab and go… i like how you think!
We’ll be carrying 2 snowboards and 2 splitboards; they will be located under the platform bed, on the left side of the van just beside the bikes. Not sure how the boards will be stored yet, but i don’t expect it to be very challenging to figure out. The challenging (?) part will be to think of a way to efficiently drain the water from the melting snow.
You can have a better view looking at the interactive 3d model here.
We planned for about 65-70 inches length for storage, so our layout would not work for surf boards (or skis).
Happy shredding!
Comment by Loup Garou
Loup Garou November 1, 2016 at 10:58 am
Looks good!
What IKEA mattress did you get. The link doesn’t work.
Comment by Antoine
Antoine November 1, 2016 at 11:04 am
Thanks!
We have the MEISTERVIK foam mattress, full size. It is only 4¾” thick so it is on the (very) firm side.