How to fix a pop-up camper with bent bed rails

Although most of my posts here are aimed at people who are renting my Dutchmen camper, this one is for the hundreds of other popup camper owners who have experienced the problem of bent bed rails, mostly because someone didn't put support braces up before hopping in the bed (sure, blame the kids; that works).

That's what happened to the Dutchmen the other day (see previous post and pictures). I knew getting replacement parts would be difficult; it turns out it's impossible.  Dutchmen doesn't sell the parts anymore and most RV dealerships -- even those who claim to sell and service popups -- really, don't. The big money is in motorized RVs, not tents on wheels. You simply cannot find the parts.

Those who bothered to answer my inquiries suggested PopUpParts.com but they don't have it and a check of dealers in Minnesota and Wisconsin turned up nothing from those who reponded. Most didn't bother. 

That limits the possible fix to one: plan on doing a lot of work if this happens to you.

First, let's review how bed rollouts work on a popup camper.
 
There are two C-channels. One, usually brass colored but made of steel (or least very strong aluminum) is attached to the bed frame. This C-channel slides between two UHMW blocks, one a washer, which sits inside a C-channel slot, and one a spacer, that sits between the C-Channel and the bed frame. Each slot (there are four of them) is about 7 inches or so long and this is the length of travel a bed rollout travels in this C-channel. Not very much; just the last seven inches of travel when you pull a bed out.

This C-channel, affixed to the bed frame, sits inside a C-channel on each side of the pop-up camper. There is a roller at each end of the C-channel and the fixed bed-frame C-channel  rolls through this camper C-channel.

When the bed is badly treated, two things are happening. First, the bed's C-channel cannot roll inside the camper's c-channel  because, well, it's bent. Second, the bed's C-channel can't move because the slots are now a pinch point on the bolts because, you guessed it, they're bent.

If the camper user just jammed everything back inside the camper to get it home, you've got work ahead of you just to get things apart to fix the problem.

So, step one: Take all the canvas off on three sides so you can have access.  This is fairly easy: unscrew the attach points along the roof inside the camper. Then slide the bottom out of the slotted groove. By the way, if you're thinking of replacing canvas and vinyl, this is as good a time as any.

Ideally, you could just unscrew the screws inside the camper holding the camper's C-frame to the camper, then -- with a friend -- lift the whole shebang out onto some saw horses to work on it more comfortably.

There's a problem, however, for many pop ups.  There's a sink that folds over  that blocks access to the C-channel on that side of the camper. You can't flip the sink up for access because there's a broken bed in the way. 

So the only way to get things off is to try to separate the bed frame from its C-channel. And that presents another problem. Access to the bolts is blocked by the camper's C-channel.

The only solution is to remove the nuts inside the bed frame. That can be problematic because the bolts are going to want to turn. You have to lift the bed frame to apply sheer tension to the bolts as you take a 3/16" wrench remove the nuts, which probably aren't threaded on very tightly.  Once that's done, you and a friend should be able to lift the bed frame and  get it well out of the way. It plays very little role in getting this problem fixed.

With the bed gone, you might be able to flip that sink over and remove the C-channels from the camper to complete these steps on a workbench. Otherwise, you'll just have to work around the camper.

There are two Allen bolts on the end of the camper's C-channel which keeps the bed's C-channel from being pulled completely out of the camper. They need to be removed and there's probably little access to it except unscrewing the nut (which faces the outside of the camper) while, again, putting tension on the channel to keep the Allen bolt from turning inside. Then push the allen bolt out. Pick it up later.

Here's a tip:  Grab a bunch of baggies and catalog EVERYTHING that you're taking off the camper: the screws to the camper C-channels, the UHMW washers and bolts and nuts, the retaining screws and various things from taking the vinyl/canvas off.  Put every category in separate bags and mark it. Do this as you go so you don't lose anything.  ALSO: mark the C-channel orientation as you remove each one: forward, inside, outside, left, right. Whatever.

Once you have the stop screws (Allen bolts) out. You'll have to take a block of wood, put it against the end of the bed's C-channel and use a 5 or 10 pound sledgehammer to force the bed's C-channel out of the camper's C-channel. Try to minimize damage to the end caps.

Once they are both free, it's time to fix them.

Now, you're going to have to resist the urge to just start beating on things with the sledgehammer. You have to take a minute to recognize how the whole thing works. Just straightening (you're never going to get it straight) isn't going to solve your problem. Because you actually have four problems. There are "pinch points" in the camper C-channel and a pinch point where the UHMW washers move within the bed's C-channel. The latter aren't going to budge. This fact has more to do with your stuck bed than anything else.

Why? Because when metal is distorted in one direction, it's being distorted somewhere else, too. A bend "flutes" a piece of metal, shrinking one side, and stretching the other.You can't "unstretch" metal.

So when you beat on a bend, all you're doing is moving the bend somewhere else.

This is a two-step fix. 

The first goal is to get the bed's C-channel, to move effectively within the camper's C-channel.

This process actually does involve whacking it good. How can it not?  So you want to use a piece of solid flat steel or wood, placed along the flange where the bend is and convince it to behave. When you do this, the odds are the "web" side (where the slots are located) are going to begin to bow.  A little tapping here, a little tapping there. Repeat endlessly.

What we're going to do here is swap the two sides so the left C-channel will now be the right C-channel and the front of the C-channel is going to be the rear. Just remember that the open side of the C-channel faces out.

My theory here is that by reversing the locations, the weight of the bed later will help ease what's left of the bend (the bend is now in the opposite direction of its original  orientation.

Place the bed C-channel inside the camper C-channel and push. It'll stop when it gets to a pinch point. Mark that point with a Sharpie and return to tapping it with a block of steel (wood) and hammer. Repeat this. If there's a twist, use two pipe wrenches to slightly untwist.

Continue doing this until the C-channel rolls effortlessly inside the camper C-channel. Be patient. Do it right. Don't accept "it's kind of good enough" because you have several pinch points and if you adopt that attitude, you're still going to have a bed that's hard to push and pull with an accumulation of pinch points that were sort of good enough individually but too difficult in total.

Once this is accomplished. It's time to solve the second problem: getting the bed's C-channel web to move between the UHMW washer and spacer. This is actually the harder of the two.

Take one of the 3/8" bolts you removed and place it in the slot nearest the bend. You'll notice it doesn't move. This is another example of how metal that's distorted affects many locations.

The first step is to open those slots up. If you take a string from one end of the C-channel to the next, and align it with the bottom of slots, you'll see how far off the slot nearest the bend is. That all had to be opened up. Continue trying to make the C-channel as straight as possible, testing constantly to be sure it still slides comfortably in and out of the camper C-channel.

Start filing the slot to open it up. It takes a LOT of filing. A Dremmel tool can work here but remember, a bolt is going to be sliding along that slot and if it's not smooth, it's going to be difficult to move it. 

The goal here is to get the slots to align in a straight line.

This could take hours, but you really have no choice. Keep filing until the bolt sides all the way from one end of the slot to the other.

In this case, I also took a bucking bar (blocks of steel with different shapes) to help widen the slot, then flip the C-channel over and tap down the resulting distortion along the slot.

Once you have the bolt moving within the slot, it's time to test it on the bed frame.

Before you do that, doublecheck again that the bed C-channel still moves within the camper C-frame.

Stand the bed frame (it's heavy!) on its ends, put the thin UHMW washer inside the C-channel, insert a bolt, through the washer, the C-channel, the wider spacer and into the bed frame.  Put the nut on finger tight. Do this on the slot closest to the bend.

Move the C-channel up and down. It probably moves fine and you think you're done.

You're not.

What will likely happen is when you put the second bolt and washers in, you'll see there's a still a pinch point because the slots are out of alignment.  Take it off, and open up the slots even more -- more filing, more tapping with the bucking bar, more checking to make sure it still rolls within the camper C-frame.

Retest.

This, again, is one of those times when you want to be patient and do it right and not be satisfied until you are completely satisfied.

When you tighten the nut and bolt, don't have more than one thread showing on the nut. You don't want the washers to "pinch" the slot and make it difficult to move.

When you're satisfied and both C-channels are attached, have a friend help you move the unit to the end of the camper and place it on a couple of sawhorses.  

Be sure the T-bars or other supports are in place, then lift the enter unit into the camper C-frame and test.  You may be happy. You may want to make more adjustments. Your call.

Total time invested to this point: 10 hours, including several trips to the hardware store.

Don't forget to reinstall the Allen bolt "stops" in their position. You just pull the bed out and line up the access hole on the inside of the channel. Use a hex key (preferably one without the ball) to hold the bolt while you insert it. Then tighten down the nut.



Then reinstall the canvas and vinyl sides and vow never to allow this to happen again.

By the way, if you're an experimenter, you might want to try improving the design here by making that UHMW washer inside the C-channel a roller instead. So rather than having metal sliding between a washer and a spacer, it's actually rolling on the bottom of the C-channel. Less friction. Smoother ride.

I haven't done it yet but here's how I think it would work. Measure the distance between the center of the slot on the C-channel and the bottom of C-channel. Then buy a hole saw that fits in your drill equal to that size (or close to it). And use a 1/4" drill bit as a pilot.

By a hunk of UHMW. It's cheap. And use your band saw to slice off about a 1/2 to 1/4"  slice. Anchor the resulting piece down, then use your hole saw to cut through it. Remove the piece inside the hole saw. There's your roller.

To be really spiffy, grab some soft 1/4 tubing, drill it out with a #12 drill bit, and cut off a piece equal to the width of the roller and then insert it into the roller hole. Now you have the bushing rotating on the bolt instead of the bolt rotating on the UHMW, making for an even smoother ride.  Use 1/2" long  3/16" inch bolts in place of the existing bolts.

You'd have to remove the end cap to get the roller inside the C-channel. Those are riveted on but you can drill out the rivets and replace them later.