Morning Forum
Just completed our first trip in our newly converted Sprinter Sportsmobile which includes the power penthouse with bed and had a couple issues/questions.
Our first issue was just getting up to the bed. Sportsmobile gave us a two-step step ladder which is not high enough for my 5'4" wife to get up onto the edge of the bed but high enough to get onto the refer countertop at the sliding door and get up. We've since learned that Aluminess makes a penthouse ladder that we've now ordered from Field Vans.
Our second issue is the hole at the head of the mattress that we both were constantly falling into with a shoulder. I'm assuming that hole is there to look below but wondering how others have dealt with it. It's not comfortable at all and stuffing it with a pillow didn't seem to work for us, as it kept falling out.
Have the penthouse beds/mattress always had this hole or is this something new? Of course I could just pick up the phone and call but I thought I'd see how others have had this issue and if so how you've dealt with it or had the same level of comfort issue with it.
Thanks
Don’t know exactly how your mattress is configured, mine is two pieces with a hole, or really a slot, on one end of one piece. The slot remains oriented towards and at the back, and allows one to latch and unlatch the rear J-hook with the mattresses pushed to the back.
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Chris
2008 GMC 3500 Quigley Weldtec 4x4 Savana SMB
This hole is ridiculous! I get that it has to be there for the JHook, but they really should have designed some sort of insert for when sleeping. Did you ever find a solution? We just got ours this week and the hole was my first 'WTF' design flaw I saw. I suppose you could sleep with your feet towards the rear of the van, but your pillow would surely fall off the end sleeping that way.
We replaced the SMB top with a Colorado CamperVan top and no longer have the "hole" in the top of the bed platform. I kind of miss it. It never got in the way of a good nights sleep and my wife, who sleeps downstairs, and I could talk much more easily through the opening than we can now. But I don't miss having to hook that rear J hook!
Have you done this and do you have any issues attaching the rear Jhook once its rotated?
Many owners have different options mounted throughout their Van, so may be best if you experiment on yours. Simply move your bed platform forward to see how much room is needed to actually navigate the hook with the platform rotated. Once you have that figured out, just need to see if moving the platform(s) forward that specific distance interferes with anything else on the other end (like a ceiling monitor or light if you have them)