IMG_3746.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)IMG_3748.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)The bed in our van (new 2015) is supported by two aluminium poles. During our travels last September we realised that both poles had started to bend. As we were fairly near Poole we took them in to AL who replaced them and advised us to put a dowel in each. We did this, though we couln't find a dowel that was really tight fitting. After a further week of use - no kneeling or stting on the middle of the bed - we noticed that one new pole had already begun to bend. Has anyone else had this problem and could they tell us what, if anything, they did about it??

Quote: Magpie wrote in post #1

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Has anyone else had this problem and could they tell us what, if anything, they did about it??

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Hi Magpie
Yes we have,
I just bent them back.
This should be happening even with sitting or kneeling.
I don't think a dowel is a fix, to much flex in the wood. To be honest the aluminium poles are not upto the job.
Clive
As for a fix

Hi Deeps, Though OH is definitely well built he is not as large as some caravanners I have seen. And surely the poles should be strong enough to support a substantial weight. Our previous 'van had those swing out gate type supports and they were fine. The van we had before that had poles like these but we had no problem with them bending (haven't increased that much in girth since then and the dogs sleep on the floor!).

Well either the poles are too soft an alloy or the walls of the tubes are too thin, the easy answer is to find a local metal worker and get a thicker one cut to size with a thicker wall, or get AA to do it, the law says goods should be fit for purpose and this isn't.
>Though OH is definitely well built< Ive seen more meat on a butchers pencil
Dave B

This is very bad as far as Eriba and AL are concerned. We don't expect this from either of them. AL should take care of it satisfactorily. They were sadly very poor when I had the remote issue with a brand new Mover.

I would be seriously upset - the man is sort of implying that it's not the fault of the poles, but...erm..... you!
It reminds me of last summer. We went camping in the Morbihan region of Brittany and when visiting the island - Ile aux Moines, we decided to rent a sort of tricycle for 2. The owner looked at me fom across the yard and yelled "what do you weigh"? When I replied, he shreiked at the top of is lungs "20 kgs too much!"
Harrumph.
I would be most very stern with the caravan salesman.

When we purchased our 2012 Troll a year or so ago both bed poles were also quite bent. I don't know how the previous owner made the bed up with them!
I straightened them out which wasn't easy and they've not bent since. It does seem a weakness though when Eribas are renowned for their strength.

Hi Magpie - out of interest what is the outside diameter of the tube and how long are they? My company sells stainless steel tubes so I might have something knocking around that you could use.

Hi Dave. The outside diameter is 25mm with a 3mm wall and the length is 1055mm. I agree with the other replies and don't think these poles are much good. I've e-mailed AL and Hymer and am waiting for replies from both. I'll let everyone know if I have any success.

Ive got some 25 mm od x 2 mm wall in stainless that should do the job - much stronger than aluminium.
I could cut a couple of pieces and send them down if you want - pro gratis to a fellow eribaist of course!
PM me if you want them.

Thank you! I have sent a pm. All AL can offer is a replacement of the same type of pole - with a dowel inside!!

We've had the same issue with the bed poles bending on our maiden voyage in our 2016 420 tourer,. We've only used the bed twice & noticed while packing away after a long weekend!
Hopefully the warranty with AL will cover replacements but it is a tad worrying considering it's not yet ayear old. I'll let you know what they say.

Hi. We replaced the original poles with steel ones, supplied kindly by the Dave F. mentioned above. (He seems to have now left the forum). It probably wasn't necessary but we put a dowel inside each one having found exactly the right diameter dowel on e-bay. AL provided two new end caps. These, although heavier than the old ones, have been fine so far.