Child's cot-3 successful alternatives

["Michael Benthin (MUTS)" <benthin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Since the saftey (weight limits) of the front cot and also upper cot in
the pre-74 busses has been brought up, 
I will mention 3 alternatives used in the 2 Westies I've owned.
   I know I have posted on the alternative foamboard provided by
Westfalia on early busses with the poptops hinged at the front.  The
foamboard had hinges at the front and lifted up with the top when not
used. This was on our 71 camper, sold for the european market and
brought over by a serviceman who traded it in here at the dealer, where
I bought it.  I can email a page from the manual to show how this
worked.  The cover of the foamboard matched that of the curtains.  I
thought it worked great, and was surprised to find out later I was about
the only 71 bus that had it!
     Our daughter grew up with the 78 Westy that we got in 1986, and as
a 1 yr old, slept on a bed on the floor that nicely cradled her.   Her
not liking the "roll to the center" feeling led to my own design of a
foamboard that replaced the front cot from around age 3 to age 9 (our 6
week trip around the country).  I used 1/4" ply to cut a board that
followed the curve of the windshield and contacting the front seats. 
Cloth tape sealed the sanded edges.  1" foam covered with cloth laid on
this to form a mattress.  This rested on a 3 sided frame that used 1x1"
oak rails.  2 of them ran from the front dash top to nylon loops hanging
from the seatbeld hangers.  Another spanned between these 2 just in
front of the seats, held in place by metal brackets I screwed to the
side rails and holes drilled into the ends of the crossrail- pins made
from nails dropped through the holes into holes drilled into the
brackets.  The rails had cutouts to grip the nylon loops and were cut
out where they ran over the dashtop.  Similar pins were placed through 2
spots on the board into the frame below to keep it aligned.  It was
stored above the folded bed; the rails stored in the cavity over the
rear cabinet behind the rear seat/bed.  Later I modified the rotating
seat so it could be slid much further reaward when rotated, being
stopped from derailing by a nylon sashcord tied from the seatbottom to
the back of the rotating bottom.  The board was cutback about 1.5" where
the seatback contacted it.  Thus the rotating seat could be used while
the bed was in place.  This was strong enough to hold a 165 lb person in
front.
     When she outgrew the front cot ("I can't straighten out!"), came up
with a bed design that spanned a board from the rear folded out bed to
going over the front seat, using a spacer on the seat to level it.  This
was awkward in that it required a fairly long board and you couldn't
access any of the cabinets.  Utilizing the old front cot rails, I then
designed a frame that allowed the rear bed or seat to be occupied
independently, all cabinets could be reached, and the front doors could
be opened.  It utilizes pinned rails that originate on each side of the
sink cabinet, and includes 2 uprights that stabilize it at the front. 
There is a crossrail on the door-side edge to take the weight of
climbing onto it to reach the upper bed.  This can be seen at a site a
listee set up for me, http://www.geocities'com/mike_benthin.
> .   .Mike Benthin in NJ             __ |
> 227K mi on original engine!  ______/__\|         63 panel camper
> .   .   .                  /=__==__===_=\         75 bus
> . . . . 78 VW Camper   -T-|E[__][__]|[_]\\       (77 Westy-sold)
> .  .  . all over USA    0 |  _  |  `|__   |}     (77 Westy-parting)
> .   .                     =-(_)-----(_)`--=   (71 Westy rusto in woods)