Owen this,no doubt, is what threw your back out. Yes for the co$t of these rigs, a good bed should be a priority of design. You presented this well👍

We purchased a new 2020 Winnebago View which we sold, ie, dumped, shortly thereafter. We found it hard to believe that an RV manufacturer would build a vehicle that contained so many design flaws, such terrible construction and poor fit and finish, and charge well over 100k for it. We nicknamed it “Yugo”. Obviously many people are willing to accept poor design and manufacturing practices; we are not. We now have a Pleasure-way. While far from perfect, unlike the View, it is a quality RV.

It seams that RV's are designed by people who do not use them. The design only focuses on storage and not usability. Glad you found and shared a work around. Happy tails and safe travels.

Owen... you are not whining or complaining. You are pointing out something that is useful for people to know. Thanks so much for saying "no RV is perfect" and using the word "compromises". I can't tell you how many times I hear people either worshiping a particular RV, as if some great feature means all other designs are garbage OR demonizing a build because of some negative issue, as if no other RV has problems. I use the word compromise all the time, and try to get people to understand there is no such thing as a perfect RV. There are just too many different kinds of people that need individual solutions that don't always work together. Our Embassy, which I love, has some amazing features, with no wood and marine grade materials, but it also has drawbacks... the bed has to be higher up to allow for garage storage, so non-average people like me (that means SHORT!) need a step stool to get into the bed. But so what? It gives us what we need, and most of our wants, so all is good. I'm glad your EKKO does the same for you, and always look forward to your comments, concerns, information, discussions and just plain talk. Be seeing you!

Thanks for Stating The Truth... I am 6'3" TALL and Weigh In @ 185 lbs and This Would Drive Me Nuts!!! I am glad I found you because you are honest, explain everything in easy to understand, simple words without sugar coating anything. Thanks Again!

I think a possible solution I would try first is to 1. Reverse the bolts putting the nuts underneath. Then 2. Get a strip of rubber to cover the hinge. It could be buckled joy a bit, screwed down on both sides. The hinge would still function.

Hi Owen just took delivery of our new 2023 Ekko on a 2023 Ford chassis after 18 months wait. Bed hinge screws now attached downwards. Also all of the many other problems found in 1st year production models have been rectified. Blind spot warning are in the heated side mirrors now. Only two days so I am very happy, worth the wait. Time will tell. Larry L.

Put the mat underneath the froli system. Just cover the bolts with the mat and put the froli on top of the mat

Comfortable sleeping is important - no fun traveling when you are tired and grumpy 😊 - thank you for also pointing out the reality that no RV is perfect and there are compromises - you just need to figure out which things are most important and figure out workarounds or solutions to the things that are not ideal for you and the way you travel. As always a great, balanced video. And as always ❤ Maggie

Good for you! Keeping it true and honest. Large reason for people to watch your videos good info.

Enjoy all your videos! After seeing this we checked our Ekko beds. I am 6-1 and 185 and my mattress cleared bolt end by 1/4 inch. Cold temperature and short test time would certainly reduce the amount of compression, but so far it seems I have not had this issue though my hips are fairly sensitive and I see this as something worth fixing before becoming a problem. It appears the bolts cannot be flipped due to lack of clearance underneath. I am thinking of getting some embeddable nuts. Shorten bolts to be flush when tight. If the hinge is still problematic at some time, I would probably put a pad like yours on that covers the entire bed surface. I already have an extra layer of softer foam on top. Randy and Kathy Stonesifer

We have a 2021 Travato and my husband had a similar problem. He put a peg board on top of the Froli system which fixed the problem. He cut the board and used zip ties which created a hinge so he could still lift the bed to gain access to the storage. He says it is very comfortable now. I had to put a thick mattress pad on my side to soften up the mattress. The beds are truly like the princess and the pea.

I’m with you - if my bed hurts to sleep on it keeps me awake and then my happy turns to grumpy. I hope you can find a good solution and soon. Love watching you guys and so appreciate your honesty.

Love your videos and we still love our Revel. We all wonder sometimes if we have the right rig. RV's all have their compromises. Besides, we have too much time and money invested in mods to make our Revel what we want to ever trade it now. I learned in Psychology class many years ago that "the more options we have with a decision the less satisfied we are with our choice." This sure is true with RV's. Looking forward to your next video.

Wow, good review. This is unacceptable for me and my husband for medical reasons. Take care and update us with your fix.

I feel your pain Owen. I battle our mattress in our new RV. Too thin. I just haven’t bit the bullet and bought a better one. Maybe soon tho. Hope your situation worked.

Hi Owen! I don’t think you are complaining about your bed you are stating the facts about what is going on with those screws. Winnebago don’t why they did that. Hopefully you and Lynn can sleep better when you get home and get it worked out so you can sleep better. There has to be a solution. Somewhere!!! Hopefully! Glad you have a temporarily fix to the problem until you have a full solution. Have a great day and see you soon!

Lot of money for a bed that doesn't work properly. The hinge should be reworked, at Winnies expense. The bed issue will be enough to scare a lot of buyers off. I would start by addressing the hinge type, Froli placement, and flip the bolts. The Ekko is a great MH, and I'm sure there will be a positive outcome. Thanks for bringing into the light.

How about an insulation board! A foam one! 🥰💕🙏

Were you at Laura S Walker State Park? We were there about 3 weeks ago and loved it. Ranks as one of our best state park experiences.

I don’t have that problem in our 2023 Ekko. I don’t feel the hinge and bolts at all. Granted I am 5’10” and 177lbs so maybe it’s just the little shorter and little lighter. I’ve spent probably 10 nights in it in total and no issues.

A large (3”) pool noodle comes to mind!

A good night’s sleep isn’t too much to ask for considering the cost of these RVs. It’s a shame they didn’t give more thought to how that hardware could impact the sleeping surface.

At least it has a bolt. Our old Winnebago Trend (built on Dodge Promaster chassis) used staples and after a few miles of bumpy roads people could soon find themselves falling though. We went for quality and a van that fits my 6'5" frame. A Pleasureway Ontour 2.2 class B Ford Transit. 79" bed, 6'6" ceiling and bathroom I fit in. Interesting we are getting 16.1 to 16.5 mpg with basically the same vehicle you have. We are only 21 feet 10 inches long so maybe a little lighter. Wish we had your garage storage. Everything is a compromise.

Making lemonade. Great information 👍

I'll listen to you rant any time but for the next one, sprinkle some clips of Maggie being a cutie pie so I can laugh and smile too :o) This video needed a clip of Maggie standing at the end of your kayak while your on the water.

$8 soft yoga mat from Walmart; cut it to size. Put it UNDER the Foley system.

We watched James upgrade but he didn't show the evil hardware. Makes more sense now.

Good luck! it sounds like you have a few work arounds to try. let us know what works for you.

Can you not reverse direction of bolts in the hinge so the nut is under the decking?

Hi Owen! I sent you a rather lengthy suggestion and I'm certain I clicked "Comment" to send it. Somehow it is no longer...and it was, I thought a reasonable suggestion. Did you see it? Because it all but disappeared. It suggested you getting a piece of polyethylene plastic, about 3/64ths inch in thickness and cutting it into strips...say about one inch to 1.5 inches wide and 8-9 inches long;, then laying the strips perpendicular to the piano hinge...placing several of these strips UNDERNEATH the Froli bed spacers will create a buffer such that you should NOT feel the piano hinge NOR the bolts that protrude from the laminated bed base. The polyethylene is a flexible plastic...and you might consider doing a Google search on polyethylene plastic sheets. You'll need a pretty strong pair of scissors to cut the thick plastic. Let me know your thoughts. Finally, choosing the "right" adhesive is also important. Might I suggest "photo mounting adhesive" (in an aerosol spray can). It's sticky enough to make sure the strips stay in place, but would also allow you to move/transplant the strips to different locations to better assist your comfort. Thanks and good luck!

We believe a bed anywhere must be comfortable. Not sure why those bolts are put in like that in your bed. Seems like an engineering error. Maybe a quarter inch piece of plywood, and a one inch gel mattress topper would help. Good luck, after your back being messed up that's no fun. Need sleep.🙂👍

It is harder it get out of bed when I lay backward on the Ekko bed too.

Wonder how they decided to install the bolts the way they did? They look longer that’s they need to be. Hum, thanks for the info.

My solution: $10 pack of Harbor Freight jigsaw cut anti fatigue mats Linda’s solution: 1” thick piece of hard foam cut out for the bolts

How about flipping the bolts over so they aren't sticking into your back?

Why not turn bolts around so they point down!?

Probably be best if you found a better mattress?

Hmmm, not knowing what the purpose of those bolts are, I am wondering why they did not make them carriage bolts that are turned over in a conventional manner? If it was that easy I am sure James would have done that too!

I can’t see the construction details but would replacing the hinge with an aluminum piano hinge do something ? Oh my bad it looks like a piano hinge already

Flip the bolts?

A good nights sleep is important

Interesting!! BS & BK & BC !!

I couldn't tell from the video, but is the hinge something separate from the "foley" design? Can you remove all of that, add padding to cover the hinge, then put the "foley" back on? Would that be a viable solution?

please tell it like it is!! Thanks

A piece of plywood under the mattresses?

What a crock, for $150k. We own a 2007 Navion 23b, yes, that is the bunk bed model. If you are going to have twin beds, then why not bunk beds? I sleep in the upper bunk and have the draw-curtain, just like some Rock-stars in their Prevost tour bus. My wife sleeps in the "hovel" down below. We have a real closet, not some under-bed arranegement. She also uses the dry shower for extra closet space. We have an "incredible" amount of "garage" storage, and a 30 gallon fresh, grey and black tanks; check it out. We have the 2007 inline 5 cylinder and average a very good 17 mpg, although I would prefer the V--6 3.0 liter that came with the 2008. We paid $35k back in the day and just turned 105k on the odometer. Bien viaje to you!

A man's gotta get his sleep, Owen 🇮🇹...🇮🇹...🇮🇹

For $200k and they can't engineer the bed properly? ridiculous.

just add the slats then

It’s incredible that W gets away with all the mediocre manufacturing and piss poor designs

Good grief. Do tthey not take their prototypes on the road and sleep in them? It really is a terrible design.

How about cut the bolts off, grind them down or put carriage bolts in it.

Things that make ya go HMMMMMM.

Just put painter stick over it.

First world problems eh? I'll tell you what. How bout I take that problem off your hands and I'll even give you $50 Canadian for the floor mat. Hahahaha Cheers brother.

Poor engineering

No wonder your back hurts!!!

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