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I eventually got round to fixing up the hospital bed I got a while back.

Here’s the table part hacked, but little changed from the Hospital. I removed all the bolt on stuff, like the collapsible side rails and various tilt controls to save some weight. The bed is good for 250Kg’s and the Falco is spec’d at 222Kg so not a lot of leeway.


Then I set about it with my new toy an angle grinder (all I need now is a welder and life is complete) and removed these bits (I reckon they’re there to keep the mattress in place). I left one on so the front wheel has a stop.

Before


After


Then I got this sheet of metal, quite thin steel, from the council dump for free. I could have used checker plate but steel is heavy and expensive and aluminium is very very expensive. The existing plates on the bed are pretty strong so this addition should be OK.


Then I bashed the sheet metal with my now second favourite toy (sorry big hammer) around the self tappers to get their location to show through the sheet, then drilled and screwed the sheet down to the top of the bed. I was lucky that the sheet was pretty much ideal width so I bent the ends over, drilled and riveted.


The main problem is the resting hight of the bed. It’s about 500mm above ground and my car ramps are only about 300mm high. I can take the wheels off the bed to make it a perfect fit, but I’m keen to keep that functionality. There are a couple of points I didn’t cut off that could be used to locate a ramp, but that’ll have to wait.

So here it is on its maiden lift. I was a bit nervous the ground isn’t exactly level and I’ve still got a potential weak spot with the beds tilt mechanism, but it all worked well.

Looking good Dale.

So what is next?

Find a suitably dressed nurse to help?

Great bit of fettling that, maybe the NHS should have a trawl and grab much needed coffers back selling off old beds that have been turned into bike lifts.

'Sorry for your accident Mr xxxxx, Now if youll just sign these papers we will take payment for the A and E admission. So hows the bike? The paramedic said first glimpse it appears your headset has suffered damage to the bearings and your rear subframe, hey, while you convalesce, here's a laptop to have a trawl thru ebay.
Want to buy a bike lift? that knock youve had will take a while to fix so if you buy one of these itll make it easier and still give you something to do.. those daytime programmes are hell..'

'wife? oh dont worry mate, we can add it to the A and E costs for you, she'll never know you bought it....'

'just sign here....'

nice work

and for those looking the ideal bed would be a Kings Fund mark 5

nice bit of work,so how does it lift?do youjust press a button

Taking a leaf out of the medical services methods of providing and collecting fluids, have you procured:

• A couple of bed-pans to collect used oil and coolant
  A couple of IV drip support frames to replenish oil and coolant

Would a respirator help you to inflate your tyres ...............





Nurse!

would sir like his enema hanging now?

Nice work dude. I am in the process of burying my lift in the ground. It has a 900mm height and 200mm lowered. Should have it finished by Sunday. Pics to follow

Thanks for the compliments chaps, should've taken a lot less time, but for some reason my wife and kids think they are more important.

joecrx wrote:nice bit of work,so how does it lift?do youjust press a button

Hydraulics, the hospitals are moving to all electric and getting rid of the old manual wind and pump items. Most of them end up with charitable organisations, who refurb and move to needy hospitals abroad. This one was too far gone for reuse, but perfect for me!

paddyz1 wrote:Nice work dude. I am in the process of burying my lift in the ground.

Dale goes for the hospital solution ..... and when the hospital fails it seems that your solution may be the last stop .....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Huntleigh-Nesbit- ... 20ae60750e

I was half expecting to see a question at the bottom as to whether it would take the weight of a sportsbike..

It seems we dont have the OOMPH of our Aussie friends in the weight department..

Falcopops wrote:all I need now is a welder and life is complete

Nice piece of work there FP.

I have an arc welder (with welding rods, facemask, etc) that I'm not using. Just give me a yell if you need it.

Viking wrote:

Falcopops wrote:all I need now is a welder and life is complete

Nice piece of work there FP.

I have an arc welder (with welding rods, facemask, etc) that I'm not using. Just give me a yell if you need it.

Cheers mate, that is soooooo tempting. I've never welded anything, but how hard can it be, right!

I've been considering doing a short Tafe course, but can't really justify the expense or the need, yet.

One of there day's though...........

It's harder than it looks.

It took me a bloody long time to be able to get the arc 'struck' and then keeping the spark going (and the bead the right size, and keeping the rod moving at the right speed and angle, and ....).

It's a handy skill to have. Just make sure you have a few bits of scrap around that you can practise on before you start trying to weld anything important.

Oh, and a big bucket of water (a swimming pool is ideal) to chuck the welded bits into. Otherwise it stays F-ing hot for a very long time.

Another excellent job Dale, but ain't it about time you put the bloody bike back together, went out for another long ride up the coast, posted up the photos and the story and stopped showing up the rest of us!
Think I've managed to fit one uprated headlight bulb in the last 2 or 3 months!