17' Series New Jayco Bed End Covers!

Crusty181

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2010
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Mentone, VIC
I can't help with the specifics, but the press studs are generally screwed in the structural ridges in the underside of the hard lid. The potential problem with that is the structural ridges are formed under the fibreglass with very cheap, very weak timber such as packing ply; and the depth of the resin can vary greatly.

That ply substrates only function is to provide form/or shape, for the fibre glass laid over the top. Fibreglass is very strong, but brittle and screws don't cut a thread very well through it. The ply substrate also is neither designed or capable of holding a screw thread very well. All in all the screw attachment method alone is not ideal. You'll often see the mesh and press studs detached on display vans, such as at caravan shows etc.

Put a dob of adhesive under the press stud before you screw it on with a quality adhesive such as Sika 291 polyurethane sealant (stocked at Bunnings). Lightly scuff the fibreglass with a wet/dry, then clean the surface first with a prep wash or turps or metho or similar and the press studs should stay attached indefinitely
 
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Bellbirdweb

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2014
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Sydney
@Squirter231 I don't have any instructions for the privacy screens, however if you fit the press studs as @Crusty181 describes and look at these photos I took of how they are installed on my van, you should be able to work it out.
 

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bigcol

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2012
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Swan Valley Perth
@dagree sent the picture to me when I was struggling with mine

Bed End 010.jpg

in this one you can see how the tracking is attached, and how little amount you have of room

bed end.jpg
 

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Marv_mart

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Jan 3, 2014
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@dagree sent the picture to me when I was struggling with mine

View attachment 40898

in this one you can see how the tracking is attached, and how little amount you have of room

View attachment 40899
Have similar pics but found no real difficulty adding extra press studs. The Privacy studs are on the inner level, the bed end cover studs on the outer ridge. Have also posted pics showing positions.
 
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Mcbray

New Member
Jun 26, 2017
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50
Brisbane
Just got back from a 3 week tug to airlie, had 5 days were we had rain a few dewy mornings and no wet bed ends, pillows or feet. Had the Vinyl Kakadu BEFs installed before we left no real driving rain thou, but so far very happy. Quick to put on and off as well
Hi Matthew,
Sorry mate, old post I know but wanting to see if you are still happy with the Kakadu bed ends. Am waiting delivery on our extenda and still tossing up which way to go with these. Like the idea of the Kakadu as the vinyl is easy clean, won't draw the water through etc. Have you any pics handy at all mate?
Any feedback would be great.
Cheers
Mark
 
Jul 4, 2014
41
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18
47
Engadine
Hi Matthew,
Sorry mate, old post I know but wanting to see if you are still happy with the Kakadu bed ends. Am waiting delivery on our extenda and still tossing up which way to go with these. Like the idea of the Kakadu as the vinyl is easy clean, won't draw the water through etc. Have you any pics handy at all mate?
Any feedback would be great.
Cheers
Mark
Hi mate,
Had them 3 years and couldn't be happy. Make the ends cooler in summer, warmer in winter. So easy to put on and off.
 

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Derm

Member
Oct 18, 2015
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Mornington Peninsula
Not sure if I've already posted a pic of our cover - as you know we ended up with the new style lid with the changed weatherproof seal around the outside edge, so our cover had to be installed differently.. Here's a couple of pics -

View attachment 29208
View attachment 29209

As it turns out, we much prefer it this way, as we can leave the BEF on the van all the time - hubby added a couple more press studs to the bottom of the canvas and also in the lid, which enables us to clip it up when folding the bed end down -
View attachment 29210

It folds away easily and saves time when setting up too :)

It's yet to be tested in heavy rain, but all in all we are very happy with he result!
Not sure if I've already posted a pic of our cover - as you know we ended up with the new style lid with the changed weatherproof seal around the outside edge, so our cover had to be installed differently.. Here's a couple of pics -

View attachment 29208
View attachment 29209

As it turns out, we much prefer it this way, as we can leave the BEF on the van all the time - hubby added a couple more press studs to the bottom of the canvas and also in the lid, which enables us to clip it up when folding the bed end down -
View attachment 29210

It folds away easily and saves time when setting up too :)

It's yet to be tested in heavy rain, but all in all we are very happy with he result!

Morning Flossy Mk1,
We have the same bed end covers which we ordered with our new van, the only issue is that the studs were not installed so you can travel with the bed ends attached. We installed the covers on our last trip and used the existing studs on the side to travel, this meant we had to have lids half lowered to attach the cover for travel, this involved the family holding the lid while I pushed the studs on with all of us ending up with anger management issues. Could you please explain or show a photo of where you have attached the studs for travelling (as you have the covers in the final photo) as there doesn't seem to be a common location for the travel studs in each of the installations that I have seen, the guys from Jayco didn't know that the covers could remain on got travel.
We have tested the ends in heavy rain with no leaks or wet bed ends which occurred in our last 17:56/2 Expanda.
Cheers
Derm
 

Meandher

Member
Jun 22, 2020
12
27
13
The Vines
Know enough about supply and demand marketing to understand that these guys, as a middle man, have to make a quid. Unfortunately Australian salaries being what they are, to manufacture these here would perhaps take 2-3 man hours and maybe more. Add the cost of the materials, suitable packaging, freight to capital cities, fixed overheads etc. as a basis for a landed cost, then after marking up for profit that allows you to eat, you would be looking at a retail price of upwards of $600 for small volume manufacture per piece.

As we all know, we all look for cheapest cost with best quality and unfortunately you seldom get the both words (cheap and best) together in the same sentence. I am as parochial as the next Australian, probably more so with my Northern UK heritage. The town I come from has 34% + unemployment- some families haven't had work since the Greengrocer's daughter was mistakenly swept to power in a wave of national fervour not seen since the war years. Yet, you can't help but get the feeling that Australia as a manufacturing nation is coughing up blood, if not completely dead. Looking at the follies foisted on the Brits, I see a parallel with the old country, just 20 years out of step and it chills me to think that faceless politicians sit around on their arses seeing what happened there and are just letting it happen here without the merest hint of a whimper. Sure some outmoded and feather bedded industries needed to go but several babies are being thrown out in the smelly bath water here.

For me, the box sits in the study where I left it. I am not even all that interested in what these things look like and will get around to evaluation when what I am feeling wears off. I am by no means a left wing patriot, but if we don't do something as a country soon to combat loss of Australian manufacture it will not matter a jot when the ones that are still lucky enough to have a job are all working for overseas companies and little benefit flows to the country's populace. It shouldn't just take a dummy like me to realise this. Far smarter minds than I have the ability to induce a change, yet no matter which side of the political divide we find ourselves, we keep electing people who fiddle whilst Canberra burns.

Well he's baa-aack!
I have been missing for quite some time. My time mit ze Chermans ended some 2 1/2 years ago with what was a simultaneous, all planets aligning, medically induced early retirement for both me and her. Cannot help bad luck, I suppose.
That being said, one of us is almost back to normal and the other stable, so being grateful for small mercies, we are finally getting to use the bloody driveway ornament and about to put it to some good and, prolonged, use.
As a bit of relative information regarding procrastination ( bear with me, it gets relevant in the end). Those that know me best understand that I am a gold medal finisher in the highly prized procrastination stakes. My wife bought me a procrastinators diary for Xmas one year and am proud to say that I found it in the study drawer still in it's cellophane some 3 years later. I have, however, outdone myself, in spectacular fashion. The bed end cover that was purchased back in 2014, miraculously found their way onto the 'van this week. Nearly 6 years they have languished in a cupboard at Chez Nous. Now i have just concluded that If there were such things as Olympic medals made of highly valuable unobtanium, i would have a cupboardful by life's end.
I now need to look for the mounting post from 6/10ths of a decade ago to see if I have fitted it properly, as for now the jury is still out on whether i am just a a crap and myopic fitter, or whether Jayco made them 3" shorter than they should be for my model 'van. After the extensive Jayco Expanda shakedown trip follies to Willowbrook Farm last weekend, my money is on Jayco being the culprit.
Hope the old reprobates are all doing well and still with us.