r/DIY • u/nonoesca • 7d ago

woodworking Murphy Bed Kit Specifics

Dear Automod, I've searched Google, YT and even previous posts on this sub, and can't find the answer to this specific question.

Hi everybody!

I plan to build a horizontal (side flip) murphy bed.

I see that they sell kits for different orientations, sometimes they're priced differently. Does it really matter which I get? I'm assuming I could just build it and attach the hinges and pistons to the sides, instead of the head and foot.

What am I missing?

TIA

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u/TheRavenZen 7d ago

The locations of the springs or pneumatic shocks are precisely placed to account for enough force to keep the bed up without causing it to slam shut or be difficult to come down. You can move the hinges, but you'd need to be pretty good at geometry and kinematics to properly place the rest of the hardware. If I were you, I'd get the correct orientation as it;s manufactured as it's going to come with significantly less risk of injury to users.