Drive Medical Hospital Bed Assembly

By Maurice

Drive Medical hospital beds are developed with the patients’ well-being in mind and hence are very user-friendly. These beds come in different types, including full electric, semi-electric, and manual. Ideally, when you make an order, most stores will ship the bed for you to a designated pick-up point. However, it comes disassembled, and you might have to set it up yourself.

This article is your ideal guide on how you can seamlessly and flawlessly assemble your Drive Medical hospital bed. It features an outright step-by-step guide and helpful YouTube videos, and links to online manuals.

How to Set Up a Drive Hospital Bed: Step-By-Step

The initial step of the Drive Medical assembly process is to make sure that the delivery package contains all the bed’s components. Below is a list of what you should expect:

Foot spring and head spring
Headboard and footboard
Hi/Lo shaft
Full electric motor
Two spring clips
Four casters. Two are locking casters, while two are non-locking
Hand pendant
A hand crank which comes attached to the footboard
Locking pins

Connecting the Spring Sections

1Unpack the head spring and lay it on its side so that the central latches are to your left and the spring itself is on your right side.
2Similarly, take the foot spring and lay it on its side but on your left-hand side, such that the central mounting latches are on your right.
3The two springs should now be at a 90-degree angle towards each other.
4Align the mounting latches to interconnect the springs, and then swing both ends apart until the springs are hooked and horizontal. Sometimes, you may have to elevate the head spring or foot spring slightly to engage the latches effectively.

Connecting and Adjusting the Head Spring and Foot Spring Pull Tube

1Connect the head spring pull tube and the head spring lift arm by extending the head spring pull tube. Tighten them using a locking pin and clip. Similarly, interconnect the foot spring tube with the lift arm following the same steps.
2Ensure they are well secured in place with tethered locking pins and clips.
3Upon assembly, the head spring and foot spring should elevate. If either of the springs fails to elevate, ensure that you correctly position and secure the spring button into the adjustment hole (C).
4Align the mounting latches to interconnect the springs, and then swing both ends apart until the springs are hooked and horizontal. Sometimes, you may have to elevate the head spring or foot spring slightly to engage the latches effectively.

Casters Installation

1Connect the head spring pull tube and the head spring lift arm by extending the head spring pull tube. Tighten them using a locking pin and clip. Similarly, interconnect the foot spring tube with the lift arm following the same steps.
2Ensure they are well secured in place with tethered locking pins and clips.
3Upon assembly, the head spring and foot spring should elevate. If either of the springs fails to elevate, ensure that you correctly position and secure the spring button into the adjustment hole (C).
4Align the mounting latches to interconnect the springs, and then swing both ends apart until the springs are hooked and horizontal. Sometimes, you may have to elevate the head spring or foot spring slightly to engage the latches effectively.

Bed Ends Installation

1Lower the bed frame to the floor with care, and then tilt the boards towards you while matching the mounting pins on the springs. Attach them with the hooks on the head or footboards.
2Place the headboard closer to the headspring. Then, elevate the head spring frame with one hand to the appropriate height for the frame connection pins to fall into the bed end hooks.
3Slide the pins into the hooks by slightly tilting the headboard backward.
4Restore the headboard into an upright position for the pins to lock.

Drive Shaft Installation

1There are two portions to the Hi/Lo drive shaft: the inner and the outer. Insert part (A) above into part B with push pins.
2Install the interconnected driveshaft to the bed by raising the head spring. Then, mount the Hi/Lo drive shaft’s foot end to a Hi/Lo Motor drive pin.
3Ensure you properly release the high/low motor’s spring-loaded shaft to interconnect it into the gearbox.

4The gear box’s roll pin must connect with the spring-loaded shaft slot.

Spring Fabric Assembly

It is necessary to alleviate the tension between the springs when connecting the spring fabrics. You can lower this tension by raising both the head spring and foot spring. Then, connect the spring fabrics by pressing them together and connecting with spring links.

Motor Installation

1Plug the hand pendant and the Hi/Low motor cable into the motor before beginning the installation task. See the figure below.

2Attach a 9V battery (available separately) using the battery clip on the motor. This clip is tucked behind the motor cover. This interconnection will help the motor to continue operating even if there’s a power interruption.

3The motor installation process begins by removing the locking caps from the motor’s top.

4Ensure the motor and the actuator bar align, then raise the head spring, which will result in an automatic movement of the motor towards the bed. As a result, it will lock on the actuator. Re-do this action on the foot section.

5Complete the installation process by reattaching the locking covers on the motor.

Bed Rails Attachment

Half Rails

The Drive Medical’s hospital bed head section comes with labels on the frame that reads “Attach Half Rails Here.” There are also black springs for proper rail installation. See the figure below.

Full Rails

Proper rail positioning requires installing the cross brace between the black springs.

Fixed Height Adjustment with Lock Pins

1A new bed comes with four large pins to lock the bed at a certain height so you can adjust the height to your preference. The height setting up process entails aligning the hole on the leg with the one on the bed end. You can then install the spring clip on each of the four legs after inserting the pin.

2There’s a mattress guard that you should flip up before laying the mattress. The guard prevents excessive mattress movement. See the figure below.

Drive Hospital Bed Set-Up Videos (Best Instructional YouTube Videos)

The following YouTube links can also guide you through the Drive Medical hospital bed assembly process:

How To Set Up Your Drive Hospital Bed – Support Surfaces

Drive Ultra Light 1000 Hospital Bed Assembly

How To Assemble A Semi-Electric Hospital Bed By DRIVE

How to Set Up Your Drive Hospital Bed

Drive Hospital Bed Manuals (Links to Online Manuals)

Combining the above-recommended assembly tips with YouTube videos and, of course, the user manuals make the assembly process much easier. Here are some links to online manuals that you can use:

Conclusion

Assembling your Drive Medical hospital bed need not be a complicated endeavor. Your store or bed provider might not offer assembly services, but you can comfortably set it up on your own. If you follow the relevant steps on your user manual and check out assembly videos on YouTube, without a doubt, you will be just fine.