Buying guide
Buying a used hospital bed: a 10-point checklist
A used hospital bed is a good buy when every motor runs smoothly under a person's weight, the handset and cables are sound, the frame and castors have no cracks or play, the rails latch, the weight rating suits the person, a standard 36" x 80" mattress fits, and it will fit through the door and into the room with space to work. Here is how to check each one, whether you are buying from a dealer or privately.
1. Is it full-electric?
Head, foot and height should all move on the handset. On a semi-electric bed the height is a crank at the foot end — the adjustment caregivers use most for safe transfers, and the one people regret not having. Everything we list is full-electric.
2. Run every motor under load
With someone lying on the bed, raise and lower the head, the knee break and the whole deck, all the way, twice. Listen for straining, grinding or a motor that slows at the top of its travel. Weak motors are the most common fault on used beds and are what we most often replace before listing one.
3. Handset and cables
Every button should work, the cable should be uncut and the plug on the control box should seat firmly. Frayed or taped cables are a reason to walk away from a private sale.
4. Frame, deck and castors
Look at the welds on the frame and the deck sections for cracks or rust. Push the bed: castors should roll freely and the brakes should lock at least two of them firmly. A bed that walks across the floor during a transfer is dangerous.
5. Rails
If rails are fitted, they should latch positively and not rattle. Whether rails should be used at all is a question for the person's care team: for someone confused or restless, rails can be an entrapment and fall risk, and a low bed with a floor mat is often the safer setup.
6. Weight rating
It is on the label on the frame. Standard home beds are typically rated to around 350–450 lb; bariatric frames go higher. Give yourself margin, and note that the rating is for the person plus the mattress plus anything else on the bed.
7. Mattress size and type
A standard hospital bed takes a 36" x 80" mattress. A regular twin (38" x 75") or twin XL (38" x 80") does not fit the frame properly and opens gaps at the rails, and an innerspring mattress fights the articulation and strains the motors. If the bed does not come with a proper mattress, budget for one — foam for most people, a pressure-relief air mattress for anyone who cannot reposition themselves.
8. Will it fit through the door and in the room?
A standard bed is 36" wide and about 80–88" long, and is delivered in sections, so a normal 30" interior door is fine. Wider beds and one-piece decks are not. In the room, allow roughly 3 feet of clear space on the side transfers happen, and a grounded outlet within reach of the cord. Hard flooring is easier than thick carpet for castors.
9. Cleanliness
A bed from a private seller has usually not been disinfected. Ours are stripped and cleaned, including the deck under the mattress. If you buy privately, plan to clean every surface before use, and replace the mattress unless its cover is intact and wipeable.
10. Delivery and assembly
A hospital bed weighs 150–250 lb in pieces and takes two people and about 15–30 minutes to assemble properly. That is why our price includes delivery, assembly, testing in the room and taking the packaging away, and why a private-sale price that looks cheaper often is not once you have hired a van and a second pair of hands.
Which bed?
Standard 36" for most people; a low bed for anyone at risk of rolling out; a wider or bariatric frame when the person is above the standard rating or used to a bigger bed. If a therapist or discharge planner has specified the bed, work from their notes — width, height range, rails, mattress — and we will match them. Our current beds in stock list every one of these specifications.
Sources
Related questions
Can I put a regular mattress on a hospital bed?
Not properly. Hospital beds take a 36" x 80" mattress; a standard twin is 38" x 75" and a twin XL 38" x 80", both of which leave gaps at the rails, and innerspring mattresses do not bend with the deck. Use a hospital foam or pressure-relief mattress made for the frame.
How long does it take to set up a hospital bed?
About 15–30 minutes for two people who have done it before, longer the first time. The bed arrives in sections, is assembled in the room, plugged in and tested. Our delivery includes all of that.
Do I need bed rails?
It depends on the person. Rails help someone who uses them to reposition or steady themselves; for someone confused or restless they can be a fall and entrapment risk, and a low bed with a floor mat may be safer. Ask the person's therapist or care team.
Need one? Ask us.
Tell us what you need and we will check our stock and our distribution network, then reply within one business day with options and a price. No obligation.