Finished Couch Install
Hi All,
Well - sorry I never finished this thread off with some pics of the replacement couch. It's in and has been used a couple of times now and it is a BIG improvement. Maybe our jackknives were just worse than others, but the were lumpy and never level.
As always, the full HiLo album from tear-down to rebuild is here:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskGjjPyn
It wasn't too hard to get the old couches out, some patience, the right screwdrivers and sockets (and an occasional pry bar) and they're out. I noticed that several of the hold-down screws went all the way through the floor so I filled those holes with calk before installing any of the new furniture.
Here's the couch that was selected from ikea (a sandbacken):
https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/sandbacken-sleeper-sectional-3-seat-lofallet-beige-s89217906/
The weight was good at about 200lbs total, and the individual pieces were all small enough that they could be assembled, some in the living room in the house, then transported through the door in the trailer for final assembly. I also liked that it was a metal frame - good strength to weight ratio AND you could use locktite to keep everything together since the trailer is going to bounce around. You'll want 2 people for this job to position the couch and do the final assembly in the HiLo, and
it will get tight.
With the old couches out, I had to move a few things that were underneath in the old storage areas. I had a breakerbox there that needed relocating, it is now on the fridge wall, and covered with a removable ABS box to keep it fully out of harm's way. The cables and water pipes running down the wall were also covered up just to keep things organized and clean.
Hilo couch redo by
Lineswest, on Flickr
You can see the frame of the ottoman that sits over that part of the floor now. I did use L-brackets to bolt the frames of the couch and ottoman to the floor or wall as appropriate. They've gone over some rough roads since then and have held well.
With things in place everything looks like this:
Hilo couch redo by
Lineswest, on Flickr
Now the bed pull-out is on rollers (see the ikea link) and sits under the couch until needed. Then you roll it out and you can line it up with the ottoman for the actual bed. To keep it in place, I used more L-brackets. They trap it between the wall and the L-bracket, and hold it nicely. Lift it up and over the L-bracket, it rolls out, and you pop the legs open.
Hilo couch redo by
Lineswest, on Flickr
One of the neat things about this is that there is now 'just' enough room to step between the door-side wall and the bed when it is pulled out and set up. The person on the inside of the bed actually has a shot to get in and out without waking the other person up (just a shot, not guaranteed).
So here's one pic, set up and in use a few weeks back earlier in the summer. It's made a big difference.
48080203531_af840595b6_o by
Lineswest, on Flickr
