Couch/Bed

[campthewestcoast]

Has anyone improved the couch/bed to be more comfortable?
On my 2206 towlite, the foam in the cusions is poor quailty from the factory and not enough support.
Looking for any ideas you may have.

 

[PopRichie77]

I replaced the dinette foam in the cushions in our 2209, got foam on Ebay, my wife sleeps there and she likes it now. I just removed the couch bed and put a piece of ply wood in and put a bunk bed mattress on it, come summer I plan on seeing if I can replace the foam in the couch bed. It has built up strips glued to the main foam, if it doesn't work out, the plywood will stay and I will get a good twin mattress. You could take it to a upholstery place and have them replace.

 

[campthewestcoast]

I replaced the dinette foam in the cushions in our 2209, got foam on Ebay, my wife sleeps there and she likes it now. I just removed the couch bed and put a piece of ply wood in and put a bunk bed mattress on it, come summer I plan on seeing if I can replace the foam in the couch bed. It has built up strips glued to the main foam, if it doesn't work out, the plywood will stay and I will get a good twin mattress. You could take it to a upholstery place and have them replace.

What thickness and density of the foam from E-bay did you use in the dinette cushions? Do you know the thickness of the foam in the couchbed cushions? (I have not removed the fabric yet)

 

[PopRichie77]

The foam in ours had the size in magic marker written on the end. The large ones were 5X 23X 37, I cut mine to 5x 23x 36 I/4 approx., because the vinyl bottoms were smaller and the firm put to much stress on the cushion. Small ones were 5x 13 1/2x 37. Just order 2 stock size pieces that are big enough to get 2 cushions out of each one. Cheaper that way and you can cut it with a serrated bread knife. I would recommend the #36 medium firm foam. But your choice. I tried medium first in 2 cushions and the wife decided that she wanted # 50 firm, so that is what I got. She is short but rather heavy, hope she doesn't see this. I plan on possible using some of the medium in the couch. I marked the size on the foam, and used an aluminum level as a guide worked very well, since it is foam it doesn't have to be a perfect cut. I also dug out the wife's sewing machine which she hasn't used in 30 years, and reinforced the cushion seams. The edges of the fabric in ours comes apart very easy, corners were coming apart. I used a small tight stitch which caught the heavy threads in the cushion fabric. Will see how the sewing works as we have a trip coming soon.
I don't know the size of the foam in the couch, to cold to mess with right now and my work space right now is limited.

 

[sayhonkmon]

Couch/bed

I agree, this "bed" is very uncomfortable. I believe that Amish workers helped build these HiLo's and they are probably used to sleeping on a 2X4 running up your spine; no seriously, I plan on doing the same thing. I have found that an electric meat carving knife will slice through that foam rubber like butter.
We have never used the couch as a couch anyway.

 

[PopRichie77]

The cushions in mine were not made by Hi-Lo, they were purchased from a company in Ohio, mine has a manufactures tag on them. Yes on the electric knife but we got rid of ours years ago.

 

[sam-HILO]

Improving the couch/bed

On our classic couch bed we tried a combination of airmattress and egg crate cushion(hospital type). Was a little improved but was a slippery deal.Several years later we stopped with the HiLo at a custom mattress place and the salesman came in and took measurements for both couch beds. They made up a custom mattress for each couch bed out of foam . We had a choice of how thick. I think they are firm. Slightly smaller than a twin mattress. I use bed garters to snug the sheets underneath. The mattresses look just like a regular mattress and cost about $100.00 each. Some of the best money I ever spent. Some have just used an air mattress and possibly a foam topper as well. Thoughts if you need to improve the comfort of your dinette cushions. Take the cushions to an upholstery shop and get a price quote on new cushions. They have a special machine to put the cushions in. Our upholstery shop just did an excellent job on reupholstery of my Eathan Allen couch. He was right on about with the medium firm cushions. He even told me if I didn't like it he would re do with a firmer cushion. Perhaps you could visit several shops tp compare prices. I don,t think the prices were bad. Maybe a litter cheaper if you have it done in the winter. It may well be cheaper to do it yourself. On our dinette/bed we use a self inflating mat and a foam topper from walmart. Our 23 year old daughter says it is "the cats meow in comfort" The topper was to big and it cut like a dream with a big serated kitchen knife. I took the left over foam and sewed fabric for picnic bench covers.Cost me a bundle for the fabric even on sale. Lady bug fabric with blue background. I,m worth every penny!! Picnic benches are very hard wood to sit on for any length of time. Not all upholstery shops are alike. Had my couch redone years ago by another shop and the cushions weren't firm enough. My HiLo couch and dinette fabric had held up very well and no signs of wear,not even a snag. The upholstery cleans up well with a hot water upholstery shampoo/steam clean/then scotchguard. This one big area the new owner of the HiLo proto types could greatly improve on.

 

[PopRichie77]

The problem with the newer cushions is the foam collapses where the most weight is and it stays that way, making a hole, so putting something on top doesn't work, it just sinks into the hole.. It comes back up some but takes a couple weeks, really crap stuff. The cushions have a zipper on them so removing the old foam and putting in new is no problem. Just put the thin plastic that is on the old foam on the new foam and it slides right in, there are no buttons.

 

[robobd]

you can also change your foam to two layers, a dense foam on bottom and a medium density on top. feels very soft an still gives support

 

[campthewestcoast]

The problem with the newer cushions is the foam collapses where the most weight is and it stays that way, making a hole, so putting something on top doesn't work, it just sinks into the hole.. It comes back up some but takes a couple weeks, really crap stuff. The cushions have a zipper on them so removing the old foam and putting in new is no problem. Just put the thin plastic that is on the old foam on the new foam and it slides right in, there are no buttons.

PopRichie,

You nailed the problem. The dinette will be easy to replace, just measure, cut and stuff.

The couch appears to be a bigger deal to replace the old foam. We are not sure where to start. Currently, we have a 4" futon and 4" memory foam on top of the couch cushions and it isn't working. We keep the bed made up all the time, so we may end up dismantling the couch, putting it in the attic, and replacing it with a wooden frame. Though we would prefer not to dismantle the couch if we can figure out how to make it comfortable.

 

[Greg-HILO]

We have a 2207T and are experiencing the same problems with both the dinette and the sofa/bed. We bought our Hi-Lo a little over a year ago and at the time it had barely been used. We subsequently spent about 8 weeks traveling in it.

In May we went to Canada and Alaska where we spent 12 weeks. We then returned home for a couple of months. Currently, we just finished the second month of what will be a three month stay in San Diego.

I can relate to complaints shared by people posting on this site. With absolutely no exaggeration both our bed and dinette have become progressively more uncomfortable to the point where they are both worn out. In fact, my butt aches as I sit on the rock-hard bench of the dinette typing this post on my laptop. It's really hard to believe that they were built this cheaply by such a reputable company.

I'm reading with interest what others have done or plan to do in order to correct this manufacturing defect. We'll be returning to Central Oregon in February where we're planning to address the issue while it's parked for the winter. At this point, I'm not sure exactly what that will be, but I do know we won't be taking it on another long trip until it's been fixed.

 

[Rolff]

The foam in our '95 is just fine still. There must have been a change in the manufacturing process either because of cost of the materials, fire safety requirements or EPA regulations. The newer Hi Los are still well made except for this aren't they?

 

[PopRichie77]

The foam in our '95 is just fine still. There must have been a change in the manufacturing process either because of cost of the materials, fire safety requirements or EPA regulations. The newer Hi Los are still well made except for this aren't they?

In answer to your question, I would say yes. No better or worse than older years, and the framing is aluminum from 2000 up both models.The foam in our 95 Towlite is still good also as is the material.

 

[georgiegal]

Hi
I want to remove the couch bed in my hilo 1985. Is it an easy job, I seem to like your idea of the plywood and having storage underneath. The couch seems to be chunky and take up too much room. Thoughts and advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Georgie

 

[renoites]

I also have an 1985.
I did remove the couch/bed and installed a table and side seating. Can access the storage from above, under seating.
The bed unbolts from a wooden frame. It is bulky and fairly heavy.
You will need to raise it vertically then out the door. I suggest to tie the bed together, or you will be manhandled!

Good upgrade

 

[Josnik]

We have 96 towlite 21td and it is also very uncomfortable to sleep on the couch. But with a little investigation on Amazon I am going to try high density foam. I can't order the exact size from Amazon so I went to the web site of the seller and put in the size we need. With a family of 5 we fold the couch up in the morning. So the extra foam will just go on the bunk during the day. We just leave the bunk and dinette as beds for the fact we are out side all day. Won't be able to see if it will work till our first camping trip in the spring.

 

[sam-HILO]

Some towlites have cheap cushions.

This is a common complaint from many consumers that have bought RVS from different manufactures. Cheap foam and poor quality mattresses. I have a classic and the dinette is fine. We have our dinette in a perment bed for our adult daughter. The best $ I spent was a foam mattress topper from walmart. It cuts easily with a pair of scissors or a serated kitchen knife. Also an electric knife. We have two couches that are uncomfortable because of the crack in the middle when they are left in a permanent position for sleeping two adults. Our local mattress store clerk came in our HiLo and measured for our custom foam mattresses. We got to pick how thick we wanted them. It has been many years and they look brand new. They cost about $100.00 a piece. $ well spent. Look on line and go to your local upholstery shop. Price denser foam and material if needed for the dinette cushion. Many back post on this subject.

 

[Premier7]

Do you have a photo of the original kitchen / bed configuration?
There is no bed in mine - just 2 studs sticking out of the ceiling!

 

[mrdorkdar]

Rip the couch out and put in a queen bed!

 

[NikkiWoodward]

I have a 1985 NuWa HitchHiker 2, we can’t get the sofa to open. We got it once by accident and now can’t get it to open.. any ideas?