2015 24GView- Switching sofa bed to recliner sofa

[GStclair15]

That is good to know about treating stains on the Ultraleather. Had to chuckle about your getting too comfortable. Well, as you know one couldn't get comfortable on the sofa/inflatable bed. After about 15 minutes, we were ready to move on.
This is our first motorhome. We have had nine different travel trailers over the years and are getting used to the MH. I find it to be so well made. There isn't as much storage as our 30 foot trailer but we got tired of navigating with it (truck plus trailer = 55 ft) We were getting 8 or 9 mpg and now get 15 or 16 mpg with the Winnebago View 24G. Love that! Can't wait to get comfortable in our power reclining loveseat. Thanks for the info.

[GStclair15]

Jayelldouble,
We recently received our Lambright RV Harrison loveseat. Just wondering if you had any trouble installing the loveseat on the slide-out. I took off the cushions to the existing sofa and looked under the frame. There is a black rectangular box on the the floor of the slide I had not noticed previously. It is approx. 15" W by 20" L. Not sure if that houses the motor and mechanism for the slide to retract and extend. Did your Navion have this under the sofa? Since ours is a 2012 model and yours a 2016, I thought they may be different. Did it affect the loveseat installation? May have to call Winnebago and/or Lambright for suggestions.

[jayelldouble]

The slideout floor in mine was just a flat platform with nothing on it once the old sofa was removed. Where is this box located? If it is close to the outside wall it may not interfere as there is about a foot of floor behind the new recliner to allow space for it to recline.

[GStclair15]

Unfortunately the box runs from the front of the slide to the back. Evidently, this is how the 2011 and 2012 View/Navions were made. I feel it must be the motor and mechanisms that move the slide in and out. In later models, they moved it to under the platform. I'm including a photo taken under the sofa bed from the side.
So I stayed up late checking the Facebook group View/Navion until I found another poor soul who had to build a raised plywood deck to cover the black box. He took photos at every step so it is very helpful. He used two by fours and L brackets to hold them in place then cut a piece of plywood to fit over the bracing. I included how the other View owner framed the box and then added the plywood deck. I'm sure we'll have to cut holes for the wiring to go through to the electrical outlet underneath.He did not install a Lambright loveseat and had to extend it out to fit his new reclining couch. Fortunately, since our new loveseat is made to fit on the slide, we can cut the plywood decking the same size as the slide.
The loveseat will then sit about 3-4 inches higher than originally planned but I think it will work out. The only issue may be how it will look across the room under the loveseat. There will no doubt be a gap. May have to get more of the loveseat fabric and fasten it to a kick board. We shall see. Any tips for installing once we get a flat deck would be appreciated.
Leaving for a five day trip so for now we get to use the old sofa one more time til we return to tackle the new project. Thanks for your interest. Would love to hear how your recliners are working out.

[jayelldouble]

No particular tricks to installing the loveseat once you have a flat surface. I just used as many screws as I could find holes for, screwed them right through the carpet into the plywood. IIRC I used #12 x 3/4" sheet metal screws (I've found that sheet metal screws seem to hold better in plywood than wood screws do - even found a few studies comparing holding power of sheet metal screws vs. wood screws in various materials (plywood, chipboard, etc.) that show that to be true, but not by much). But I digress - the easiest way to drive all those screws was with a 1/4" drive impact driver and a magnetic nut driver attachment, using hex head screws. Had to use some extensions so I could reach over the back of the loveseat. I also screwed down the power supply and the battery in the space between the loveseat and the wall. It's all been working great since the install - well worth the effort and expense. I did notice that the new loveseat sits noticeably higher than the original did - and yours will be higher yet since you have to raise the platform over that box. It's fine for me at the higher height but short people have complained that they feel like little kids with their feet suspended above the floor. YMMV of course.

[GStclair15]

Been working on getting the slide ready for installing the Harrison 54" loveseat. As I mentioned earlier, there is a metal box in the middle of the slide therefore I needed to build a platform above it.
The first photo is where I added four 2x4's and then the second photo is where the 1/2" plywood deck was added and screwed into place. I cut openings for the seatbelts (though I doubt we'll use them) and a slot to access the electrical outlet that was used for the inflatable mattress in the sofa and now we'll use for the power reclining loveseat.
This afternoon we put one side of the loveseat into place. We do have a problem. Since the deck is taller than the original slide deck, the rollers are about 4 inches from the floor. The loveseat isn't bolted down yet since I wanted to see how it would work. When I recline the chair, it falls forward off the slide! I suppose it is because the rollers have nothing to roll on and the weight of the chair throws it forward. It looks like I will have to find a way to extend the rollers so they will reach the floor. I do have a question for you. How far from the wall did you bolt the frame to the slide deck? In other words, how many inches from the back wall is the metal frame?
I know now I should have gotten the low back Harrison. The high back completely covers the window and when my husband sits in the chair in the upright position, he bumps his head on the cabinet above his head. I told him he may have to recline slightly to clear it. I know we will figure a way to make this work but it is frustrating that these beautiful chairs aren't working as planned. What did you use to bolt the recliners to the deck?
I appreciate your input. Thanks!

[GStclair15]

Jayelldouble,
No need to answer about what you used to secure the chairs, I went back and reread your earlier post. Thanks.

[jayelldouble]

Gigi -
I measure 17.5" from the wall to the metal frame. That leaves a little less than an inch of clearance between the seat back and the wall when the recliner is fully extended. I recommend that you double check as there may be variations from one unit to another. IIRC I fully reclined the seat and then slid it back until it touched the wall and then pulled it forward to leave an inch or so of clearance in case of sagging when a full sized person leaned back. I do have the high back version as the low back just wasn't as comfortable when I tried it out in the showroom. But your installation will be 4 inches higher (3.5" 2x4 + 1/2
" plywood) than mine so I can understand that there might be a headroom issue. Might be OK when it is reclined though -
Best of luck to you - John

[GStclair15]

John,
Well, it took awhile but the Lambright Harrison loveseat is installed and working beautifully. It is higher off the floor than we would have liked but they are so comfortable and will be so nice to relax in. We are planning a trip this week and can't wait to try them out.
I'm sending two photos of it installed. Thanks for all the tips.
Great travels to you!
Gail

[jayelldouble]

Looks great - don't forget to go outside once in a while...