Removal of Flexsteel seats

Topic: Removal of Flexsteel seats (Read 1624 times) previous topic - next topic

Removal of Flexsteel seats

January 23, 2013, 04:22:56 pm

Time to start working on the Foretravel to get it ready for the summer trip. We'd like to remove the Flexsteel seats and have repairs to the fabric done here in Tucson. But I have to get the seats out of the coach.

Try as I may, I have not been able to figure this out. I asked about this last year, but didn't get specific enough advice, at least for me. So I took a couple of pics and labeled every bolt I could see with the exception of the bolts holding the seat to the floor and the center swivel bolt. So if you have done this job previously, please let me know what bolts to remove. Thanks in advance.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #1 – January 23, 2013, 05:08:00 pm

Snip: But I have to get the seats out of the coach.

I've had the same questions George. Looks to me like the nuts on these bolts, which go through the floor, are pretty "inaccessible" (on our '98 U320 anyway). I'll watch to see what answers you receive with interest....

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #2 – January 23, 2013, 05:20:15 pm

Two people are needed. I had my seats changed out. Raise up the coach all the way. Get someone on each end one with an air ratchet the other with a box wrench and take off the bolts that hold it to the floor.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #3 – January 23, 2013, 05:24:35 pm

Thanks John. Yes, I can get to the through floor bolts. I have the coach up and have sprayed the nuts with penetrating oil.

BUT, I got the impression from some of the responses last year that it is easier to remove the seat from the adjustment mechanism, rather than taking off the entire seat. If I don't get what I need from the group to do that, I'll remove the entire seat.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #4 – January 23, 2013, 05:51:27 pm

There are usually 3 pieces to the seats. The main base which is thru bolted to the floor with large washers and nuts. i usually leave those intact. The chair is mounted on a platform, with-- sometimes 4 sometimes 6 nuts- 1/2 wrench. There is a cable that activated the catch that holds the chair in place. If you squeeze the lever this cable end is on, you can take it off. There is a little spring clip that holds the cable to the seat base. Unkook the electric and pull straight up. You then can see the large nut and washers in the middle of the base. I you want to take that off and lube the bearings, a 15/16th wrench is needed. When installing it back- don't tighten it too hard so it will be difficult to rotate. But make sure that part of the base doesn't wobble. Hope this helps, Ernie

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #5 – January 23, 2013, 06:13:43 pm

Erniee.... I think I removed those bolts (C, D, M and N in my pics). The bottom of the seat came loose, but the back would not move. Is that what you are talking about? Does the "cable" release the back? If so, can you see it in either of my pics? Need some more direction on the location of the cable.

Or I could just remove the center bolt. It looks like it is easy to get to (relatively speaking).

George

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #6 – January 23, 2013, 07:32:37 pm

George, Have you tried removing bolts ABG&H? looks to me like they are the ones to remove if you do not want to remove the floor bolted base.
Cheers
Ted

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #7 – January 23, 2013, 09:14:21 pm

Ted.... no I haven't tried that. The reason being that it doesn't look those bolts would release the seat mechanism. See the attached. Can you see how the area near the arrow bends around the plate released by those bolts? Could be wrong. Might give it a try. Thanks for the advice though!

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #8 – January 23, 2013, 09:29:25 pm

My coach is much older (96 U295), but I just kept looking until I found where the actual seat itself rode on top of all the articulating mechanism, and it was just 4 bolts that attached it. Had to disconnect the adjustment control panel on the side of the seat, and then it lifted right off.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #9 – January 23, 2013, 09:30:34 pm

I say its time for a new coach! Lol.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #10 – January 23, 2013, 09:50:48 pm

George,
You are making this way to complicated.
You don't have the two rear bolts and nuts identified. You need the two at the rear that go with bolts/nuts A and B.
The Flexsteels come out very easily. Removing the chassis through bolts is far more work than you need to go to. And that would make getting the seats out of the coach far more difficult and much heavier than needed.

Unplug the single electrical connector to the chassis

Unhook the seat swivel cable at the swivel table (bogus info?)

Remove the four nuts from the bolts that hold the whole seat assembly to the swivel table.

Lift the seat off the swivel table and out the door (two people a must, three even better)

Send a PM and I'll call you if you have any questions.
I've done this several times in the process of removing my Flexsteels and installing the replacement Villa's
Neal

Postscript:
I'm sure Dave K is right about the cable disconnect. I donated my Flexsteels to another FT owner several years ago and the details of the cable escape me today. However, in your photo (that I've marked up), you can see the head of bolt B' and the head of the corresponding A' bolt is obscured from view.
Not difficult at all once you find nuts A' and B' on the underside of the swivel table.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #11 – January 23, 2013, 10:09:16 pm

Have done exactly what Neal describes, except I didn't need to release any swivel cables (?). Just unplug the control panel, remove the 4 bolts that attach the top plate of the mechanism to the bottom of the seat, and lift the seat off. You will need to swivel the seat around to get at the back bolts. Start with the passenger seat to locate the bolts, and then do the drivers seat, since it doesn't swivel all the way around. Locating the back bolts is the hardest part, but they are easy to access once you find them. Takes 5 min to undo all the bolts. Leave a couple in until you have lifting partner(s).

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #12 – January 23, 2013, 10:39:06 pm

Thanks guys, it is becoming clear, I think. Here is another pic looking under the passenger seat from the front. Are the four bolts you are referring to tho ones with the arrows? In the first pics (original post) they would be A and B and G and H. The G nut is behind the wiring so it isn't shown.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #13 – January 23, 2013, 10:54:47 pm

George,
Nope. You don't have the right bolts/nuts ID'd yet. G and H are not the ones that you need.
Look back at my earlier answer this evening (9:50:48 PM).
I've marked up your first photo with the A' and B' bolts/nuts that you haven't ID'd in any of your markups.
.
Neal

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #14 – January 23, 2013, 11:09:37 pm

OK, it is A, B, A' and B'. I think I see the latter now in some other pics I have. I'll give that a try tomorrow and report back with some better pics. Thanks!

George

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #15 – January 23, 2013, 11:11:41 pm

On our coach CDEF remove seat from slide mechanism.

AB & two more rear AB remove slide mechanism from swivel base.

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #16 – January 23, 2013, 11:48:03 pm

Quote from: Barry & Cindy – January 23, 2013, 11:11:41 pm

On our coach CDEF remove seat from slide mechanism.

AB & two more rear AB remove slide mechanism from swivel base.

I agree, Barry.
I have had the seats off using C,D,E&F as well.
While the seat is fractionally lighter to handle (because once it is removed, it doesn't have the slides, lifts and motors, etc still attached), I found it very hard to get comfortable access to the CDEF nuts, the nuts had to be removed over longer lengths of thread (X4), and it was nearly impossible (for me and a helper) to get things lined up for reinstallation because of the poor viewing angles. ABA'B' were a piece of cake by comparison.
Just my take,
Neal

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #17 – January 24, 2013, 09:11:45 am

I went out and looked at my seats and I think I see the discrepancy in the release cable. Some seats appear to have a button in the seat that attaches the cable and some have a lever near the floor that locks the swivel.

cheers

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #18 – January 25, 2013, 04:42:57 pm

OK, I give up. I have tried the following.

1. Removed A, B, A' and B' (see above)....the problem is that the slide mechanism on both sides (which guides the chair as it moves forward and back) is part of the base. That is, parts of the chair and parts of the base make up this mechanism. Unless the slide mechanism can be somehow taken apart, this won't work.

2. I also tried removing C, D, M and N. This releases the bottom of the seat, but it cannot be removed because the back is not released and the bottom is retained by the back supports. I called Flexsteel and these were the nuts/bolts they said would release the seat.

This is probably the most frustrating thing I have attempted on the coach. Enough time wasted. I will let someone take them out that knows what the heck they are doing. Maybe part of the problem is that these seats appear to be different! I found the model number...."diablo del infierno modelo 666."

I have it back together almost.... still have the base release cable to attach. Any advice on how to attach that damnable spring would be welcome.

George

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #19 – February 16, 2013, 11:06:16 am

The seats are finally out! We are having them re-upholstered by a company here in Tucson and I had them remove the seats. Neal was right about some of the nuts to remove, but there are actually 8 that need to be removed.... 2 nuts in the front, 2 nuts in the back and 2 bolts on each side. When the side bolts are removed the rails that guide the seat as it moves front and back are released and that did the trick. Before removing the seat, these bolts should be put back in place for the seat (not the rails) and that keeps the front and back of the seat together. The seats were heavy, but not bad....certainly more than one normal person could handle because of the bulk and weight. The pics below show the passenger seat, but the driver's seat was the same.

Thanks for all the help. By the way, I did call Flexsteel for advice on removing these seats and they were not much help.

George

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #20 – February 16, 2013, 11:35:53 am

Quote from: George Hatfield – February 16, 2013, 11:06:16 am

We are having them re-upholstered by a company here in Tucson and I had them remove the seats.

We'll let you know how the seats turn out - initially, we are going to have them repair the seam separation at the top of back (where the leather meets the vinyl behind the headrest). If that can't be done satisfactorily (due to the 10-year-old age of the vinyl, which is now quite brittle), we'll have the entire seat re-upholstered. FYI, this company has been in business for 30 years, and specializes in aviation upholstery - they are based at nearby Ryan Field (Tucson Upholstery, 6248 S. Aviator Lane, 520-746-3488).

Quote from: George Hatfield – February 16, 2013, 11:06:16 am

I did call Flexsteel for advice on removing these seats and they were not much help.

While they were not much help (told George the wrong bolts, and advice about the side rails, which she called "hard skirts," came several calls later), it was not for lack of trying on the representative's part. And we did receive an email from another Flexsteel rep offering to have us send photos for further assistance - but, by then, the upholsterer was due to arrive and remove the seats for us.

Interestingly, we contacted the Flexsteel representative, Colleen Kafar, mentioned in Bonnie Harris' 2004 post (Info for New Foam for Pilot's Chair). She still answers the number in that post (563-585-8205), and when I mentioned I found the number from some 9-year-old information on an owner's forum, she told me she had been answering that number for 29 years!

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #21 – February 16, 2013, 11:45:14 am

Hmm, having boats, airplanes and RV's I know the issues of "coach" bucks" and "Hanger Queens" when it comes to cost.

So my question is, if you take an seat from an expensive coach to a place that works on expensive airplanes are the cost doubled or quadrupled.... :-)

Good luck, looking forward to pictures

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #22 – February 16, 2013, 12:06:42 pm

Quote from: Tim Fiedler – February 16, 2013, 11:45:14 am

So my question is, if you take an seat from an expensive coach to a place that works on expensive airplanes are the cost doubled or quadrupled.... :-)

Good question, Tim, and an initial concern of ours. We've been to another upholsterer in Tucson (Tucson Furniture Repair - Tucson Furniture Refurbishing - Restor-To-Nu - Tucson,) last year, who redid our upholstered/padded vinyl on the entry door at a reasonable cost. We spoke to them about the seats, also, and their quote to re-upholster the seats was the same as Tucson Upholstery out at the airfield. We went with the latter after talking to a neighbor (with an SOB) who recommended them; he was pleased with some work they had done on his coach. Tucson Upholstery's location at the airfield is relatively new (they were elsewhere in Tucson during their 30 years, with commercial, residential, and RV work).

And point well taken, Tim.... coach bucks = boat bucks = airplane bucks! Our toys (and their care and feeding) are pricey!

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #23 – February 16, 2013, 08:21:58 pm

George, I was feeling your frustration! Was just about to suggest: "Light fuse, run like hell!!"

Re: Removal of Flexsteel seats

Reply #24 – February 16, 2013, 08:36:40 pm

Quote from: George Hatfield – February 16, 2013, 11:06:16 am

The seats are finally out! We are having them re-upholstered by a company here in Tucson and I had them remove the seats..........................

George,
I'm pleased to know that you succeeded...........and how.
I don't recognize those additional 4 bolts at all, so either the Flexsteel design changed between 1998 and 2003 or (just as likely) my memory of the configuration failed me.
Enjoy your upgrade! Post us pictures when you're done
Neal

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