Re-stuffing gaucho couch

[Mitch]

We just took ours to “our” local awning/upholstery person and got a great job for under $100 labor; larger issue is professional grade foam which can be pretty pricey. Cheap foam leaves you with a cheap bed! We also use two 4x4 posts cut to length to support the fold over back which keeps us (me) from rolling into the “crack” between bed and cabinets on passenger side. Nothing seems entirely satisfactory for longer term traveling. We even switched to a permanent twin mattress which was slightly narrower (removed gaucho and installed 1” plywood frame) and allowed movement and drawer access on opposite side, but overall unacceptable and switched back. Currently having new Sportsmobile built on 2020 Transit medium length chassis with AWD but limited backcountry access.

[ConnieKat]

Flyview
Hi, mine was done before I bought the van. Has been
ripped off, replaced with a tempur-foam pad, about 5”
high, them recovered and stapled down.
That said, it’s very heavy and I’m trying to figure out how to replace this version of gaucho ( looks nothing like yours!). It sits on an open-topped base with my water tank and batteries inside.
Here’s what I’d like to have- a cot-style base to fit into that space ( may have to add a rail to hold it), then use one of the folding memory foam mattresses
available on Amazon. That way I can fold back the
mattress and lift the cot up easily ( if it’s aluminum)!
My back portion is just flattened pillows attached to
plywood, so I plan to just use regular pillows, since I’m hoping the bed will be wider by itself. At least that’s the plan.
Best of luck with yours! If you want it to look the same...you may have to take it to an upholsterer.
I may end up cutting the legs off of a cot and putting it in that way as the base for the folding mattress.
ConnieKat

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by Geesh

I have a '93 SMB with the same lovely blue fabric...so timely.


My bench cushion was bad as well, but the fabric (unfortunately) was fine. I took the cushion itself into an auto upholstery shop and had them do stretching over new polyurethane foam. very happy with results. $300 if I recall correctly. worth it.

Oh, and while there, I had them add a piece of 1/2" thick MDF (like plywood without splinters) as the base of the frame; so much stiffer


good luck -

That's a great idea with the MDF board underneath. Did they put it above or below the metal slats or remove those?

Thanks for the replies everyone! I sent an email to a local upholstery shop that had good reviews here in Toronto and got quoted $1500 (about $1100USD)

Looks like I may have to attempt this myself. A bit more shopping around first.

Here's an actual picture of my setup:

[ConnieKat]

Hi there,
Do you have the dimensions on both the base, and the cushions? Just wanted to compare with mine, though I don’t have the same type of back. One of
the reasons I am having to sort of start from scratch.
Thanks so much...and zero rush if you don’t have them.
ConnieKat

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by ConnieKat

Hi there,
Do you have the dimensions on both the base, and the cushions? Just wanted to compare with mine, though I don’t have the same type of back. One of
the reasons I am having to sort of start from scratch.
Thanks so much...and zero rush if you don’t have them.
ConnieKat

I just measured last night so I could get that quote. My couch bottom is 6ft x 30" and the back is 6ft x 14". I didn't measure the thicknesses but probably about 5-6".

[ConnieKat]

Hi and thank you,
Are those the base measurements for the couch?
The cushion part looks a bit larger. Mine looks to be
a bit narrower and possibly shorter. It’s a colossal pain ( literally too!) to try and lift. My back has been broken in at least seven places, so this is the problem I’m trying to resolve for the bed. So far the plan includes a lightweight cot type base ( even if I must cut off the legs of an aluminum cot! And add a “ folding” mattress ( memory foam), so I don’t have to
lift the entire thing to get to my water tank or batteries! I don’t really care if I have a back or not, so
long as the mattress fits against the wall. I fear that I may have to add a ledge ( L-shaped) to bring it out a bit from the base size, which I think is about 25”. The
hope is for a bed that’s about 72”x30”.
Thanks so much for that info on the size. I’ve had no idea whether these things are a standard size or not! The web site actually has less info on this stuff than it used to.
ConnieKat

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by ConnieKat

Hi and thank you,
Are those the base measurements for the couch?
The cushion part looks a bit larger. Mine looks to be
a bit narrower and possibly shorter. It’s a colossal pain ( literally too!) to try and lift. My back has been broken in at least seven places, so this is the problem I’m trying to resolve for the bed. So far the plan includes a lightweight cot type base ( even if I must cut off the legs of an aluminum cot! And add a “ folding” mattress ( memory foam), so I don’t have to
lift the entire thing to get to my water tank or batteries! I don’t really care if I have a back or not, so
long as the mattress fits against the wall. I fear that I may have to add a ledge ( L-shaped) to bring it out a bit from the base size, which I think is about 25”. The
hope is for a bed that’s about 72”x30”.
Thanks so much for that info on the size. I’ve had no idea whether these things are a standard size or not! The web site actually has less info on this stuff than it used to.
ConnieKat

The bottom part of my couch is 72" long x 30" wide. The back piece is 72" x 14" wide. So with the backrest down the full bed would be 72" x 44".

[ConnieKat]

Flyview,
Thanks so much for all of the info. It’s more of a help than you know! I don’t know is you’ve seen the folding mattresses or not, but they appear to be ideal for my situation. The biggest problem has actually been the
base, which is a very thick and heavy plywood! When combined with the mattress....currently attached, it’s
just far too much for me to lift, and there are no hinges, nor lift bars on this set up. I’d guess it weighs more than 50 pounds!
If you have an opinion on my proposed solution, I’d be interested in hearing it. I figured that if the cot base was aluminum, it would solve a lot of my troubles.
Connie Kat
That also goes is you have any better ideas. Almost everything used for a base for a mattress is very heavy ( at least for me), so anything that’s lighter would be a help.

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by ConnieKat

Flyview,
Thanks so much for all of the info. It’s more of a help than you know! I don’t know is you’ve seen the folding mattresses or not, but they appear to be ideal for my situation. The biggest problem has actually been the
base, which is a very thick and heavy plywood! When combined with the mattress....currently attached, it’s
just far too much for me to lift, and there are no hinges, nor lift bars on this set up. I’d guess it weighs more than 50 pounds!
If you have an opinion on my proposed solution, I’d be interested in hearing it. I figured that if the cot base was aluminum, it would solve a lot of my troubles.
Connie Kat
That also goes is you have any better ideas. Almost everything used for a base for a mattress is very heavy ( at least for me), so anything that’s lighter would be a help.

Weird, mine is definitely not that heavy. Can you post a picture of your setup?