My Couch Solution

Make it comfortable inside
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Saprophyte
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B190 Year: 1996
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My Couch Solution

Post by Saprophyte »

I was never satisfied with the under-couch storage in the B190, so I changed it entirely. Now it folds up out of the way so I can reach all my cargo from above rather than through the drawer. The drawer on mine had fallen apart before I bought it anyway, so I removed it. There's just a big empty compartment under the couch.

I started by taking the couch out entirely.
ImageImage

I added strap hinges to the back of the base of the couch's steel frame. The other half of the hinge attaches to 4"x4" blocks. These raise the seat-height of the couch by 4", but it gives the clearance needed to allow the frame to lift up.

Here's a video showing how it works:
https://youtu.be/4DcZr6YOZKQ

This lets me use the entire space under the couch.
Image
I keep a small stick under there which I use to prop up the couch when I need it out of the way, as you can see there. This last picture was taken some time later, after my new floor. See more on that here:http://b190.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2310
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lido14co
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B190 Year: 1992
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Location: Los Osos, CA

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by lido14co »

Nice work


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VT964x4
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Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 12:09 pm
B190 Year: 1996
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Location: Vermont

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by VT964x4 »

Thanks for the details, really great work!
Adkins family
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Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2015 9:28 pm
B190 Year: 1993
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Location: Crystal Coast NC

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Adkins family »

Brilliant!
Adkins family
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Location: Crystal Coast NC

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Adkins family »

Floor looks good as well as the work with the couch.
Cgzito
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B190 Year: 1993
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Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Cgzito »

Awesome idea. How can I make this work?
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okaynagan
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Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2017 6:56 pm
B190 Year: 1995
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Location: Arizona

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by okaynagan »

must add this to our project list. What a great idea!
Saprophyte wrote:I was never satisfied with the under-couch storage in the B190, so I changed it entirely. Now it folds up out of the way so I can reach all my cargo from above rather than through the drawer. The drawer on mine had fallen apart before I bought it anyway, so I removed it. There's just a big empty compartment under the couch.

I started by taking the couch out entirely.
ImageImage

I added strap hinges to the back of the base of the couch's steel frame. The other half of the hinge attaches to 4"x4" blocks. These raise the seat-height of the couch by 4", but it gives the clearance needed to allow the frame to lift up.

Here's a video showing how it works:
https://youtu.be/4DcZr6YOZKQ

This lets me use the entire space under the couch.
Image
I keep a small stick under there which I use to prop up the couch when I need it out of the way, as you can see there. This last picture was taken some time later, after my new floor. See more on that here:http://b190.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2310
mtodd54
Weekend Camper
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:04 pm
B190 Year: 1995

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by mtodd54 »

Great idea - thanks for the details on how to do it! So the back bolts connect to the frame and 4x4 blocks (attached to the wood box). Do the original front bolts from the frame to box attach to anything? (or do you leave those off)
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Sub2RainEN
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B190 Year: 1990
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Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Sub2RainEN »

I’m just seeing this now. What a great mod! My mechanic wants to saw a whole and make a door for extra batteries under the couch. This would be so much more functional and make it useful storage.


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Millennial Falcon
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B190 Year: 1994

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Millennial Falcon »

Sub2RainEN wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:06 pm
I’m just seeing this now. What a great mod! My mechanic wants to saw a whole and make a door for extra batteries under the couch. This would be so much more functional and make it useful storage.


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why would you need to "saw a hole"? I have my entire battery bank, the solar charge controller, and all the energy management equipment and circuit breakers under my couch... no hole required.
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Sub2RainEN
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Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Sub2RainEN »

Good question. He thought it would be easier for maintenance and replacement.

I’m going to tell him no. He also wants to disassemble the bed to put the batteries in. It seems like a lot of extra work. I would think he could prop up the bed with some of the wood planks I have and/or run extra wire to do all the connections in front of the couch, then put them inside if he needs more space to assemble.

At any rate, I don’t want to mess with the structural integrity of the box/couch.

The only hole he needs to make is for wires to go from the storage under where the oven would go to under the couch. The inverter and two batteries are already installed there. I wouldn’t mind him moving the other two batteries, though, as that’s more useful storage than under the couch.

Millennial Falcon wrote:
why would you need to "saw a hole"? I have my entire battery bank, the solar charge controller, and all the energy management equipment and circuit breakers under my couch... no hole required.


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Millennial Falcon
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B190 Year: 1994

Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Millennial Falcon »

Yeah, do not let him cut any holes in the couch.

The frame of the couch is easy enough to remove if he needs room, or... mine was just installed by sliding the batteries in through the top or components in with the drawer pulled out. I have two BattleBorn batteries positioned in the forward side of the couch, inboard. between the inside wall and the metal box where a generator would go.

Also, a helpful tip I saw on here... I removed the slide out drawer on my 1994, removed the face from it... and screwed on two hinges at the bottom. now it is a flip-down access panel instead of a pull out drawer. Like this: Image

See my parts list at: https://www.b190.com/viewtopic.php?f=2& ... 518#p12518
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Sub2RainEN
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B190 Year: 1990
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Re: My Couch Solution

Post by Sub2RainEN »

Mine doesn’t have the drawer or I’d either have him install batteries in the drawer or turn it into a door. That would be great.


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