Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Barry on March 03, 2011, 04:33:23 pm
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I have a 2007 Phoenix 2400 with a pop out on the driver's side where the sofa/bed lives. I notice on the new 2011models that the sofa has been replaced with a new model using an air bed for the mattress. This seems like a great improvement over the older bed. I would like to know if the new bed can easily be installed in place of the older one. Does anyone have any wisdom to share?
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Barry, the person that will know is Carol at the factory. She can even tell you what your cost would be, including shipping. Have your Vin number handy when you call her. The other option would be to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and buy the air mattress and use it on top of your sofa. May not be as convent but might work.
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Barry:
I would advise against the air bed. We have one and it is worthless. I have two kids who use it and wish I could have your set up. Our bed popped in the first two weeks. Not to mention it is not comfortable at all. If I could afford to switch the dang thing out I would.
Just one opinion.
David
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Barry,
We have a 2010 2551 with the sofa/air bed.
I don't know if you can fit the new sofa/air bed in your 2007, that would be a question for the factory.
The dealer we bought from had a 2009 model with the electric sofa bed and a 2010 model with the sofa air bed, we were able to directly compare the two.
Regarding comfort in the sofa position, the new sofa air bed was much more comfortable to sit on, probably because it is built primarily as a sofa whereas the cushions on the electric sofa bed serve as both sofa cushions and bed mattress. Agree with the post above that the air mattress is not that comfortable to sleep on, but for us it is only used once per year for the grandkids. Depends on how often and who sleeps on the sofa as to whether the sleeping comfort is an issue.
Another big difference we noticed was that when in the sofa position, the new sofa air bed stuck out from the wall 8 inches less that the electric sofa bed, a big deal for space in a small rv. Confirm that dimension with the factory if you decide to change it out.
Bob
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I wonder if either sofa bed would fit through the entry door.
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We have a 2008 2551 w/elec sofa (no mattress) & we simply bought a nice, inflatable, pillow top double mattress that seems to do the trick w/o going to the expense of the entire air bed. Of course, co-pilot likes the mattress soft whereas I am a more firm kind of guy sooo.............
;)
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Well... we were in the 1000 islands this weekend and we had a second blow out on that blank blank blank air matress. Again I repeat I would never ever order a air matress again couch again. We had to go down to Gander Mtn and purchase a twin bed air matress. Our youngest child slept on the bed unfolded and our oldest slept on the new matress on the floor. Will find a solution to that stupid setup this winter or the Phoenix goes down the road to motorhome hell...
DJM
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I never could understand how regular use of an air bed would have any kind of reliability. If Phoenix is shipping you a new air mattress, maybe you could discuss a trade-up for the new 2012 couch bed combo with memory foam. It looks like you have a chance of getting it to fit through the main entry door. But if not, maybe through the front passenger door with seat and engine cover removed.
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(http://www.listingfactoryhost.com/users/kermitfish/eBayAuctions/255222222/images/_885944034_large.jpg)
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(http://www.listingfactoryhost.com/users/kermitfish/eBayAuctions/255222222/images/_157967461_large.jpg)
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Greetings All, new guy here. I recently inherited a 2008 2551 from my father who had removed the electric bed to install a recliner, it worked well for him.
I am currently working with Carol to find a replacement bed. Carol expressed to me that in order to install the air bed it would require the entire slide to be pulled out and extensive retrofitting would be necessary.
The electric trifold bed will fit through the door disassembled.
If anyone changes out their bed, I could use one!
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When our air mattress kept loosing air, I found 2 holes where it was rubbing against the frame. I filed all the weld spots that were sticking up and put a thick blanket between the mattress and frame. Hopefully, that will protect the mattress for a while.
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We have not used the air bed in our slideout couch. I did not like it being stored with the couch folded, so I removed it and store it in the slideout drawer under the couch. I agree with Imichael there are too many chafing points on the couch.
Bob
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Well Ron, you may have a very good idea there. I have not looked at the 2012's until today. That is a much better setup. A ride out to Elkhart may be in the offing this fall...
DJM
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I bet that Phoenix will have those new sofa/beds on display at the Hershey RV show in September. This years show run Sept. 14 through Sept 18. It is always a lot of fun to go to this show and see all the new units and all the cool vender stuff for sale.
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We have found that the "AERO" bed air mattress is very comfortable. We tried the air mattress in the 2010 model and it does not compare to an "AERO" bed. With one of our previous travel trailers we used the AERO bed for five years (2 months at a time). No complaints about the bed. We now use it at home when we have guest and they all say how comfortable it is. You can find good deals on these. We still have the original queen one we bought about 15 years ago. The full size one we used for five years gave out after continuous use in the trailer and we replaced it with a clearance model for $25 and it is still going strong after 4 years.
We found the couch in the 2010 model very comfortable compared to the electric couch in the 2008 model. We have sat in the couch in the 2012 model and it is comfortable and very nice but the seat is a little deep for a smaller person.
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Well, I have to come up with a solution. Hershey is only about a 2 hour trip from here. Might be worth the trip. Only problem, if my wife lays eyes upon a new 2552 it might be a very expensive trip. @Ron, I was thinking the same thing about the new couch/bed. I will have to call out to Phoenix in the very near future. @Barry., I will give the Aero a look see. We have antoher trip planned for Sept so, I have to patch that bed or buy something new......
Thank you all.
DJM
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DJM: I think I'm going to have the same challenge when I go to the Pomona show in October. Perhaps I'll have to "forget" my wallet.
:cool
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We have a 2010 Phoenix 2400. It was slightly used when we bought it in June of this year. The original air bed did not hold pressure well. We found a queen size air bed with a built in pump at a Coleman outlet for $49. (For that price we bought a spare one). It is an extra tall one. We have been on the road with it for two months and we love it! I tend to have back problems. At home we have a memory foam mattress but the air bed is more comfortable and my back problems went away. One potential problem with the couch is the use of cotter pins that may poke wholes in the bed. I replaced them with small key rings.
Martin
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Martin,
Thanks for the heads up, I am going out to the RV to check the cotter pins. It is simple tips like this that can help others avoid a problem.
Bob
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DJM: I think I'm going to have the same challenge when I go to the Pomona show in October. Perhaps I'll have to "forget" my wallet.
:cool
I would need to leave Sharon home :beg
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Uh uh !!!!!!
No shows for me.
I've been through 3 PCs in 15 months.
Ennie, Meenie, Miney and NO MO !!!!!!!!!
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I think Irene and I could handle shows and factory visits. Nothing longer would fit inside our garage, and I actually like the outdoor storage and maybe a few other basics of our older 2350, over later ones. But a visit might push me hard to replace my cloth dinette cushions with leather. I still live with that one regret. Regardless, it is nothing a modification can't handle.
I wonder if I could swap my 2007 Ford front cab interior to the later design. Maybe I'll find an 09-11 junker in the light tan one day.....20 years from now, ha, ha. I would need a boring lifestyle to seriously consider that project.
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So, I sorta, kinda fixed the air mattress in prep for our next trip. But it got me to thinking about taking a drive down to Hershey......2552?
DJM
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no driving down to Hershey for me both interstate 81 and 80 are closed both ways because of flooding. 10 inches of rain in the last 3 days!!!. First earthquakes, then Hurricane Irene, now flooding...when are the locusts coming.... Not to mention I heard Hershey is flooded too, I wonder how the show is going?
DJM
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We have a 2010 Phoenix 2400. It was slightly used when we bought it in June of this year. The original air bed did not hold pressure well. We found a queen size air bed with a built in pump at a Coleman outlet for $49. (For that price we bought a spare one). It is an extra tall one. We have been on the road with it for two months and we love it! I tend to have back problems. At home we have a memory foam mattress but the air bed is more comfortable and my back problems went away. One potential problem with the couch is the use of cotter pins that may poke wholes in the bed. I replaced them with small key rings.
Martin
Martin, how do you like the memory foam? What kind? I am thinking of something for the Cruiser. BUT am afraid of something that will not breath? No, not heavy breathing. (WH)
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We don't have the memory foam but the air mattress. Replaced the original air mattress with an extra tall Coleman air mattress with built in pump. Works great for us with a Travasak.
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no driving down to Hershey for me both interstate 81 and 80 are closed both ways because of flooding. 10 inches of rain in the last 3 days!!!. First earthquakes, then Hurricane Irene, now flooding...when are the locusts coming.... Not to mention I heard Hershey is flooded too, I wonder how the show is going?
DJM
[/]quote We were planning on taking 84 to 81 South on our way back home to Florida on Sunday. This puts a crimp in our plans. I went on PA DOT website and they indicated 81 North is closed between MM90 and MM100. Do you have any info on Southbound? Thanks.
Judi and George
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We don't have the memory foam but the air mattress. Replaced the original air mattress with an extra tall Coleman air mattress with built in pump. Works great for us with a Travasak.
You quoted be for "At home we have a memory foam mattress , "
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Jud and George:
You should be fine by then. The river has crested this morning at 43 feet. flood stage is 22!!. They expect the Susquehanna river to be below flood stage by Sun morning. They evacuated the city of Wilkes Barre yesterday (65,0000) and they are not allowed back yet. Route 81 runs right by there but it is a lot higher so it is open
Parts of Harrisburg are now closed but a lot less than before. Last I heard both ways of the interstates are open here now too. 81 runs right by here too.
Interstate 80 is now open too.
DJM
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We have found our airbed to be very comfortable. However, I am not comfortable not having a spare around (just in case). Has anyone used the Aerobed from Bed, Bath & Beyond that is both a "spring" and a "Mattress" so its double the height of the one that comes in the PC? I'd like to try it...but maybe I am better off to just buy one of theirs that is the same depth as the one in the RV. Will be grateful for any help.
Mary
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Mary,
We have had three aero beds in the last fifteen years. The first one we bought is still going strong. We used this one in the house as a spare bed. The second one was used in a travel trailer for almost five years and eventually developed a leak after extensive use. We replaced it prior to buying the Phoenix Cruiser and we now use it as a spare at home. We never did buy the double thick one from Aero. What we did for guest is put two together so one acted as a box spring and the other acted as a mattress. Thus the height was like that of a regular bed. Works great when we have guest and have never had a complaint. We find the Aero beds very comfortable as well. Just a thought if you want a spare for home. Then if the one in the RV does give out you can quickly replace it with the one from the house.
Sue
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Hi Mary, we have the aero bed that cost $200 and it works fine. If you get the double thick, remember to check how thick it is when you fold it into the sofa. Is there room under the sofa for it or where will you store it?
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Hello all,
Hoping to get a 2100 without the slide. Am planning a trip to the factory but wonder if any of you have any ideas about bed in this type of unit? Pretty sure all that's offered is a "Jackknife" sofa. Those of you who use air matresses: Do you inflate them nightly???? I'm considering not bothering with opening the sofa at all just sleeping on it in folded position. The Jackknife looks fairly uncomfortable when opened. Any thoughts? Experience? Advice? Or suggestions on any other items for a potential buyer? tymote
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Hello all,
Hoping to get a 2100 without the slide. Am planning a trip to the factory but wonder if any of you have any ideas about bed in this type of unit? Pretty sure all that's offered is a "Jackknife" sofa. Those of you who use air matresses: Do you inflate them nightly???? I'm considering not bothering with opening the sofa at all just sleeping on it in folded position. The Jackknife looks fairly uncomfortable when opened. Any thoughts? Experience? Advice? Or suggestions on any other items for a potential buyer? tymote
Hi "D".
From what I can figure, all new 2012 models have a totally new sofa design unlike all previos years. No more air bed. They now use a memory foam split jackknife design. You could leave half the couch as a couch, and setup the other half as a single bed. I wonder if that is a great idea or a really bad idea. With the memory foam and over-all design differences, I hope it is much more comfortable than conventional jacknife sofas. I suppose it best to take a pillow and a couple blankets with you to the factory and tell the them you want to take a cat nap in one of the finished units outside. 15 minutes with one half open, 15 minutes just laying on the normal sofa..... :lol I do wonder if that new memory foam sofa would be installed in a 2100 without a slideout. The factory might be forced to use a 2 piece sofa bed, something special to work in the limited floor space.
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Hi All:
You can open the new sofa half way without the slide. It is similar to a jack knife but I think a little bigger and a whole lot more comfortable. I have one in my new motorhome and the dw slept on it on the way home from the factory. Slide in of course. She said "no problem" to your question.
DJM
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DJM, That sounds interesting, but looking at the first picture the sleeping area seems a bit narrow in both directions.
For reference, here is the new sofa with memory foam. I don't think it is possible to fully open the bed if you do not have a slideout. Maybe they use a 2 sectional instead of a 3 sectional. Then I suppose you would be sleeping forward/rearward instead of side to side. When you do not have a slideout, the furniture along that wall gets a lot bigger. My dinette without slide is quite spread out. I am 5'-10" and I can sleep on it setup as a bed and fully stretch out.
(http://phoenixusarv.com/albums/2350_models/slides/20110824_42.jpg)
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(http://phoenixusarv.com/albums/2350_models/slides/20110824_48.jpg)
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The electric sofa will fit through the back door... it's tight, but it can be taken out. We found the electric sofa in our 06' 2100 was not comfortable as either sofa or bed.
This summer we removed it and I built a folding maple frame that converts from sofa to bed easily. For a matress, we ordered memory foam of the internet and cut into three cushions, and upholstered them with breathable leather-like material,
Total cost of the replacement was about 250 dollars, plus a couple days in the workshop.
Alan J.
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We have a 2006 2400 and find the couch very uncomfortable when unfolded as a bed. It sounded like you had rebuilt the couch to accept memory foam and leather. I want to be sure I make sure I understood that correctly. If I did could you describe what you did with a little more detail and maybe throw in a picture or two. We love our Cruiser but hate the barrel chairs and bed. I welcome any and all comments and/or suggestions for improvements.
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Barry:
I would advise against the air bed. We have one and it is worthless. I have two kids who use it and wish I could have your set up. Our bed popped in the first two weeks. Not to mention it is not comfortable at all. If I could afford to switch the dang thing out I would.
Just one opinion.
David
Wanna buy mine ! I live on Long Island
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Before we got our 2551 with its heavenly twin beds, my wife always used the eggcrate foam mattress pads on our previous motorhomes. You should have room behind the backrest of your electric fold out bed to roll one up for storage when you're not using the bed.
Jerry
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This is a copy of my previous write-up that hopefully can answer some of the questions.
Seeing as we were the ones that got the design of the 2552 started and with the addition of the third Captains Chair while being manufactured, I would like to feed in some info. We had the slideout with the couch and air mattress. After seeing the new design couch with two independent electric adjustable sections, we made an appointment with the factory to remove our couch and install the new system. We were there when Barry/Sue were there picking up their new unit. The two adjustable sections in the new couch are great. They can go all the way down as two single beds or as a large double bed. They can be adjusted to any position for reading or watching TV. Because of the design there is a built-in foot rest. They use memory foam which is very comfortable. Best of all, it does away with the air mattress, but you do lose the storage below the couch. We also use the table with the "spider legs". A question a while back was can the couch be removed without taking it apart. Yes, the couch went right out the coach door and the new one came in the same way.
We did not have a slideout in our 2350, but if we had we may not have traded up to the 2552. The livability of the 2552 increases dramatically when you add the slideout. Would not be without it.
One of the major drawbacks of having the dinette is its overall design. It is too confining, the seats need to be wider with the backrest built with a slight slope to it. If you like to sit bolt upright all the time, then you may like it. It is uncomfortable to sit with your back against the window, as you might to watch TV. When the slideout is out, yes you can watch the TV and with our new reclining couch, both can see it.
We just finished a 7000 mile trip which encompassed the trip to the factory to install the new couch, a trip to Ohio to visit relatives and then on to New Orleans to visit my sister. Then a return trip to home in Idaho, followed with a round trip to San Diego area and return. We had our granddaughter(two year old) with us the whole trip. Her car seat was secured in the third captains chair behind the passenger seat. Our daughter who was also with us sat in the couch area which has two seat belts. To entertain the granddaughter we had the inverter on and played videos on the TV. They were educational videos called "Signing Times". Teaches kids too young to talk, how to ask for what they want by sign language. Very educational and informative. So we gave the 2552 a good ringing out. Had no problems with the coach or truck.
We do have a very tight space and need the mirrors folded in flat against the side.
Viewing angles are always better if they are lower, but in most cases you would need some type of drop down mechanism to lower them. We found the angle not to be a problem. We did find on the 2350 dinette, only the forward facing seat was useable for the TV.
My recommendation is go with the slide. The extra 200 pounds is not a problem with the 450 chassis. Trucks are designed to haul loads and unless you grossly overload them the performance difference with 200 pounds is negligible. Those that consider the weight of the slideout too much are telling me they would hesitate to take another person with them as they would surely weigh on the average of 130 to 200 pounds. I would even consider the third captains chair versus the Euro-chair. The captains chair slides forward and back and reclines and is nice for the person not driving to kick back and relax out of the sun and you can use the passenger seat as a footrest. The captains chair also rotates so it can face the couch.
Those looking for replacements for there units, the factory has ones like our old (New) one they could probably sell.
Bob
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@grimes 34:
I fixed that bed problem. I upgraded to 2552 in the fall. :)(:
A rather expensive fix I might add.
DJM
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Hey Mark, welcome. Lot's of good info here.
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Me too, Dave. Luv it.
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Hi:
Just an update on the couch thing. I noticed today that my 2010 2350 is on the used inventory. I looked at the pictures and noticed that the factory must have switched that crappy air bed out and put one of the new electric couches in. The must have gone back to Paul's seating and had them make one with the old style material. It's not leather, the covering is the same as I had on the old couch. I wonder if they received feedback about that lousy sofa??? Anyway, if you want to look it is the 2010 2350 brown with the satellite dome and full roof rack.
DJM
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Hey DJM, That is a very nice rig. I have a question about it. I noticed the rear outdoor storage under the bed is reconfigured differently than mine from 2007. I see the furnace exhaust under the bed and the fresh water filler next to that. Is the furnace under the bed? Is the fresh water tank laying front-to-back, behind the storage area's back wall?
I did not realize Phoenix moved the fresh water tank and furnace from my days. My furnace is under the fridge and my water tank is laying left to right over the rear bumper (not ideal for weight distribution when filled up). I suppose the furnace got relocated when the fridge was included in the slideout.
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Ron, on my 2010 model, the furnace is under the bed along with the fresh water tank. The water tank is against the rear wall (mounted side to side length wise), and the furnace is at the foot of the bed along with the invertor, convertor and water pump. That's what made installing the accumulator tank a little tight--but it worked.
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Ron:
Yea, what Lmichael said!!! Furnace under the bed makes it noisy to sleep on esp when it kicks on and off all night. I think your placement is a better idea.
DJM
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Our furnace is under the bed also and I leave the blower on and let only the burner cycle (which is barely heard when awake).
Not having blower cycle on & off doesn't intrude on sleep.