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Problems with rock and roll bed new California Ocean

B

Brightonbelle

Messages
94
Location
West Sussex
Vehicle
T6.1 Ocean 204
The rock and roll bed seems to have issues:
It’s very difficult to get it to change position either forward or backwards. It seems to stick in position (either as a seat or bed) and it’s very difficult to get it moving again.
It seems to have problems releasing from either position. The worst problem is moving it away from the forward position and back to the seating position.
I know things can be stiff when new, but this really is tricky!!
Have others experienced this and are there any recommended solutions?
 
Hi @Brightonbelle
Are you positive that you are lifting the release lever enough. It can be quite stiff.
If that’s not the problem then maybe a trip to the workshop?
We had a problem with ours when brand new but it was permanently stuck in the forward position (not intermittent like yours). The rear nearside release catch was not functioning due to a linkage being detached). Our bench seat was replaced under warranty rather than being repaired.
 
Are you sitting on it when moving it?

I’m always sat on it when I move it. It requires my whole body weight to move either way. If I wasn’t sat on it, it wouldn’t move. Has been thus for 13 yrs. It’s a heavy bit of kit.
 
Agree with the above. Sit on it and walk it fwd/backwards with your feet. The release lever is also misleading, in that you think that you have pulled it all the way up, but needs that last 1/2 inch to fully unlock.
 
Lambeth Cali said:
Are you sitting on it when moving it?

I’m always sat on it when I move it. It requires my whole body weight to move either way. If I wasn’t sat on it it wouldn’t move. Has been thus for 13 yrs. It’s a heavy bit of kit.
Click to expand...
Agree @Lambeth Cali on it does help when moving the seat. I think it also reduces the risk of any left/right ‘twist’. Having said that, since they replaced our seat, I can operate it whilst standing outside the van.
 
Thank you Stu@art, Lambeth and Grumpy. We’ve sitting on it and standing up. Now going to push the lever up a bit more to see if that helps. Fingers crossed. I’ll report back!
 
We’re now at the end of our five night ‘shakedown’ trip. I’ve done a separate trip report. Thanks to all of you for your help. We are now able to walk the bed backwards and forwards. You were right - we needed to lift the handle much more firmly to get the mechanism to engage. The strap handle of eh seat is still very stiff - I struggle with this! I really don’t think this bed is the best design - clunky and not very comfortable!
 
Brightonbelle said:
We’re now at the end of our five night ‘shakedown’ trip. I’ve done a separate trip report. Thanks to all of you for your help. We are now able to walk the bed backwards and forwards. You were right - we needed to lift the handle much more firmly to get the mechanism to engage. The strap handle of eh seat is still very stiff - I struggle with this! I really don’t think this bed is the best design - clunky and not very comfortable!
Click to expand...
Hasn't changed in design and function since about 2010. If you want a folding, sliding removable bench seat that folds into a bed and is Crash Tested , then probably the best available.
 
Brightonbelle said:
The strap handle of the seat is still very stiff - I struggle with this!
Click to expand...
When converting from a bed back into a seat, are you just trying to pull the strap up to release the seat-back?

If so, you need to:
1. Kneel on the seat
2. With your hand near the top, push the seat-back down a little to release the pressure
3. While still doing 2, pull the strap
 
Brightonbelle said:
We’re now at the end of our five night ‘shakedown’ trip. I’ve done a separate trip report. Thanks to all of you for your help. We are now able to walk the bed backwards and forwards. You were right - we needed to lift the handle much more firmly to get the mechanism to engage. The strap handle of eh seat is still very stiff - I struggle with this! I really don’t think this bed is the best design - clunky and not very comfortable!
Click to expand...
We had similar problems on our first trip. The knack appears to be rocking it slightly as you pull the handle, so the catch releases. No problems since, but as my OH weighs less than the bed (at a guess), she struggles still.

I think Mercedes put an electric folding bed in their camper. That would help, but also sounds like a world of problems too!
 
bob_summers said:
We had similar problems on our first trip. The knack appears to be rocking it slightly as you pull the handle, so the catch releases. No problems since, but as my OH weighs less than the bed (at a guess), she struggles still.

I think Mercedes put an electric folding bed in their camper. That would help, but also sounds like a world of problems too!
Click to expand...
It has been problematic.
 
Hi all, I think that’s my problem as my husband weighs a lot more than me and is a lot stronger! I’m going to try the kneeling and rocking technique. I need to sort this as I’m going to go away with my daughter soon!
 
Hi Brightonbelle,

(lady owner) Had same problem when we got the van, I find that if I pull the strap, hold for a few seconds I can then pull up about another 2 cms with a firm tug I then push the back of the seat down.
Sometimes It is harder if I kneel on the seat, I find I can get more of an angle on the strap when standing so get a better pull.
Hope this helps you.
BTW your profile still shows Cali on order??
 
Ours folds back up much easier (by pulling strap) if the whole bed is as far forward as it will go - so may be worth walking the bed completely forward then releasing the catch?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It’s not going to help in a major way, but when i used vinyl and rubber cleaner (Autoglym) of the covers over the runners, it helped with the smoothness of the forward and backwards movement. You do need to sit on the seat when moving still. :confused:
 
Just thought to update this thread. Maybe through repeated use, maybe because we’ve acquired the knack, but the bench seat now moves freely forward and back in our van, without sitting on it. I think using the vinyl cleaner every so often helps as well. @Brightonbelle how are you getting on with it now?
 
Last edited:
Same. After a few months of fairly regular use it hasn’t got stuck. Perhaps the result of better technique - it seems you need to hear that positive clunk when rolling the bed back, to ensure it can fold back up later.
 
Another part to the 'knack' is to be careful about your seating position. I have found it best to be sure to sit with a foot either side of the centre rail (so translates to middle of bench) and well back onto it avoiding the temptation to sit on the front edge. This gives you most momentum when you engage the lever and drag yourself forward.
 
Hi there, it seems to have got a lot easier with use! The spray really helps (spray grease) on the rails and really pulling the leaver up hard to move the seat forward. The strap seems to have got easier. Sometimes it is easier than others though! Overall, not a problem for us now.
 
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