dinette chair storage

[bjstewart1]

Some friends stopped by this afternoon to see our "new" used purchase - a 92 AS. I showed her a "rather useless" storage area on the wall beside the stove & said I was going to have my husband build 2 or 3 shelves in it. It is about 24" wide X 26" high. Depth ranges from 5.25" at the bottom to 7" at the top. She stated that this is supposed to be for storage for folding dinette chairs. Is she correct? Is it supposed to store one or two chairs? Could someone tell me what the intended chairs look like so I can try to locate the right ones. I went to the inlandry site & they have 2 kinds, but I don't know if they are intended for this storage area. Any help is appreciated. I live in a small town and the AS we purchased is the very first one we have ever been in, or even close to. So yes, I'm quite unformed.

[john hd]

yes you are correct, the area is for two folding chairs, they are from zip dee and look like this



you can get them with fabric that matches your awning. i have a '92 also, a 29' excella 1000. what do you have?

john

[bjstewart1]

Thanks John for your reply. It's an Excella 29ft but I don't know about the 1000 part. I know I'm sure going to have a lot of questions. Apparently the refrig doesn't work so we're going to San Antonio tomorrow to look for a replacement. I'm glad to know that 2 chairs will fit in that little space - I don't know how, but I'll sure take your word for it (maybe they're dehydrated - just add water?) Thanks again.

[j54mark]

New RV refridgerators are obscenely expensive. On the other hand, they last more or less forever, and (absent a gas leak) are not particularly expensive to repair. Unlike your home refridgerator, there are few moving parts to wear out. It is quite likely that your unit can be quickly and inexpensively repaired.

Mark

[john hd]

did you guys look at your manual to trouble shoot your refer? before replacing it try and see if the problem isn't minor. (they can take upto a day to cool down)
if you need any copies of the manual(s) i have all of my original documents.

the "1000" denotes the trim level. if yours is one, it will be on the outside of the trailer right next to the excella.

i would love to see some pic's of your trailer. i have two photos posted in the photo area under john hd.

let me know if you need any advice on your trailer, i have had the pleasure of fixing a number of things over the years.

john

[bjstewart1]

Thank you both for your replies. No, we didn't trouble shoot the refrig - I just ASSUMED it was not repairable because I smelled ammonia quite strongly when I opened the door and after 24 hrs it hadn't begun to cool. We do have all the manuals from the previous owner. Mark, you mentioned that the "new ones" last forever - you aren't including the '92 in that category are you? I guess at any rate it bears having it checked out.

Ours says Classic on the side, not the 1000.

[j54mark]

There are plenty of 40 year old heat absorbsion (RV type) refridgerators out there still performing well. However, the one thing that can be fatal is a leak in the refridgerant lines - in this case ammonia. This is what I meant by a "gas leak". A propane leak would not be a big deal. I should have said "ammonia" instead.

But all is not lost, sometimes even this can be repaired economically. Get a professional to look at it before tossing it out.

Yours,

Mark

[bjstewart1]

I have to at least give it an "E" for effort. It gurgles a lot and the coils in the back get hot. Just doesn't cool.

[john hd]

you might try this site
http://www.gasrefrigeration.net/

john

[Hit'nMiss]

I realize this is an old thread and that it evolved from a dinette chair storage subject to refer replacement, but ......

John any chance you could post a picture of those chairs folded up and another with them placed into their storage area?

I think the storage on my folks AS was quite different and the chairs as I recall were not the cloth slung on metal frame style. But I can't recall exactly how they looked or stored.

Anyone have any idea of how many different storable dinette chair varieties there have been?

Oh and anyone have any knowledge of the bjStewarts ? Fellow Texans who have not posted in about 1 1/2 years now. Hope they're still well and Streamin.


Your Friend
Flicka

[Happycampers]

Hello Flicka.. We have seen the folding dinette chairs ........ name as above.. we have bought 4 of them off of ebay.. built in 1929.. in great shape.. the chairs are very similar to these that we have.. back folds down to the seat and the legs fold under the chair.. built out of beautiful wood and in great shape... Annie

[balrgn]

We found a couple of Director Chairs from the 30's in the in-laws basement. Restored them with some 70's style print. They fold up nicely and fit in the bath closet.

[overlander64]

Greetings Flicka!

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

I think the storage on my folks AS was quite different and the chairs as I recall were not the cloth slung on metal frame style. But I can't recall exactly how they looked or stored.

Anyone have any idea of how many different storable dinette chair varieties there have been?
Your Friend
Flicka

Leg-O-Matic chairs were used periodically from the 1950s through the 1970s in coaches not equipped with permanent dinettes. I know that my Overlander started out life with at least two and probably four of the Leg-O-Matic chairs, but they had been separated from the coach by the time I acquired it from its third ownser. I found reproduction chairs at Camping World. They were called the Unique Seat and were produced for Timely Products (of Phoenix, AZ) in Malaysia. From a functionality standpoint, it works and has a very similar mechanism to that employed by the "Leg-O-Matic" chairs. It is in what was called a "blonded maple" finish with "antique satin" vinly upholstery. Its SKU number was 41272; and I believe that its Camping World catalog number was 65287941272. I believe that when I purchased my set of four that they President's Club Price was $46.99.

A photos of the chairs are below:


Good luck with your research!

Kevin

[hookedonclassic]

BJSteward: Congrats on your 1992 29' Excella Classic purchase. I've got one too and pictures are posted under HookedonClassic. JohnHD has helped me figure out things like where the hiden towel holder in the shower well and other information. We've owned ours about 7 months and love it. Good luck with yours. Would like to see some pictures when you can post.

[Neophyte]

We bought four "Leg-o-Matic" chairs at an estate sale about three years ago and it took us three years to find a trailer that matches them. Guess we did it backwards.

[Hit'nMiss]

Thanks for the excellent pics Overlander64 (Kevin) of the Unique brand chair.
Wish if convienient you would take a pic of the chair folded from the narrow side.

Neophyte may I ask what the Leg-o-Matic chairs cost you?

Is there actually room to fold and store all 4 in any vintage Airstream?

How do the chairs feel? i.e. are they as sturdy as a normal dining chair? Is there a bit of looseness or shakiness in the chair as result of folding design?
Do you think they would serve well as everyday users.

I wonder if the Leg-o-Matics were only sold within the RV industry or maybe only to Airstream? I don't recall seeing them in the dept. stores or even the Sears/Wards/Speigel catalogs of the "Good Old Days".

Any idea what company made the Leg-o-Matic ? and are they still in existance?

Flicka

[overlander64]

Greetings HitnMiss!

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

Thanks for the excellent pics Overlander64 (Kevin) of the Unique brand chair.
Wish if convienient you would take a pic of the chair folded from the narrow side.

It may be a few days before I am back in the trailer so that I can get to the chairs, but the entire folded chair is slightly more than 4" thick but less than 5" - - three of the chairs fit nicely in the bottom of my 3/4 wardrobe that is 17" deep. I think that the reproduction chairs may be a bit larger in their folded state than the originals as all four originals fit in the same space - - the fourth is usually stowed on the storage shelf in the main streetside closet.

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

Is there actually room to fold and store all 4 in any vintage Airstream?

I don't have confirmation for this, but my speculation is that there is a designed storage area in coaches that had these chairs to accommodate the number of chairs included. While I suspect that my coach my have been standard with two of the chairs, I know that it had four - - there is room in the 3/4 wardrobe, but there is the appearance of the space being more suited to two chairs.

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

How do the chairs feel? i.e. are they as sturdy as a normal dining chair? Is there a bit of looseness or shakiness in the chair as result of folding design?
Do you think they would serve well as everyday users.

The reproductions aren't as stable as a traditional dining chair, but are far more stable than a typical folding chair. I do know that the original owners of my coach utilized one of the chairs on a daily basis for dining when traveling in the coach. I suspect that their suitability for daily use would relate to the frequency and duration of thier use.

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

I wonder if the Leg-o-Matics were only sold within the RV industry or maybe only to Airstream? I don't recall seeing them in the dept. stores or even the Sears/Wards/Speigel catalogs of the "Good Old Days".

A neighbor of mine had a bridge set purchased in the late-1950s that had Leg-O-Matic chairs. They were fairly certain that the set had been purchased from Carson, Piere, Scott and Company; and in all probability it was the store located on Schyler Avenue in Kankakee, IL.

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

Any idea what company made the Leg-o-Matic ? and are they still in existance?

Flicka

There is another thread somewhere on the Forum where there is a post with some of the history of the chair's manufacturer, but I haven't been able to locate that thread. If I remember correctly the company was absorbed by a larger conglomerate and is no longer in the furniture business.

Kevin