Which way do dis gaucho go? ;-)

[fotochop]

Fill me in here, folks. This gaucho may not be original (I don't have another '69 to compare it to) but I'm trying to figure out how to best position it if it is (or isn't).... captions below each photo:


this shot above shows the couch in its most comfortable position for 'normal' people, 5'2" to 6'2"... thing is, it looks weird like this with the bolster thing behind the upright cushion...is that what Wally intended??


here its reclined into a bed....great for my kid, but the hard-backed cushion to the left creates a big old gap that really wouldn't work for sleeping two...even two kids..


this arrangement is only comfortable if your about seven feet tall with four foot long legs.... just don't seem right...

any opinions/advice appreciated..

[Lumatic]

In photo 1 you could try turning the bolster 90 degrees so that the back rest is supported by the bolster. I also put the bolster on top of the backrest to make a higher backrest. I also have a plywood support Zeppelenium made I put behind the backrest for more support. Let me know if you want a pic. The one thing that looks odd to me is no armrest for the gaucho, but it the position in the photo I don't think you have room. Again, let me know if you want pics of mine. My wife prefers sleeping on the gaucho in position of photo 3. We don't sleep on the same gaucho even fully open not enough room for the 2 of us. We have 2 gauchos.

[overlander63]

"A" and "B" are pretty much how it goes. "C" is okay, if you're an NBA star. If you really are short, you can put the bolster in front of the short cushion.

[fotochop]

thanks for the fill-in... the strange thing about the bolster is that its quite a bit thicker than the cushion which makes it higher than the bed position mattress..??? and really doesn't work to add any USABLE bed space... I may just lose the bolster altogether and rig a better way to support the backrest in couch position.... Lumatic, if you can easily post a photo to this thread of your Zep/backrest thing that might help me, but no sweat if its trouble... I sorta enjoy the design build stuff (compared to the "find the electrical short" stuff ;-)

[2airishuman]

pic 2 is basically correct, but SOME folks put the HIGHEST piece to the outside...

which reduces the chance of ROLLING outta bed onto the floor...

pic 1 would be correct IF the 2 back sections were swapped.

yes that looks like original cushion sizes/shapes.

(are there LEGSs on the pull out drawer? i don't see these in the pics...
_________

and now YOU know why it's called a gaucho...

there's a LOTTA ways to ride a horse but NONE are very comfortable...

except for a cowboy rider (goucho)
_________

tightly fitted sheets can keep the bottom pieces from speading...

but a thin futon/pad placed OVER the whole mess helps a lot...

these can be made from mem foam (ok) , cotton (better) or wool (best) and rolled UP and used as a head rest in the couch position...

cheers
2air'

[Melody Ranch]

The correct way, if there is one way, for the back rest to be used. It keeps the fanny off the cold exterior skin. It sits well too.

Please note that all three cushions are joined. The back of the seat is the part that folds up into position against the outer wall.

[webspinner]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

In photo 1 you could try turning the bolster 90 degrees so that the back rest is supported by the bolster.

This is how our is set up on our '71 Trade Wind. The narrowest cushion stays put against the outside of the trailer, turned flat so that it is about the same thickness as the seat cushion. Then the bottom, narrow edge of the backrest sits up on top of that narrow cushion. The seat cushion needs to scoot back a bit from the position shown in your top picture for the backrest to be supported by that small piece.