Flair Airbed Sofa

We purchased our BH back in Dec. however this week was the first time we had an occasion to use the Sofa Bed. The sofa jack knives when you sit on it ( won't stay flat ) we had to prop up the frame to use the bed. Has anyone else had this problem and what is the fix. It appears to me that there should be some kind of locking device at the hinge.

Had our Augusta since June 20 and no problems with Airbed. Pulled down the back, raised the legs making sure they lock in place, then pull legs down to floor and start airing the mattress. No problems. Hope you get your's resolved soon. Talk to Customer Service or your dealer.

We have the 2009 Big Country with the same bed. I have read many posts on here concerning this bed and the same issue. We used our air bed for the first time this weekend and it does the same, folds up in the middle. This is a ver poor design! I'm really surprised there is not some recall on this. I used the truck jack to support the frame from folding and will be designing a support to put under the frame whenever we need to use it. Either the design needs to be changed, or some type of locking device designed. My guess is they all do this when you put weight in the middle. I haven't decided yet how to deal with this as replacing the air bed with another won't solve the problem. I think Heartland needs to deal with the manufacturer on this issue.

azbound and scottie43,

I have not heard of this before and my daughter never complained about it. Sorry to hear that you guys are having this difficulty with yours. Maybe something changed in the design.

If possible, I'd like you guys to make a quick call to Flair tomorrow to explain to them directly, what is happening to your beds. The number is (574) 534-2163. Please circle back to this thread and post what you found out from the manufacturer. What you find may help others. Thank you in advance for helping the community.

Jim

My air beds work great. My kids have spent over 20 nights on the one in the rear bedroom with no issues.

Hello,
I also had the same problem with the bed and wrote about it in the forum. I received an e-mail (below) from RSIG at Heartland. There is an issue with broken welded nuts that hold stop screws on the frame. Mine were not broken but the bolts were bent (3 out of 4). I removed all four grage 5 bolts and repleaced with grade 8 bolts and added lock nuts the inside. If you make this fix do not forget to remove the plastic sleeves from the original bolts. I can't say for sure if this was a complete fix but this past week my grown son slept on the bed with no problems. If the welded nuts are broke on your unit the side arms need to be removed, my fix was easy and I did not want to drive 140 miles round trip to the dealer for repairs. The people at Fair were very helpfull and sent pictures and instructions for the fix.

Good luck


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This is the message:
They have a fix for the sofa. I called the sofa manufacturer and they e-mailed a PDI with instructions. Call Elaine 574-534-2163 Ext. 114

Likewise, since mine is a 2009 model that we bought at the first of this year, we have had no problems with the bed. From kids to adults sleeping on it including myself, I feel it is much better than a regular sofa bed.
Burt

Here is the fix for the Flair Airbed. I haven't got to it yet but will update when complete.


You will need up to four bolts for this fix:

5/16" - 18 x 2 1/2" Shoulder Bolt (Grade 5 or Grade 8 hardened)

It would probably be as easiest to take the bolt from the bed with you also.

Thank you

Elaine Zmudzinski
FLAIR WARRANTY
Flair Interiors Inc
1010 Eisenhower Drive South
Goshen, Indiana 46526
(574) 534-2163 ext 114
(574) 535-0483 sales fax
email: FlairWarranty@FlairInteriors.com

Good luck everyone!

I got this info from Elaine at Flair yesterday.

So I tore into the bed last night. In my case all four of these shoulder bolts were just fine. Looking at them, I do not believe they have any effect on the folding up of the bed while someone is sitting on it. They do affect how the bed folds/unfolds for storage.

I found that as long as the mattress was inflated I could not get the bed to fold up. When the mattress was soft and deflated, if you sit in the middle of it; it will fold up with you in it.

The only solution I could see to this would be to bolt the bed to the floor/wall so that section could not tip. There are no arrangements in the supplied bed that will stop this fold up. Of course you need it to fold up, just not when someone is sitting on it or getting in/out of it.

My only solution at this point is to make sure all users do not attempt to get in/out unless the mattress is fully inflated. That seems to hold it very steady.

I just finished the repair. One bolt bent, another completely broke, the pressed nut was broke out of the frame and the bed frame bent. The bolts used in my bed were very poor metal. If they are still using these cheap bolts, all with this bed will eventually have this problem. Make sure and download the repair direction I attached earlier. To save yourself the headache of the frame bending when the cheap bolt breaks, I'd suggest swapping them out with grade 8's. It is very simple if you do it before the damage occurs. You won't have to remove the side, just the drawer. as shown in the Flair repair bulletin. Once I replaced all four bolts with grade 8 bolts and some reinforcement with some flat stock, then bed is now solid! Feel free to contact me if you need any help.

Thanks Jim B. for your advice and contact info for Flair. They were great to deal with and are also shipping a new drawer that was apparently flawed from the factory.

I had the two front bolts break the second time the bed was used. One was a grade 5 the other had "SBC" on it and no grade marks. I have bought 4 grade 8 blots to replace the two that broke and the back two before they do.
Just to add, the grade 5 bolt sheared off flush with the frame, the SBC streched before it broke.

I also found ball bearing laying under the sofa bed. founs that both drawer slides were bend and the ball bearings were falling out. Dealer is ordering me two new drawer slides.

We have also had NO problems with our bed and we have had LOTS of company over the past 5 months. Sleeps great according to our visitors. Folds right back up into a wonderful couch.
Sorry to hear that yours is not working properly. I am sure you will get it resolved though.