Forum Discussion

ol__yeller's avatar
ol__yeller
Explorer II
Jul 19, 2013

Can I Change Out a Jacknife Sofa to a Sleeper?

Still RV homeless. I am gearing up for a more concentrated effort in the fall. We have been all over the lot, Class A, Class B, Class B+, large Class C & have finally settled upon a smaller Class C (under 25'). I Googled RV manufacturers and found no one made exactly what we would want in our RV. Must haves include a comfortable queen bed that I don't have to climb up into, an overhead bunk for the grandkids, and a dinette on the passenger side.

I have come up with a solution, I think. If a 24-25' RV had a slideout, couldn't I replace the jackknife sofa with a pullout queen size sofa? Of course I would need adequate room both in the slide and with the bed extended. Maybe that doesn't exist? There seems to be a plethora of these sleeper sofas on the Internet for around $1,000. The grandkids would only come occasionally but we would like to have a place for them too. My health and age don't allow for me climbing up into an overhead. The smaller RV would be easier to park and drive as well as easier to clean and maintain. Is there something wrong with my logic or something I don't understand about small Class Cs?

6 Replies

  • It is mostly a matter of finding one that fits, There is quite a bit of variation in distance from back of sofa to head of mattress when open, some sofas made for RVs take up less room than many residential sleepers. All will come much further into to room than a jack knife, will use some or all of the aisle. Some may not fit opened, you'll need to measure the pace you have in the RV before you shop for the sofa.

    Some of the RV sofa beds I've seen have ben shorter than a queen, to make more room at the foot of the bed, or to just fit the space available. Most I've seen in motorhomes have been powered, needing a power source.

    Other consideration when shopping for the RV, what use was made of space under the Jack knife. If just storage accessible from inside, usually OK. But if space was used for an external storage bin, a water tank, furnace, electrical equipment, replacing the jack knife with something else means relocating these other things.

    I think Phoenix Cruiser has at least one short C with a powered foldout sofa in a front slide, we looked at it at the 2004 Tampa show. Don't remember a dinette opposite, may have had a bench or chair, with a removable table for in front of sofa, remember wife asking about where table is stored, because earler that day a RVision rep couldn't answer that question about a small A we looked at. Coachhouse also uses this type of sofa bed. Neither brand will have the overhead bed for grandkids.

    Thing about small Cs you might be missig, there is only so much room for what everybody wants, so you start making compromises like sleeping lengthwise on narrow beds, not having a dinette, smaller bathrooms and kitchens. A few feet can make a big difference on what can be done inside, little in handling or where you can fit it, 25 is a nice number, but a difficult compromise, because for parking, once past 19-21 feet, it might as well be 30.
  • ol' yeller wrote:
    If I can find the right RV, I think I have a solution to our requirements. Did you have any issues with the length when opened? Can you still walk around the end of the bed? Is your dinette on the passenger side? Thanks!


    I will detail our installation:

    No slides, 102" outside width. Built in lamp table/cocktail table across from the sofa. There is just a couple of inch clearance to the table. But, that is for a regular queen size bed, not a 5' jack knife sofa.
  • If I can find the right RV, I think I have a solution to our requirements. Did you have any issues with the length when opened? Can you still walk around the end of the bed? Is your dinette on the passenger side? Thanks!
  • trnfla wrote:
    How do you get the old and new one in the camper?


    Couple of bolts remove the back of the old one for removal.

    Couple of bolts removed the back of the new one for installation.

    Went through front door. We were just completing the new cork floor, so passenger's seat was not in place-- I am sure that made it even easier (4 bolts removes it too).