Done with the inner spring mattress

[Brad]

Well after our fourth short trip in the new expanda we have made a call to get rid of that inner spring mattress before we end up with bad backs forever.
Looking at the van I am seriously thinking of raising the front boot height to be the same height as the fold out bed. That way I can get a mattress that is the same thickness throughout.
And I am not convinced yet that an inner spring is necessarily what we want.
We may go back to foam or latex. If we go for foam I am going to see if we can achieve a single sheet that can just fold in half for storage when the bed is folded up.
Anyone one else finding their inner spring mattress is less than perfect?

 

[Coastrunner]

I find the inner spring good if you sleep on the wide section, but the person who sleeps on the seam line suffers. I find that the mattress either side of the seam is different firmness and because of that different heights. The only way I`ve got around it is to sleep on the small section of mattress which is the only option that works. The seam should be down the middle of the mattress and not a quarter of the way across the mattress. This is the one thing I dislike about all expands. Apart from that, I think they`re good vans.

 

[straydingo]

Expander 12.37 had posted http://www.expandasdownunder.com/sh...sses-comfortable?p=13974&viewfull=1#post13974 after raising their bed and getting a custom mattress made up, if thats any help

 

[bellabelinda1976]

I have just purchased a 2012 Jayco Expanda and on our maiden trip we discovered how attrocious the mattresses are. We are bitterly disappointed as our 2010 expanda had the most comfromtable beds and we travelled in it for a solid 4 months. I am about to ring Jayco...my physio session is booked for Wednesday....I recommend people complain so that they can be fixed and quality mattresses continued to be used. Beware the wrath of a woman with 3 very badly slept nights!

 

[Burnsy]

Brad and bellabelinda have you tried the foam eggshell on top?

 

[cruza driver]

I know this has been covered a few times but for what its worth..............when our Expanda was still under warranty I tried a claim on the innerspring (an option on the 2010mdl) and they said its not going to be covered and yep I asked more than once.

We only have innerspring on the front the rear is foam, I wish it was foam both ends :frusty:

 

[SilverFox]

I've purchased an Expanda, and have bought from Clark Rubber two bed overlays. On one side it has egg shells, and on the other it is just smooth foam. We also bought a zippered up cover for each of them. There are from memory three different options available in the foam overlays. Placing these of the beds still allows for the bed to be folded and stowed, and does not interfere with the hard lid etc. It makes for a much more comfortable sleep. We have the innerspring mattress at the froint and the rear has the foam. Both have the overlays fitted.

I hope this helps.

Wk2 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Diesel
2010 Jayco Expanda 16.49-1

 

[Brad]

Expander 12.37 had posted http://www.expandasdownunder.com/sh...sses-comfortable?p=13974&viewfull=1#post13974 after raising their bed and getting a custom mattress made up, if thats any help

Thanks straydingo. Looks like I am covering old ground. I will be going that option ASAP!!
Although my wife and I tend to congregate in the middle. So wilst I am going to raise the base we are looking at returning to a foam mattress with a topper and trying not to have any seam at all.

 

[straydingo]

Although my wife and I tend to congregate in the middle.

you do mean just from the join in the mattresses don't you :whistle:

 

[bellabelinda1976]

Hey Burnsy, we have thought of that option but I really just want a good mattress...may look at getting one custom made, hope it is worth the $$$. Just sent an email to Jayco sales team (after being given the runaround). Hopefully I can claim the mattresses under warranty (the zips keep undoing) and basically tell them to shove it and replace them with foam option or credit us the money and we will source our own...Such a disappointment...and my stiff neck keeps reminding me!

 

[Burnsy]

We just sold our 2009 model.....maybe I should of kept the foam mattress for our new one

 

[Jennymay]

Hi Brad we dont like the seam on the mattress so we brought a really good mattress topper and its a dream. to
They where $79 on Ebay and $12 postage but very good quality, hotel grade.
Cheers Jenny

 

[Brad]

Hi Jenny
I think because I have come from the old expanda with foam beds to what we have now is why there is a bit of disappointment in knowing how comfy it used to be.
In both the old and new van we have had a latex mattress topper. It is excellent. But it does not take away that seam and the pain in my left shoulder two days after every time I turned my neck in a certain direction.
I am actually not sure anyway if the discomfort is really as a result of the seam.
I think the issue is more due to the different thicknesses of the mattress. It was almost like lying on a small speed hump.
Surely the thinner part has a different spring to the thicker part.
How did the designers of this mattress ever think that they could make the feel of this bed the same across the entire surface.
Imagine there was such a thing as a spring shop, and I walked into that shop with a 90 kilo weight, and asked the shop owner to provide me with two different looking springs that need to compress the same distance when I sit the weight on top of the two springs.
There would be a lot of physics calculations to achieve such a request, if not impossible to get exactly right. Which in effect is what Jayco is trying to achieve.
I bet the springs in these beds are more about filling out the middle of the mattress than working out how a weight will interact across two different springs.

 

[leesy]

Same issue here!! We picked up a new 16.494 and left 5 days later up to the NT, we had to but another mattress from Clarke rubber just so we could sleep as the inner spring was sooooo bad, our Eagle with foam was great so we are very disappointed and will push hard when it goes back for warranty to have them replaced, has anyone had any success in having one replaced under warranty?
Cheers

 

[ah197331]

I think the issue is more due to the different thicknesses of the mattress. It was almost like lying on a small speed hump.

I found this too, when we bought an innerspring to replace the foam in our 2010 model.

What I've done to help that out, is use an offcut from the foam egshell topper we use, and put it under the edge of the mattress that is slightly lower than the other. It's the same lengh as the mattress and helps prop it up to the same level, reducing the step around the join.

Andrew

 

[Brad]

So I have been doing a bit of ringing around today and becoming knowledgeable in everything foam.
Who would have thought there were so many options!!

Anyway, I have been sent to a wholesaler that supplies a lot of the retail shops called Hartley Foam.

My wife is going to go down there next week and try out the variations and pick something.
No need for me to go because the formula to a good mattress is Wife is happy = Caravan trip happy.:kiss:

That will get us the foam. We will make the mattress in two equal sections.
Next will be to find out someone who can make up a cover like the old Jayco foam mattress but we are going to ask if we can get our latex mattress topper sewn into the actual mattress also.
The mod mentioned in the other thread where the bed base is raised to be completely flat has now made it to the top of the mod list.

That's the theory... Will be interesting to see if that is what we ultimately end up with.

 

[leesy]

So I have been doing a bit of ringing around today and becoming knowledgeable in everything foam.
Who would have thought there were so many options!!

Anyway, I have been sent to a wholesaler that supplies a lot of the retail shops called Hartley Foam.

My wife is going to go down there next week and try out the variations and pick something.
No need for me to go because the formula to a good mattress is Wife is happy = Caravan trip happy.:kiss:

That will get us the foam. We will make the mattress in two equal sections.
Next will be to find out someone who can make up a cover like the old Jayco foam mattress but we are going to ask if we can get our latex mattress topper sewn into the actual mattress also.
The mod mentioned in the other thread where the bed base is raised to be completely flat has now made it to the top of the mod list.

That's the theory... Will be interesting to see if that is what we ultimately end up with.

Hi Brad,
I can help you out with a local guy that can cover the foam and has plenty of experience with expandas as he has had 2! he also will make to order shade side awnings and end ones too! You know where i am and this guy lives in my street, PM me and i can give you the details, i think i will also need your foam contact too as i think i will have to get one made as well!!
Cheers,
Paul

 

[Commercialupholstery]

Hi I have a expanda 18.57-6 after spending 2 nights on the hardest mattress ever I designed myself a new one, I came up with a foam base using Visco Foam (memory foam) on top. Whilst this is not cheap it is now better than my own mattress at home.
All we do is use your existing mattress cover and insert the foam/visco into it, or if you have a inner spring we can make a whole new mattress for you.

Regards
John Palmer
Commercial Upholstery
Mob: 0439560660

 

[Brad]

So I started operation "sleep like a log" this weekend.
I rang up John who has confirmed phase one of this operation being completion of foam mattress will be ready mid next week.
Thus I activated phase 2 of this operation which was to raise the front section of the bed base so that the entire bed base is completely flat. I went to Bunnings and purchased pine timber that I thought I would have had to plane the length of the timber to achieve the right spacing between the old uneven bed base to the completely flat bed base. To my amazement the timber was the perfect thickness. What's the chances of that!! So this mod only took a day. I thought I would be working on it the entire weekend.
I am thinking of a phase 3 of this operation which potentially will involve soaking the old inner spring mattress in fuel and igniting it with great satisfaction.

 

[cruza driver]

What about phase 4, some pics of your finished job and how you did it Please :smile: