General Info 1955 Westerner Dinette Benches

I wanted to share some information on the dinette benches that could be found in some Westerner travel trailers. Westerners were made from 1953 to 1958. 

Below, you can see how they were still installed in the original trailer, a model from 1955. These are believed to have been included in the Pony Express model. I am not sure if they were in the Deluxe model.  This trailer was gutted and transformed into a mobile bar (not by me). I bought the benches from the owner because my Westerner didn’t have any benches when I bought it.


55 Westerner dinettes

I am including pictures below as well as a link to a short video. Not all Westerner travel trailers came with these particular benches. They are covered in an embossed naugahyde including Western symbols like saddles, horses, cacti, and cowboy hats. I had some problems posting photos from my shutterfly account in this thread.  They came out blurry when linked.  I left the direct link up if you wanted to see a more clear picture.

Here is the pattern up close.

Westerner naugahyde pattern

These particular benches were designed as small “click clack“ couches and they are not attached to the wall. They are self- supporting. When reclined to make a bed, you slid them away from the wall. The benches are composed of two main parts. The top “cushion” and the bottom support.

link.shutterfly.com/yLPGHiP5i1


Note the offset of the legs. This was done because of the front radius of the trailer. Westerners have that” belly sag” up front as part of their canned ham design. The offset in the couch legs compensates for the belly or lower front curvature as seen below.

P1070135

The cushion was bolted to the base that was also covered in the embossed vinyl.



link.shutterfly.com/OQu4bFCFj1



Here you can see the cushion separated or unbolted from the base. They were using square nuts, not hexagonal.

link.shutterfly.com/KhfBvQJFj1


The underside of the base was made with pegboard.

link.shutterfly.com/3Q5DPRNFj1


Here is the underside of the cushion. They are formed with lateral springs for support. link.shutterfly.com/QSiydlG5i1



Then, covering the very bottom of the cushion was burlap.

link.shutterfly.com/DdsvQxTFj1




Here is the click clack mechanism as best I can photograph it.



Here is a short video I made. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdESKRg7lCM

The support design appears to have changed by 1957 from the four support legs to a wooden curved edge base and the cushion sat on that. When arranged for sleeping, the table was dropped down on top of supports along one edge of each seat base. Then you pulled slid the cushions over the top.

P1070157


In this picture of a 1957 Westerner, you can see the cushions on top of the bases. This would be what the curved base and cushions look like together for 1957. These particular cushions are covered with a yellow embossed naugahyde.



Here are the dimensions for the benches.

I will break it down into the wooden dinette base and the cushion on top.


The wooden dinette base:
The wooden base section is really a box. Width of base (W)23 3/4" and (L) 35" and height is (H)5 ¾” or 23 ¾” x 35” x 5 ¾”. Add a 6 inch leg length and that gives you the distance of the top of the wooden base above the floor as 11 ¾”.

Seat cushion measurements:
Since the cushions have the sitting section and the upright or back support section, I will break those down into two different measurements.

Seat cushion: 16" x 36" x 7” (7” is the height of the cushion)

Upright or back cushion: 20" x 36" x 7”

Since the back support hinges at the back of the seat cushion, the total height of the upright or back section is 7” plus 20” so that equals 27”. The total depth (rear to front) of the seat section is 16” plus 7”. So that equals 23” (from the wall).

Happy Restorations,

Rod