Replacing 2013 R27 seat covers.

[Alibi27]

Does anyone have experience putting on the replacement "skins" that are available from Ranger for the peeling seats.
The seat material on our 2013 Ranger 27 is peeling in little pieces that litter the floor, stick to you clothes, etc.
Is it a DIY job or require a professional upholsterer ??
Thanks for any feedback.
Dick Keith
R 27 Alibi

 

[rpmerrill]

I did my seats. Not a perfect job but a good solid "B" grade. I'm very happy with them.

If you've ever done any upholstery you should do well.
I brought all the cushions home last winter (I think nine different pieces). I would do one at a time and then step away from it for a few days. There are several ones that simply zipper up. You will need an upholstery staple puller. It is a sharp chisel sort of thing with a curved blade for digging under and prying out all the staples. LOTS OF STAPLES!

You'll also need a staple gun and a supply of (mostly) short staples. The wood bases are pretty hard wood.

For the helm seat you'll also get new foam forms. The seat is a different, more complex shape. There are inner cloth pieces sewn into the seat covers that get stapled down to the base that help form the nice shape on the helm seat (and a couple other of the cushions).

The trim that goes around the perimeter of the helm seat requires a long nosed staple gun which I didn't have, But a guy at a local upholstery shop did it for $40. A good deal.

Finally a hot steam iron can be used to steam out some of the wrinkles you might have. Steam... but don't touch. If you really need a lot of steam you can take a wet towel and iron over that for extra heat. Careful.

I posted a couple photos.