Hancock & Moore recliner problem! Please help!!

Hi! So glad I found this forum! At any rate, I recently 'inherited' an older H&M leather swivel rocker/recliner. From the time my parents first got this beast, it was absolutely impossible for most mere humans to get the foot rest part of the recliner to go down when you were ready to get up! My 6 foot 3 inch, 280 pound husband is the only one in the family who has ever been able to get out of this chair like a normal person! For most of the rest of us, after reclining with your feet up, you have to really push the footrest down with your legs as far as you can, then you have to be really quick and leap up out of the chair before the footrest kicks up again - then you have to turn around and push the footrest back in with your foot while standing. If you're not super quick, you better be fairly agile because you'll have to climb out of the chair while the foot rest is still up! (Not as easily said as done!) There is a 'lever' in the chair next to the seat cushion that you need to pull to 'release' the foot rest when you want to recline. For whatever reason, unless you're Superman (like my dear hubby!) this lever will not re-engage to lock the foot rest back down if you're still sitting in the chair! (but it does re-engage if you're out of the chair and give the footrest a hard push in with your foot - so it's not that the foot rest won't stay down ever, just that it won't stay down without acrobatics!) Other than this 'quirk' it is a comfortable chair, and still looks great (it didn't get a whole lot of use, since not everyone wanted to deal with the effort involved in getting out of the darn thing!) It is at least 12 to 15 years old and the style is not listed on the H&M website. (As I said earlier, it swivels a full 360 degrees and rocks in an upright position, then reclines with feet up and the back seems to adjust to however far back you want it to go. The only problem is the darn footrest! It seems to want to kick you back for getting out of the chair!) ANY suggestions about what can be done to fix this crazy thing?!

Any help is appreciated!

(FYI - It has been lubricated with WD40 multiple times over the years, but that has not improved the footrest problem in the least!)

Easy Fix. You need a new mechanism. $ 240 for a Rocker/Glider/Wall Hugger which is what you have.

Install yourself if you're handy or an upholstery shop can do it for 60 to 90 minutes labor charge.

Duane,

I have a similar problem except my recliner is a B-Y Bancroft in Leather and it is a new piece (only a week or two old). The foot part of the recliner mechanism does not look square when you stand up and look down on it. Also it does not return while I am sitting in the chair, when I get up it still sticks out. Should I just call the dealer or do you have anything to add?

If its just the footrest out of alignment and the rest of the recliner is square, then it could be a minor alignment issue. There are four screws that hold the footrest to the recliner frame, and the footrest comes off in a minute or two. You may want to loosen those screws and push the footrest around to see if you can square it up, or even take it off real quickly and check to make sure there is not something bound up behind it. Most of those can be rotated 180 degrees, too....it may fit better flipped around. I'd try that first, since its quick and easy and all you need a Phillips # 2 Screwdriver. If the problem persists, then contact your selling dealer.

Duane,

Here's something I just found out and it's not listed on your site at all (I did a search). I guess B-Y is no longer using just Leggett and Platt recliner mechanisms. My B-Y Bancroft 7301 that was just manufactured has an Ultra-Mek mechanism from Denton, NC!! It has a small lever on the right side and when I just got it the lever released with no pause. Now I have to move the lever more than once. Also the footplate for a few days closed with me shifting my weight and now I have to push it in forcefully after I get up. This recliner is less than 2 weeks old! Any more suggestions now.

Correct. BY switched to Ultra-Mek about 18 months ago. Is the front cushion binding on the footrest when closing? That can be very common if the seat core is not set back in the frame far enough.

Thank you Duane. You do a great service. I will try adjusting my seat. BTW, I saw the picture of the Leggett and Platt adjustment screws that you posted in another thread. Does the Ultra-Mek mechanism have similar screws? Since you sell B-Y, I like the idea that Ultra-Mek mechanisms are made here in NC, but have you noticed any problems with them as yet?

Duane, I am on permanent disability and at some time in the future I will need a lift mechanism. What would you suggest for my options? Could I add a lift by replacing my present mechanism in my new B-Y from somewhere? Or buy a whole new chair when I need it? Who would I ask if the mechanism would fit,
the mechanism seller or B-Y?

Thanks for your help and I can tell you that my next furniture purchase will be from The Keeping Room!

drjjpdc,

I work for Ultra-Mek and I would love to see a picture of the problem you are having. Please email me at bbunting@ultramek.com and include the numbers from the caution label that is on the mechanism. Thanks for the help.