How do I remove the seat part of an office chair from its support post?

 

I have a couple 5-year-old inexpensive office chairs(same make/model)
in my house.

On one of them, the seat back has been broken for several years, so it
just flops loosely and offers no support.

On the other, the gas cylinder (shock absorber) that is the center
support post broke so that it won't support my weight.  My wife and
kids can sit in it okay, but it just drops down under my weight.

I'd like to remove the good seat and back from the chair with the bad
gas cylinder and put it onto the other chair, giving me one "whole and
good chair" with a working gas cylinder and working back, plus one
"totally bad" chair with a bad back and collapsing gas cylinder.

But try as I might, I can't pull the seat from the gas cylinder on
either chair.  The seats just "drop right on" when being assembled,
and I assume that human weight, plus friction, holds them on.

What technique might I use to pull the seats off the cylinders, so I
can put the good seat onto the good cylinder?

 

Rope the seat to a tree, drive the truck within about five
feet of the chair. Use a come along tool, wrapped around the
gas cylinder. Do not heat with torch. Hammer is acceptable.
Wear safety glasses, leather apron, and rhinstone gloves.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
  www.lds.org
.


I have a couple 5-year-old inexpensive office chairs(same
make/model)
in my house.

On one of them, the seat back has been broken for several
years, so it
just flops loosely and offers no support.

On the other, the gas cylinder (shock absorber) that is the
center
support post broke so that it won't support my weight.  My
wife and
kids can sit in it okay, but it just drops down under my
weight.

I'd like to remove the good seat and back from the chair
with the bad
gas cylinder and put it onto the other chair, giving me one
"whole and
good chair" with a working gas cylinder and working back,
plus one
"totally bad" chair with a bad back and collapsing gas
cylinder.

But try as I might, I can't pull the seat from the gas
cylinder on
either chair.  The seats just "drop right on" when being
assembled,
and I assume that human weight, plus friction, holds them
on.

What technique might I use to pull the seats off the
cylinders, so I
can put the good seat onto the good cylinder?

 

trader-of-some-jacks wrote:

Impossible to say without seeing it. There are several different ways to
attach seats to bases, but most chairs have screws or bolts under the
seat holding the base to the seat. I can pretty much guarantee that
there is no 'friction fit' assembly involved like in office chairs of
old.  Same reason they all went to 5-spoke bases- too many people
hurting themselves and suing. If it is a cast plastic seat base that
drops over the vertical pole, there is some sort of snap fitting or
something holding it on.  If it was a really cheap chair, maybe they
depended on the fresh plastic being flexible, and the 'snap it together'
was a one-time thing, like the locking ring on a pop bottle cap. When
you bought the chairs, did they come knocked down, or ready to use?

--
aem sends...

 

wrote:


The friction fit is pretty common.  All the chairs I have bought at
Staples are seated this way.  I never tried to take one apart, but I
have put several together.

 


Staples gave me a free replacemet cylinder even though the chair was
way out of warranty.  I was easy to change.  I gave the base a rap
with a hammer and the cylinder came out.  Same with the top.

Gary