La-Z-Boy Recliner Adjustment

What Adjusting the Tension Does

• When you adjust the tension on a La-Z-Boy recliner, it makes it so that more or less pressure is required to push back the top of the chair and pull the lever that brings up the footrest. If you are a heavier-weight person and the chair goes back too quickly when you pull the lever, you can increase the tension to make the chair more difficult to push back. If you are a lighter-weight person who has difficulty getting the chair to go back, you can reduce the tension to make the chair easier to push back.

Positioning the Chair

• To adjust the La-Z-Boy recliner, you must have access to the bottom of the chair. Position the chair for adjustments by pushing the footrest back into the chair until it locks and then pushing the chair over onto its front. The chair will tilt forward completely so that the top rests on the floor and the bottom of the chair will be angled slightly upward, which should give you a good view.

The Adjustment Hardware

• The hardware on the bottom of a La-Z-Boy recliner that can be used for adjustment varies slightly by chair type. Some varieties of La-Z-Boys have wing nuts for tension adjustments, while others have small wheels. The wing nuts or wheels may be in the center of the chair's bottom, toward the backside of the chair's bottom or on the bottom sides of the chair. Both types of adjustment hardware can be turned by hand.

Adjusting Tension

• If you want to increase the tension of a La-Z-Boy recliner, turn the adjustment wing nuts or the wheels in a clockwise direction. If you want to decrease the tension of the recliner, turn the adjustment wing nuts or wheels counterclockwise. Turn both wing nuts or wheels an equal amount, about one-quarter to one-half turn at a time and return the chair to its upright position to test it before adjusting the tension further.