Gary Lewis Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 Oops, I missed the bit about the "giving truck". Yes, that was fortuitous. Big Blue certainly benefited from that, and almost all of it is in use. Just had an interesting thought. The only difference I can see between the driver's and passenger's seats are that the driver's has a latch with a release to let the back be tilted but the passenger's has a strap and a bolt which, when the bolt is removed, will allow the back to tilt. I like the idea of the seat backs tilting as it allows access to the stuff behind the seats. But if I leave the bolt out of the passenger's seat it will probably tilt when I hit the brakes if no one is in the seat. So why not swap the seats? If there's a driver then the seat back won't tilt. Anyone see a problem with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Just had an interesting thought. The only difference I can see between the driver's and passenger's seats are that the driver's has a latch with a release to let the back be tilted but the passenger's has a strap and a bolt which, when the bolt is removed, will allow the back to tilt. I like the idea of the seat backs tilting as it allows access to the stuff behind the seats. But if I leave the bolt out of the passenger's seat it will probably tilt when I hit the brakes if no one is in the seat. So why not swap the seats? If there's a driver then the seat back won't tilt. Anyone see a problem with that? Because if the seats are anything like the Bronco seats I know the drivers armrest will be in the passenger door.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 Because if the seats are anything like the Bronco seats I know the drivers armrest will be in the passenger door.... These don't have arm rests on either side. And, by the way, the captain's chairs have arm rests on both sides, which was only done for a few years. I thought they'd be ideal for long trips but we haven't really found it so. And, they make the seats wide enough that it is difficult to get the shoulder harness out past them. So we aren't going to miss them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 .... And having watched several videos that Bob referenced regarding Moab, I can see that the 8" of articulation instead of 2" is going to make a huge difference. There are LOTS of bumps, rocks, drops, etc that we will encounter, and Big Blue is far better equipped to do that now than he once was.... Definitely true! But when I had my completely stock '85 F-250HD I found it 'wheeled quite well. There was no articulation in the front suspension, but the frame would flex so much that the trim lines on the cab and bed would be mis-matched by about 6"! And I'm glad you're getting the seats worked out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 .... And having watched several videos that Bob referenced regarding Moab, I can see that the 8" of articulation instead of 2" is going to make a huge difference. There are LOTS of bumps, rocks, drops, etc that we will encounter, and Big Blue is far better equipped to do that now than he once was.... Definitely true! But when I had my completely stock '85 F-250HD I found it 'wheeled quite well. There was no articulation in the front suspension, but the frame would flex so much that the trim lines on the cab and bed would be mis-matched by about 6"! And I'm glad you're getting the seats worked out! Well, I'd prefer my articulation to be in the suspension, not the frame. Surely that makes for a more supple suspension and smoother ride. But that confirms what the guy told me about the bed covers - that the ones that lock with a pawl will come open when going offroading as the bed flexes enough to pull the pawl out of the stop. Glad I got the electric one that won't move unless powered and will stop anywhere. And speaking of that and the seats, I used the "stop anywhere" feature of the bed cover in taking the seats to the upholstery shop yesterday. The seats are too wide and tall, even when folded, to go under the bed cover. So I set them near the tailgate and closed the cover until it hit the seatbacks, trapping them against the tailgate. The seats couldn't blow out and I could stop anywhere on my rounds and lock the truck knowing that there'd be a whole lot of noise if someone tried to get to them and opened the tailgate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 But if I leave the bolt out of the passenger's seat it will probably tilt when I hit the brakes if no one is in the seat. So why not swap the seats? Not sure I understand, and how it looks… Is there a way to replace the bolt with a removable pin? Easier and faster than unbolting each time you need to tilt the passenger’s seat. If there's a driver then the seat back won't tilt. Anyone see a problem with that? My concern is about security. A sitting person wont retain the stock behind the seat, pushing forward in case of sudden braking. Or while going down a pitch trail in Moab. In my opinion, the seat should always be locked to not allow free tilting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 But if I leave the bolt out of the passenger's seat it will probably tilt when I hit the brakes if no one is in the seat. So why not swap the seats? Not sure I understand, and how it looks… Is there a way to replace the bolt with a removable pin? Easier and faster than unbolting each time you need to tilt the passenger’s seat. If there's a driver then the seat back won't tilt. Anyone see a problem with that? My concern is about security. A sitting person wont retain the stock behind the seat, pushing forward in case of sudden braking. Or while going down a pitch trail in Moab. In my opinion, the seat should always be locked to not allow free tilting. I don't know if I have a picture of the passenger's seat, but on it there's a strap on the seatback pointing down where I've circled the latch in the pic below. The strap has matches up with a stub sticking up about where the piece I've circled on the seat bottom is. The stub has a threaded hole in it and the strap has a hole, so when the seatback is fully upright you can put the bolt through the strap and into the stub and the seat won't pivot. I see your point about the seat trying to tilt when on a STEEP downhill, like at Moab. I don't think it'll cause a problem, but it would be very easy to put the bolt in and prevent it from tilting if it does. And there's nothing behind the driver's seat bigger than a small flashlight, so not much damage will be done. As for a way to put in a pin, that would be nice. I've not figured out how to do that, but maybe someone will? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 As for a way to put in a pin, that would be nice. I've not figured out how to do that, but maybe someone will? https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n145839/Bucket_Seat_Latch_%26_Stops_with_Circles.jpg A picture of the passenger’s seat would be nice, helpful for figuring how a removable pin could fit. I looked around for a diagram of these seats and didn’t find any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 As for a way to put in a pin, that would be nice. I've not figured out how to do that, but maybe someone will? https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n145839/Bucket_Seat_Latch_%26_Stops_with_Circles.jpg A picture of the passenger’s seat would be nice, helpful for figuring how a removable pin could fit. I looked around for a diagram of these seats and didn’t find any. Jeff - I found a pic I took last spring after getting the seats home. In this pic there's a strap attached to the seatback that rotates down and meets the stub sticking up from the seat bottom. So you are first seeing the strap and then, behind it in the pic, is the stub. The strap has a hole in it large enough to pass the bolt that's laying there, and the stub is threaded. So when you want to fold the seatback you need to remove the bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Jeff - I found a pic I took last spring after getting the seats home. In this pic there's a strap attached to the seatback that rotates down and meets the stub sticking up from the seat bottom. So you are first seeing the strap and then, behind it in the pic, is the stub. The strap has a hole in it large enough to pass the bolt that's laying there, and the stub is threaded. So when you want to fold the seatback you need to remove the bolt. OK, I was figuring something like this, but wasn't sure. What about a pin like this? No need to completely block the other extremity, just fold the security between the backrest and the seat, so it will stay in place and the pin won't fall with vibrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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