Removable Jump Seat Ideas

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 01:54 PM

Right now my bus is a single seater. I need to fix this! I need a passenger seat.

First a couple things that need to be considered in what this seat should/can be:

The bus was a wheelchair bus so it has a 6” step up, so in its previous incarnation, passengers didn’t have a view through the windshield.

The far right sitting position looks directly at the passenger door wall.

So what I’m thinking is the optimal position for the passenger seat is in the center of the isle, just at the front of the step into the cabin, and low, like with a seat hight 6” above the step up, so when someone is sitting in the seat, their feet are in the cab just with the doghouse just in front of them.

I need something removable so I can stow it when it’s not in use.

Ideas please!

Thanks

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 02:41 PM

I’ve found a reasonably priced Ford Transit jump seat that might work if I can remove it from the base and maybe adapt it to Q-Straint L-Rail anchors.

Elliot Naess · 02-11-2021, 02:56 PM

Hmmmmm.... Sure would be nifty if this thread develops into a "salvage yard shopping list" of Seats With Self-Contained Three-Point Seat-Belts.

While your Minotour is very different from my own buses... I have learned one thing not to do: do not leave a passenger's feet dangling, such as over a stairwell -- horribly uncomfortable.

Rucker · 02-11-2021, 02:58 PM

Interesting option. Not sure that a single Qstraint is sufficient, based on a quick check of their website. They show two of these for a single seat, and their standard setup for a wheelchair is a four point system. Will watch this space and see how your solution progresses.

Not trying to be a bummer. I'm struggling with a solution as well.

Having said that, my understanding is no passenger is required to be strapped in if behind the 'white line' (most buses have this in the walkway, just behind the driver seat.

I'm planning a four-bolt system for BOTH the floor and ceiling. The seat will be able to pivot 270 degrees, and the shoulder strap will be secured to the metal arm extending from the base to the ceiling. Hard to describe, still in drawing stages. I want it to be about as secure as I can make it.

musigenesis · 02-11-2021, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danjo

I’ve found a reasonably priced Ford Transit jump seat that might work if I can remove it from the base and maybe adapt it to Q-Straint L-Rail anchors.

Why can't you just use that seat as it is, and attach it with two of the rails meant for it? I put a double transit van seat in the front of my bus, and bolting the rails through the floor was pretty simple. And it's very easy to remove the seat from the rails once they're in.

These seats are also rather small and uncomfortable, to be honest, although one person in a single is going to be infinitely more comfortable than two people in a double like mine.

musigenesis · 02-11-2021, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rucker

Having said that, my understanding is no passenger is required to be strapped in if behind the 'white line' (most buses have this in the walkway, just behind the driver seat.

It's a state-by-state thing, at least for motorhomes. In PA, you're required to wear a three-point seatbelt if you're sitting in the front, but you can lounge around in the back unbelted if you like.

Elliot Naess · 02-11-2021, 03:19 PM

Friendly reminder of a fundamental concept:
When a seat and its belt are separately fastened, the seat must be fastened more securely than its belt, lest a mishap result in the seat moving while the belt remains fixed.

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 03:30 PM

@ Elliot Naess The passenger would have their feet on the floor.

@Rucker I thought I’d use 4 of those Q’Straint pockets, backed by 1/8” steel plate below the floor pan. This would exceed the configuration that was used to restrain the wheelchairs this bus originally conveyed.

@musigenisis It would be too tall as-is. The seat would be up on the step and the passenger’s feet would be another 6” lower on the lower entry platform. When I painted my bus I drove 300 miles back home and part of that time I sat on that step and thought that being just a few inches higher would be about right.

musigenesis · 02-11-2021, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danjo

@musigenisis It would be too tall as-is. The seat would be up on the step and the passenger’s feet would be another 6” lower on the lower entry platform. When I painted my bus I drove 300 miles back home and part of that time I sat on that step and thought that being just a few inches higher would be about right.

From the look of my seat, it seems that the two "legs" on the seat are part of an integral structure that continues all the way up the back of the seat. You would have to cut off the part of the legs below the seat.

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musigenesis

From the look of my seat, it seems that the two "legs" on the seat are part of an integral structure that continues all the way up the back of the seat. You would have to cut off the part of the legs below the seat.

Thanks. I’ll see if I can get the seller to send a photo of the underside

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 04:21 PM

Here’s a detail about the Ford Transit removable 3rd seat. I could make those channels flush and cover them with a mat when not in use.

I see that the Chevy Express doghouse has the cup holder tray attached to the doghouse. Maybe I can make enough legroom to mount the seat next to the driver

Simplicity · 02-11-2021, 07:32 PM

Here are the thoughts I have had, but before I share them, I'll tell you I'm a school bus driver, so some of my input comes from working with securing students in a bus.

1) I wish I had left my front passenger seat where it was. Including the front barrier between the seat and the stairwell. Then, all I would have to do is install seat belts and boom, done!

2) I bought a seat from a Toyota mini-van with a self contained seatbelt. It need to McGyver it a bit, but the thought is to secure it to a pedestal with a swivel base. This would act as somewhat of a recliner also.

3) Buses that can transport students in wheelchairs use the Qstraints with rails mounted flush in the floor. Again, with some McGyver effort, you could figure out how to permanently secure the seat to the Qstraints and then simply mount and unmount the entire seat. I'm not sure if using the Qstraints as designed for wheelchairs qualifies for a regular passenger seat and restraint.

Using the right bolt/nut hardness and assuring the rails are securely attached to the bus floor (all the way through) and with plate backing underneath the floor sheet metal is essentially how my passenger seats were originally mounted.

I agree with not putting passengers in the middle of the bus, and I also think it would be nice if they had enough leg room to be comfortable.

Speaking of comfort, air ride baby!

Hope this helps.

Oh, if you have pictures of your bus where you're thinking of putting the seat, that would really be helpful.

rossvtaylor · 02-11-2021, 08:08 PM

You might get some ideas from Juan and Michelle's blog and their videos, here:

Ford Transit Van Seats for the Kids | Beginning from this Morning

Toyota Sienna Seats in an RV - Part 2: Redo with New Swivel Base & Sliders | Beginning from this Morning

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simplicity

3) Buses that can transport students in wheelchairs use the Qstraints with rails mounted flush in the floor. Again, with some McGyver effort, you could figure out how to permanently secure the seat to the Qstraints and then simply mount and unmount the entire seat. I'm not sure if using the Qstraints as designed for wheelchairs qualifies for a regular passenger seat and restraint.

My bus was a dedicated wheelchair bus that had an attendant seat in the very front. That was also mounted to the L-Rail, but with permanent hardware. I figure I can find something to work even if it means getting the socket set out.

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

You might get some ideas from Juan and Michelle's blog and their videos, here:

Ford Transit Van Seats for the Kids | Beginning from this Morning

Toyota Sienna Seats in an RV - Part 2: Redo with New Swivel Base & Sliders | Beginning from this Morning

I’ve come across their site previously. That’s some next-level fabrication. Sure wish I had that shop.

Danjo · 02-11-2021, 08:40 PM

So I guess now I need to figure out how to shorten the door actuator so it’s out of the way.

peakbus · 02-11-2021, 11:05 PM

Danjo, I did a similar arrangement. I obtained a nice shuttle bus seat and cut down the legs as you suggested. Works well, height wise. Mine sits about 16" from the wall but allows room down the isle between it and the driver so I didn't consider the removal option. I would have liked a swivel base, but once spun around it would be pretty low. The seat belt (no shoulder belt) came bolted to the shuttle bus seat so I made sure to mount it all solidly through the floor with heavy bolts and backing plates underneath. Sorry, I don't have a photo handy.

Elliot Naess · 02-12-2021, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

You might get some ideas from Juan and Michelle's blog and their videos, here:

Ford Transit Van Seats for the Kids | Beginning from this Morning

Toyota Sienna Seats in an RV - Part 2: Redo with New Swivel Base & Sliders | Beginning from this Morning

Fabulous.

Their seats are from a late-model Toyota Sienna Limited -- must be the Limited version -- and these are the second row seats. They are leather, have two arm rests and extending foot rests -- and integral belts, yes.

They scored brand new ones -- "take-outs" -- from a business that installs wheelchair lifts in such mini-vans.

The man is a highly competent fabricator and seems to simply love teaching what he does. (There may be hope for humanity after all.)

Elliot Naess · 02-12-2021, 07:34 PM

Poking around online, it looks like the Toyota Sienna Limited second-row seats have been The Hot Setup since at least 2011.
People install them in Mercedes/Dodge Sprinter vans etc.

Here is a good little video (from 2011) showing off the features with measurements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEoW9U4t0ac

rossvtaylor · 02-12-2021, 07:59 PM

The business from whom Juan and Michelle, and we, have bought those seats is in the Phoenix metro area and I've posted their contact info in other threads. If you happen to be in AZ, or close enough that a trip is worthwhile, let me know and I'll get you their contact info. They buy new vans, to convert to wheelchair accessible transports, and the first thing they do is pull out the middle and rear seats.

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