Drivers Seat Replacement

[BowserJournal]

I want to replace the original driver seat in our Skoolie but just not sure what kind to replace it with. We have been watching craigslist for about 6 months but just have not found the right seat.

if you replaced yours what did you replace it with and are you happy with it. Where did you get it?

 

[Robin97396]

Most happy seat replacements come from the junkyard. Otherwise it's very expensive.

 

[miltruckman]

I used the Knoedler bus chief seat in my Bluebird TC2000. It is made in Canada and of good quality. And the controls are on the right side.

It fit perfectly. Only negative is that it has its own air compressor built under the seat and I would have preferred to use the bus supplied air that went to the old Bostrom back breaker(Talladega) seat. I had to run 12vdc to the new seat. And it controls much more slowly from that little 12vdc compressor.

A nice addition is that the new seat has armrests. And the Talladega did not. I have not yet located a proper seat cover for it though.

Bill
Birch Run, MI

 

[Tarheel Travelers]

I second that!! Air ride seats are expensive as heck!! I replaced my driver seat with the cheapest one that the Freightliner repair shop had and that was about 700 bones. It is comfy but maybe too comfortable for a long drive.


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[cadillackid]

there are quite a frew school busses in the late 90s / early 00's that have air seats.. many times the seat part is shot. (like mine) but the air suspension is still good.. bluebird uses a VERY SIMPLE air seat on many of their busses.. ive seen them in scrapyard pics.. you can detach the seat from the base and replace the chair itself with one that doesnt have ripped fabric etc.. remember to install a protection valve on your air tank when you Tee off for your seat.
-Christopher

 

[BowserJournal]

I guess I have to find a bus junkyard in central FL

 

[2martins]

there are quite a frew school busses in the late 90s / early 00's that have air seats.. many times the seat part is shot. (like mine) but the air suspension is still good.. bluebird uses a VERY SIMPLE air seat on many of their busses.. ive seen them in scrapyard pics.. you can detach the seat from the base and replace the chair itself with one that doesnt have ripped fabric etc.. remember to install a protection valve on your air tank when you Tee off for your seat.
-Christopher

Is it possible to replace just the seat part with some other, cheaper kind of seat? Or would that be too hard to do if I don't know how to weld, fabricate, etc?

 

[o1marc]

Is it possible to replace just the seat part with some other, cheaper kind of seat? Or would that be too hard to do if I don't know how to weld, fabricate, etc?

Shouldn't take more than a plate between the new seat and the bus seat mount with holes to mount seat to plate and plate to bus mount.

 

[2martins]

Shouldn't take more than a plate between the new seat and the bus seat mount with holes to mount seat to plate and plate to bus mount.

Even for a regular car seat? Or does it need to be at least a big SUV kind of seat? Really the base is not great but it does function. It would be a lot better if it were more adjustable because I am short. It would be better if the PEDALS were adjustable. As it is I can go so far forward that my knees are basically touching the dash and I still have to strain to floor it which is what you have to do on the highway.

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[o1marc]

Regular car seats aren't really any different. Big SUV seats aren't much different in size. Any seat will work with a little thought.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

If you are replacing the seat, and especially if you are short, try to get seats with built-in seatbelts. They make everything easier.

Also, it's not too hard a task to raise the pedals, you can add height to the top of the pedals pretty easily.

 

[olivemartini]

Does anyone have any resources/know any laws about requirements for a drivers seat? I’m hoping to take a regular living room chair (not rocking or reclining, just a sturdy cushy chair) and attach it to the metal base of a typical drivers seat.

 

[CritiqueThisBus]

My airside seat blew out. The piston in the center gave up the ghost. Until I can source the parts and fix it right, I got 2 ATV Coil Springs I mounted under the seat on the left and right side of the dead piston. Just the right height and just the right amount of stiff bounce when hitting those larger bumps/ruts.

Heck...If it keeps working out like it has I may never "fix" it properly.

 

[kimmie-SKO]

I used the Knoedler bus chief seat in my Bluebird TC2000. It is made in Canada and of good quality. And the controls are on the right side.

It fit perfectly. Only negative is that it has its own air compressor built under the seat and I would have preferred to use the bus supplied air that went to the old Bostrom back breaker(Talladega) seat. I had to run 12vdc to the new seat. And it controls much more slowly from that little 12vdc compressor.

A nice addition is that the new seat has armrests. And the Talladega did not. I have not yet located a proper seat cover for it though.

Bill
Birch Run, MI

Hey, Thanks for this information. I just bought a 1990 International, and the seat is garbage. Are these expensive?

 

[TheHubbardBus]

Does anyone have any resources/know any laws about requirements for a drivers seat? I’m hoping to take a regular living room chair (not rocking or reclining, just a sturdy cushy chair) and attach it to the metal base of a typical drivers seat.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.207

Law aside, it's going to be a difficult chore to make a piece of living room furniture strong enough to adequately retain the driver during even a minor collision. Not only do you risk putting yourself through the windshield, you risk losing control of your vehicle in situations where you would have remained in control with a proper seat & restraint system. It's not safe for you, your passengers, or others sharing the road with you.

 

[musigenesis]

Does anyone have any resources/know any laws about requirements for a drivers seat? I’m hoping to take a regular living room chair (not rocking or reclining, just a sturdy cushy chair) and attach it to the metal base of a typical drivers seat.

I once took a look at a used 1970 Volvo for sale in Albuquerque (almost every used car in Albuquerque in the late '80s was an early '70s Volvo, for some reason). When I showed up, it turned out that the front bench had been removed and replaced with two lawn chairs (the old kind with the aluminum tubing and nylon webbing) fastened to the floor with duct tape. I test-drove it anyway for fun, and it was only relatively safe because the transmission was shot and the car wouldn't go faster than 15 mph.

When it comes to the magnitude of forces involved in a collision, what you're proposing is not really any different than those lawn chairs.

 

[TheHubbardBus]

I once took a look at a used 1970 Volvo for sale in Albuquerque (almost every used car in Albuquerque in the late '80s was an early '70s Volvo, for some reason). When I showed up, it turned out that the front bench had been removed and replaced with two lawn chairs (the old kind with the aluminum tubing and nylon webbing) fastened to the floor with duct tape.

So you're saying they're not native Texans?