Testing air ride seat

[bapos]

When I bought this bus it had a air ride seat that came with it. It needs to be recovered and a arm rest fabbed cause its missing. My question is how do you test it? I know NOTHING about them other than that need air? Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated.

I have a train air horn I am going to mount up on the bus (somewhere) but the goal is to run an air line to it and have the seat feed off it as well?


thanks

Bapos

 

[browncrown]

Bapos,

My seat is set up just as you suggest, running the air supply off the 1/4 inch line that runs the air horn. Your seat should have some sort of valve on it to increase pressure or decrease. Depends on the model, but the one I have has the vlave on the front of the seat between the drivers legs. If you push it in and hold it, it fills the seat with air. Pulling the valve out has the opposite effect. Hope this helps.

 

[bapos]

Crown

Thanks for the info. So for testing I can hook it up to my shop compressor to make sure it holds? Thanks for the line sizing. I was wondering what would be the best size to use. If possible can you show me how you routed your lines?

Yes it does help. Im lost when it comes to that seat but I want to start to line up some of these smaller things so when they are needed then I have them ready to go.

Again thanks

 

[browncrown]

I'll try and get some pics of the seat today, but I'm taking the bus out for the night to Orange Grove, so I won't be able to post them till tomorrow. You should be able to hook it up to your compressor. The seat valve, if its working properly, will regulate any pressure going into the seat air bag set up, or you may have a air shock type of set-up.

BC

 

[bapos]

No rush on it. Do it when you can.

Are you regulating the pressure in any way?


I am assuming that if it needs some parts those can be attained? Good deal Ill hook it up to the compressor and see what comes about. The standard driver seat is something to tortue people with. No wonder bus drivers were always pissed. Now I know why?

I appreciate your effort.

 

[somewhereinusa]

An air seat is only riding on the air that is in it. Kinda like an air shock. When you open the valve to let air in the seat raises, the other way it lets air out. It will use system air pressure (120 lbs or so)
It is adjusted by who ever is driving for their own body weight. I always like to have it just hard enough to not bottom out when I hit a bump. It just feels like it's floating. Once adjusted it should hold air pretty much forever. The fancy ones have lumbar support, or other features, all from one air line,just more switches. I had one that I really hated, and had to change it out, I guess it was made for really large people that had trouble getting in under the steering wheel. If you took all of the weight off of it, it would immediately drop to it's lowest position, then when you sat on it, it would come back up to normal position. Trouble is I'm not very big and on those occasions when I got really light because of a bump the darn seat would drop down while I was still in the air. One of those "better mousetrap" things I guess.

 

[Newfiedogs]

I have two mounted in our bus. One Peterbuilt one International. I bought some used seats from a Toyota Sienna van that are new. The center mount seats in these vans have armrests. Later models even recline and have the flip up footrest too. I had to fab some new mounts to the air bases for them to work. Sometimes it is way cheaper to just find a newer seat than to recover an old one. Seats that have too much overweight ass time have steel frames that are shot too. So why recover a half busted seat?
They are the one of the best things that one can add. I will plumb ours into the lines that used to supply the air door when I get to it. But for now I use a bicycle tire pump to air them up. Ya, it's a little hillbilly but at least i'm able to drive in comfort. As long as there are no leaks in the valve or worse the air spring your golden. To test them before you buy just take along a tire pump and if the seller will allow, a spray bottle with soapy water in it. The air line will clamp into a standard bike pump end. Air the thing up and spray the lines, valve and air spring with soapy water. Most of the time you will replace the lines anyway. I bought mine off craigslist for 50 bucks each, well worth it. You will have to put limiting straps on them to control the upward movement. I used rear center seatbelts (two belts per seat base) which are very adjustable. If you don't do this It will only take one bump to see why.
Tracy