Smaller Drivers seat

[TMJ1624]

We have a 2004 Holiday Rambler on a 450 Ford chassis, problem is me, I’m a big guy and can’t move it far enough back to comfortably relax to drive it. Question: can a different seat be put in......

[wearenh]

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Here is an example of a "racing style" seat with universal fitment that is made specifically for cars driven on the street ... in addition to the reputable brands like Sparco, OMP, and Momo, there are hundreds of Chinese knockoffs on eBay and Amazon


CLICK HERE for Sparco Page

CLICK HERE for OMP page










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[pauldub]

You're not looking for a smaller seat, you're looking for a seat with a thinner back. If you have plenty of headroom, first try unbolting the seat base from the floor and put some 2x4 lumber under it to see if just raising the seat with solve your problem. If it does, then replace the lumber with steel spacer material. If you need a thinner seat back, these guys may have an option that works for you but it will be more than $2K for a seat and seat mount. You can also consider Recaro seats that start around $1K but they may not have a mount for an E-Van.

[ron_dittmer]

road-runner wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:

road-runner wrote:
When we were shopping for a class C I could not find a single slideout model on a Ford or Chevy chassis where I could put the front seat back far enough for myself.

Then you did not look at a Phoenix Cruiser E450. 😉

You're correct. I certainly didn't look at every class C with a slideout. I'll add that the seat travel wasn't the only factor that sent me to the Sprinter. All of the Ford chassis models I looked at were difficult to maneuver around the doghouse, and I was aghast at the narrow foot space for driver and passenger. That could possibly be a reaction from spending most of my working life in horrible cramped tiny cubicles.

My Phoenix cruiser without a slide out is not common. We special ordered ours that way. Most PC's have a slide out behind the driver seat, but it is set back nicely.

You are surely right in that the driver/passenger cockpit of the E-series is the "least comfortable" of the chassis choices out there.

My personal issue with the E-series cockpit is never brought up in discussions. It is the relationship of the seat & steering wheel, to the gas and brake pedals. The two pedals are skewed to the left compared to all other vehicles. Because my motor home is a seasonal-use vehicle, it always takes me one good driving day to acclimate to that difference. At the start of every season, when backing our rig out of our garage, putting my foot on the brake pedal to put the transmission in reverse, I always hit the gas pedal instead.

[road-runner]

ron.dittmer wrote:

road-runner wrote:
When we were shopping for a class C I could not find a single slideout model on a Ford or Chevy chassis where I could put the front seat back far enough for myself.

Then you did not look at a Phoenix Cruiser E450. 😉

You're correct. I certainly didn't look at every class C with a slideout. I'll add that the seat travel wasn't the only factor that sent me to the Sprinter. All of the Ford chassis models I looked at were difficult to maneuver around the doghouse, and I was aghast at the narrow foot space for driver and passenger. That could possibly be a reaction from spending most of my working life in horrible cramped tiny cubicles.

[ron_dittmer]

road-runner wrote:
When we were shopping for a class C I could not find a single slideout model on a Ford or Chevy chassis where I could put the front seat back far enough for myself.

Then you did not look at a Phoenix Cruiser E450. 😉

[road-runner]

When we were shopping for a class C I could not find a single slideout model on a Ford or Chevy chassis where I could put the front seat back far enough for myself. That's the main reason we went with a Sprinter chassis. To be sure, the Sprinter has its liabilities, but no other class C chassis I've seen comes even close in terms of cab space.

[TMJ1624]

Thanks everybody, I think I’ll try to find smaller seat......Happy Trails......

[navegator]

I need to correct the number of lines on the bolt head, they should be 6 six lines radiating from the center to the flat sides of the bolts, the tablet does not like my big fingers.

navegator

[bobndot]

quote wrote:
you might have to get a machine shop to drill the holes and sand the saw cuts for you, then attack the bars to the seat and to the floor box.

x2, that's why I suggested an auto body shop/fabricator. 😉
My friends shop did it for me on two class B's and I know he fabricates seat bases on the medium duty trucks that he builds.

[ron_dittmer]

carringb wrote:
Does it have RV seats? Or Ford seats? Most RV seats are way thicker, and less comfortable too IMO.

There are ebay sellers offering brand new take-off OEM seats. Prices are around $100 per seat but shipping is expensive. I am not sure E-series are available. Just ask the sellers.

If a trip gets you close, stop by to save those stiff shipping costs.

[carringb]

Does it have RV seats? Or Ford seats? Most RV seats are way thicker, and less comfortable too IMO.

[navegator]

Ford E-350 and 450 seats are composed of two parts, one is the box frame that is anchored to the floor and the other is the unit were the sliding rails are attached to the box, get some steel flat bar 3" wide by the amount needed for the two sides and a minimum of 1/4" thick- 3/8" will be better, measure where to attach the bar to the floor box and then calculate how far back you want the seat at the back end of the slide to be and mark the hole centers, you might have to get a machine shop to drill the holes and sand the saw cuts for you, then attack the bars to the seat and to the floor box.

Make sure that you have the correct grade bolts, washers and nuts, the bolts should have 5 small raised lines from the center to the perimiter, do not use any Chinese junk!

I have the E-350 and raised the seats 3" up and 4" back using square 1/4" tube, it can be done.

navegator

[dicknellen]

When I looked at buying a RV with a slide either Class C or A, I would always have the slide put in before sitting in the drivers seat. If I wasn't able to get comfortable in the drivers seat I didn't look any fruther.

[winnietrey]

Does it, hit the wall of the slide or the trim piece of the slide ? On ours it hit the trim piece. Took a sawsall to the trim piece, cut out a notch, so to speak. So the seat back could tilt further back. Solved the problem