F450 Drivers Seat

[LiebetheGSD]

I thought that this would have been posted before but could not see a link, how is the drivers seat comfort for long drives in the F450 chassis? I used to be able to drive for hours on end but last year I had a fracture in my spine and now I get uncomfortable after an hour or so. I believe it is partially to do with the position of the cars seat as I don't have that problem on my motorcycle as that is a more upright position.
Right now I am leaning towards either a Minnie Winnie or a Leprechaun in the 30' range but have not ruled out a couple of Class A's either.
I should be able to sit in a couple of them later this week but that doesn't give a great estimate of what it is like on long drives.

Thanks...

[navegator]

On my E-350 I added a square 3 inch by 2 inch metal tube thick enough to be stronger than the sheet metal of the frame and then I lifted the rear with a
1 1/2" stack of heavy duty washers so that both seats are 3 inches higher and sit more level than the reclining position that the RV had original, I lost the tilt down portion of the steering wheel to some extent but that does not matter, now we can drive for a couple of hours and not have back ache.

The seats are comfortable in the new position, they were to low to the floor and tilted back to far to be comfy for us, so modification and now they are perfect for us.

navegator

[tatest]

You are probably really asking about the E-450, and it depends on a couple of things:

1. What seat got put into the motorhome? The E-450 and E-350 cutaway chassis with RV option package are shipped without seats, so the final vehicle manufacturer provides the seat, trimmed to match other interior fittings. If the RV manufacturer doesn't order the RV option package, the cutaway may come with an OEM E-series seat, XL or XLT trim.

2. How well does the seat fit you? At 5 1/2 feet, with short legs, the seat provided by Winnebago fit me quite well, but I find it a bit on the firm side. What works for me is that the seat is short enough for my short thighs, and just high enough that my lower legs are mostly upright. The fit and seating position was so good for me that I bought a E-series van, to replace the mid-size sedan that way stressing my back and tailbone by forcing me to sit in a legs-out semi-reclining position. The OEM seat construction, XLT trim, provides better comfortable support than the seat Winnebago put in my RV.

However, if you are tall, and have long legs, the van seat might not fit you so well. People with longer thighs,or those who like to sit reclined, might want a longer seat that supports more of their thighs.

[Lumpty]

I have an E450 with the OEM seats, but a big point to why I ended up with the unit I did was it was optioned with a 6-way power base. The seat itself is not plush, but ergonomically correct, and with the power adjuster helpful to tilt it back a bit for good thigh support. The stock seats have adjustable recline and lumbar support.

[LiebetheGSD]

MDKMDK wrote:
Am looking forward to the Sprinter seats in our new rig. Everything I've read about them seems to conclude that they were well designed for all day use. I hope so, because we like to cover plenty of ground to get there, wherever there may be.

Thanks, please send me a write up once you put a couple of miles on them, I would be very interested in hearing your review.

[MDKMDK]

Just traded a 2016 Sunstar 26HE small class A on the F53 chassis - can confidently say that the seats were terrible. Like sitting on a piece of memory foam with another piece of memory foam behind your back. Neither was very comfortable. They were faux leather I believe and did not breathe well either.
Had a 2002 Roadtrek before that, that I believe had the Chevy Express van seats in it, and those high back buckets were great. Very plush and comfortable for all day driving. Cloth seats work better for me.
Am looking forward to the Sprinter seats in our new rig. Everything I've read about them seems to conclude that they were well designed for all day use. I hope so, because we like to cover plenty of ground to get there, wherever there may be.

[LiebetheGSD]

Thanks for the pointers, a very good point to check to see what it is like with the slide it, will put that on my check list. Don't really want a new seat but will have to see, if it is not good maybe get it boosted up or something, extra padding maybe.

[DrewE]

My E series seat is comfortable enough, but not exceptional. I can go for a decent day's drive without feeling too fatigued afterwards.

It should not be too difficult to put in a different aftermarket seat; the seat base attaches to a flat floor. I think there are even pneumatic suspension seats available.

[dicknellen]

I have a 2006 Winnebago E-350 and 2 Winnies previous were E-450 and the brand of seats Winnebago install have been very comfortable for me. One thing to check out if your are looking at units with slides check for driver comfort with the slide in. Also check for position of dinette, either behind drivers or passengers seat, in my class C Winnebago the dinette directly behind the passenger seat had a flip down back to allow the passenger seat room to recline. Dick

[LiebetheGSD]

Mich F wrote:
I assume you mean E 450, not F 450 ? I think you'll find in many cases the front seats aren't installed by Ford, but are installed by the RV builder. So you can't try one brand of MH and think all E 450s will have the same seat.

Haha, yeah I did mean E 450. I guess that is why nothing came up. Interesting, I thought that they all would have been installed from the factory, thanks for that info.

[Mich_F]

I assume you mean E 450, not F 450 ? I think you'll find in many cases the front seats aren't installed by Ford, but are installed by the RV builder. So you can't try one brand of MH and think all E 450s will have the same seat.

[rogerddd]

I prefer the Ford chassis, but when we were shopping for a Class C the Ford seating was not comfortable. That is the reason we bought a C on a Mercedes chassis. Big trade-off, because I also prefer gas vs. diesel. However, we are comfortable for long term travel in the Mercedes rig.

[Dusty_R]

I've been driving the E series since '72, E-100, E-150, vans, and E-350, E-450, mhs, never had a problem setting in the driver's seat. We now have a 2015 E-450, mh. The cab seats swivel around and recline, to use in the coach. We are snowbirds and find that those cab seats while are not real bad they are not real comfortable to set in for several hours.

[azdryheat]

Well the C seat isn't the plush Pusher seat but it's OK. I drive RV's in my job and the C's can be pretty nice, depending on the brand, but then I don't have back issues. Perhaps rent one for a week and see for yourself.