Please Help with Captains Chairs

[Campingliz99]

We have a 6 - 7 year old Ford E-350 24 foot class C. As we are aging, our bodies are complaining louder about the discomfort of the chairs in the cab. We added some memory foam toppers, but those don’t fit well and slide all over.

We don’t need fancy seats, just something our aching backs and backsides can tolerate. Any suggestion for add ons or inexpensive replacements would be very much appreciated.

Happy camping!

[bobndot]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

bobndot wrote:

This company offers bases as well. I'm going to order a passenger swivel base.
https://shop4seats.com/rv-furniture/rv-captain-chairs.html

I did the Swivel Seat from them on my RV,it worked out great.
When you get it finished it would be nice to see what you did and how it worked out,there were not any on a newer Ford Chassis that showed their work on that thread,it might be helpful to others that want to do the same thing.

Thank you for that info. I will post pics when I do it but it might not be till the spring.

[IAMICHABOD]

bobndot wrote:

This company offers bases as well. I'm going to order a passenger swivel base.
https://shop4seats.com/rv-furniture/rv-captain-chairs.html

I did the Swivel Seat from them on my RV,it worked out great.
When you get it finished it would be nice to see what you did and how it worked out,there were not any on a newer Ford Chassis that showed their work on that thread,it might be helpful to others that want to do the same thing.

[bobndot]

As a temporary comfort fix, I bought seat covers at Walmart. They hold the gel pads in place without any movement, they stay put.

I measured my Ford seats width from arm rest to arm rest at 26".
I have noticed in the 'shop4seats' site that some seats are 27" wide at the same spot. 27" might not work , not sure, the arm rest closest to the door on either side (driver or passenger) might be an issue.

The first 2 DE Leon seats are 26" but the Venture seat#5 is 27" .
Click on each seat and scroll down to view the dimensions and color/other options like heat , lumbar etc .
This company offers bases as well. I'm going to order a passenger swivel base.




https://shop4seats.com/rv-furniture/rv-captain-chairs.html

[ksg5000]

You might consider talking to a furniture upholstery shop - they s/b able to upgrade the foam support. Worth a phone call.

[Dusty_R]

Our mh cab seats swivel around to be used, as coach seats, while parked. Problem is that the coach floor is 3.5" higher than coach floor, chin on knees.
I tried making some brackets with angle iron that would make it rather easy to raise the seats when used as coach seats. But they would hit and not swivel with the brackets in place.

Dusty

[ronfisherman]

Dicks Auto Parts usually has seats removed from trucks.
Also check out Superior Seating

[Scottiemom]

We have Flexsteel captains chairs in our Phaeton. The seat people tell me that seat manufacturers make the seats according to the RV manufacturers' specs and they often elect to economize. So back at the Tiffin factory, an upholsterer put new and extra foam in our chairs. Unbeknownst to us, there was a way to insert the extra foam without tearing the chair apart. Made a big difference. When we had the chairs upholstered years later, we made sure we told the gal we wanted good foam in the seats and we got it. Very comfy.

Dale

[Jim]

I don't know what I'd end up doing, but I know I'd start by seeing what's available at RV furniture stores, and then trying to find something equivalent at one of the hundreds of RV salvage centers around the country. I often just stop in when I see one during my travels. And they almost always have large selections of RV chairs for driver and passenger.

[enblethen]

Flexsteel offers different seats for use in RVs. Some have different comfort settings.
You should be able to find a dealer in your area.Past through Bodega Bay a couple weeks ago!

[BFL13]

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/obusforme-back-support-massage-cushion-with-heat-0321488p.html#srp

[ron_dittmer]

RV manufactures buy their seats from RV seat suppliers. I am familiar with only one such company called Pauls Seating in Elkhart, Indiana, only because my motor home manufacture Phoenix USA buys their seats from Paul's Seating. Back in 2007, our two front seats did not come with adjustable lumbar support. But around 2012, we bought a 3rd matching captain seat SEEN HERE to replace a generic low-back seat inside the motor home, and IT CAME WITH a knob to adjust lower-back lumbar. If ordering new seats, MAKE SURE adjustable lower-back-lumbar support is included. Also mention that you have serious back problems. The seat supplier just might offer special internal seat-adjustment mechanisms to address your aching backs.

Here is another consideration......
If you do not already have them, universal 6-way adjustable power seat bases could help your back. They will bolt on your E350 floor and your existing RV-supplier seats will bolt directly onto them. Such seat bases are an RV industry standard. Adjusting height and seat-base-tilt might provide adequate variation for improved back comfort. I might suggest you get them first. If they are not enough, then consider replacing your actual seats with ones that have adjustable lumbar support.

My wife and I surely understand your dilemma. Our first motor home was a new 1983 Toyota-based rig HERE which had the worst front seats supplied by the RV manufacture. At age 25, we were dying after a few hours driving. We quickly resorted to utilizing our sleeping pillows and blankets. After a few years of that monkey business, I took the seats out and added stuffing behind the cloth seat skins for lower back support. The modification helped a lot, but it was never right. We lived with those nice looking but terribly uncomfortable seats for 24 years, till the day we sold the rig in 2007. Oh, and I should also mention that the tufted buttons in the Toyota front seats were like large pebbles in our back pockets. I cut the painful buttons off which is why you see some missing. Those seats were absolutely ridiculous.