How to make drivers seat more comfortable

[BeetTrucker]

Hey all, have a Stewart and Stevenson m1088a1. Driver seat gets pretty uncomfortable after spending hours in it. What have you guys done to make it more bearable? Air ride, cushion, etc. Thanks!

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Drove a M1088 with these in the cab. No complaints.

 

[BeetTrucker]

Drove a M1088 with these in the cab. No complaints.

Was hoping to get away with spending less than that but if it comes down to it, we’ll go this route. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Third From Texas]

Any of a number of take-off or aftermarket seats can be modified to fit.

I found a pair of new/take-off second row minivan seats for $50 locally.



BAE did eventually address the "sitting on a brick wall seat" issue. The original S&S seats had a metal plate at the base of the foam (any bump, you make contact).



BAE removed the plate in the A1R versions to allow the seats to function more as a suspension seat.

If you are looking to keep the OEM military theme, look for A1R seats (rare, but often swapped out for custom installs so they are out there)

 

[GeneralDisorder]

A1P2 seats are even better than A1R seats. The armored cab trucks have 4 point (really late models are now 5 point) harness seats made by Mastercraft Defense.

Energy Attenuating 9-Position Reclining Seat

MasterCraft Safety Defense makes seats, restraints and storage solutions for the Military and Defense sectors.

www.mastercraftdefense.com

They do sell these on the civilian side also for Jeeps, etc. Summit Racing carries them or did till recently.

They come up surplus now and then also. The gunner seat folds up and so mounts to the back wall of the armored cab. I haven't got around to mounting that yet.

 

[Andyrv6av8r]

Used Prius seats from Craigslist. $65 for the pair

 

[ramdough]

I have 2002 BMW X3 seats. Had to make new brackets and get rid of the grab handles…. And use the BMW seatbelts.


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[jtcawrse]

A1P2 seats are even better than A1R seats. The armored cab trucks have 4 point (really late models are now 5 point) harness seats made by Mastercraft Defense.

Energy Attenuating 9-Position Reclining Seat

MasterCraft Safety Defense makes seats, restraints and storage solutions for the Military and Defense sectors.

www.mastercraftdefense.com

They do sell these on the civilian side also for Jeeps, etc. Summit Racing carries them or did till recently.

They come up surplus now and then also. The gunner seat folds up and so mounts to the back wall of the armored cab. I haven't got around to mounting that yet.

View attachment 903844

View attachment 903845

I’d really like to see that fold up seat and how it mounts. It is the solution I’ve been looking for.


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[serpico760]

Hey all, have a Stewart and Stevenson m1088a1. Driver seat gets pretty uncomfortable after spending hours in it. What have you guys done to make it more bearable? Air ride, cushion, etc. Thanks!

If you can find a Bostrom LTSS low profile air ride seats those do fit I've seen an fmtv fitted with those. A popular option is seats from the Chrysler Pacifica which are commonly used as handicap vehicles and commonly have seats for sale. Midwest military equipment sells adapter seat brackets and seats also. I happen to make my own custom seat bracket I have seats out of a Chrysler Town and country they're a little bit bulky but they fit and they're comfortable.

 

[coachgeo]

if you go offroad..... then get something with good side seat bolsters to limit bebopping side to side. Your spine will thank you and you will be less tired on such drives

 

[Third From Texas]

if you go offroad..... then get something with good side seat bolsters to limit bebopping side to side. Your spine will thank you and you will be less tired on such drives

True, but...it's a bit of a personal taste (and highly dependent on just how radically you intend to " send it" with your RV/big rig. While a little bolster is certainly good, too much can be limiting.

IMO, these trucks are enough of a climb to get in/out of with just cushy flat seats. Before I install my Pacifica seats, I tried a couple different suspension seats that I have with tall bolstered sides (Mastercraft buckets and an older set from another Baja car) and IMO they just made it harder to get into the seat at the end of the climb up. It was just uncomfortable to me, ymmv.

At the end of the day, I'm building an overland camper. I won't be jumping it or going fast enough that lateral sliding in the seat will be a concern. To me the bolsters just felt more confining the longer I tested them on the highway (and honestly, I spend as much or more time on the highway as I do off road). And when I am off road, I'm more crawler than trophy truck (especially with all that crap potentially bouncing around in the habitat).

I admit that I am biased. On long rad trips I like to adjust my position a LOT. Bolsters (at least like on my race car seats) would just feel far to restrictive. Mastercraft makes reclining seats with less obtrusive bolsters (I think that's what General Disorder has). But their buckets with the deep bolsters just didn't cut it for me (thus they are back in the Baja car).

I guess it's kinda like armrests. Some people have to have them, some hate them.

ymmv

One word of advices, though. If you install non-OEM seats, be sure to use the OEM seatbelts. Being bolted to the floor, they'll help keep you in place in a impact. If you were to strap in to the seat itself...and say a bracket or bolt fails...they may find you strapped into the seat still. It just may not be in the truck....

 

[coachgeo]

IMO, these trucks are enough of a climb to get in/out of with just cushy flat seats. Before I install my Pacifica seats, I tried a couple different suspension seats that I have with tall bolstered ..... made it harder to get into the seat at the end of the climb up. It was just uncomfortable to me, ymmv.
...

Excellent points. Luckly for me ... same reason needing lot of bolster allows me to slip by them in mounting the cab.... am skinny lol. Being pretty much a life long gymnast helps too.

 

[Awesomeness]

The biggest issue I noticed with the stock seat was lack of lumbar support, on long drives. Using a small camping pillow behind my lower back pretty much alleviated the problem.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDP38EO/

I've since upgraded to the Cobra seat, which has the same problem, and same solution.