C160,1054/953,lawn ranger SEATS

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

As most of you know I make seats.

Particularly 1054/953 c160/gt14 And lawn rangers. I'm retiring from them this year. I've made my last c160 seats and I posted in the FOR SALE 

I posted when I first started making them that the c160 was very challenging and that it was a work of love for these great tractors and the guys that make up Redsquare. But my health says I'm ready to lay it down. I've always tried to make the very best I could. I never scrimp on materials and the quality was as high as I could afford without compromise. The c160 was a beautiful style but  I had to invest a lot to make it. I'm not complaining I'm proud to probably be the only one that has ever made a reproduction of this seat. I will continue to make the lawn ranger and the 1054/953 until October this year.

Thanks to everyone that purchased from me and if you were not satisfied with my work pm me and I'll make it right.Thank you all

[rjg854 11,299]

Thank you for what you put into these seats, your heart and talent. I'm so happy to have been able to aquire one more of your seats before you quit making them  they even make an old patinad tractor look great .

[dells68 7,498]

Bob, your seats are top notch, second to none!  I’m very proud to have 4 of your seats and the quality is unbelievable!  Thank you for all that you do for our hobby!!

[Herder 2,354]

The seats you make are top notch and I am so happy to have these two and I am sorry life has slowed you down.  Thank you Mr. Ellison.

 

[953 nut 54,845]

Bob, there are only a hand full of people on the planet that are as good as you and I too am honored to have a few of your seats.   

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by 953 nut

[adam953 0]

On 6/30/2020 at 9:02 PM, BOB ELLISON said:

As most of you know I make seats.

Particularly 1054/953 c160/gt14 And lawn rangers. I'm retiring from them this year. I've made my last c160 seats and I posted in the FOR SALE 

I posted when I first started making them that the c160 was very challenging and that it was a work of love for these great tractors and the guys that make up Redsquare. But my health says I'm ready to lay it down. I've always tried to make the very best I could. I never scrimp on materials and the quality was as high as I could afford without compromise. The c160 was a beautiful style but  I had to invest a lot to make it. I'm not complaining I'm proud to probably be the only one that has ever made a reproduction of this seat. I will continue to make the lawn ranger and the 1054/953 until October this year.

Thanks to everyone that purchased from me and if you were not satisfied with my work pm me and I'll make it right.Thank you all

Bob how much for a 953 seat?

[12Horse Paladin 1,038]

Hi, Bob😊

Pm sent; hope all is well with you, my friend.

[sqrlgtr 552]

Hello hope everything is well with you and yours.Also sent you a pm.

[Jon D 82]

Hi Bob, I’m new to this forum and just saw your work, looks amazing! I’m pretty handy with the sewing machine and just wondering if you could give me some pointers on making the cushions for a seat pan I just purchased.  Once I restore the pan, I plan on making the cushions and putting it on a 1973 wheel horse. The current seat is not the original and in bad shape. Here is a pic of the pan I plan to use

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

Hi @Jon D

It was a very hard job to make the patterns just to make that seat. The lawn ranger seat as I call them takes 5 different pieces of black vinyl  and about a 2ft×2ft piece of pleated vinyl plus 7 feet of piping. Just to make one seat you would have to purchase the materials and you'll see that the cost is quite high. But a regular sewing machine will have trouble getting through all the layers. I invested more then $1500.00 just to make my first seat. I can tell you where to buy the materals if you want to build your own.

 

1 yard of black vinyl costs $30.00 a yard

White pleated vinyl just costed me $71.00 for 2 yards.

Piping is $3.00 a yard plus $3 or $4 Shipping 

I but it by the spoil  100 yards for $120.00

 

i buy the foam from a company 50 miles north of me.

2 inch 84"x72" for $90.00

1 inch 84x 72 for $72.00

If you don't have  patterns to cut out the vinyl and know how to sew them on it will be a very hard job to make your own seat.

The first 4 or 5 seats i made i had to throw out.

I had to invent the little tricks to make a seat fit on the pan. A lot of trail and error. 

 

[Jon D 82]

33 minutes ago, BOB ELLISON said:

Hi @Jon D

It was a very hard job to make the patterns just to make that seat. The lawn ranger seat as I call them takes 5 different pieces of black vinyl  and about a 2ft×2ft piece of pleated vinyl plus 7 feet of piping. Just to make one seat you would have to purchase the materials and you'll see that the cost is quite high. But a regular sewing machine will have trouble getting through all the layers. I invested more then $1500.00 just to make my first seat. I can tell you where to buy the materals if you want to build your own.

 

1 yard of black vinyl costs $30.00 a yard

White pleated vinyl just costed me $71.00 for 2 yards.

Piping is $3.00 a yard plus $3 or $4 Shipping 

I but it by the spoil  100 yards for $120.00

 

i buy the foam from a company 50 miles north of me.

2 inch 84"x72" for $90.00

1 inch 84x 72 for $72.00

If you don't have  patterns to cut out the vinyl and know how to sew them on it will be a very hard job to make your own seat.

The first 4 or 5 seats i made i had to throw out.

I had to invent the little tricks to make a seat fit on the pan. A lot of trail and error. 

 

I have a few yards of high quality vinyl and one of my machines is capable of sewing multiple layers.  What density of foam did you use? And what did you use for the foam backing? I’ve used thin plywood in the past on smaller seats for pedal cars. I’ve also made a few custom motorcycle seats before. 

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

I use a high density rubber foam. Here's there add.

Our Luxury Firm foam is a high density foam.  This foam grade is recommended for cars, seat pads, seat cushions and massage tables 4" thick or thinner. If you are looking for support and durability, then this foam is for you. This kind of foam has rubber based characteristics; which means it will maintain its original shape and density for many years with a high degree of support.

I don't use any backing on the foam it is cut to fit the pan so the cover fits on it. The cover keeps the foam down tight. I slit  the foam on the bottom to comform to the pan

Edited September 23, 2020 by BOB ELLISON

[Jon D 82]

Here’s a pic of the small seat I made for my daughter’s pedal car when she was little. I did a full restoration on this thing. Was her Grandfather’s when he was a little kid and was in bad shape before I started

[953 nut 54,845]

14 hours ago, Jon D said:

Here is a pic of the pan I plan to use

That seat pan looks the same as the C-160 @BOB ELLISON makes cushions for.                           It is a very involved process, you would be better off buying them from Bob.  

[Jon D 82]

28 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

That seat pan looks the same as the C-160 @BOB ELLISON makes cushions for.                           It is a very involved process, you would be better off buying them from Bob.  

Bob is retiring from making them

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

3 hours ago, Jon D said:

Bob is retiring from making them

Yes @953 nut is correct and that is a c160 pan.

Good eye Richard

I am not making them anymore. But on that pan the foam did have a backing and it was metal. I didn't look at it hard enough.  I thought it was a lawn ranger seat pan. The vinyl for those has to be glued to the metal plates. I paid $85.00 for a quart of 3m glue when I was doing those but it will never come apart. If you don't have a fixture to hold and compress the foam as you glue its very hard to attach the vinyl to the metal. 

I'll post some pictures of the process later for you to see.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

@BOB ELLISON just curious on an average seat;  how many hours did it take you?

[WHX?? 48,588]

Ever consider taking on an apprentice Bob? Sounds like @Jon D would be a good candidate?

I could lay the guilt trip on you about how your master craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail would then be passed down for generations and you would live in  infamy.... naww I would never do that..... still.

[Jon D 82]

I’m guessing you made a custom press to emboss the vinyl? @BOB ELLISON

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

1 hour ago, Jon D said:

I’m guessing you made a custom press to emboss the vinyl? @BOB ELLISON

Here's my post on the c160 this may help to explain how it's done 

 

[BOB ELLISON 2,980]

6 hours ago, jabelman said:

@BOB ELLISON just curious on an average seat;  how many hours did it 

 if I started from scratch and I had all the materials on hand and only did one seat.

Thats cutting black vinyl

Cutting the pleated white vinyl

cut wood,drill,sand and insert t-nuts

cut foam

sewing.

for the c160 it was a much more involved with imprinting the lines and the wheel horse emblem. Stretching the vinyl and foam over the metal plates and gluing. 

Lawn ranger------ about 3 hours

953/1054-------  about 5 hours

C160 ---------------about 8 hours

 

[Jon D 82]

Amazing work, gives me a lot to brainstorm about. 

[953 nut 54,845]

6 hours ago, WHX24 said:

Ever consider taking on an apprentice Bob? Sounds like @Jon D would be a good candidate?

I could lay the guilt trip on you about how your master craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail would then be passed down for generations and you would live in  infamy.... naww I would never do that..... still.

Sounds like Jim has a good idea there.                     A great master like @BOB ELLISON could take @Jon D under his wing and sell him the special tooling and fixtures needed to make these seats and Jon could pay Bob a royalty on each seat sold.        Win - - - Win - - - Win           Bob gets to retire from business,  Jon  will begin a new venture and we have an uninterrupted seat supply.        

[Jon D 82]

9 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Sounds like Jim has a good idea there.                     A great master like @BOB ELLISON could take @Jon D under his wing and sell him the special tooling and fixtures needed to make these seats and Jon could pay Bob a royalty on each seat sold.        Win - - - Win - - - Win           Bob gets to retire from business,  Jon  will begin a new venture and we have an uninterrupted seat supply.        

Would be nice if I didn’t have to work close to 60 hrs a week, everybody keeps ordering stuff and the big brown trucks don’t stop.  Wonder if I can teach my 7 year old daughter to make them, I mean she does love helping me in the shop and if she gets out of hand, that glue might come in handy

Edited September 23, 2020 by Jon D

[WHX?? 48,588]

Sounded like a good idea to me Richard.

I would apply for the job but the closest I come to sewing is stiching greenhorns in their bunks with dental floss out at sea in the Navy.