seat replacement

[mrharris12 32]

Hi all,

 

Has anyone ever replaced the seat on a 300 or 400 series with an old school metal tractor seat? 

 

My dad wants to replace the current seat with a metal one, I don't think I have seen this done but am curious to know if anyone here has.

[ebinmaine 68,889]

We don't own anything newer like a 300, 400..

I have done it on a 1974 or 1975 vintage B, C series. 

 

What do you have for seat mounts on your existing tractor?

 

 

[mrharris12 32]

3 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

We don't own anything newer like a 300, 400..

I have done it on a 1974 or 1975 vintage B, C series. 

 

What do you have for seat mounts on your existing tractor?

 

 

Not sure of the best way to describe it but it is attached to frame on the front, on the back there are two springs that make contact with the body and there is a gas strut or whatever they are called.

[Handy Don 12,663]

The two bolts on the top of the transmission are the key. They anchor the fenders and, on early 60's tractors, they also held the big "sideways U spring" that held the seat. Look at pictures of tractors from '61-64. The result was a somewhat lower seat height than on the 300-500 style with the large fenders. I think you'd need some fender reinforcement to add a spring seat to a newer model, especially with a hydro taking up a lot of the space under the fender.

 

[ebinmaine 68,889]

Many of the metal seats have a single large carriage bolt mounting them to the bracket. 

 

I'm kind of wondering if you could drill and "square edge"  a hole in the center of the flip forward steel bracket that's mounted to the tractor......?

[mrharris12 32]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Many of the metal seats have a single large carriage bolt mounting them to the bracket. 

 

I'm kind of wondering if you could drill and "square edge"  a hole in the center of the flip forward steel bracket that's mounted to the tractor......?

That is probably the main thing to try, just wondering what metal seats are out there to try

[ebinmaine 68,889]

2 minutes ago, mrharris12 said:

That is probably the main thing to try, just wondering what metal seats are out there to try

 

That's a wicked one to answer. You can get cheap imported metal seats all the way from $40, $50, online up to real vintage antique tractor seats on the rear side that are several hundred dollars.

 

I am what I refer to as the - not small - variety of human. 

I've tried a few different metal tractor seats because I was looking to do the same conversion a few years ago.

 

Most of them were fairly comfortable.

 

 

******* There is something for you to think about.

I love the look of a metal seat.

I tried it. I went back to vinyl and rubber.

We have very rough, hilly, course terrain here and I found the metal seat to be very very slippery.

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

25 minutes ago, mrharris12 said:

what metal seats are out there to try

UM.... there are many types of metal seats, can you tell us or show us a picture of what kind of metal seat that you are wanting to put on?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don

Edited May 3, 2022 by Snoopy11

[Lee1977 6,876]

Google " old Ford metal tractor seat " they are out there stamped metal. cast metal.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

This here is probably a good resource for you: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=metal tractor seat

 

I have this style here, if this is what you mean:

 

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Many of the metal seats have a single large carriage bolt mounting them to the bracket.

Yep, that is exactly how mine is...

 

Whether it falls into play in this thread or not remains to be seen, but this is what I did. Personally, as a bracket/spacer for the seat, I used 2 old wheels bolted together to make it look appealing. Then, 1 bolt through the seat, through the tractor's sheet-metal, to further reinforced metal underneath. Mine has no springs... so... as you can imagine... it is... eh... little... bumby on the hiney...

 

 

Don

[ebinmaine 68,889]

42 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

no springs

 

I know it doesn't seem to fit the status quo but I prefer my tractors to have no springs.

In my commercial trucks I drive with the seat right flat on the floor and every forklift I drive has the seat bolted straight down so that's the way I'm used to handling them.

Having the Wheel Horse u-shaped springs under the seats of the B and C series that I've owned makes them feel, to me, I don't know? Floppy. There's too much movement for my taste.  I ain't into it...

[Snoopy11 5,714]

5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 makes them feel, to me, I don't know? Floppy. There's too much movement for my taste.  I ain't into it...

I agree.

 

I'd rather be literally butt-hurt than floppily uncomfortable.

 

Don

Edited May 3, 2022 by Snoopy11

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,552]

  No springs under the seat means a harsh ride… that gets a thumbs down from me 

  

[ebinmaine 68,889]

10 minutes ago, Sparky said:

  No springs under the seat means a harsh ride… that gets a thumbs down from me 

  

You needa bring one o your tractahs up to our forest trails man!!

 

[tunahead72 2,451]

@mrharris12  Maybe something like these?:

 

Working Horses - Wheel Horse Tractors - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum

 

[Handy Don 12,663]

20 minutes ago, tunahead72 said:

@mrharris12  Maybe something like these?:

 

Working Horses - Wheel Horse Tractors - RedSquare Wheel Horse Forum

 

@ebinmaine this is your thought! Kinda ungainly lookin' but it probably works!

[ebinmaine 68,889]

23 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

@ebinmaine this is your thought! Kinda ungainly lookin' but it probably works!

Oh WOW. 

Waaaaay too high a seat for my tastes but I'll bet it's springy.