Can't Recline Driver's seat while driving, Hit's Slide-out

[RickNC]

Originally Posted by Elqueso2

I just went out to the motorhome and realized that the seat cannot go back anymore than it is. It's hit the mechaical "stops" of the seat slides. Probably keeping the slide-out from hitting it and bending it sideways when you bring the slide-out back in, so maybe bring the seat "Up" might be the answer.

On my 2019 E450 I was able to redrill the 4 holes in the fixed base for the seat tracks rearward about 1.25”. I have a sticker by the slide out button to remind me to make sure the drivers seat back is upright.

[Elqueso2]

Originally Posted by Ron Dittmer

Yes, raising the seat makes sense, but being a tall fellow, make sure you have adequate headroom, and also clearence to the steering wheel. Maybe you can place thick blankets on the seat base as a test before starting the project.

The suggestion of performing surgery on the backrest also makes sense because it looks like a minimal amount.

Shifting the seat to the right concerns me for one reason. On an E350 and E450, the gas and brake pedals are already skewed to the left compared to a normal car. Shifting them further might cause a serious foot-to-pedal alignment problem.

I'm not going to shift the seat sideways 4". It was a thought and not a very good one...lol

[Elqueso2]

I took a towel folded it up to 2", and it felt much better for leg room and still had over 5" of headroom. I had another thought about raising the seat. I looked at different ways of doing it. It (to me) seems easiest to just raise the seat where it attaches to the slide rails. Those are 5/16" bolts so I could get 4 thick wall 1 1/2" to 2" spacers and put them between the seat and slide rails. The seat is just sitting on those 4 points with spacers now. I could use case harded bolts just in case. Thoughts?
Forgive the dust bunnies under the seat.....

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by Elqueso2

I took a towel folded it up to 2", and it felt much better for leg room and still had over 5" of headroom. I had another thought about raising the seat. I looked at different ways of doing it. It (to me) seems easiest to just raise the seat where it attaches to the slide rails. Those are 5/16" bolts so I could get 4 thick wall 1 1/2" to 2" spacers and put them between the seat and slide rails. The seat is just sitting on those 4 points with spacers now. I could use case harded bolts just in case. Thoughts?
Forgive the dust bunnies under the seat.....

I simply cut (8) 1-1/2" dia. X 1-1/2" long pieces of galvanized metal pipe for the seat spacers .

I placed them between the seat base and the cab floor and used grade 8 bolts to secure them.

An added bonus by placing the spacers between the seat base and cab floor and not between the seat and seat base it provided additional storage space below the seats .

[Elqueso2]

Originally Posted by Bill Gail

I simply cut (8) 1-1/2" dia. X 1-1/2" long pieces of galvanized metal pipe for the seat spacers .

I placed them between the seat base and the cab floor and used grade 8 bolts to secure them.

An added bonus by placing the spacers between the seat base and cab floor and not between the seat and seat base it provided additional storage space below the seats .

Bill, Thank you for getting back to me. I used Hillman (4) 3/4-in I.D. x 1-in O.D. x 2-in Long Seamless Steel Spacers which I bought from Lowes. They were $1.75 each. I bought (4) Grade-8 5/16 x 4 1/2" case harden bolts, locks and washers also. Probably an overkill on the hardness, but wanted to be safe. I placed the spacers between the seat and the slide. My floor bolts weren't fixed to the floor and spun when I tried to loosen them, so went with the seat slide removal instead. For me it was much easier to remove the slide bolts nuts instead of the floor bolts. The seats originally had a spacer on all 4 corners so I used it too. I just flipped the original seat spacer around and it sat inside the 2” steel spacer. I also used 2 thick fender washers under the 2 front spacers only. This gave me seat a little "tilt" giving my legs a little more support from the bottom. I have a Ford F250 and have my seat adjusted the same way. I like your idea of spacing it from the floor to give you more storage. I found that the seat is surprisingly more comfortable and the tilt did support my legs more than it was. I am going to do the same to the passenger side since my wife is 5’ 10” and would benefit from raising the seat too. So far, it’s a sturdy, cheap upgrade and happy I did it. I am sitting up noticeably higher but it’s not horrible. I still have about 6” of head space from the bottom of the cabover top bunk. I did have to tilt my seating wheel up one notch. Again, it’s totally worth it and thank you for the great suggestion.

___________________________________
2005 Winnabego Minnie 31' (WF331C)
1987 Ford F250 4X4 6.9L Diesel w/ Banks and Gear Vendor Overdrive

[tap4154]

Post 13 in this thread shows someone that actually did cut the slide flange to move their seat backwards. It looks like they also remove the fascia, and using velcro reattach it when the slide is open.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f2...0-a-33779.html

[Elqueso2]

Originally Posted by tap4154

Post 13 in this thread shows someone that actually did cut the slide flange to move their seat backwards. It looks like they also remove the fascia, and using velcro reattach it when the slide is open.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f2...0-a-33779.html

Thank you for posting this above and it is an option. My seat feels pretty good now and have more room for my legs. I did the same mod to my wife's seat too. I'll know more the next time we take it out in a few weeks. The seat is rock solid and probably stronger than it was. I have no worries about shear with thick walled steel spacers and grade 8 bolts. Stock, the seats sit on the same 4 points so all I did was raise it.

[ArtJoyce]

I have the same issue in my A, I have limits because of the slide.
I can raise the seat up by maybe up to 6-8 inches. Which I use may 4 inches up and sit more upright and that works works for me at 6-3.