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Front Seat That Swivels Upgrade W/Pic

IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Explorer II
I really missed having seats that swiveled like I had on my old
Class A.Now that I have a smaller Class C.
So I looked around and found only one place that sold an aftermarket swivel and found out that another RV.NET poster had done it,thanks scroller95969, so I ordered it and installed it.

This is how it went.

First you remove the seat to expose the seat base.

Then you install the Swivel,This thing is not light.It weighs over 34 lbs.It is made out of 1/8in steel and very sturdy. One note here,some of the holes don't line up and have to be reamed out a little to fit.
I suggest that this is done on a bench and is test fitted before install it is too heavy to be messing with any other way.


The Bolts that are supplied are Grade 8 with NyLock nuts,this thing is not going any where!!
Also in the in the pic you will notice the lift bar that lets you pull up to swivel the seat.It came straight,it is about 5 inches long
and I thought it may pose a hazard so I heated it and bent it 90 degrees so it will tuck under the seat somewhat.
I then installed the seat and this is how it looked before.

And after, giving me more room,an extra seat, and opening up the whole thing.

This is it turned and pushed against the dash with the back upright.


This is it in the full recline position,it may be adjusted to any angle you want of course. Just move it on the slider as you would when it is in it's forward position.

It works both ways for which ever way you want and still swivels to give you as much room that you want.
This mod was for the stock seats but they also make ones for after market and for different brands of RV chassis. It should be noted that it also raised the seat about 2 inches.
I bought this at Shop 4 Seats They also sell swivel bases for other seats
They are made to order,they are not off the shelf items.So if you order make sure that all your measurements are right.They are quite helpful on the phone. It takes about 3 weeks to get them,they are about 15 miles from me so I had them on will call and saved the shipping.
It worked out very well and the seat swivels just great. It is easier to open the door and do the swivel and it misses the dog house and everything just fine.

If you do this Mod, post a picture of yours, so we all can see!
Like This one from loweryfarris on page 4
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C
83 REPLIES 83

BruceMc
Explorer III
Explorer III
On our last visit to the RV dealer where we purchased our 2016 Sunseeker, we got to visit our old family friend Dave, and browse several new units. Many of the class C units on the sprinter chassis now come with a booster cushion which attaches via velcro. The booster looks like a standard drivers/passenger seat bottom, but is stored in the overhead. When installed, this raises the seat surface up about 6 inches.
That's a novel approach, but perhaps they should include a mechanism to raise the whole chair - much like an office chair.
I 'spect a replacement seat such as the Recaro "Mass Transit, Military, Specialty" might be the ticket too, but at a cost....
2016 Forest River Sunseeker 2250SLEC Chevrolet 6.0L

Artum_Snowbird
Explorer
Explorer
Ductape Dave wrote:
I checked out Discount Van & Truck and for a swivel base it says "approved for seats without airbags" I guess for liability reasons so that excludes my 2011 E450. Wish I had the roomier Chevy!


My Winnebago is a 2012 E-450 with the V-10 in it. The swivel seats came standard with the unit. Check with them and see what they use.
Mike
2012 Winnebago Impulse Silver 26QP
2005 16.6 Double Eagle
2018 Jeep Wrangler JK
previously Snowbird Campers,
Triple E Motorhome and Fifth Wheel

luvztheoutdoor1
Explorer
Explorer
Great job! I have always wanted a bit more room and this would surely do the trick. Congratulations!!
Linda
Scout, 10 year old Husky/Shepherd
2011 Jayco Greyhawk 26DS

Dusty_R
Explorer
Explorer
Our 2016 Itasca Spirit 27Q came with swivel seats. The problem is the coach floor is 3-1/2 inches higher than the cab seats. We are living in it for the winter, so I raised them for now. They will need to go back down before we leave for home.

Dusty

Off_Pavement
Explorer
Explorer
wbwood wrote:
Only seeing that they go up to 2006 Fords. Anyone know of any later model ford e450 bases? We have a 2013.


Look closely at product descriptions. At least one of the bases listed is for 2006+ passenger side E series van seats...

https://www.discountvantruck.com/rvvanseatbases/rvvanFordseatbases.htm
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Brian Hoag
www.rv-camping.org
'10 Sunseeker Class C - Gozer II
'13 Jeep JKU (Wrangler) - Billie

Rolin
Explorer
Explorer
Ordered a swivel passenger seat base for a 2006 ford E450 from Shop4Seats. Very solidly built swivel. The original seat base was open on the bottom (not solid metal where it bolted to the floor). This base was so thick that the rear nuts could not get sufficient thread to secure them.

Step 2: Removed carpet under the seat. The glue was awful. Still trying to figure out to get it all off. Also there were two nuts covered by the carpet, so I made a template and drilled holes in the base of the swivel so the nuts would not hold the base up to high.

Have get that darn glue off before I can put the base down. Grrrr.

I like the swivel and looking forward to getting it all installed to see how well the seat works when swiveled.

IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Explorer II
Is your spring on the lever still attached? It can be seen in the second picture at the beginning of the thread.

Mine will snap back into the slot when released and males a positive lock,it has never done what yours has.

After looking at mine I see that in the slot where the first bend meets the horizontal part of the slot it is cut back a bit letting the lever seat on the floor of the top part,thus letting the lock to fall all the way in place. Your idea of using a file sounds good.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C

Snowman9000
Explorer
Explorer
I found there is a pair of opposing holes already, on the front edge near the door side. I didn't have a bolt handy but I had a big spike nail the right diameter, so I cut it and dropped it in. It works.

Currently RV-less but not done yet.

Snowman9000
Explorer
Explorer
I can no longer recommend the Chevy swivel base from Discount Van.

At least on ours, it can be swiveled without pulling the locking lever. More than once while going down the road, my wife has leaned around to the left to look at something or whatever, and the seat swiveled.

The latching setup is very crudely made. Photos below.

It looked like a simple fix. Just bend the round mild steel lever down to keep it in the notch, right? Well, it did not help at all. The lever contacts up high in the notch, at the top arrow in the photo. It never touches the notch in the vicinity of the bottom arrow, during any movement. When it contacts at the top of the notch, the notch just rides the lever on up and out. There must be too much play or deflection in the lever, and the notch is too wide.

Bending the lever down a reasonable amount did not help. And at some amount of extra bend, it creates an interference problem during the rest of the swiveling of the seat.

So far I'm thinking of drilling a hole in the two opposing plates, and dropping a bolt in. The other thing that seems to work in testing is to use a bungee to pull down on the lever. Or something else to keep the lever down until we release it.

A final idea is to use a round file in the upper part of the notch, and create an indent which would better capture the lever when someone turns the seat.

All in all, it's crudely made. Buyer beware. Photos below.



Currently RV-less but not done yet.

IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Explorer II
This may be of some help for the Ford Guys.

Ford Install
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C

beeman1
Explorer
Explorer
Can I do a swivel on the drivers seat? I have a 2001 class c Gulf stream. Pics would help.:h

Dusty_R
Explorer
Explorer
We have a new 2015 Itasca C that both the driver's and passenger's seat swivel around to be used as seats in the coach. The problem is the floor of the coach is 3-1/2" higher that the cab. I would like to find a way to raise the seats when we are parked and using the mh to live in. The also recline.

Dusty

IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Explorer II
How about Here Sportsmobile makes them for your year,the reviews are good and informative. The ones from Shop 4 Seats look just like them,maybe give them a call and see if they are the same.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C

wbwood
Explorer
Explorer
Only seeing that they go up to 2006 Fords. Anyone know of any later model ford e450 bases? We have a 2013.
Brian
2013 Thor Chateau 31L