22 replies to this topic

[ckent323]

We have a 1993 Dodge w250 Clubcab LE with OEM "Captians Chair" bucket seats.  The seat back pawls are broken and the seat foam no longer provides adequate support and comfort. (hasn't in years).

 
We have been looking at buying new seats since early 2018 and tried to get them before we went on our Alaska trip in 2018 but the lead time for new seats was too long and we did not have enough time to get them and have them installed before our trip.

We have variously tried Bride, Sparco, Corbeau and Recaro seats.   We also explored seats from various wrecked vehicles.  After a lot of sitting in various seat models, discussion and comparison of construction and features we decided that we like the Scheel-Mann Vario seats best.   They are expensive but compared to trying to get high end bucket seats from a wrecked vehicle in the color and size we wanted the cost winds up being in a similar price ballpark with less hassle.  However, we did have to forgo electric adjustment features.  The upside is that means less wiring and less things to go wrong.
 

We visited the Iglehautallrad Sprinter Van conversion business run by Daniel Kuttner in Carpinteria, CA to try out the Scheel-Mann Vario F seats he has installed in his sprinter van.  He is the only local Scheel-Mann dealer and he is the Iglehautallrad US distributor).

We really like the seats (this was our second try out).  I found the Vario F seat back a bit short for my torso and the seat boslster width a bit snug at my thighs (I am a big guy)

Working by phone with Toby Pond at Scheel-mann in Portland (US distributor) I decided that the Vario XXL (3" taller back) and R model (larger side bolsters) would probably work best for me.  The passenger seat will be a standard Vario F model.

 

I placed the order yesterday.  Seats will be Grey checkerboard cloth in center (only Black is shown on the Scheel-Mann website) with Grey leatherette bolsters.  Both seats will have sliders and inside armrest as well as heaters.

The passenger seat was in stock and Toby will be drop shipping it to us in a week.  The driver seat needs to be built in Germany and lead time is 16 weeks - ouch.

I am ordering the seat adapter brackets from Wedge Brackets in Utah.

I will update this post once I get the seats.

 

The folks at all three of these companies have been very partient and helpful with us and I recommend them.

Scheel-Mann USA

Iglehautallrad USA

Wedge Brackets


Note: For Sprinter Van owners, Toby said a lot of people buying Sprinter vans are finding the seats unsatisfactory and are upgrading to Scheel-Mann seats.  He said that is the fastest growing market for the seats. 



Craig

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Craig I deleted your other post for you.

Frank

[Dirt Rider]

looking forward to seeing a review and how hard the install was!

[DavidGraves]

Craig

 

You might consider getting some seats from a  1997 Toyota T100.

 

They are absolutely the most comfortable long days seats I have seen OEM.

 

We used to regularly make 500 mile days (6 of them ) for the trip to VA and I can actually walk and stand up straight after these jaunts.

 

Good luck with your new seats......I am sure the Sprinter folks have inspired a lot of new products with the generally deep pockets of the owners.

 

David Graves

[craig333]

I'd like a new seat for my truck but not quite at those prices. My legs get uncomfortable on long drives but I figure thats a sign I should stop and take a break anyway.

[ckent323]

David Graves,

 

I think the OEM Dodge W250 LE version "Captian's Chair" bucket seats were more comfortanble than the Toyota seats.  The 91 - 93 Dodge Ramcharger (and I think other years) use the exact same seats. 

Unfortunately my OEM seats are now broken down and a complete rebiild would cost a large fraction of the new Scheel Mann seats.   I have looked at a lot of seats from wrecked vehicles.  Never found anythng that I wanted that would turn out so much  cheaper than the Scheel Mann seats when all was said and done that I would buy them.  The reason is most had wear that would need repair or would have reduced life as compared to new searts or if near new were several thousand for a pair.

I spent a long time as well as a lot of time and research making this decision. The invoice has been paid so now waiting for receipt of the new seats.

;-)

Edited by ckent323, 28 March 2021 - 01:10 AM.

[DavidGraves]

Right on...sometimes it is best to keep it simple.

 

Not many know but there are several small specialty companies that make custom seating and acoutrment for over the road trucks.

 

When I was driving long haul for one of the road racing teams we used an outfit in Indiana that was able to do custom sleeper beds etc for the tractor.

 

DG

[ckent323]

David,

 

Are you referring to air seats like thoese made by Knoedler and National Seating?   They are in the same price range as Recaro and Scheel-Mann.

Superior seats maybe?

Most of these seats are for on road comfort (I have sat in some) in RVs and Vans and big trucks. To my knowledge they are not designed to hold and support a person securely on bumpy unpaved roads and rough track.

To be sure they are comfy seats - sort of like a home lounge chair.  Great for an RV or vehicle that stays on pavement.

 

For us it was a trade off, enough comfort on road but plenty of support off road.

 

Alas there is no perfect.

Edited by ckent323, 28 March 2021 - 08:22 PM.

[DavidGraves]

Yep

[ntsqd]

The Blanc-Oh! came to us with a set of Mastercraft front seats already installed. I've sat in a similar seat for 1,100-1,200 miles of combined pavement and Baja dirt roads working the 2004 Baja 1000 so I had some idea of what they would be like. With "normal" buckets, like those in our CTD, I find myself periodically needing to adjust their position to stay comfortable during a long drive. Not so with these seats. Which is a good thing because there is no way to adjust them other than fore/aft. I have since logged a ~1,500 mile trip and several 100 to 400 mile trips in this seat in complete comfort.

 

The downside to them is that they are not easy to get in and out of. I would imagine that they got ruled out early in your survey of options based just on that. Several mfg's of similar seats make low sided versions, but those will roughly compare to a high side bolstered "normal" aftermarket bucket seat, so they're still not an easy in, easy out seat. Still, if future readers are willing to deal with this small requirement I would encourage giving the Mastercraft and PRP seats a try.

 

One thing that these seats lend themselves to very well is placing them such that your spine is reclined and bearing down on the seat 'back' rather than stacked vertically. This is huge to both comfort and spine health. I was told by a desert racing prep guy a long time ago that the seats should be set like this or spine injuries would be a problem. They need not be radically reclined ala an F1 driving position, but they should be reclined enough that the seat supports the back during a hard bump rather than compressing the spine.