Replaced Seat on PT 1850

[SpringHollow]

I had the PT out gathering firewood and learned a new way to lose weight - let the black flies and mosquitoes eat you alive. Since I had it out, I thought I would take a few pictures.

I replaced the seat with one from K&M manufacturing (www.tractorseats.com): K & M Manufacturing - Your source for tractor seats & accessories.

The seat may not be on their web site but is KM 406 Uni Pro - Grey Vinyl and cost $159 which supposedly is a very discounted price since they did a special purchase. I also installed the ultra-low mechanical suspension #6081 ($158) and replaced the slide rails (part # 6043) since mine were not working. They also sell a retractable seat belt for $29.

As you can tell, this was not cheap!!!! However, it really does ride much better. Besides the price, the other negative is that the the suspension adds about 4" (including a simple metal adapter plate and a few washers used as spacers) to the seat height. I am 5' 7" and my feet do not really rest on the floor unless I really try. I thought that would bother me but I actually like it so far.

The really strange thing is that I would have thought the extra height would cause me to bang my head more when getting in or out but since installing the seat, I have not even brushed the FOPS.

Even without the suspension, it is a nice seat if you are looking for a replacement. I tried the regular suspension but that is way too tall for me.

For those not familiar with the 1850, the angled braces, etc. under the seat are part of the auto tilt mechanism. Speaking of which, I installed the mercury switch box on the suspension frame since the seat back folds down.

Ken

 

[Phils]

A new seat is next on my list of mods. Now that [I think] my overheating and vaporlock problem is solved it's time to focus attention elsewhere.

I will be searching the old posts as there was another seat replace thread long ago. I'm not sure I want to spend over $300 for a better seat (well, actually no problem for me but there's a DW that would question the expenditure).

My back would appreciate some seat suspension!

Thanks for the photos.... that's a nice install!!

(And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one whose PT is dirty from work.)

Phil

 

[kmaz]

Ken, I dont know how you ever made a decission on a seat....They got a ton of them! Ive been curious as to how much of a difference there is between a fixed and a suspension seat. My body needs every bit of help it can get.
Kris

 

[SpringHollow]

There were a lot of seats and I looked at a lot of sites! I doubt K&M is the cheapest place to buy a seat but they are extremely helpful. In my case, I tried the regular suspension first and was able to return it once I saw it was not going to work. Kevin at K&M recommended this seat as being the best bang for the buck. He said they were selling it at about 1/2 of the normal price because they bought someone's returned inventory at a low price.

It is hard for me to tell if I get bounced more but I found the seat much easier on my back once I got it adjusted. On my factory seat, I kept bottoming out feeling the metal plate underneath the foam and the shock was transmitted to my back. The smaller wheels on the PT seem to transmit more of the ground's irregularities so it was nice to get something to help the jarring. I do not think my original seat was in the best of shape but you probably know whether yours feels the same way or not. It was a ridiculous amount of money but hopefully it lasts a long time.

Ken