Best driver seat for bad back??

[robertglines1]

I have no seat now for new bus...have mechanical adjusted seat on 89 prevost(now)..what is best ride??

[Dreamscape]

We have an air ride and I have a bad back. I think it works just fine, not soft and cushy, just enough support for this ole tired back. It does have a lumbar adustment that is great also. No arm rests, cause I need both hands on the wheel with our armstrong steering.

I'm afraid of a cushy seat, might want to take a nap!

JMHO,

Paul

[bevans6]

If you truly have a bad back, then seat choice will be as individual as your injury.  My wife has a Harrington rod in her back so her spine is actually fused from just below her shoulders to the small of her back.  she has great posture, but finds seats I like a lot totally uncomfortable.  I've had good success with Recaro, currently I had some late model GM pickup truck seats in the bus.  They have integral three point seat belts, which I thought was a good idea.

Brian

[cody]

I have an air seat in my iggle and it's nice but not nearly as comfortable as the seat in my revcon, the seat in my revcon came from a conversion van and has all kinds of adjustments and is pillow soft but with great support, I don't quite know how they managed that but it is a flexsteel so I'm thinking they may have known what they were doing lol, the revcon seat also swivels right around, reclines and is taller than my head, I can adjust the head rest exactly where I want it, I've had great luck in finding salvage yard seats from conversion vans but the key is to take the center seats as they swivel, the front seats only move back and forth and normally only have one armrest where the center seats have both armrests, just a thought lol.

[BG6]

If you are within reasonable distance of a Freightliner or Kenworth dealer, go visit and check out the seats they have.  If you have a back injury, don't scrimp on the seat.  It needs to support you while you are steering and braking, moving your head around a lot, maybe working a clutch . . .it's not just a chair.

While you are there, ask if they have any USED seats, and check those too (I've seen brand-new seats taken out after one trip by owner-operators and independents).

After you put in the seat, you also might want some foam padding on the floor -- you wouldn't believe how much shock to your spine comes through your feet as road bumps and vibration.

[Don4107]

If you have any other vehicles that have seats that work for you, get the same one from a wrecking yard and mount it on whatever pedestal works out.  I like the seats in my poor old Suburban.  Rita's Saturn Vue is not bad either. Drove it over eight hundred miles last weekend.

Good luck
Don 4107

[buswarrior]

Be careful of the inexpensive air seats, some of them are VERY lacking in damping.

Over a big bump and the seat will bottom out, injuring you again.

Recaro is a hard name to beat.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Van]

I'm with Cody on this one,Conversion vans, center seats are the bomb! fully adjustable,they swivel and recline. we opted for these,while doing the conversion, payed a C-note on the C-list, the expensive chairs will come when we are done.  

[rv_safetyman]

When I worked for Gates, I put a ton of miles (and long days) in an Astro Van.  I have a pretty touchy back, and could drive much longer than I should with no problem.

When I built my truck motorhome, I got an Astro seat and mounted it on an air seat base.  Loved it.

When it came time to do the Eagle, I used an Astro seat and the original air base and, again, I love it.  Cheap way to go.

If you have the $$$, the commercial air seats can be a great asset.  As was pointed out, there is some variation.  I would look for one with lots of different adjustments especially lumbar.  As Brain points out, different back problems require different seat configurations, thus the recommendation of lots of adjustments.

The air base is not as necessary in most buses as it might be in some trucks.  However, it gives you a bunch of adjustment, so that you can change your seating position often and this really helps with many back problems.  When I get sciatic pain, I simply change the seat height until it gets better.

[robertglines1]

I have a set of asto seats thats a idea...have a freightlinner and Kenworth dealer both here....and several large truck wrecking yards...Recaro will ck them out...Judy uses a Lane Euro for a co-piolt seat it is comfortable and adjustable..maybe one on a air base???probably go truck air ride adjustable..bone on bone lower back and Sciatic problems...have nerve blocks and med .have built up back mussel to help support back..any thing to avoid surgery...mainly have trouble with numbness in feet and pain in but..have been playing with mechanical adjustment on present seat..no real difference...thought air might have less shock than mechanical

[Sam 4106]

Hi Bob,
We have a Flexsteel electric adjustable drivers seat that is very comfortable for both of us. Easy to adjust when we switch drivers. We try not to drive more than 100 miles between driver changes and we get up and walk around to help take the kinks out of our bodies. We also use the restroom while we are stopped, and at least for me, that helps too. I often lay down on the sofa and catch a catnap between driving stints. That helps me stay alert when it's my turn to drive. All of the above allow me to travel a full day and still be relatively comfortable at the end of the day.
Good luck, Sam MC8

[Ed Hackenbruch]

A long long time ago i injured my right hip and knew that someday it was going to come back to haunt me. About 2 1/2 years ago it started to let me know that i was probably going to have to get it replaced in the near future.  About 1 1/2 years ago it started to hurt on a constant basis instead of just once in a while and i knew i better start looking into getting it done. Shortly thereafter i happen to read something about how everyone tells women that they should start taking calcium when they turn 50, but that no one tells men that they should do the same.  I figured what the heck, i had nothing to lose and it might help a little.  Help a little???  Hell, for the last  14-15 months i have had NO Pain at all!!!!  Once in a great while i may get a momentary twinge if i am in a contorted position while working under the bus, but all that that does is make me aware of how much better i am!  Come to think of it my back hasn't bothered me for quite a while either!    Disclaimer..... this might not work for some, or even most people, but boy did it work for me. 

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Ps.  this might help with another problem that some of us have.   I had carpel tunnel surgery on my left hand back in 1988.  Several years later it was coming back and i thought i was going to have to have it done again. Somebody told my wife to have me take Lecithin twice a day. Took a month to work for me, anytime i stop taking it for a few weeks i can feel it coming back.    There again, it may not work for everybody but it has worked for me.    Added benefit is that Lecithin is supposed to help keep your heart and arteries clean.