Why Do Truck Seats Bounce?

Have you driven a truck and discovered that the seat bounces, and you’re like, “why do truck seats bounce?” In this article, we’d give you an answer to that question, so that when next you experience a “bouncing” truck seat, you’ll know why exactly it’s that way.

Why Do Truck Seats Bounce

Large trucks are designed to carry a lot of weight on their axles, which effectively means that they need to have, in their suspension, very stiff springs. This results in a very harsh, bouncy, and uncomfortable ride which can be fatiguing for a driver who has to deal with it all day long.

What Are The Best Semi Truck Seats To Sit On For Long Periods?

If you ride on the seats of semi-trucks for a long period of time every single day, you’re likely to start experiencing sore back and behind. Truck drivers spend almost all of their workdays sitting behind the wheel. The sitting pattern of these drivers makes them [the drivers] susceptible to vibrations that come from the road and the truck. Drivers can end up having bottom, back, and leg pain as a result of encountering these vibrations.

Fortunately, there are options for truck drivers — options that can help make these drivers’ ride even more comfortable. There are a good number of aftermarket truck seats’ from which you can choose, including the ones listed below:

Seats Inc. Off-Road Seats

This brand seats, Seats Inc. Off-Road Seats, offer very decent back and seat support — and they come with cushions of great quality, cushions that withstand vibrations and rough-road conditions both off-road and on-road. There are varieties of options, depending on your various needs, including seats for forklifts, semi-trucks, and other vehicles — other off-road vehicles.

Bostrom Talladega T Series

This series of truck seats features incredible Flex Support Cushion Systems, which is a feature that has the potential of effectively helping as regards the reduction of cushion compression and the provision of a smoother ride. Using the seats exposes you to a continuous range of adjustments that are independent of the seat tilt adjustment, for providing better lumbar support and preventing muscle stiffness.

Knoedler Truck Seats

Knoedler truck seats come with a proprietary cushion design that makes use of their patented foam cushion support. This system is designed in such a way that it helps in improving blood flow, raising concentration levels, reducing pressure on the lower back, and reducing the risks of disc degeneration. Also, the seats do great in the area of offering flexible height adjustment.

National Commodore Series

We believe you may have heard of this one. These truck seats, the National Commodore Series truck seats, are built using their fascinating triple chamber air lumbar support, alongside their exclusive BackCycler® system in a bid to help reduce fatigue and back pain. National Commodore seats come with larger backs and cushions, including longer arms that work in giving truck drivers more room to operate comfortably. The BackCycler® system relieves muscle and ligament strain, improves circulation, and reduces disc pressure and compression.

Related Question:

Moving on, let’s use Ford as our case study.

What Kind Of Ford Seat Do You Have? The Only Ford Seat Guide You Need

The types of Ford seats change on a regular basis. It’s essential that you be in the know of the several options in order to determine the exact one you have in your truck, your Ford truck. Knowing the exact seat of your Ford truck will help you when it comes to getting the seat cover that’ll be a perfect fit for you.

Identifying Important Features Of Your Ford Seats

To begin this section, we’ll outline, with details, the seat features which you can add to the list of your expectations — things you expect to see in your Ford F-150.

Does Your Ford Have Headrests?

Before the year 2004, Ford trucks came with seats that consisted of up to three types of headrests namely: High Backs, Molded Headrests, and Adjustable.

As for Molded Headrests, they are simply one of the parts of the seat that can’t move up and down. High Backs? They don’t have separate headrests. Now, it’s necessary you know that the whole backrest narrows towards the top, and it’s simply longer.

The Adjustable Headrests? They play a major role in allowing you to move [adjust] the headrest to your preferred angles and height. This brings about superior comfort and functionality. From 2004, and hitherto, all Ford F-150 trucks have been manufactured using this design. However, there are a few 60/40 and 40/20/40 seats that don’t come with headrests for the seat at the middle.

Do You Have A Center Console Or Pullout Arm?

As for a fold-down center, it’s built into every 40/20/40 split. There are up to three different styles: Solid Arm, Opening Console, and Solid Arm With Cupholders. With the Fold Down Opening Console, you’d see a storage compartment that can easily be opened and closed. On the front area of the console, it — as well — has a cupholder space.

The Solid Arm doesn’t come with any storage compartment inside of it. It simply folds down in such a way that it gives utmost armrest comfort. As for the Solid Arm with Cupholders, it has a design similar to that of Solid Arm but including the extra convenience that comes with cupholders.

In several 60/40 configurations, you would find the Pullout Arm, as people most commonly make use of them for rear seats. This arm is built to be flexible, in terms of being able to fold it down and using as a basic armrest for backseat passengers. When it is folded up, the arm is fit snugly right into the seat’s backrest part in order to allow room for up to three people.

Do You Have An Integrated Seatbelt? (Seatbelt In Backrest)

When you have seatbelts built into the backrest, their name is often referred to as “integrated seatbelts.” Primarily, integrated seatbelts were used in Super Cab (Extended Cabs). The major reason for this is, there wasn’t any pillar onto which the seatbelt can be bolted. Integrated seats were built into bucket seats, 60/40 seats, and 40/20/40 seats. However, since the year 2015, they haven’t been used in the Ford model — Ford F-150.

Identifying What Type Of Ford Seat You Have

What Do The Numbers Mean?

Now, what are numbers used for? They’re used to signify the way the seats are divided into foldable parts. In other words, you can choose to categorize the numbers as percentages, considering that your seat’s total width is 100%. The numbers are organized in accordance with the driver’s side (from left to right).

The seat types made for your truck could just be the following:

Do You Have Buckets?

If you’re asking yourself, “how can I identify this type?” Well, they’re up to two equal-sized individual seats that come with a seat in between. Usually, that space in between will have a console — a floor-mounted console. This particular configuration is used for those front seats alone.

Do You Have A Solid Bench?

As mostly known as “full bench,” this Ford F-150 seat comes with a single cushion that goes across the vehicle’s entire width and it’s built to accommodate up to three people. Since you won’t see any split if you have a solid bench — in other words, a solid bench doesn’t have any split — it can’t be in any way folded partially. Also, the purpose of its installation only covers front seating.

Do You Have 40/20/40 Split Seats?

This exact seat type is a 3-seater bench that’s split into about three separate sections. Among the seats, the outer ones are wider and each of them occupies up to 40% of the seating space. The center seat, or jump seat, is just a smaller seat that can be folded up or down and accommodates up to 20% of the space. The only use of the 40/20/40 split is fitting into the front seats of Ford trucks.

Do You Have 60/40 Split Seats?

The 60/40 split can accommodate about three persons and also, it’s divided into two different sections. One section, which is the 60 portion, being larger. They make use of the 60/40 layout for both back and front seats. However, it’s mostly used for back seats.

The numbers being reversed means that the seats, also, are reversed. 40/60 seats come with the single seating space on the left side (40%) and double space seating on the right side (60%). This configuration is very common for specifically the front seat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Should I Set My Truck Seats?

Firstly, ensure you push the seat all the way towards the backside, then lower it as far as possible. The next thing to do is, recline the back of the seat to about 30-40 degrees and move the steering wheel (if it adjusts) all the way up and in towards the dashboard.

What Is The Best Seat Position For Driving?

Aim for a two- to three-finger gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat. If your vehicle doesn’t allow for the proper position, a lumbar or back cushion may help.

Why Do Truck Seats Bounce – Conclusion

As a recap of the response we gave to the question — Why Do Truck Seats Bounce? — we stated that:

Large trucks are designed to carry a lot of weight on their axles, which effectively means that they need to have, in their suspension, very stiff springs. This results in a very harsh, bouncy, and uncomfortable ride which can be fatiguing for a driver who has to deal with it all day long.

Thanks for asking.

Similar Posts