I thought I read it somewhere on this forum about adding seats to the cargo transit but I can't seem to find it. What I'm planning is to add an oem 3 person seat with the oem mounting rails to my 148" wb cargo van. The seat is going to go right behind the driver/front passenger seats. Is this going to be an issue or not too big of a deal? Like I said, I read somewhere of issues in doing this but can't find it. I don't have the seat in my possession yet but I'm supposed to get it this week. Thanks
Adding 3 person seat to cargo
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You can find the thread if you look harder.
The issues you may have are the factory floor mounts sticking up a couple inches above the ribs (tripping hazard), and needing to drop the tank if you use all three floor mounts.
I used flanged L-track and mounted the factory floor mounts to IT, which raises the seat height by 3/4". With the factory mounts removed from the L-track, the floor is perfectly flat. I also cut the factory floor mounts shorter in length so they don't stick out in front or back of the seat. Additionally, I decided to remove the center seat brace and just use the two outer ones (3" and 1.5" steel pipe in seat leads me to believe it will never bend in it's 26" span between the two outer seat braces).
The center floor mount installation requires dropping the fuel tank to access the bolts.
The issues you may have are the factory floor mounts sticking up a couple inches above the ribs (tripping hazard), and needing to drop the tank if you use all three floor mounts.
I used flanged L-track and mounted the factory floor mounts to IT, which raises the seat height by 3/4". With the factory mounts removed from the L-track, the floor is perfectly flat. I also cut the factory floor mounts shorter in length so they don't stick out in front or back of the seat. Additionally, I decided to remove the center seat brace and just use the two outer ones (3" and 1.5" steel pipe in seat leads me to believe it will never bend in it's 26" span between the two outer seat braces).
The center floor mount installation requires dropping the fuel tank to access the bolts.
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After reading all the posts about this, I think the L-Track is the way to go. Thanks for the info! My question is...I only want to install a single seat behind the driver's seat. Is this possible without having to lower the gas tank or anything else crazy? Also, do you know if it's possible to install the seat rear facing?
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Single seat as in a seat for one person? Depends on where you locate the seat I suppose. Don't the single seats mount one side to the wall and only have one leg? And aren't they made to attach to the passenger side wall? Also, do the singles have integral seatbelts?
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I don't think the single mounts to the wall. Ideally, I would mount this rear facing as close to the back of the driver seat as possible.
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You'd have to fabricate something in order to mount a factory seat without the factory mounts. I used existing mounting holes in the factory floor mounts to attach them to the L-track. The seat can be removed from the floor mounts just like in a wagon, but then the floor mounts must be unbolted from the L-track to achieve a flat floor.
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I used the L-track setup with the OEM brackets to mount seats in my Cargo van. I have the 3 person bench behind the drive/passenger seats plus a pair (L & R) of 2 person seats for the 2nd row.
Whether or not you will need to drop the fuel tank will depend on where you want to place the L-track. It's easy to drop the tank far enough without disconnecting the lines, that's what I did. 6 bolts on the 3 straps and it's loose.
Using the L-Track approach you can position the seats as needed facing forward or backwards, it's up to you. I am actually toying with the idea of mounting one of my 2 person seats backwards right behind the driver seat for camping purposes only. I need to play with it to see how it might work out.
I really like the 3 person bench and it stays in the van 95% of the time. I still have a full 8 ft of room behind it so I can load motorcycles etc. behind the seat.
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^^^ THAT'S who I copied!
Thanks, Dan!
Thanks, Dan!
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I found out today that my rear 2 passenger rear seat will fit in the left two seat brackets of the 3 person bench and allows for reversed fixing. This is the rear right side 2 passenger seat mounted reversed. I will use this setup when we are camping.
This same seat can be flipped back around forward facing without changing the seat brackets. For better space utilization though the rear left side 2 passenger would be better facing forward due to the offset.
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Yes, and I did. Except no need for new mounting holes, there are plenty.
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Your curtains look nice! Can you provide more info on how and what they are made of and the mounting method?
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Seat help
What is the measurements of the spacing of your L tracks? Photobucket it blocking the pictures. I've been looking at the Transit for the past 6 months but also need a back seat for my kiddos. I ran across a used one today that has nearly all the options I want at a good price - plus has L tracks already in the cargo area. I'm not quite sure what they had mounted.. it looks like it was possibly two rows of two seaters? The third track is not over far enough for a 3-seat bench. I don't have enough posts to upload the picture I took, but the first track is approx 8.5" from wall (covered in vinyl) to the middle of the track. First to second is 15". Second to third is 8.5" - all measured from middle.
What is the measurements of the spacing of your L tracks? Photobucket it blocking the pictures. I've been looking at the Transit for the past 6 months but also need a back seat for my kiddos. I ran across a used one today that has nearly all the options I want at a good price - plus has L tracks already in the cargo area. I'm not quite sure what they had mounted.. it looks like it was possibly two rows of two seaters? The third track is not over far enough for a 3-seat bench. I don't have enough posts to upload the picture I took, but the first track is approx 8.5" from wall (covered in vinyl) to the middle of the track. First to second is 15". Second to third is 8.5" - all measured from middle.
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The outer legs are about 35.5" on center. I removed the center leg because it seems like overkill if you look at the seat frame under the padding.
The leg on the driver's side is about 14" from the wall on center (whatever that valley in the sheet metal floor is).
The leg on the driver's side is about 14" from the wall on center (whatever that valley in the sheet metal floor is).
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Thanks for the info! How long are the seat brackets?
I went ahead and got the van
I'm thinking I'll probably have to do the seats side facing for now.
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seat brackets vary. The ones that came with my 3-seat extended rear-ward to also hold the front lip of the 2-seater behind it. I cut off the excess in the back as well as several useless inches in the front (tripping hazard because I mounted the brackets on TOP of the floor).
If you're going the L-track way, just cut the floor brackets to taste and season. If you're going to emulate the wagon, you'll need to build an elevated floor that envelops the brackets, making them flush.
If you're going the L-track way, just cut the floor brackets to taste and season. If you're going to emulate the wagon, you'll need to build an elevated floor that envelops the brackets, making them flush.
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Great. The people who had it before me installed the L-track and just put the vinyl flooring over it with holes at the track spots they used. So definitely have some floor work on my hands.
Bench seat mounted
I used l track. Here are the pictures . I have a 3 seat bench and a 2 seat bench. I used the L track and placed steel plates under the floor for extra reinforcement. I can turn the benchs around if camping by myself and use it as a sofa.
I used l track. Here are the pictures . I have a 3 seat bench and a 2 seat bench. I used the L track and placed steel plates under the floor for extra reinforcement. I can turn the benchs around if camping by myself and use it as a sofa.
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