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Old 12-01-2020, 03:03 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Freedom Elite
State: Arizona
Posts: 2
THOR #20914
Freedom Elite 22 Swivel Chair option

We are first time owners of an RV - 2017 Freedom Elite 22. Has anyone replaced the passenger seat in the cab with a swivel passenger seat? If possible, it would provide a comfortable place to sit when parked.

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Old 12-02-2020, 03:53 AM   #2
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Model: Chateau 24F
State: Arizona
Posts: 114
THOR #13228
You bet it will add another seat to the House.
We added swivel bases from Sportsmobile for both seats in our 24F .
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Old 12-02-2020, 12:12 PM   #3
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Model: Fourwinds 24F
State: North Carolina
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THOR #9511
I just did my 24F passenger side - this is a link to the post.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=24019
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Old 10-27-2021, 09:44 PM   #4
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Model: Freedom Elite
State: Florida
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THOR #14082
I see you have had these for a bit of time. Did you find that the chair could have used a few more inches in height when rotated to the home? I found one that is 10” in height(versus the factory pedestal at about 8”) but it says it is Not approved for air bags. I spoke to a representative at shop4 seats and they said they did not have one for my model. I have not checked with your supplier yet because I thought I saw that they were selling their business and shied away for now. I look forward to hearing your response prior to me going much further(maybe). My better half REALLY wants one. Thanks
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Old 11-08-2021, 11:35 PM   #5
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THOR #14082
passenger swivel chair Ford 2017-8 E350 Class C Thor

I found an 8” tall one at Discount Van Truck Suv RV for a bit over $200.00 including shipping to Florida from Arizona. I received it today. It looks good and is heavy(strong). I hope to install tomorrow or so. I figure that the swivel units that are 10” tall but are not approved for airbags must be considering the swivel mechanism in a passenger van with rear seating. I talked to my wife about the elevation issue and she emphaticly expressed that the issue would be very un-important regarding the additional seat and super comfort. I agreed. I spoke to Ivas at Discount van, etc. Nice man.
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Old 11-09-2021, 12:07 AM   #6
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THOR #16721
That is SO COOL! We have a 24F... I'm very interested!
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Old 11-09-2021, 08:59 PM   #7
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THOR #14082
Passenger captains chair swivel

Update: I ordered a standard height one from Discount Truck, Van, SUV, RV on the web. It is 8” in height(of course the front is 6” and the back is 8”). I was unsure of the 10” model although it seems to me that a 10” height one in an RV does not affect the airbags and the disclaimer is likely if it is used in a passenger type van but I really do not know for sure. Anyway, I received the swivel pedistal yesterday and installed it about one hour ago. It works just fine. I did cut the flooring beneath the seat area to relocate the airbag wire in a fashion that would allow the rotation while NOT having to disconnect the wiring. This appeared to work just fine. The base of the pedistal is a full width piece of solid steel so the wire is protected beneath the plate of the pedistal. When rotated to the home it is a bit low but well worth the comfort and the additional seat. I showed my wife a bit ago and she is pleased. So am I. I spoke to Ivas at Discout Truck. He is a good guy. I paid about $200 not including shipping to florida. (Total was $209.00). I had to buy a 18 mm deep well socket for the seat nut connection and a Star socket #55 for the pedistal. about $12.00. I did it myelf in about two hours while taking my time to do it all right. Hope you try it too. Well worth the bucks. Peace
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Old 11-09-2021, 09:05 PM   #8
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THOR #14082
Air bag connector

Reminder:
to disconnect the air bag wiring: slide the red colored device on the wiring just under the seat to the outside(back) of the connector, then depress the area beneath the location where the red slide previously was set, carefully use a pair of pliers to pull them apart. Reverse to reconnect. No need to disconnect the battery negative pole.
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Old 11-10-2021, 02:59 AM   #9
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THOR #16721
A few questions:

1) Do the seats raise the stock seat height (driving position) 8"?
2) Same for the passenger?
3) How do you rotate the seats - does the seat armrest interfere with the door armrest?

I am rather tall with long legs, and the Ford cutaway stock driver position was just too cramped - so I modified my driver seat for both height and fore/aft position. I simply mounted Unistrut rails with holes drilled further back in the Unistrut, which raised the seat a little, and allowed it to be moved rearward further. It's VERY comfortable now... I can actually stretch my legs a little.

Does the swivel base mount help any with the cramped legroom/driver position? It's a simple matter for me to remove my Unistrut mod and start from stock. Just wondering if the extra height of the swivel base helps legroom dramatically, or would I need to drill new holes to mount it further back (like I did the Unistrut)?
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Old 11-11-2021, 07:32 PM   #10
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THOR #14082
Update to answer some questions:
A. Keep in mind that my RV layout does not allow me to alter the drivers seat only the passengers.
1. ? seat raise back to stock height - 8”? Also, seat tilt back?
Answr: passenger side does tilt back when facing home just as in drive position. Nice feature. Also, keep in mind the following:The factory pedistal on my seat is 8” tall on the front and 6” tall on the back. The new swivel pedistal is the same slopped configuration so there is no change to leg room. Your Unistrut system may likely work fine and if not you have manu holes to adust or simply drill the ones you may need.
2. See above
3.”armrest?
Answr: Facing the home position: The armrest’s do interfere with the door armrest but the use of the door armrest is just fine. Also, if the seat were not fully rotated the 180 degree mark from the start position then the captain’s chair seat armrest is usable and fine.
I hope this helps.
Also, the location of where the airbag wire enters beneath the floor to the chair had cut outs in the floor mat that allowed me to relocate the wire to the drivers side and exit to the wire connector on the seat in that this positioning of the wire allows plenty enough length of the airbag wire to rotate the full 180 degrees in both directions. This method allows that I do not have to disconnect and reconnect the airbag connctor for each use. Of course, this means that a passenger can now rotate facing the home and speak face to face of the other onboard occupants. This can be dangerous, I guess. I am sure we will do it though.
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Old 11-11-2021, 07:39 PM   #11
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THOR #16721
Thanks for your answers!
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Old 11-12-2021, 04:35 AM   #12
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No problem. Was my pleasure. Let me know how it goes when you begin or end. I am sure that many many RV’ers will wish to do this. I think the more it is written about…the more the brave members will give it a try. The need for the T55 star bit and the 18 mm deep well socket is very important. The 18 mm socket appears to be “not such a normal” metric socket sold with most sets. I have 4 different sets of metric sockets and only one of them had one and it was the deep well which is necessary or one will have to spend a bit of time and will need a cheater bar of some kind to undue the 18 mm nut using a box end wrench. I used a 16 inch long breaker bar with the socket in the chuck. It is torqued down very hard but I do not know what the specs read so I just hand torqued it back in place and added a good body shove til real snug. Peace
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Old 11-12-2021, 05:02 AM   #13
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THOR #16721
I invested in the giant Torx bit when I removed the cab seats to install the Dynamat sound proofing on the floor. And I have a good selection of deep well metric sockets, which I bought for setting up a trailer hitch a few years back. So hopefully I'm set if/when I decide to take on that project!
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Old 09-25-2022, 07:51 PM   #14
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THOR #27016
Hey there,
I've seen the posts about the swivel passenger seat and picked up on Happy Camper urgent endorsement of the Dynomat soundproofing, based on that I'm pretty hyped about getting it done. Just waiting for the storm to pass before installing.
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Old 09-25-2022, 08:02 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twinws View Post
Hey there,
I've seen the posts about the swivel passenger seat and picked up on Happy Camper urgent endorsement of the Dynomat soundproofing, based on that I'm pretty hyped about getting it done. Just waiting for the storm to pass before installing.
Ummmm, aren't you on the east coast?
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Old 10-01-2022, 10:40 PM   #16
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THOR #27016
Swivel seat install

Completed the Dynamat and swivel seat install today. I was lucky enough to have someone whom did it before so it went smoothly. Tasks took about 3 - 4 hours to complete. The engine sounds quieter in the driveway.
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