Sit low with a long shifter?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Smaggs, Sep 11, 2011.

  1. 86scotty

    86scotty Road Train Member

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    It's probably not much of a movie. If so, it's an old black and white.
     
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  3. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    Those are the best ones.
     
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  4. Brettj3876

    Brettj3876 Road Train Member

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    If I tried to put any air in the seat my feet would hardly be touching the ground. 5"6 i tried riding with some air in the seat when i 1st started driving and just felt odd. Never hit anything either learning in NYC.

    If you have walking beam or Chalmers and ride with no air that's no good lol. Some of the 10 wheelers i drove in the oilfield had walking beam and going back empty it would almost shoot you out of the seat
     
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  5. SmallPackage

    SmallPackage Road Train Member

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    Anybody that drove a mechinical Cummins knows that air ride seat is worthless. You gotta put left foot down on the floor solid to steady your body otherwise you are bouncing up and down on the throttle. Woop,woop, woop,woop! My ‘67 351 has an original Lear-Siegler air ride seat. It sits up higher than others do allready when its all the way down. The old unilite cabs have less headroom than the new ones do so Because of these two things I gotta be “cool” and sit on the floor. Lol!
     
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  6. aaronpeterbilt3787

    aaronpeterbilt3787 Medium Load Member

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    I sit with no air in the seat. I was taught a long time ago by an old schooler that if you’re beating your body, you’re beating the truck. Hasn’t let me down yet.
     
  7. Shawn2130

    Shawn2130 Heavy Load Member

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    A Pete 379 driver recently gave me a 6 inch shifter extension to try.

    I tried it in the Ford for the heck of it.

    Lasted about a week and I put the shifter back to normal height.

    It felt more comfortable at the height but the way the shift throw it was bending my arm too far back.
     
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  8. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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    The stock seat in my company Western Star would only recline back about 5 degrees and made me Lick the Window

    Had to go on a mirror and hardware hunt one day on the road in Indiana after my passenger mirror vibrated off the mount from Michigan’s Roads of Beauty.

    I decided at the same time I had had enough of the drivers seat with 250 thousand farts on it and was going to rip out the passenger seat and bolt it into the driver position being they were identical.

    While in Ace I found some barrel nuts that I could use as stud extenders for the front of the seat and a bunch of washers to shim up the front. .

    It was like heaven on earth difference having the seat bottom rocked up and the back reclined just that little bit more.

    I asked the company shop what they wanted me to do with the old worn out but looked good drivers seat when I got back into the yard.

    Chuck it in the dumpster. I saved it and gave it to my buddy to mount on his old John Deere lawn tractor to class it up a little bit.

    But back to the subject. Definitely have to lean forward and search for those little cars hiding under your mirrors on the passenger side if riding reclined when making lane changes.

    And the shifter thing I don’t get. Heck I got spoiled by my Western Stars offset shifter that set about exactly where your hand would fall.
     
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  9. Brandonpdx

    Brandonpdx Road Train Member

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    It's cool looking when done right I think. A little taller than stock so it peeks up over the window sill. Mostly a modified hood truck thing.
     
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  10. spindrift

    spindrift Road Train Member

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    My truck had a 10' tall shift stick in it when I got it. After trying to drive it once, I removed the extender and put it back to regulation length. Two things; my old man shoulder is too banged up to be constantly raising my arm to shift. Secondly, from what I could tell, the shift tower was taking a beating with the weight of that long stick bouncing around all the time.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2020
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  11. jason6541

    jason6541 Road Train Member

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    Would definitely think it would be hard on the forks and rails in top of trans cover.
     
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