seat firmness adjustment

[Karl Kostman]

Hey guys I have looked through the users manual and googles it but found nothing? My 50 Power Wagon has a placard on the dash referring to a valve of some sort to adjust the firmness of the seat? What the heck is this and what were they actually adjusting? There is no compressor on the truck and nothing operates with air, any info on this would sure be appreciated?

Karl

[Clint Dixon]

Hey guys I have looked through the users manual and googles it but found nothing? My 50 Power Wagon has a placard on the dash referring to a valve of some sort to adjust the firmness of the seat? What the heck is this and what were they actually adjusting? There is no compressor on the truck and nothing operates with air, any info on this would sure be appreciated?

Karl

If you still have the original seat in the truck, it will have a small thin flat lever sticking out from under the front of the lower seat cushion with a turned up end on it. This moves from side to side as shown on the dash placard. These particular seat cushions were "sealed" on the underside with a piece of cardboard. The lever operates a valve similar to a damper on an old pot bellied stove. The idea is that you can shut off the airflow through the valve and make the seat more like sitting on a balloon with some ""air pressure" providing assistance to the seat springs. Trucks without this feature had no cardboard seal, no valve on the underside of the seat cushion, and no placard on the dash.

Kind of a novel idea but quite ineffective in application.

[Karl Kostman]

adjustable seat

Clint I agree with you is sounds like a "UNIQUE" idea, at least in theory? I dont know why but I was expecting more, but your explanation certainly summarizes what it is, pretty darned basic!
Thanks for the explanation Clint.

If you still have the original seat in the truck, it will have a small thin flat lever sticking out from under the front of the lower seat cushion with a turned up end on it. This moves from side to side as shown on the dash placard. These particular seat cushions were "sealed" on the underside with a piece of cardboard. The lever operates a valve similar to a damper on an old pot bellied stove. The idea is that you can shut off the airflow through the valve and make the seat more like sitting on a balloon with some ""air pressure" providing assistance to the seat springs. Trucks without this feature had no cardboard seal, no valve on the underside of the seat cushion, and no placard on the dash.

Kind of a novel idea but quite ineffective in application.

[preaction]

Air seat

Clint, was this a an option that was chosen often in other words are there lots of these seats out there ? I have one (seat) in my 47 WDX but there is not a dash label for it.

[Clint Dixon]

Clint, was this a an option that was chosen often in other words are there lots of these seats out there ? I have one (seat) in my 47 WDX but there is not a dash label for it.

From the trucks I have seen, I would guess that in the early years it was about a half and half split between trucks that had the air seat and those that didn't. I think it may have been phased out by the mid 1950's.

Junior

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

I have seen several also come and go, I think the seat itself is now almost sought after. I have talked to quite a few people over the last few years that want one.

[W_A_Watson_II]

My 49 has this unique feature, both in the seat and a tag on the dash.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

The great grandfather of Air conditioned seats... My have the trucks changed