What was truck driving like before air ride seats? What kinda seats would it have?

Use you imagination...
It gets pretty bouncy with that air cushion. How do you think it would feel with a solid mount?

 

I literally hit my head once, driving a 6 wheeler, it’s a wonder it didn’t break my neck.

 

I can't wait to see some of the pics that I'm sure will be posted.

 

Bolted to cab floor bolted to frame.

In cab overs you had two sprung hooks to frame at the rear. Everything bolted to that.

Thats where the alcohol came in on really bad concrete broken plates prior to the rebuilding (Plural) of interstates in say PA, I-78, I-81 etc.

Some companies paid for airride seat for the driver, but not the passenger. I think its at least a thousand dollars for a good one. Even then because of the steel suspension, you could expect to be slammed to the floor with violence along your spine and knock your noggin on the padding double stitch diamond up top.

Its not just the up and down, but also the extreme shaking forward and back. On I-30 before it was rebuilt from Little Rock all the way to the Texas line 20 years ago it was bad plates and I developed arthrits and loss of bone mass from a period of time running back and forth to Hope three times daily in a older conventional pay star. As far as bonehead things I ever did that would be it. The truck was finally destroyed by it's own shaking when the cab floor failed and fall down to the frame with me and everything in the cab at 70+ mph one day. This would be about early 1999 with B&B Concrete of west little rock. The damage to me was permanent and would show itself years later.

Old iron with steel suspension is pretty good these days now that I built up enough physical fat and bulk to absorb the forces of riding in them.

 

I have all the air pulled out of my seat and ride on the floor. Rides just fine. However, air ride cab and suspension

 

Drove an old R-model Mack with a seat with a torsion bar suspension and no shock absorber. Learned the hard way to remove your ballcap before starting it otherwise you get a nice dent in the top of your head from the button. It was sorta like that springboard they use in gymnastics to hit the hobble horse.

 

yeah, pretty much what i had started with, no solid mounted seats, except for the passenger seat, which i HATED if i had to be the passenger.

 

that ^%&**&&^% button sure hurts, my '68 R had an air ride seat and the short wheelbase would kick hard enough to slam that (*&*&^^% button into the overhead which wasn't padded roll & pleat...

First time I bob tailed [1972] up I-84 north of Scranton through CT with a 155" wheelbase loadstar with spring suspension. A section of washboard concrete roadway would bounce in a fashion that it felt like the steering wheel was beating the bottom of your rib cage. The crazy angles of the heaved concrete at every overpass would bounce you up and you never knew which way you were gonna be going when it landed...

My driver trainer passenger seat wasn't air ride either...most trainees wondered why Matlack had armstrong steering and no AC 81 Macks in the early 90's...

I do remember a boss who didn't want to have power steering and air ride.

"I want the driver to feel every bump my truck feels!"

 

This is a subject that fascinates me! Most of today's drivers can't really see what drivers of old had as driving conditions. Seats are just a small part of it. These drivers had no AC. Most had no radio. They were forced to operate almost impossible schedules. In the early days, things like power steering as we know it today was not in these trucks. No jake brakes either. You miss a shift and you could very easily bust something in the drivetrain.

Understand I am not discussing trucking from WW2 forward. I am discussing the period from around 1910 until around the late 30s when what was once called ICC started enforcing the Federal HOS rules. One of the things that fascinate me to this day is how some of the things from this time still can be seen today. Also, some of today's myths do as well. Today? A driver can get on the road and generally not have to fear criminal activity. Back then? I will stop now, but you get my point I hope!