# Tribute 650 Drivers Swivel Seat



## 105062 (Jun 10, 2007)

Don't know about the 550 but the drivers seat on my 650 does not swivel past 10 deg without getting a hernia sliding it back and forth, edging it to 90 deg. or so. The manual says the drivers seat swivels 180 Deg ! No problems with the passenger seat, which is actually the real drivers seat, if you see what I mean.

After spending some time recently crawling around on the habitation floor I fancied a break from mopping up so I decided to find out why.

*I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE COPY THIS AS THERE IS PROBABLY SOME LEGISLATION WHY IT IS THIS WAY.*

There is a bracket behind the seat belt socket as in pic 1.

Compared in pic 2 to the passenger side there is a protrusion on it which fowls on the base hence stopping the seat from swivelling.

Photo 3 shows the same bracket after the protrusion mysteriously vanished. Now the seat swivels as per manual, note I re torque and locktighted the seat belt bolts.

I now can share a meal at the table when guests are round (as per last week when I spent the meal looking out of the windscreen!)


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## oldenstar (Nov 9, 2006)

Interesting? I would have thought that the cab/front seating area would have been the same on the 550 as the 650, yet have no problem swivelling the driver seat on our van.
Accepting that sometimes you have to slide the seat forward or back to avoid, for example, the bench seat, ours goes round happily to about 160 degrees when it fouls the handbrake.
After releasing the brake it then does the full 180.
Be interesting to see if other 650 owners have the same problem


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## 105668 (Jul 7, 2007)

Thanks Tribute_650, That explains it, my 650 is the same, I could not work out what was up and I had seen another 650 that did it but this chaps 550 does not. I would guess its because the 550 uses the driver seat as part of the single bed but the production 650 now has the full size bed that does not use the driver seat. I took off the bracket and the seat swivels but not the full 180 as the bed catches on the handle, is yours like that ? its certainly better. Like you I thought it was some eec regulation but if the 550 comes like that then I guess its ok to do your mod or leave the bracket off!

Nice site by the way.


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## 105062 (Jun 10, 2007)

Hi LongJohn,
Yes my seat does not turn the full 180 it hits the sofa bed side as does yours. I understand that the 550 spins fully around to make up the bed and the sofa seat is the same height as the drivers. My sofa seat is a couple of inches lower, I wondered what all the fuss was on the forum about seat height, I am only 5' 6" and can sit on the sofa with both feet on the ground. Removing the center double bed extension lowers the height even more! The other seat with the seat belt is higher up though.

I feel better about modding it now if the 550 does not have it, it can not be some legal requirement. It must be there to stop the seat turning past 90deg into the sofa bed which folks would criticise.

*I would not leave the bracket off as it supports the position of the seat belt though!.*


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## Otto-de-froste (May 20, 2005)

*seats n beds*

Greetings - The last weekend away I tried to turn the drivers seat right round, but it seems that the settee on my 650 doesn't allow it, even with the seat pushed fully toward the dash/cab door.
Dining isn't so easy as neither I nor little wife can reach the floor from the cab seats or the settee.
I can get my feet to the cab floor from the passenger seat when it's pushed into the front corner.
I've thought of fitting another leg cleat to the table, diagonally next to the centre one. This will make it a little more versatile and also enable it to be swivelled for access.
Not sure I've explained that clearly, but I'll post a photo when done.

Teething troubles apart (getting mostly sorted now) we are getting used to the limitations of a panel van, and still think it's a better lounging arrangement than the Adria Twin.
Oh for a bit of summer to give it a real try.

We are looking to have a week in Wales in September, if any other Triggers can spare a few days, you would be welcome.

Tried 2 singles instead of 1 double as I had to keep getting up all night (bad bottle of Bordeaux) - odd because the 1st one was OK.
Little wife had the bigger offside bed and I had the nearside bed, crooking my feet onto the passenger seat.
LW said I would never sleep on something that narrow - but.........I SOON DROPPED OFF.

sorry.


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## fridgeman (Jul 11, 2007)

this will be my last free post me thinks ,but have sent my tenna to join, was going to ask you otto,is the bed comfy enough ? i have only just took delivery of mine but are allready putting the wheels in motion to get the seating re-stuffed [pardon the pun],its has to go back for some of the obligitory problems you people have had and on its return i will get this sorted, my last van was a IH so i may have been spoilt. still not completly sure we are putting the bed together right !dont supose you have a pic of it down do you [or anyone else.] thanks. :roll:


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## LAZZA (Oct 28, 2006)

*SEATS N BEDS*

Hi Fridgeman
Had our 650 8weeks now and we've had quite a few nights away,we have had an awning fitted at Brownhills Newark and while we were there they said that they would put some press studs on the carpet to stop it slipping around,Great i thought but then they told me £70 plus the studs plus v.a.t!Told em where to stuff the studs(well the wife did). Has anyone found the seating /bedding cushions compress a lot?We have found we can't live with this as they are too uncomfortable,so we went to a local upholsterer who only does caravans and motorhomes,and he has replaced the foam in all of our cushions with 40 density foam.He also did the carpet for free as he said the studs cost pennies,all this was carried out in two hours,its made a massive difference and now you don't slide off the seat. 
Cheers LAZZA :roll:


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## Otto-de-froste (May 20, 2005)

*Hi fridgeman*

Welcome to the site. You'll find you get lots of good advice and ideas from most members, but particularly from the Triggers.
I think the full bed is pretty comfortable, and wouldn't consider changing the stuffing at present.
Mrs. Otto thinks it's not so comfortable - but hey - I like my porridge hot - and she likes egg, bacon, sausage beans and fried bread.
We pull out the nearside seat first; after getting out the bedding and donning the nighties.
The seat base stays in place and then I take the 'arm rest' bolster and drop that in place. You can also use the narrow cushion that fits next to the cooker. Last is the back rest, which overhangs a little but has never fallen off. 
We pull the settee cushion out to join the single seat and drop the long back rest in behind, with the thin bolster fitting between that and the van side.
This minimises the joints that your main torso has to cross, and it works for me. (we sleep across the van)
In the last van we used memory foam becasue it was so uncomfortable, but this is bulky to carry in a small van.
The faom in our van seems to be pretty robust and re-forms quickly.
Hope you enjoy the van.

O.


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## oldenstar (Nov 9, 2006)

Can a tiddler with his 550 add his twopennorth?
SWMBO and I also sleep across the van and find the bed very comfortable. We use a nice fluffy and soft mattress topper (you know, has elastic straps which hook over the mattress (cushion) corners), together with a low TOG duvet.
We did contemplate sleeping bags but have been so comfortable that we decided against.
We extend the single seat bed base first (our bedding is kept under this seat), then replace the cushions in the bed position (they squeeze in nicely). Then with one of us cab-side and the other kitchen side we pull out the bed from the bench seat to meet it. The thin foam strip is opened out and goes against the side of the van, then the seat cushion and back are squeezed in. We are then in position to fit the mattress topper and duvet, and bobs your jolly old uncle.
Anyway, welcome to the site Fridgeman-we seem to have found most of the Tribute's problems we think, but no doubt another Trigano sucker punch will land on one of us soon.
If you have come from an IH van only you can judge if our Tribute niggles are worth the 10-20k price difference


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## 105062 (Jun 10, 2007)

Welcome to the Tribute Therapy Site where New Tribute owners get to talk to understanding soles about their problems :wink: 

I have been told that some of the production Tribs have squashy sofa cushions to try and reduce the problem of "dangly leg" which Trigano picked up on last year.

We use the 2 singles as my wife is not as mobile as she was and she uses the large single. I use the passenger side which incorporates the front seat and find all those individual cushions, 5 in all, terrible.

If you use only 2 singles you can remove the large pull out double bed extension (6 screws ) and that drops the long sofa height significantly.

Question Please: Does anyones long sofa cushions clip onto the press studs to stop them from flying off whist travelling ? Mine do not as they have no studs unlike the single!


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## LAZZA (Oct 28, 2006)

*PRESS STUDS*

HI trib 650 
our 650 single seat has two straps with press studs on the top of the backrest cushion,but none on the wall! The long settee back rest cushion dos'nt have anything at all to stop them flying off.On the single seat we use the seatbelt to hold it in place.
Cheers LAZZA :wink:


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## 105062 (Jun 10, 2007)

Hi Lazza,
My single seat has 2 press studs on the back squab and on the wall and the base squab has 2 studs which fastern to the 2 for the bed extension so the single seat squabs behave but the long sofa has 3 studs on the wall but nothing on the squabs so they end up on the floor or passenger in the single seat  

Cheers
P


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