106 replies to this topic

[29 Chev]

Two members (blackjackjakexxix and chubien) on here have entrusted their Bolens 1000 seats with me to see if I can recover them - hope I am up to the challenge and do not disappoint them.  With winter coming on had to rearrange things in the shop to let both Bolens 1050 I own stay inside for the winter which left me with no room to set up the work table I was using this summer for the other seat projects I have done.  Decided to build a simple 2x4  framework over the "summer use" 1050 so that I could use the space above it as a table top - it's a little high but it will do the job.  Then I started to disassemble the seat chubien provided as it will be the test seat since it was very sticky on the top of the cover from years of duct tape applied over the vinyl - if I can create a cover for it and it turns out then I will redo the seat blackjackjakexxix provided.  They have allowed me the honour to post this as a project so other can see how the Bolens 1000 seat was constructed and provide a bit more information on this "one year only" model - here are pictures of the seat coming apart.  It is made up of the top and back cover which the cushions were bonded to, a red filler piece where the metal back and bottom part of the seat stop, a white plastic rear piece and the actual seat pan made up of a back, bottom and two 1/2" diameter rods that are welded to the back and bottom.

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Edited by 29 Chev, October 28, 2015 - 07:32 PM.

[blackjackjakexxix]

Really looking forward to watching this one,I think Chubien and myself will be real happy

[Rainier]

Ya I want to how it turns out as well. Did you do the one on the 1050?

[29 Chev]

Ya I want to how it turns out as well. Did you do the one on the 1050?

 

Yes - here is a link that you can check out if you wish http://gardentractor...-cover-project/

[wilberj]

I have the seat on mine 1000 buts its in way worst shape then these. 

[Chubien]

You waste no time Stew, I just got home a couple of hours ago.
It has to be the most miles I drove in 4 days.
If someone can do something with these seats that would be you, eager to see what come out of it, these seats have a lot more detail than the standard seats we are used to seeing on the other tubeframes.

[Austen]

You made good use in your garage with that nifty work table/tractor cover.

 

Looking forward to following the progress!

Edited by Austen, October 25, 2015 - 11:30 PM.

[Alc]

Will you be heating and forming the corners on this seat cover ?

[nyrobbie77]

29 Chev,

 

Fantastic work!

 

did you also do the seat in this attached pic?  I seem to remember a thread where you did a red seat.  Do you know if it's the same cover as on the 1250?  I have one of those ebay replicas that doesn't have the pleats.  It's about 10-12 years old now and still in decent shape.  I did not put that door edge molding around the seat frame and now it is starting to tear on the top edge around the seat frame.   

 

I was wondering if you'd be interested in making one.

 

Also any tricks to keep the tear from spreading farther?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Edited by nyrobbie77, October 27, 2015 - 07:32 AM.

[29 Chev]

Will you be heating and forming the corners on this seat cover ?

 

Not sure - will see how the red portion moulds and forms to the cushions when I get to that stage - may have to run an extra seam or two - time will tell.  My biggest concern right now is figuring out how to form the white back - the original appears to be plastic and was actually wider and moulded at the outer edges and the red cover pieces were stapled to it and then a white edge trim was sewn in a U over the join - I assume they used a portable sewing machine similar to the one they use to sew bags of feed shut. I hesitate to use plastic or even fibreglass as the original plastic back appears to be the weak link in this seat design - I would imagine it is subjected to a lot of vibration and stress at the outer edge where the metal seat pan does not support it.   Don't have all the answers yet but am formulating a couple of plans of attack while I work at cleaning up the metal seat pan. 

Edited by 29 Chev, October 26, 2015 - 07:40 PM.

[29 Chev]

29 Chev,

 

Fantastic work!

 

did you also do the seat in this attached pic?  I seem to remember a thread where you did a red seat.  Do you know if it's the same cover as on the 1250?  I have one of those ebay replicas that doesn't have the pleats.  It's about 10-12 years old now and still in decent shape.  I did not put that door edge molding around the seat frame and now it is starting to tear on the top edge around the seat frame.   

 

I was wondering if you'd be interested in making one.

 

Also any tricks to keep the tear from spreading farther?

 

Thanks in advance.

Do not see an attached pic?  I did do a thread on a 1050 seat cover - http://gardentractor...-cover-project/  - not sure if it is the same as a 1250 but there are pictures of the seat pan with measurements in the post that you can compare to your seat.  You could try gluing some vinyl on the back of the tear to give it some strength using a good trim adhesive.  As stated in the post there is a 1050 cover listed in the for sale section - http://gardentractor...cover-for-sale/ . If you need more information please pm me.

[29 Chev]

Here are pictures of the seat pan and the plastic back which shows the extended lip and how it is broken where the lip would go down to give the join a uniform shape around the edge.

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[29 Chev]

Pictures of the seat pan before and after I straightened out a few wrinkles and started removing the rust and old adhesive.  Interesting that the two rod pieces are not spaced equally in at the bottom and top of the pan - the one on the left is about a 1/4" closer to the front lip at the bottom and about 1/4" further away from the top edge on the back  - wonder if one was put on the wrong way?

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[nyrobbie77]

Do not see an attached pic?  I did do a thread on a 1050 seat cover - http://gardentractor...-cover-project/  - not sure if it is the same as a 1250 but there are pictures of the seat pan with measurements in the post that you can compare to your seat.  You could try gluing some vinyl on the back of the tear to give it some strength using a good trim adhesive.  As stated in the post there is a 1050 cover listed in the for sale section - http://gardentractor...cover-for-sale/ . If you need more information please pm me.

Some reason the pic didn't upload.  I read through the rest of the post about the 1050 seat cover and saw that it was the post I was thinking about.  I had forgotten that you started with black vinyl and went to the red.  I'll check those measurements on the seat pan to see if it'll work.

[29 Chev]

Finished cleaning up the seat pan and gave it a splash of paint.  Since these seats are hard to come by I have decided to see if I can make a duplicate of the seat pan - in anticipation of this I marked and cut out cardboard patterns of the bottom and back part of the pan which will be used to mark out some sheet steel I have to make duplicates.  Measured the original back and bottom thickness at .062" which appears to be 16 gauge sheet steel and the rods appear to be .500" diameter.

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