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DIY Bench Seats in Cargo Bed

14524 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Jim1
Hey Everyone,
Just want to share my DIY bench seats that I installed in the rear bed. Total cost was less than $100.00. I installed 2 camo pop-up seats that I got from Academy.com. And I put a cup holder console in the center that I got from pepboys. I took the plastics off and drilled a hole through the sides of of bed frame to bolt the bench seat down. When the plastics are back on it still looks factory. I built it 18" tall which I found was the perfect height for my guests to be able to see over the roof, and large enough to fit coolers and gas cans underneath the seats. I had 2 guys 200+ pounds riding on the back with no issues. Hope this helps anyone looking to do the same! Plant Automotive tire Sky Motor vehicle Vehicle
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Sweet deal!! Is that 18" to top of cushion? How did you mount seats?
.....looks sturdy.......but, what if you roll over?

I doubt Parks Service would allow me to run this out here in California, lol.
hahaha if he rolls over the passengers inn the bed are shit out of luck.... cool for some slow cruising tho I guess
Center of gravity is now very high. Vikings are not regular trucks. They are very light. Strap two fat guys with beers up there and it will be very easy to tip over. No offense, but this is not safe, stupid and illegal.
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I did some math that I am pretty sure is correct:

The center of gravity of people sitting in those seats is about 4 feet above the wheel hub.

Assume you got two, 225 pound guys strapped in for a total of 450 pounds or 204 Kg.

Also assume you make a tight turn at only 15 mph or 6.7 meters per second. The Viking turning radius is about 178" or 4.5 meters.

Acceleration = velocity ^2 / radius = (6.7 * 6.7) / 4.5 = 10 meters per second ^2.

Force = mass * acceleration = 204 Kg * 10 m/s ^2 = 2040 Newtons = 460 pounds.

Torque applied at hub height = 4 feet * 460 pounds = 1840 foot pounds! That is a lot of torque!
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I apprectiate the concern about rollovers but it hasnt been an issue. I actually prefer riding on the back, but keep in mind i live in south florida, everything is flat! Lol Youd really have to drive like a jack ass to flip. Also, nothing about this is illegal?? I ride in state parks and management areas all the time.
:grabs beer:

Wow, :grabsanotherbeer:

That's intense, lol


I'm assuming you passed math class?



I did some math that I am pretty sure is correct:

The center of gravity of people sitting in those seats is about 4 feet above the wheel hub.

Assume you got two, 225 pound guys strapped in for a total of 450 pounds or 204 Kg.

Also assume you make a tight turn at only 15 mph or 6.7 meters per second. The Viking turning radius is about 178" or 4.5 meters.

Acceleration = velocity ^2 / radius = (6.7 * 6.7) / 4.5 = 10 meters per second ^2.

Force = mass * acceleration = 204 Kg * 10 m/s ^2 = 2040 Newtons = 460 pounds.

Torque applied at hub height = 4 feet * 460 pounds = 1840 foot pounds! That is a lot of torque!
Yup, over 35 years ago though.
Yup, over 35 years ago though.
lol, nice.

I scraped by in math class..........It would have probably taken me a couple of months to do the math you just did, lol.
damn it BadM0nkey....that made my head hurt!
damn it BadM0nkey....that made my head hurt!
That's why I am bad. A good monkey wouldn't give you a headache.
I have a Masters in Civil Engineering, and that math went over my head.....:coffee:


OP, I'm in South Looziana, and we rig stuff like this up all the time.......I like the set up!!!


Maybe we are just more careful or we are better drivers in the South.....:icon_rr:
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Who are you kidding? All of you good ole boys think you are driving the General Lee.
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