Hello all, I have a 69 580 with a worn out seat (actually no seat now, I pulled it off last night). I could just bolt something to the top and be ok, but would really like to have a suspension seat to help absorb the bumps and jolts of running the backhoe. Does anyone know how to do this? Maybe recommend a good suspension seat. When I look at it, I am concerned that I may sit to high and bump into the steering wheel. Thanks for the reply's, Kind regards, Dave
Dave, When thinking about the seat on your 580CK, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. The original seat was a two piece steel backed cushion and backrest. They were mounted to the seat frame. The seat frame then bolted to the seat mounting channel assembly which would slide up or down on the seat support. Lastly the seat support “tube” would slide down into the rear diff cover assembly. It was a spring loaded mechanism that would allow the seat to rise and spin so as to use the backhoe. The seat support tube has holes in it that allow a pin to lock it in the up or down position. Also, the rear diff cover tube is hollow all the way through to the rear diff. The only thing holding everything up and out of the rear end is a snap ring. If the snap ring were ever to fail, the seat assembly would drop, along with the spring and spring guide, directly into the rear differential of the machine. Not a well thought out design really. When considering adding a different style seat all together my first though is that it won’t lift and spin. I bought an aftermarket seat and its a puzzle to get it to lift and spin because of the close proximity of the steering wheel and the rear backhoe control lever tower. It has to be lifted half way and spun 45 degrees and then lifted the rest of the way up and spun the additional 45 degrees to face the rear of the machine. In my opinion, a suspension seat is out. So you need to find the most comfy standard style seat you can.
Holy Sh_t! A snap ring, what a stupid design. Thank you for your replies. I ended up using a seat from my bass boat. Works pretty good, but not suspension. Its too bad, be cause if I drop from any height, I can really screw up my back and neck. I also purchased a new spring for the seat which works great (thanks to previous posts for the link): -McMasterCarr: Paid $15.00 Line Product Ordered Shipped Balance Price Total 1 9662K35 Compression Spring Stock, 36" Overall Length, 1.25" OD, 0.954" ID, Packs of 1 1
While the assembly could drop into the diff case, there isn't anything directly under the tube as the bull gears are on each side. For seat replacement, many bolt a plate to the top of the seat support (#1 in the drawing) and add the seat of their choice. I have a decent sprung implement seat on mine, purchased at a farm/equipment place. The guard donkey ate the original cushion and a new replacement was easier.
Gotta watch out for those donkey guards! They can be tricky Any chance you could take a picture?