Experience with Mastercraft Baja RS seats in a long distance camp truck?

[Checksix]

I am building a 1979 Ford Crew cab into a long distance family camp truck. This vehicle will be used for campouts on weekends and holidays. For our vacations we usually spend four to six hours driving pavement and another several hours off road prior to arriving at a camp site. We then often spend the next several days completely off road on rough forest roads and trails.
The truck is also routinely used for farm work so must maintain a semblance of utility.
All my previous project trucks have had used seats from late model vehicles (Ford Superduty, Lincoln Navigator, Dodge Ram…). All these seats have been OK for general freeway driving but are not comfortable or supportive for off road travel and do not seem to hold up well to our hard use. I have back issues and am looking for more support than is typical in OEM seats.
Several online articles recommend the Mastercraft seats (the Baja RS model) as the best compromise between a full on race bucket and a long distance OEM truck seat. At 3 -5 times the cost of local used seats I’m hesitant to buy a set of four before seeing them. Unfortunate there is no stocking dealer in Oregon and I have been unable to find anyone local who is willing to let me test sit them.
Do any of you have experience with these seats? Do you generally believe a suspension seat is a good compromise for my needs? What other options would you consider?

Thank you,

 

[greg mgm]

I can comment on using suspension seats. I also have back issues.

My baja bug has beard super seats-

http://redart.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=206&Itemid=21

I've done all day runs in the beard seats bouncing around in the dirt, then hitting the highway back to camp. They are very supportive and comfortable. At the end of the day, my back is fine and I don't have back pain. On regular seats on a all day run, my back would be aching for sure.

The Mastercraft baja rs seats-

http://www.mastercraftsafety.com/bajars.php

look as supportive as the beards, but I have no experience with them. I really like the reclining feature. Man they're expensive!

On a unrelated note, post a pic of your truck. Sounds very cool.

 

[xcmountain80]

I'm interested too, I have always wondered but never found a soul who has driven them from one coast to another. I'm in my rig allot and would hate to spend $1200 min. on a set of seats that kill me.

A

 

[ntsqd]

I spent a short week in Baja pre-running parts of the B1k course in a Toyota truck fitted with the more typical race seat. No back aches at all. After talking to the owner of the truck about the seats and how to mount them I really feel that they must be mounted in a fairly reclined position to yield the most benefit. The key is that your back must be reclined enough that the seat supports it too. Think in terms of sitting sideways in a hammock. Maybe not quite that reclined, but it's illustrative. If you sit upright in the truck, then every bump is trying to compress your spine. That's not good. By being in a semi-recumbent seating position the load of all of those bumps is spread along the length of your back's contact with the seat rather than just at the hips.

What is at odds with this is that this did not make the truck very easy to climb in and out of. Part of that was admittedly the cage, but part of it was the high sides of the seats too.
I also wonder how much of this benefit is possible with the reclining seat. Not so much because of the reclining option, but because the reclining option necessarily removes the large, non-constant radius radius curve of the seat and replaces it with two nearly flat surfaces set at some particular, though adjustable, angle.

All of that said, my experience with these seats is that even though the bottom is nearly flat with no curve into/upto the seat back, that the construction method rides nicer than any OE seat that I can recall.

What you might wish to try is to buy some of the low sided race type seats used and drive on them for a while. Check race-dezert.com's classifieds for such a set of seats.

 

[Heimz]

I personally sat in the Mastercraft Baja RS seats at the last SEMA show. I too have been looking to upgrade my seats in my Dodge and was excited to see a reclining suspension seat. They aren't too bad for what they are, the have some nice cushion under your butt with no obvious things underneath to poke at you. They dont recline a heck of lot (much less than my stock seats) but more than enough to be comfortable driving. They are 5-pt harness ready if you have a cage or steel support to mount them. The fabric is a little rougher texture than I would like, but seems rugged enough. One thing though is that these seats dont have as much kidney support as the other racing/suspension seats. If you are strictly looking for a sturdy seat that take beating, they should fit the bill. But don't expect them to do double-duty as a full-on race seat (I know this isnt the case with you, just sayin' for those who were wondering).

I dont think you would need 4 of these, you could get two of the BajaRS and then find two cheaper non-reclining seats for the back with a smiliar look. Or even a bench race seat like Mastercraft and Beard produce.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

I had MasterCrafts in my 04 Unlimited (Front and back). I liked them enough to want another set. I had numerous 500+ mile days in them with no problems. They now have heater options which sound great on a post surgery back.

 

[Checksix]

Thanks everyone. Very good feedback. I'm leaning towards buying a set of four.

Now I just need to win the lottery.

Colin--

 

[Stumpalump]

They are a nylon mesh held onto a metal frame with cord and thats the suspension. A look at a modern vehicle seat shows that they probably cost twice as much to build. Hunsaker makes a similar seat to the MC for less if you still plan to use them. http://www.hunsakersports.com/html/specials.html

 

[greg mgm]

I emailed hunsakersports for more info on their seats. They look good at a reasonable cost. Is anyone using these? Thanks for the link stump.

They are a nylon mesh held onto a metal frame with cord and thats the suspension. A look at a modern vehicle seat shows that they probably cost twice as much to build. Hunsaker makes a similar seat to the MC for less if you still plan to use them. http://www.hunsakersports.com/html/specials.html

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Have you looked at the Corbeau version of the Baja RS? Just another option. I understand that they have a ready-made stand (frame) that is a bolt-in for Dodges. Looking forward to reading about your mods no matter the brand. :sombrero:

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Have you looked at the Corbeau version of the Baja RS? Just another option. I understand that they have a ready-made stand (frame) that is a bolt-in for most makes. Looking forward to reading about your mods no matter the brand. :sombrero:

 

[86cj]

I had MasterCrafts in my 04 Unlimited (Front and back). I liked them enough to want another set. I had numerous 500+ mile days in them with no problems. They now have heater options which sound great on a post surgery back.

I have a 2004 LJ and have never seen a TJ or LJ with Baja RS seats in person. My longest day behind the wheel of the LJ has been 849 miles, so comfort is a must.

How well did they fit between the center console and door panel? Did you lose the flip forward option for both seats? Sorry about the Highjack, Greg...............

 

[DGarman]

Checksix-
I've been using the Mastercraft Baja RS seats for about 2 years now. My work keeps me in my truck 8-12 hours a day off-road, and highway drives between projects can be up to 12 hours long. These are the most comfortable seats I've ever had in a truck. On a long drive you can move them one click forward or one click back every once in a while to give you a different position to sit in.
As far as safety is concerned, the first truck I had them in was a '72 Ford F-250. I rolled that truck 2+ times sideways down a slope last year, and the seats held up perfectly. The ratcheting mechanism did not give way, and the mounting plates did not bend or deform. After an inspection of the seats, they were installed in my new rig, a '79 Ford Bronco.
Mastercraft builds each seat one at a time, to your specs. Adjustable lumbar supports can be added, heaters can be added, pockets can be added, etc. I think I waited 4-6 weeks for mine to be made. They are also a family-owned and operated business, and very pleasant to deal with.
As far as price goes, they are more expensive than other seats you can buy, but in my opinion Mastercraft gives you the best value. My seats ended up costing about $1100 with shipping for the pair.
There are other off-road reclining seats out there, but personally I'd rather give my dollars to the innovator, not the imitator.

Hope this helps,
Key-Lock

 

[KA5IVR]

I have the Mastercraft RS Baja seats in my Jeep TJ. I am very pleased with the Seats. The OEM seats always made my back feel like someone beat me with a stick, after a day of wheeling. The Mastercraft hold you in and by not bouncing you around, you feel as good as new at the end of the day.

Now the down side from my experience with Mastercraft. The lead time for the seats was almost double what Mastercraft claimed. I had time to wait, so no biggie. The other problem was that Mastercraft ships their seats in a single thin cardboard box without any protection except a plastic bag. UPS did a Job the the Frame and bent it all up. Mastercraft did not seem to care and did ship another, but I had the same lead time as the first time. Seems like they would have been more caring about making it right, especially for the price you pay. The second seat arrived and the cover was damaged on this one. Again, Mastercraft did not care. The damages could have been avoided if Mastercraft would package and ship their seats better.

As it turned out, the same Mastercraft Sales Representative (not vendor) was at the SEMA 2009 show as told me the short lead time on the original order. I wore this guy out and told him what I thought about Mastercraft's customer service and shipping. He did not seem to care.

Don't get me wrong, I love the seats, but just be prepared to go through a little trouble getting a set.