Seat pan fixing ideas

[CadXS]

I need some ideas for how to fasten my seat pan to the frame. The seat pan and frame are pictured below. The pan has to be fairly easy to remove so I can access the tray underneath for the electrics (and maybe battery).

All the ideas I have seem to involve welding bolts to the pan and then drilling holes through the frame, welding in a steel sleeve for strength and butterfly nuts. I'm trying to keep the seat area as clean looking as I can and I not sure I want threaded bolts and nuts showing
Another idea was to cut some thin parallel slots and thread some velcro style straps around the seat rails.

Any ideas appreciated...

 

[drewpy]

press studs? thats on mine and covered by the seat padding
can you not hinge the front or rear and your weight would keep the thing down?

drewps

 

[totalgearhead]

May add some work, but dzus fasteners are trick looking and easily opened with a coin in your pocket. And they sit flush.

 

[cturek]

I think I would weld or braze some nuts on the inside face of the frame and then screw the pan down into the nuts. Only the heads of the screws would be visible. You could use a screw with a low profile head.

 

[hardtailed77]

What about this?......Weld two pieces of 1/8 inch flat stock across the frame rails from the left side to the right side. Weld one towards the front and one towards the back of the bike. Drill two holes in each piece.Then you can use the same idea of welding bolts to the seat pan and bolting it down. This would be a little cleaner, and if you weld the pieces high enough on the rails, you wouldn't see the nuts below. This of course would only work if your electrics tray isnt completely covered by the seat pan. If it is, you could weld a small piece of tubing inside the electrics tray to allow the bolts from the seat pan to be tightened down without flexing the seat pan. This would show the nuts, but they could be a little further "inside" the bike to not be noticed as easily.

 

[hardtailed77]

I think I would weld or braze some nuts on the inside face of the frame and then screw the pan down into the nuts. Only the heads of the screws would be visible. You could use a screw with a low profile head.

That would work too, if you are just running the pan alone. If you are putting foam, and covering the seat with vinyl or something, then you wouldn't be able to get at the screws. Taking your idea cturek (no offense intended), if you are covering the seat, you could always just reverse the way the screw sits. weld a nut inside the frame (like cturek suggested) and then another nut to the inside of the seat pan after drilling a hole through it. You could cover the seat however you want and just come in from the bottom and bolt the screw though the frame nut, and then the seat pan nut.

Like I said, I wasnt meaning to take cturek's idea or say it wasnt good enough. Just trying to give another option to the same general idea.

 

[Travis]

I say 4 tabs welded to the inside top of the seat rails and 4 nuts welded to the pan. Easy and hidden.

 

[drewpy]

what i've done on my tracker is welded tabs with nuts (captive) on them, drilled a hole through the seat pan and scewed the pan to the tabs. the screws are pan head allens which have a low profile.

They are covered by the seat pad with press studs

 

[CadXS]

Thanks for all the ideas. For some reason I got fixated with welding bolts to the pan and drilling holes in the rails and the ideas above have opened up other avenues of thought for me.
Thanks again.

 

[firegatejeeyamaha]

As crazy as this sounds i had once seen someone use magnets that held there seat pan down. They were real strong ones so they would not just fall off if you were interested in a clean look with not welding or drilling anything you could use those. Just a thought

 

[drewpy]

As crazy as this sounds i had once seen someone use magnets that held there seat pan down. They were real strong ones so they would not just fall off if you were interested in a clean look with not welding or drilling anything you could use those. Just a thought

that sounds ATTRACTIVE, but it may POLARISE peoples opinions on it!

 

[lhaolpa]

Go to a drywall supply and tell them you want some tek screws.They are self tapping and there is a type with flat 1/2" heads and they will hold a lot of pressure,and a philips screwdriver or drill will remove them quickly. lha