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Repairing torn seat foam?????

44K views 19 replies 7 participants last post by  Sprunk 
#1 · (Edited)
I bought a 2002 Mountain Cat that has a torn seat. I have a good seat cover but the foam padding underneath is also ripped. Does anyone know of a way to repair the rip in the foam rubber seat padding? Below is a picture of the seat to give an idea of what I'm talking about.
 

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#2 ·
yep, sure do...my seat and foam were torn pretty good when i got mine and i used a giant curved needle and some black braided fishing line...95 lbs test...very strong and not had one problem 1200 miles later...could go snap a few pics if you really needed to see it..just shoot me a pm....ok
 
#3 ·
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bckmstr @ Feb 26 2010, 10:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
yep, sure do...my seat and foam were torn pretty good when i got mine and i used a giant curved needle and some black braided fishing line...95 lbs test...very strong and not had one problem 1200 miles later...could go snap a few pics if you really needed to see it..just shoot me a pm....ok[/b]
Did you stitch the foam?? Never really thought of that. I was thinking more about adhesives for the foam but if it works what the heck.
 
#4 ·
yep stitch the foam right up...worked perfect!...i thought about adhesives too, but with the moisture didn't think it would last very long....you'll be glad you stitched it in the long run and like i said..1200 miles later and no issues....cheapest solution in my opinion :D
 
#5 ·
Good deal. I have a curved needle from another project. I will be getting the fishing line tonight. Thanks. It is funny how sometimes you get focused in on things and don't see the simpler solution.

Thanks again.
 
#6 ·
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (109jb @ Feb 26 2010, 10:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Good deal. I have a curved needle from another project. I will be getting the fishing line tonight. Thanks. It is funny how sometimes you get focused in on things and don't see the simpler solution.

Thanks again.[/b]
yea i know that feeling all to well....i uses just that line used for tip ups...nice, thick and heavy...i also stitched up my seat as well....i'll go downstairs and snap a few photos for ya..ok
 
#7 ·
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bckmstr @ Feb 26 2010, 12:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (109jb @ Feb 26 2010, 10:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Good deal. I have a curved needle from another project. I will be getting the fishing line tonight. Thanks. It is funny how sometimes you get focused in on things and don't see the simpler solution.

Thanks again.[/b]
yea i know that feeling all to well....i uses just that line used for tip ups...nice, thick and heavy...i also stitched up my seat as well....i'll go downstairs and snap a few photos for ya..ok
[/b][/quote]

I appreciate it. Thank you again.
 
#8 ·
Don't use adhesive, it will soak in and harden the foam in that area. and if you press on it before it drys, it will permanently compress the foam. Stitching sounds like it will work, and while you have the cover off, you could consider adding a 1/2" or so piece of foam over the whole thing.
 
#9 ·
Well here they are, guess it was 72lb. test, and there's the needle. Also the foam was stitched the same way under that long tear in the back right under where you see it stitched on left. It was bad, almost 3 pieces, but came together nicely....hope these help ya...
[attachment=149463:Sno_Pro_...pair_001.JPG][attachment=149464:Sno_Pro_...pair_00
3.JPG]
[attachment=149465:Sno_Pro_...pair_005.JPG][attachment=149466:Sno_Pro_...pair_00
6.JPG]
[attachment=149467:Sno_Pro_...pair_007.JPG][attachment=149468:Sno_Pro_...pair_00
8.JPG]
 

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#10 ·
That looks like the ticket. I just happened to think that I have some 1/2" high density foam rubber and I can stitch the foam and then spray glue (spray adhesive will remain flexible) a piece of the 1/2" foam on top of the seat. That may help strengthen the ripped area a bit. Thanks guys.
 
#13 ·
Got sidetracked by a long list of honey-do's and having to swap out a track on another sled. Will probably get to it this weekend. I'm going to have to drain and remove the tank/seat combo because I have to put the new cover on too. I'll post some pics of the repairs when I get them done.
 
#14 ·
Well I finally got the seat fixed. I wound up going a different route. Turns out I had to make a seat cushion for my son's wheelchair and in doing so I had some scraps of foam rubber. I also had a can of 3m 77 spray adhesive on the shelf. I decided to do an experiment. I used the 3m 77 to stick 2 pieces of scrap foam together. What I found was that the bond was flexible and strong enough that the foam tore before the bond line. So, I spray glued the foam together and held it in place with some duct tape until the adhesive dried. The tear went through the entire thickness of the foam, about 4 inches. The 2 pieces on each side of the tear were only held together by a little bit of foam at the sides. After gluing I them decided that it would be a good idea to reinforce the tear in the foam. I took an old pair of jeans and cut a hunk out and spray glued it on top. I also glued a tear back by the hump and reinforced where the listing wire goes with another piece of jean material. As for the cover and the tears in it, I was at first going to use another cover I have from a seat mod on my 2003 M-cat, but I decided to give fixing this one a try first. We had some iron on patch material in the sewing kit, so I ironed it on the back side of the ripped spots on the seat cover. Made it strong enough. Unfortunately I was getting a little excited about my progress and didn't get pictures of that step. I then stapled the cover back on. eevrything good so far but you could see the tears still. Funcional but not pretty. I happen to have a vinyl repair kit for fixing small tears in seats and such so I pulled it out and went to town. It came out very well. you can still see the location of thee tear if you look but it is very good and not real noticeable. The vinyl repair I used is the type that has a little iron and heat setting repair putty. It also has some "grain papers" to match the grain of the original vinyl. It is about as good as I could imagine it and seems fine. The big rip was right where you would put your knee if standing with one knee on the seat. I stood like that and my knee didn't go through so everything looks good. I guess we will see how it does for real next season. Here are some pictures.
 

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#16 ·
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (97zert @ Mar 14 2010, 02:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
looks good how does it feel? can you tell anything is different?[/b]
There is nothing you would ever feel different when riding. The only way you can tell is by looking and even that isn't that noticeable. Visibly you can see a couple faint ridge lines from the edges of the iron on patch material and the edge of the denim reinforcement. The only other thing is the shade of color of the vinyl patch material is a bit different from the original color. I actually think it looks worse in the picture that in person.

The absolute best part is that it cost me exactly $0.00 since I already had everything to fix it in my possession.
 
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