[Shaun]

Anyone out there with the CTA Swivels R Us adapter... can this adapter be used on either the driver's seat or the passenger's seat? Is it interchangeable since it swivels both ways and has no offset? Pictures I see look very uniform, holes on both sides look the same... which makes me think I could put it on either seat if I decided to move it to one or the other. Can anyone confirm this? I reached out the the folks at swivelsrus.com but their sales and tech staff are off until the beginning of September.

Or can anyone verify that the PM OEM driver's and passenger's seat bases both have the same bolt pattern, uniform on the left and right sides of the base?

Thanks!

 

[tgblake]

I ordered both passenger and driver CTA swivels from swivels r us. When I received them I could not tell the difference. I inquired if it mattered which one was installed on each side. I received an answer that they were interchangeable. I did not not actually try one on both sides.

 

[Shaun]

I ordered both passenger and driver CTA swivels from swivels r us. When I received them I could not tell the difference. I inquired if it mattered which one was installed on each side. I received an answer that they were interchangeable. I did not not actually try one on both sides.

That's what I thought. I did some digging on the web regarding the PM seat base and found that they are identical... so that led me to believe the CTA swivel must be as well since there's no offset.
Thank you very much for confirming!!! Just what I was hoping.

 

[jimmbomb]

I ordered both passenger and driver CTA swivels from swivels r us. When I received them I could not tell the difference. I inquired if it mattered which one was installed on each side. I received an answer that they were interchangeable. I did not not actually try one on both sides.

How was the installation? Was it very easy? And how did the swivels perform? And approximately how much did they cost? Thank you

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

They are $298 plus shipping, about $40 IIRC. Interchangeable and if you bought a Sportscraft lowered base.... yes it fits. If you bought a drivers side Sportscraft swivel and want to change it for the CTA, don't sell the Sportscraft- install it on the passenger side! Really! It works better there than any other swivel as it moves the seat outward towards the door when swiveled. If you have an armrest on the passenger side you have to keep it slid forward but wow what extra room up front!
The CTA swivels are a bit harder to swivel but have adjustment and are sent very tight. I haven't had a chance to try an adjustment yet. Choice of swivels? Get CTA.

 

[tgblake]

How was the installation? Was it very easy? And how did the swivels perform? And approximately how much did they cost? Thank you

I was working in a dark area and at first I thought the screw heads were an allen type head. After a closer look I determined the screw head was a Torx T-40. I stripped the first screw using an allen wrench but the rest came out easily when I switched to the Torx wrench. My installation was a bit more complicated due to the heated seat wiring. But once I had it all figured out it went pretty easily.

Performance has been easy. Some say they are a little tight but I have nothing to compare it to. They cannot be easily swiveled while sitting in them, due to the tightness and potential obstructions. If you stand aside and turn them by hand, they turn easily enough. The driver seat has to be adjusted to make it around without hitting the pillar or the steering wheel.

The cost was $298 each or $596 for 2 + $90 S&H. Total $686 for the two. This also included a free windshield cover with a $120 MSRP. The free windshield cover was a limited time promotion and may not always be part of the deal.

 

[tahoematt]

They are $298 plus shipping, about $40 IIRC. Interchangeable and if you bought a Sportscraft lowered base.... yes it fits. If you bought a drivers side Sportscraft swivel and want to change it for the CTA, don't sell the Sportscraft- install it on the passenger side! Really! It works better there than any other swivel as it moves the seat outward towards the door when swiveled. If you have an armrest on the passenger side you have to keep it slid forward but wow what extra room up front!
The CTA swivels are a bit harder to swivel but have adjustment and are sent very tight. I haven't had a chance to try an adjustment yet. Choice of swivels? Get CTA.

So I want the lowered bases. So I'll get the sportscraft lowered bases. But are you saying it would be best scenario to have one drivers side sports craft installed on passenger and a drive CTA on the drivers side? DO they both mount without modification/ hitting parking brake?

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Both swivels will hit the E-brake when pulled so it must be lowered. No other modification. The lowered base lowers the E-brake but not enough to clear the swivels.
If you have a passenger seat w/o an armrest I would buy the drivers side Sportscraft seat swivel for the passenger side for sure. If you have the armrest like we do it is a toss up. It swivels fine, smooth and easy, it is a great swivel but it will not swivel quite 180º as the armrest hits the door plastic. It will swivel about 160º and very close to 180º if you move the seat forward on its slider (towards the rear of the van when swiveled.) BUT you get about 4-5” of extra room in the center of the front of the van with it there. Now you know- it’s your call.
CTA on the driver’s side for sure, as the Sportscraft seat moves inward and cannot miss the steering wheel easily. If you have the armrest on the drivers side with the lumbar adjustment knob the seat cannot be adjusted to miss the steering wheel at all. PIA.
None of the trim fits afterward so I put it in storage. The toolkit DOES fit under the passenger seat when lowered. The Sportscraft lowered bases are VERY well made.
Steve at eurocampers.com is very helpful and they ship fast if what you want is in stock. Good people. swivelsrus.com is a strange site to buy from, but improved from a year ago. They too sent promptly and accurately filled the order.

 

[Shaun]

swivelsrus.com is a strange site to buy from.

I'll agree totally on that point... although I haven't actually made a purchase yet, needed some info first. They have a contact phone number on the website but every time I called (over the past 2 weeks) it says "we're not answering the phones today". Then I emailed their [email protected] with my question and got a reply from some poor chap in the warehouse informing me that the sales staff is off until the beginning of September so I wouldn't get a reply until then. That was last week. Not sure what would happen if I actually placed an order right now.

 

[Shaun]

UPDATE: I found a used CTA SwivelsRus "drivers" side swivel adapter on eBay and was able to negotiate the price down to $250 including shipping. I felt that was a good deal. Just got it today and spent 30min installing it on my passenger's seat. It fits perfect and could be used on either driver's side or passenger's side. Super easy install too. Works like a charm and allows me to still keep the tire change kit under the passenger's seat. Swivels nice, I can even do it while seated. Need to adjust the seat appropriately to avoid hitting the side pillar, but that's a no brainer. The swivel doesn't add too much more weight (17lbs) to the seat, so I can still remove the entire passenger's seat when we go camping to allow for a third sleeping area (we put a cot with an air mattress there). Very happy with this choice!

 

[Lance Torre]

They are $298 plus shipping, about $40 IIRC. Interchangeable and if you bought a Sportscraft lowered base.... yes it fits. If you bought a drivers side Sportscraft swivel and want to change it for the CTA, don't sell the Sportscraft- install it on the passenger side! Really! It works better there than any other swivel as it moves the seat outward towards the door when swiveled. If you have an armrest on the passenger side you have to keep it slid forward but wow what extra room up front!
The CTA swivels are a bit harder to swivel but have adjustment and are sent very tight. I haven't had a chance to try an adjustment yet. Choice of swivels? Get CTA.

If I choose to outfit my passenger seat with a swivel minus the lowered base, would you recommend the Sportscraft over the Swivels are us?

Does either brand lock in more than one position? I would like to be able to swivel freely in either direction w/o it locking 180 facing the back doors.

Thanks

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

If you don’t have the passenger arm rest I’d instal a DRIVER’S side Sportscraft. If you have the armrest then a Sportscraft passenger side swivel. I din’t try either on the tall base but feel confident that would work. Both swivels may require you to move the seat forward to swivel. Neither lock at 180º, neither brand have additional detents for position. The Sportscraft does swivel very smoothly, more easily than the CTA (swivelsrus). In case anyone has missed it the drivers side needs a CTA swivel to turn w/o a bunch of obstructions, don’t do the Sportscraft on the drivers side IMHO.

 

[Shaun]

If I choose to outfit my passenger seat with a swivel minus the lowered base, would you recommend the Sportscraft over the Swivels are us?

Does either brand lock in more than one position? I would like to be able to swivel freely in either direction w/o it locking 180 facing the back doors.

Thanks

I can't speak for the Sportscraft swivel, but I'm happy with ease of use with the CTA SwivelsRus adapter and the simple install. If the Sportscraft swivels smoother that's great, but I think the CTA operates just fine in that regard too. It does swivel 360 degrees in either direction and only locks in the forward position.
In researching the two there are a few reasons I preferred the CTA adapter more for my application: First, the CTA doesn't have the offset that the Sportscraft does, which allows for more room between the driver's and passenger's seat to maneuver from the cab to the back when the passenger's seat is facing backward. Secondly, I like that the mechanism that releases the swivel plate on the CTA is neatly located under the front of the seat, whereas the Sportscraft is a lever on the side... which seems to me like another obstruction to look out for when passing from front to back (I'm always bumping into things in tight quarters though, so I like to be free of obstructions). And lastly, combined with the two reasons above, the CTA can be used on either driver's or passenger's side in the event you ever want to swap it or even sell it. It's more universally adaptable.