[catamount]

On the old forum there was lots of talk of these quick-release seat pins made by forum member "Mule". They were called "Mule Nuts". Does anyone happen to have a photo of what they looked like or worked like?



I'd like to come up with some sort of quick-release for my seat.



Thanks!

 

[HenryJ]

On the old forum there was lots of talk of these quick-release seat pins made by forum member "Mule". They were called "Mule Nuts". Does anyone happen to have a photo of what they looked like or worked like?



I'd like to come up with some sort of quick-release for my seat.



Thanks!

I used a 5/8" slack adjuster (truck air brake pin) pin. Drilled and tapped the head end for the piece of threaded stock and drove a roll pin through the cotter pin hole to make a "T" handle. Works great.

 

[catamount]

I used a 5/8" slack adjuster (truck air brake pin) pin. Drilled and tapped the head end for the piece of threaded stock and drove a roll pin through the cotter pin hole to make a "T" handle. Works great.

Good plan! It should also work if I just drill a hole in the threaded stock alone, right? Do I need the air brake pin?



Also, how do you keep it "tight" against the frame to stop the seat from jumping around?

 

[HenryJ]

I have a feeling that a picture might clear up my foggy description.

 

[catamount]

I have a feeling that a picture might clear up my foggy description.

Thank you! That makes it perfectly clear!

 

[JS5owner]

Here is my solution - a hitch pin, aptly named: Mule hitch pin! [grin]

 

[rm_hm]

Does the seat wiggle up and down at all with the pin setup when off roading?



I'm all for not needing tools to get the seat off.



What would happen if you moved that pin to the end of the bolt and put a flat washer and a spring in between the bike frame and pin?



Or am I just making things too complicated?

Anyway... does anyone know what thread size are the seat bolts are ?





Edit:

I gave the spring route a run. Worked out fine. But I could see someone dropping the spring and having a loose seat all the way home.

 

[JS5owner]

Does the seat wiggle up and down at all with the pin setup?



What would happen if you moved that pin to the end of the bolt and put a flat washer and a spring in between the bike frame and pin?



Or am I just making things too complicated?

Anyway... what thread size are the seat bolts?

Rich, for me I like to keep things simple... I've not had a problem with any seat wiggle but I also have the Stearns/Walmart seat cover that I use - it and my butt [grin] keeps it down... I don't know what the size of the seat bolt is, I just took it down to the Ace and matched it up.

 

[catamount]

Here is my solution - a hitch pin, aptly named: Mule hitch pin! [grin]

Yes! These were the photos I saw on the old site. Thanks for re-posting them.



Also, I think the bolt is a 6 mm x 1mm thread.

 

[rm_hm]

I smell a missing link award for someone

 

[eldavo]

+1 that is a great solution.

Even if the threads rust solid it won't matter. That happened to the wrecked seat I bought to make the hybrid XT350 front tank portion. I managed to work the rusted snapped seat bolt out somehow.

 

[catamount]

I smell a missing link award for you cat

Not for me! But maybe for either of the two guys who posted their solutions above!

 

[assquatch20]

This is great. The previous owner of my TW just put the bolts into the seat but not through the bracket. I don't really get any wiggle though when I'm on it. Hitch pin idea is great though.

 

[Rohnsman]

Here's my solution to the problem of having to have tools to take off the seat - Perhaps since they use wingnuts as a primary component, I'll call these "WingDings."



You can see they use a metric bolt, a wingnut, a locknut, and a short nylon sleeve. I ground the nylon sleeve down from it's original length on a bench grinder. I think were I to re-make these I'd get a little longer bolt and make the sleeve a bit longer too to be sure the wingnut was well out of the way of the seat bracket.

 

[catamount]

Here is my solution - a hitch pin, aptly named: Mule hitch pin! [grin]

Okay, so I confirmed tonight at the local hardware store that this pin is in the metric section:



M6 x 40 (or longer if you like), 1.00 pitch.



I ended up building two for myself at a grand total of $2. Thanks JS5owner!

 

[Rohnsman]

Okay, so I confirmed tonight at the local hardware store that this pin is in the metric section:



M6 x 40 (or longer if you like), 1.00 pitch.



I ended up building two for myself at a grand total of $2. Thanks JS5owner!

I like this solution even better than mine, but am wondering how you get the hole in the pin? (Is this a bolt with the head cut off??) Bolts are typically pretty hard metal and drilling the hole seems not very easy.

 

[assquatch20]

I like this solution even better than mine, but am wondering how you get the hole in the pin? (Is this a bolt with the head cut off??) Bolts are typically pretty hard metal and drilling the hole seems not very easy.

The pin is made just like that with the hole in it. It's usually used to connect a hitch to a vehicle or any tow behind equipment. Very handy in all sorts of situations.

 

[catamount]

The pin is made just like that with the hole in it. It's usually used to connect a hitch to a vehicle or any tow behind equipment. Very handy in all sorts of situations.

I wish! I doubt you'll find such a small pin (M6) as a hitch pin.



The bolt is small so you'll have to drill it yourself. I cut the head off the bolt and then put it in a vise. Using something sharp and hard like a nail, I'll get an indentation going in the bolt. Then you just drill a straight hole through it.

 

[qwerty]

Here's my solution to the problem of having to have tools to take off the seat - Perhaps since they use wingnuts as a primary component, I'll call these "WingDings."



You can see they use a metric bolt, a wingnut, a locknut, and a short nylon sleeve. I ground the nylon sleeve down from it's original length on a bench grinder. I think were I to re-make these I'd get a little longer bolt and make the sleeve a bit longer too to be sure the wingnut was well out of the way of the seat bracket.

Nice. I'll be doing this mod this afternoon.



I saw a Suzuki rider using hitch pins to secure his seat launch his seat off a cliff. If you ride in a lot of thick brush that could be an issue. Probably not more than a 1:1,000,000 chance of losing both pins at the same time, though.

 

[JS5owner]

Okay, so I confirmed tonight at the local hardware store that this pin is in the metric section:



M6 x 40 (or longer if you like), 1.00 pitch.



I ended up building two for myself at a grand total of $2. Thanks JS5owner!

You are welcome catamount! What I like about this board is the collective knowledge that is shared. I've learned so much from all my fellow T-dubers! I do wish this new board kept the "stats" of the old board. I.e. how many posts, etc. etc. but I'm totally grateful for Chopper Charles for "herding the cats" here.