Mooney shopping seat rail pics

[Shorty]

Hi all, 

EDIT: Short mean 5’ 1” tall with about 28” inseam. I was able to get the pins to go in the holes and would push down on the latching bar and shake it vigorously. It would seem to hold but when I would settle back in the seat and try to apply pressure to the breaks it would immediately slide back as m weight shifted.
 

First time posting and I’m not a Mooney owner yet but I’ve been shopping like crazy. I’ve been looking at a 62 C model and one of my problems was not being able to get the seat to lock in the full forward position. I’ve been reading that just cleaning the holes up might fix it but I’m a 600 mile round trip to see it again. I’m short enough that even in the full forward position I need a cushion behind me to this is a deal breaker if I can’t find a reasonable fix. 
 

Do these holes look worn enough to cause an issue? If it’s weak springs are they available? It looked like replacing tracks was a major deal.

Edited May 7, 2025 by Shorty

[47U]

21 minutes ago, Shorty said:

Do these holes look worn enough to cause an issue?

There may be some dirt/debris in the holes, but they don’t look worn to the extent that the seat would not lock.  One picture shows a hole with some deformity… not sure what that’s about.

Is there hardware installed in the seat track to prevent the seat from sliding all the way off the track?  If so, is that hardware limiting forward travel and preventing the seat pin from engaging the hole?  (It looks like there might be some roller wear, also.)

[KSMooniac]

They don't look awful to me.  You might need to replace the rollers and inspect/clean the locking pin as well.  

In case you're not aware, there are drawings/kits to extend the rudder pedals that might help you as well.

[Bolter]

Reupholstery of the seats may bring you several inches more forward by just replacing the worn out foam.  You can then add to that with custom upholstery options or memory foam that compresses less. 

I consider myself "short" at 5'7", and depending on the Mooney, rudder pedals are a stretch but always can get full braking.  I usually sit one click back from the all the way forward.

Also make sure that the seat does not have another adjustment for height or tilt that you may not have adjusted correctly.  This may permit comfort in the second slot.

[Hank]

It's unlikely that a 62C has been retrofitted with vertical adjusting seats. My 1970C offers three lock-in positions; I'm 5'11" with 34" inseams, and I use the middle one for good rudder pedal reach while allowing room for my feet off the pedals in cruise. 

My wife is 5'3", and slides the seat forward only to the initial locking position (one back from mine), and she can't stretch out her feet and touch the rudder.

Remember, @Shorty, there's a variety of cushions you.can put behind you to push forward. I still sit on a tapered 2" cushion to see the front of the cowl; as a new owner, getting that cushion really improved my landings. 

Goop builds up in the unused holes over time, and will prevent the seat from locking in properly. Sometimes the rollers on the seat wear out. But in Mooneys, it's unusual to have really bad wear on the seat rails, which is good, because they are a major PITA to replace. 

Good luck with finding your plane! Hangar out here, and fly safe!

[kortopates]

Its also possible the seat is the culprit if the frame is cracked and not allowing the pins to line up to the hole or even an issue with the pin mechanism.

Its not the end of the world if the seat rails need to be replaced. They are available and job is very doable, even more so on a manual gear without the electric gear in the way. I've replaced all 4 of mine.

[Fly Boomer]

5 hours ago, Shorty said:

I’m short enough that even in the full forward position I need a cushion behind me

As someone above mentioned, the 3-inch rudder pedal extensions can be installed so you can sit back a little further.

[Shorty]

6 hours ago, 47U said:

There may be some dirt/debris in the holes, but they don’t look worn to the extent that the seat would not lock.  One picture shows a hole with some deformity… not sure what that’s about.

Is there hardware installed in the seat track to prevent the seat from sliding all the way off the track?  If so, is that hardware limiting forward travel and preventing the seat pin from engaging the hole?  (It looks like there might be some roller wear, also.)

Maybe that really is what it is. In person it looks like the top back edge of some of the holes has been smoothed off but when I looked at the original quality picture of the one you’re talking about it’s not a deformation but looks like there may be debris. 

[Shorty]

@kortopates thanks for that encouragement. I wondered if the manual gear would change the story.
@fly boomer That’s good to know. I’ll look into the rudder pedal extensions. 

[Utah20Gflyer]

To me the first picture looks like there is debris in the hole.  Can the seller investigate and clean out any debris and test? 

[1980Mooney]

14 minutes ago, Shorty said:

@kortopates thanks for that encouragement. I wondered if the manual gear would change the story.
@fly boomer That’s good to know. I’ll look into the rudder pedal extensions. 

 

[Shorty]

52 minutes ago, Utah20Gflyer said:

To me the first picture looks like there is debris in the hole.  Can the seller investigate and clean out any debris and test? 

I’m going to contact him and find out. I don’t think he likes doing much in the way of maintenance but he might. 

[Pinecone]

OP mentions that it seems to lock until he puts pressure on the brakes.

I vote for seat rollers allowing the seat to rock when pressure is applied.  The nylon (??) rollers that @DonMuncy sells are great.  My only problem is, when I release the seat latch, I rapidly slide all the way to the back.

[A64Pilot]

At that age of aircraft it’s likely most will have some issues, most anything can be fixed so of course the consideration is cost.

Corrosion is the exception, there are I’m sure several aircraft that have enough corrosion to make them uneconomical to repair, that should I think be your major concern.

You really, really want the pedal extensions. I’m 5’10” and installed the 3” to get my knees from hitting the nose gear enclosure, and I think it put me right where I want to be yoke position wise. I’d suspect with the seat full forward and a cushion behind your back it might be difficult to get the yoke full back for landing etc.

My original rollers were Phenolic, I believe they wear the aluminum as evidenced by the surface was covered by aluminum oxide, plus as they wear down the steel part of the seat frame scrapes the rails and wears them.

It’s my opinion that the softer nylon won’t cause as much wear, but they may not last as long as the phenolic. Something has to wear, I’d rather that be the rollers than the rails myself. I think maybe keeping them clean and free of sand etc might also help.

Edited May 7, 2025 by A64Pilot

[Kelpro999]

As a piece of mind, after correcting your automatic seat release problem, you can use a modified to fit “saf-t-stop”. Cessna uses them.