Today’s cars and trucks are more expensive than they’ve ever been in the past, but many of them are built to last at least 10 to 15 years with only regular maintenance. Specifically trucks, since they’re used for utility purposes in addition to regular driving, can be expected to be used 25 years or longer, if maintained and repaired a few times.
One of the weakest links in the truck care cycle is always going to be the upholstery, since it has to be made of comfortable materials, and still stand up to rugged usage. Rather than pay the high price of getting seats reupholstered it’s far cheaper to get some high quality, tough seat covers, then replace those if they wear out instead.
- You’ll Find Two Basic Types Of Seat Covers, Universal Or Custom Fit
The universal fit seat cover is usually of far lesser quality, and not made to fit every seat exactly, but most of them fairly well. They’re usually attached with elastic bands and a few “S” hooks, but not very securely, and that can be problem. One unique consideration when it comes to trucks, is that many times several people need to slide down the seat to make room.
When a seat cover isn’t attached firmly and securely, it will come loose, over and over again. This is a hassle, making it hard to get in and out of the vehicle quickly, people with working trucks are busy, they don’t like wasting time. Universal fit also means that it’s made a little extra large to accommodate several different kinds of seats and sizes.
Another problem with the cheaper seat covers is that the material is just not made to last under rugged usage conditions. When a rancher and his crew pile into a truck, many times they’ve been working in harsh, wet, muddy conditions, or will have tools with sharp points, and always a pencil in the pocket. These conditions are the kiss of death to the low quality materials of the universal fit seat covers.
When you opt for something like custom made canvas seat covers, they’ll be perfect fits, no loose edges, they’ll stay in place as you scoot across the seat. They’re specifically made for the exact make, year, and model of your vehicle. They usually will be held in position with strong fasteners that are connected in far more places. You won’t be wasting a lot of time re-positioning them, worrying about stretching the material, or snags.
Plus, since they are made to fit exactly, you won’t have to slice holes in your custom covers to accommodate arm rests, seat controls, head rests, and other peculiarities that each car or truck has that makes them different.
- Higher Quality Materials Far Outlast The Cheap Stuff
Most of the cheap seat covers will be made from very cheap, poor quality materials that don’t breathe well, cause sweating, get hot in the sunlight, and will allow spills and stains to pass through to your original seats. This negates one of the main reasons why people by seat covers in the first place, to keep the original seats in top condition.
If you work in an industry, agricultural, construction, mining, or some other outdoor job, many times you’ll be getting wet, eating in your truck, and using it as a second office nearly everyday. You can buy custom made canvas seat covers that are nearly waterproof, snag proof, puncture proof, that will take all the abuse you can deliver, and still look good.
If you don’t need the waterproof covers, there are still a wide variety of softer, more luxurious materials that you can get. Since the covers are custom made, you can order them in a huge variety of materials that will match the interior of your car, or your favorite sports team, if that’s what you desire.
Although the custom made canvas seat covers, are quite popular now, the old standby of the saddle blanket is still going strong. These are more of a traditional style, but since many ranchers use trucks with seat covers, they are partial to the saddle blanket material and the stitched pattern they sport. These are many times foam backed, since many older trucks had vinyl seats and the backing helps stabilize the covers so they don’t slip. But, you can choose which you prefer.
- Custom Fit Covers Are Inspected And Designed To Be Safety Compliant
One huge advantage to buying custom made covers is that they make allowances for all of the safety features that your truck has installed. There are side impact airbags in many trucks that could be blocked by the cheaper covers, but with custom fit, you’ll find that there is an opening, either a slit or Velcro cover, that is made specifically for the vehicle that you have. The covers are carefully inspected before being sold.
- If You Have A Tractor, Or Other Type Of Machine You’re In Luck
You may not have thought about it, but driving a tractor, or an earth-mover all day on vinyl seats can be very uncomfortable. However, for most farm, construction, or even recreational vehicles, you can almost always get a high quality customized seat cover made. Since many farm or construction vehicles don’t change their seat styles often, there are almost always patterns available to make a custom fit cover, same with nearly all other types of seats, just call to ask with your make, model, year, and style to find out.
If you haven’t checked into custom made seat covers lately, you’re in for a surprise. The quality, workmanship and attention to fine detail will impress you. Protecting your investment and looking good will never go out of style.