Passenger Seat Swivel
Why I Finally Added a Seat Swivel to the White Turtle III
When I originally built the White Turtle III, I intentionally skipped adding a seat swivel. My reasoning was simple: I had installed the house battery under the seat, and there just wasn’t room for both a battery and a swivel.
Recently, I decided it was time to add a second battery — and I wanted the weight at the rear of the van for better balance. That meant I could finally free up the seat and install a swivel.
Now, let’s talk about cost. The swivel I chose was shockingly expensive — almost $600! And while that might seem outrageous for what is essentially a metal plate, I’ve learned over the years that it’s better to spend more for a product that works than to cheap out and regret it. The cheaper versions are still around $400, and many have alignment or durability issues. For the extra $200, I went with a Scopema swivel, which is highly rated and well-reviewed.
First Impressions
- It’s heavy! You won’t need a friend to lift it, but you’ll definitely get a workout.
- It comes with absolutely no instructions. Luckily, I’d done my homework beforehand and found a few install guides online. Even those were vague at best.
Installation Expectations vs. Reality
I thought the job would take about an hour. Nope! With the battery relocation and wiring, it turned into a full 8-hour project. But honestly, I enjoyed the process just as much as the final result. The weather was perfect, and I took my time to do everything right.
Project Breakdown
- 1 hour – Building new #1 gauge battery cables with heavy-duty ends
- 2 hours – Running the new #1 wire from the fuse panel to the new battery location
- 2 hours – Rewiring the van-to-house system and relocating the switch
- 2 hours – Moving the battery to the rear, cleanup, and reassembly
- 20 minutes – Installing the swivel (once everything else was ready)
Helpful Tip: Bolt Alignment
As mentioned earlier, the swivel came with no instructions. I found some basic guidance online, but the real trick was dealing with the bolt alignment. Many people struggle with this — apparently due to slight variances in seat base welding between vans. The best advice I found was this:
“Try different bolt combinations until they all line up. Don’t force them.”
It took me three tries, but I got all the bolts in without drilling the swivel, which many people end up doing.
A Few Extra Things to Know About the Seat Swivel
One issue that rarely gets mentioned is the child safety seat anchor located behind the seat. When you swivel the seat, it gets in the way. Some people recommend cutting it off entirely, but I’m not a fan of permanently removing something I might need down the road. Instead, I bent it out of the way. It’s still there if I ever need it, and now the seat swivels perfectly.
A Few Notes Based on Real Experience:
- Swiveling with the door closed?
Some posts claim you can swivel the seat with the door shut. Not true. You’ll end up scratching the plastic on the door. A few people modify their seat glides to make it work, but that feels like a lot of unnecessary effort (and risk) for a small gain. - Can you keep the jack under the seat?
I gave it a quick try and… it’s a very tight fit. So far, it doesn’t seem practical, but I’ll revisit it when I have more time. Maybe there’s a combination that works — but it’s not obvious. - Do you need to hammer or pry the seat base to make it fit?
Again, a lot of people say yes — but you don’t. As I mentioned earlier, the trick is finding the right bolt pattern. Take your time and try different combinations. That’s all it takes.