Vehicle seats

Claim 1

A seat for a tractor or other vehicle, the seat having a backrest, a shoulder support and a hinge assembly including two laterally spaced hinge devices having a common hinge axis for mounting the shoulder support on the backrest for tilting movement from a normal position in which it forms an upward extension of the backrest to a backwardly-tilted position in which it forms a rest suitable, for example, for supporting an arm and shoulder of the seat occupant when reversing or plowing, each hinge device including a curved member integrally carried by said backrest and shoulder support for pivotal movement about said common hinge axis, said curved member having a detent aperture near one end which is adapted to receive the tip of said shank for securing the shoulder support in its normal position, said curved surface and aperture being mounted for vertical movement out of contact with the tip of said shank when said shoulder support is to be pivotally moved to its substantially horizontal position, and stop means at the other end of said curved surface for contacting the edge of the top of said shank member and limiting the pivotal movement of said shoulder support, each hinge device also including a pillar having a shank, a sleeve rotatable on the shank, means restricting movement of the sleeve longitudinally of the pillar, and a coupling carried by said sleeve and movable into locking engagement with the backrest in response to rotation of said sleeve, each hinge device further including locking means for locking the hinge device when the shoulder support is in a normal upright position, said locking means being releasable to permit the shoulder support to be tilted rearwardly about a common axis of said hinge devices to a substantially horizontal position in which it is supported by the hinge assembly, said locking means including a detent biased by a spring towards a locked position in which it secures a part of the shoulder support rigidly with respect to the backrest, but which is releasable by manually lifting the shoulder support away from the backrest against the force of the spring.