NASHVILLE -- The next generation of the Bose Ride truck seat suspension system brings new features and functionality, improved seat-top ergonomics, and a built-in driver orientation training module. Bose made the announcement Sunday at the ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting.
Based on feedback from Bose Ride owners and fleets, as well as ongoing company research, these new capabilities are designed to deliver the benefits of dramatically reduced fatigue and pain to more truck fleets and drivers.
“With the Bose Ride system II, more drivers can feel safer, recover faster, and expect a longer driving career, while traveling over more varying road conditions,” explained Mike Rosen, Bose Ride chief engineer and general manager.
The new Bose Ride System II offers a three-position Ride Control selector, allowing drivers to customize their ride throughout the day. For these settings, three Bose control algorithms were developed and extensively road tested to ensure that the Bose Ride system II is effective for more trucking applications, with more drivers, and covering a greater range of road and surface conditions.
The middle setting delivers an experience of gently following the road contours, while protecting the driver from shaking and bumps. This provides a slightly firmer ride than the Soft setting. And for drivers who haven’t experienced the Bose Ride system before, this setting may be preferable as they begin using the product.
The “Firm” setting protects the driver while adapting the ride for very rough on-road and many off-pavement environments, providing the best defense against bottoming in harsh conditions. This setting also offers drivers with years of air-suspension seat experience a more familiar feel as they transition to the improved performance of the Bose Ride system.
"Our driver feedback research showed us that not all drivers like the Bose Ride suspension system," says Rosen. "Drivers who are more used to the firmness of an air suspension seat were more receptive to the Bose system after we offered them a test seat with a firmer setting. When they could start with the firm setting and progress through to the soft setting, as they can do now with the three-positions, they transitioned to the soft setting in a short time."
The Bose Ride system II also incorporates improved seat-top ergonomics for better adjustability. These improvements include wider fore-aft and seat-back angle ranges, providing added comfort for more drivers. A new built-in driver orientation module allows first-time users to understand how to get the most out of the Bose Ride system, before they hit the road. Upon activating the orientation, the system uses Bose’s proprietary high-speed electromagnetic motor as a speaker to play an informational audio track, while providing the motion necessary for the driver to experience what to expect from the system when driving.
The seat top is engineered and produced by Sears Manufacturing -- well-established experts in providing seat tops for agriculture, construction, material handling equipment, and on-the-road trucks.
The Bose Ride system II for aftermarket installation is available for purchase from Bose beginning April 1, 2015. Volvo versions of the Bose Ride system II will be available in new Volvo trucks later this spring.
For fleets purchasing 100 or more systems from Bose, the per-unit price is $2,995 plus delivery and installation. Pricing for 10-99 units is $3,695 plus delivery and installation. Single-system purchases and volume pricing up to nine units is also available. All systems purchased directly from Bose come with a 60-day money- back Bose® Performance Guarantee, a four-year full parts and labor warranty on the suspension base, and a one-year warranty on the seat top.
