I am not too fussed about the law and the ratings as they are
only based on there standard fold down seats and their more
expensive lock type.
And dont take into account other things that they could have
simply modified on the cheaper seats to overcome the problems
at a much reduced price!
For instance the lock....
If you were to have a locking system on the floor to keep the
seats locked in the down position such as I have seen in the
photo below
Then surely that would take care of that problem (that they may raise
or move should the car be involved in an accident). I don't like the wing
nut idea as I would prefer the load area to be clear once seats are folded,
however there is no reason I cant make a counter sunk plate that takes
a bolt the other way and get a winged bolt!
That solves the locking problem and cost what £10.
Another idea is to fit some load retaining eyes in the floor and use a
ratchet strap.
Ok the seat belts I am going to use are the outer defender seat belts
as used on the passanger and drives seat. (4 point inercia retractable
jobbies) They are perfect for children and the only type that are legal.
They cost about £50 for both.
Assuming I mount them in the forward facing positon I will use the
brackets that come with the belts as can be seen in the photo at the
top left.
Alternativly I have seen that the TD4 Defender rear belt brackets fit see
the photo below they look like the do the whole job Belt reel and top
mount on the same frame.
They look a bit better so if I can find some them cheap I will use them
instead! (Apparently the main dealer do them for £60 a set!)
Then there is the final problem that exmoor seem to have totally over
engineered which is that fitting the seatbelts like they were designed
for the station waggon means that because the seats are narrower and
have big open spaces at the side there is a risk that the child seat may slide
out the side.
I intend to ensure that the child seat is attached to the seat using a
ratchet strap through the side of the booster seat and round the bottom
of the seat.
I know that altogether this will be as safe and if not safer than the lock
and twist type sold via exmoor.
And coming in at £250 see below, I think for a set of new rear seats it
is madness to consider the other option of lock and twist seats! Which
leaves me the cash to get a roll cage which will provide more protection
and I can have some side impact protection added to the cage!
£180 for the seats via ebay new! inc delivery
£50 for the belts and fittings
£10 for the tie down plate (If that!)
£10 for ratchet straps
I am sure that this set up would pass the same safty tests as the others
just they don't come out of the factory as standard.
And when I have adults in the van they still fit in and have room.
Hopefully they will look as good as this one....
The only problem I am having is finding information for the posability
of mounting them backwards so that the access can be gained via the
back door without having to climb over the seats. I would use the
same brackets and belts. And make a locking system for them whilst
in use.
The youngsters that travel in my car are not babies so dont need me to
be able to see them and are behaved enough for them to sit without me
keep looking in the mirror at them!
I am sure that they would be safe against the bulkhead just not sure on
the rules and laws with rear facing seats and every search brings babie
seats up!
(Sorry for the extra long post!)
