Advice on installing a third seat-belted seat in my Autotrail Apache....

[RustyRuss]

Hi gang,

I was doing some work on a friend's campervan, ducato chassis 2006 ish, and noticed that they had a metal framework made up of 20mm box section steel fitted underneath the seat by the the sliding habitation door, this had a seat-belt fitted to it and although I didn't look under the van I presume the frame was bolted through the floor to some chassis members. I want to do something similar with our 2012 Autotrail Apache, which currently has only two seat belted seats. As you enter the habitation area there is a two seater couch sitting parallel to the side wall of the MoHo. It has a removable seat cushion and back rest that is used as part of a small double bed. There is a storage locker below the seat. I am thinking of installing a MK3 MX5 passenger seat onto a similar framework as described above for the campervan, and attach this frame to the chassis of the MoHo using some kind of anti-luce locking pins. The MX5 seat has a shoulder clip by the top left of the seat back that will retain the seatbelt in position when it's being used. I intend this to be a temporary addition, removable so we can return the MoHo to normal when not transporting our niece on holiday. The seat will face forward and the occupant's feet will be in the well of the locker. Do any of you have any constructive thoughts on the matter? I'm thinking from mechanical, fitting, legality points of view? Your thoughts would be most welcome.

Cheers!

Russ

 

[bigtwin]

Do any of you have any constructive thoughts on the matter? I'm thinking from mechanical, fitting, legality points of view? Your thoughts would be most welcome.

Before going to all this effort it might be worth a call to your insurer first.

Ian

 

[Puddleduck]

What bigtwin said.

I'm pretty sure DIY fitting of seat belts is either illegal or very much frowned upon.

 

[kevenh]

As said before, adding extra seatbelts is unlikely to be approved.

There won't be the anchor points or structural integrity body parts where you want extra belted seating added.
Unless they were an optional extra not taken up by a the first owner as possibly is the case you found.

 

[peterc10]

Nowadays all such modification or installation of safety critical components have to be type approved and that will cost you a fortune, even if you could find somebody willing to design it for you. Not something to DIY. And would you ever be able to live with yourself if it failed in an accident and killed/injured a member of the family?

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[Emmit]

The law relating to passengers being carried in sideway seats changed for vehicles first registered after a certain date in October 2007.
I may be wrong but I doubt whether it is legal to carry a person in such a seat in a motor caravan first registered after that date, whether in seat belt or otherwise.

 

[Nasher]

If the van is third generation Ducato and has 2 single seats in the front, there may be an option of fitting the Fiat double seat - that would give three belted seats

You would need to update your V5

You would need to update your insurance

You would lose the ability to walk through the van

 

[XxAnthxX]

Has anyone considered that pull tested ‘rock n roll’ beds with seatbelts are regularly fitted inside van conversions?

eg:

Pull tested beds | M1 Camper Beds Limited

Here at M1 Camper Beds, we believe safety is of paramount importance. As such, we offer two pull tested beds. Contact M1 Camper Beds Limited in Sheffield.

www.m1camperbeds.com

For although the beds / seatbelts etc are tested....how are the mounting points to the vehicle tested with diy conversions?

There must be a way to do it.....as there are so many on the road with people travelling in them.

Obviously the no. of seats would need to be changed on the V5 and insurance changed to suit the extra seating capacity.

In the vans I converted I never used pull tested beds as I never needed them for extra seating capacity, so I just used cheeper rock n roll beds.

 

[ontheroadagain]

Some Elddis models (including our Autoquest 155) have Aguti folding seats fitted.
These are bolted through the floor to the chassis.
The seats are fitted with inertia reel seatbelts.
Perhaps this might be an option.

 

[Speve]

RustyRuss there is a seat just been advertised in classifieds that may suit?

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[63720]

I believe Type Approval is required to make it legal.

 

[the1andonly]

I believe Type Approval is required to make it legal.

I aggree.
I aLso asked for a new eldis 2 berth to be fitted with one of the seats fitted to another model. Or even a facory fit double ,needed 3 seat belts.
No way hose . Not on the c of c or type approval all sorts of things that were done in the past are no longer permitted even if feasible.