3-4-5 point harness legal?

[sjbrownie4x4]

The seat is not mounted to the cage, and your right, my first efforts are to implement the stock belts. The floor mounts are great but the custom cage has no shoulder mount implemented, so that is my main focus.

 

[mbryson]

Hmmmm......Good and timely tech (what's this board coming too?). I've been kicking this around in my head the last few days. I've not had a chance to do any research so some of my assumptions could cost me or a passenger their life.

Todd and/or Braden: (or whomever else has actual experience, esp. in a YJ/CJ/FJ40/Zuk etc.) I've got stock TJ seats mounted to the cage.

Shoulder belts: I was thinking I'd want to build a cross tube to mount my belts too just below the shoulder and behind the seat.

lap belts: These seem pretty easy and straight forward. Just weld a mounting tab to the rear crossbar that my seat is attached to?

 

[Todd Adams]

Hmmmm......Good and timely tech (what's this board coming too?). I've been kicking this around in my head the last few days. I've not had a chance to do any research so some of my assumptions could cost me or a passenger their life.

Todd and/or Braden: (or whomever else has actual experience, esp. in a YJ/CJ/FJ40/Zuk etc.) I've got stock TJ seats mounted to the cage.

Shoulder belts: I was thinking I'd want to build a cross tube to mount my belts too just below the shoulder and behind the seat.

lap belts: These seem pretty easy and straight forward. Just weld a mounting tab to the rear crossbar that my seat is attached to?

Marc,
Any time you want to look at the mounting you are welcome. I thought you were going to come up and look at the tub?

Anyway we have tabs welded to the cage (I think Braden did this) but we now use the loop style harness. Did this when we went from 4 to 5 point. For normal trail use we only use the lap belt portion since when worn properly the 5 point harness is just too confining for good visibility.

Here is my own opinion about installing a 5-point harness. Unless you are a competitor you will not wear them tight enough to protect you in a roll over. I am sure everyone has seen Bob Standage’s roll at UROC where he was knocked unconscious due to his harness being loose. Having been witness to many rolls on the trail (not including comps) I would have to say that stock belts give adequate protection as well as the ability to move around in your seat to gain visibility.
Todd

 

[Bart]

Agreeing with Todd. If I had to hook up a 4 or 5 point every time I hopped in the TJ, I'd end up just doing my lap belt. I rolled quite a few times in my XJ with the stock 3 point, and it always held me. Marc, I think I have some stock TJ belts if you need them. Let me know, and I'll look.

 

[mbryson]

Marc,
Any time you want to look at the mounting you are welcome. I thought you were going to come up and look at the tub?

I'd like to. When's a good time and where do you live?

Anyway we have tabs welded to the cage (I think Braden did this) but we now use the loop style harness. Did this when we went from 4 to 5 point. For normal trail use we only use the lap belt portion since when worn properly the 5 point harness is just too confining for good visibility.

Here is my own opinion about installing a 5-point harness. Unless you are a competitor you will not wear them tight enough to protect you in a roll over. I am sure everyone has seen Bob Standage’s roll at UROC where he was knocked unconscious due to his harness being loose. Having been witness to many rolls on the trail (not including comps) I would have to say that stock belts give adequate protection as well as the ability to move around in your seat to gain visibility.
Todd

Good advice. The stockers let you move around a little more.

Agreeing with Todd. If I had to hook up a 4 or 5 point every time I hopped in the TJ, I'd end up just doing my lap belt. I rolled quite a few times in my XJ with the stock 3 point, and it always held me. Marc, I think I have some stock TJ belts if you need them. Let me know, and I'll look.

I've never seen many problems with the stock type belts. I'd love to have a set of stockers if you've got some extras. (I think I'll mount them as close to stock as possible)

 

[RockMonkey]

I competed for a while with stock belts. They work great. I wouldn't feel comfortable anymore without five points though. You got the right idea. Run a tube about shoulder height behind your seats, and drape the harnesses over that, and run them down to a tab on the cage. I'd like to see Todd's tube clippy type harnesses. Those sound cool, and super easy to mount! Got a link, Todd? The lap belt still gets bolted to some tabs?

 

[Todd Adams]

I competed for a while with stock belts. They work great. I wouldn't feel comfortable anymore without five points though. You got the right idea. Run a tube about shoulder height behind your seats, and drape the harnesses over that, and run them down to a tab on the cage. I'd like to see Todd's tube clippy type harnesses. Those sound cool, and super easy to mount! Got a link, Todd? The lap belt still gets bolted to some tabs?

The belts are RCI out of the Summit catalog and listed as Wrap Around. All the belts simply wrap around the tube not just the shoulder belts. This is a dark photo but you should be able to see where the seats mount and the tube under each seat as well as the cross tube that the shoulder belts wrap around.
Todd