Thread: Child restraint anchor points

I had one of the bars fitted to a Pajero (still have it in the shed I think). Basically it can sit directly behind or even under the rear seat if it is needed. It is basically a pole with mounts and anchor point for 2-3 baby/kids seats. If you put a decent plate on the inner of the guard and the outer that should suffice (check with an engineer). Another idea maybe to bolt it through the floor and use some sort of angle plate welded to the chassis or bolt through the chassis.

Hey Simon,
Just wondering if you had any news on this mod yet? I seem to be in the same boat as you - I have a 130 and a bub on the way.

I had always assumed that there would not be anyproblem and that it would be a case of fixing the baby seat to the seat mounts shown in one of the photos or maybe even to the mountings for the seat belts? It sounds like I was off to a bad start with assuming anything at all!

I am in Sydney too and although I still have until late December before our special package arrives I would be prepared to act early if it meant that getting 2 vehicles done at the same time might get a better deal.

Please let me know how you go - I am very interested in getting a good result (and hopefully NOT an ugly one like running a massive bar across the outside of the back of the cab!

Cheers,
Cameron

Hey Cameron

I spoke to a friend at the RTA and suggested that they pay to develop a set of solutions for this type of problem.

My thinking is that faced with a huge bill, many people with make something up themselves.

This kind of almost one-off problem must come up in a reasonably small number of vehicles - people movers only have the legal three mount points, but what if I want to take my twins and my no-car friend's twins?

Start shelling out the sheckels.

My mate thought it was a pretty good idea.

So if that happens I'm hoping they will provide plans or something at a reasonable price.

This might take some time.

I'm waiting to hear back on that.

I'm sure that it would cost less if we got together on it, I suspect the engineer could double up and the same with making them up. Unfortunately his first idea was a bar across the back outside of the cab. His second suggestion was a mount that is incorporated into the seat base frame.

The other thing to consider with the bar at the back of the cab is the clearance between the cab and the tray. Mine has a steel dropside tray and a reasonable amount of clearance. The factory trays look a little closer to the cab.

And you aren't allowed to put the bar in the tray and run the lines to the cab, they are separate units, or something.

If you weren't willing to go down this road I was recommended to Little's Child Restraints out on the M4 somewhere. The database that Mobility Engineering - company that monitors all restraints for state - said that they would fit a crab bar.

By the time I got that information I felt like I knew too much and had to do the right thing for family - RTA road safety staff - reasons, and so couldn't follow it up.

It costs about $260 - I thought if I did that I'd add something like seat belt webbing or some such to run around the bar and to the angle steel upright s behind the rear seats - just a bit of reassurance.

I'll keep you posted on the rest.

Cheers

Simon

Well, found the Auto Engineer in Leichhardt, turns out he's commuting between Tasmania and Leichhardt, so it will be a few days before it is sorted.

I worked out that I could probably cut a piece of 2"x1" steel bar to the width of the cab, drill five holes in it - two to mount to steel angle brackets in cab and three for the anchor bolts and the engineer could do the certification.

Steel is about $30, haven't checked out the high-tensile bolts, but they can't be more than another $30. Then I have to work out if powder coat or galvanise - that's probably the pricey part.

It wouldn't be the most graceful solution - having a bar across the back of the cab on the outside, but it will be hidden by the tray and the price is getting down to the range where I'm not smoking from the ears when I think about it.

I sent off a letter to RTA and anyone else that I could think of suggesting they do something about this problem. I'm not expecting an answer any time soon.

It just gets more and more difficult.

I had an automotive engineer over today to look the truck over and make some suggestions.

End of the day he said exactly what I'd been thinking from the time I realised there aren't any anchor points. Which is to stick a bar across the middle on the inside, mount it to the two black steel angle-bars that run from the floor to the back wall.

Fine, fine, fine.

Except

Can't get an engineers certificate for it.

Structurally fine, safety fine. There's a regulation that you have to be able to have access to the mount point while the seat and child seat are in position.

Engineer says that there is no way that will ever happen.

If you have a look at where the seats are mounted there isn't likely to be room to shift them forward either unless you sacrifice the underseat box.

So, much as I hate to do it, I'm going to be putting in the unauthorised restraint.

Question is now, what happens with all of the other guys who said they could do something for me and have it certified?

The only good thing about this is that the cost comes way down when I'm doing all of the work.

Do I dare see another engineer for another opinion?

Crikeys Simon - you have been busy!
Sorry I dissappeared there but have been a bit flat out at work.

Sounds at this stage like I am going top have to go down the same path as you then as you certainly seem to have tried hard to find a solution.

Our bub isn't due till late December though so I might hold out for a while yet to see if you or anyone else comes up with a better solution or finds an engineer or someone who does.

Thanks for doing this leg work and sharing your findings.

Cheers,
Cameron

At the LRO expo in sydney I learned that my rear set is setup different to the 130 TDI's. A few people commented that theirs don't fold up like mine or have the extra framing that I used to mount the restraint to.
Interesting to see how dificult people are finding it when the dealers told they all had monting points as factory fitting.

I had a thought this afternoon.

The reason the engineer wouldn't provide a certificate was because of access to the anchor point.

I don't know the exact distance there needs to be to access the anchor point. I could ask him.

But I guess you could move the seats forward. If you put a spacer around the back mount of the seat box the whole thing would move forward. You would have to also move the seat back anchors as well.

Something to consider.

Simon