Installing Dinette Seatbelts

[McInnisfam]

Hi! We're in the process of buying an older Class A Southwind and will be travelling with two small kids. I'd like to figure out a way to install shoulder restraints/seat belts in our dinette area so that I can strap their boosters in and have them forward facing. Everything I've read so far has talked about not having them side facing (and we need to figure out a way to have them strapped in), but I can't find much on installing extra seat belts, etc. Does anyone have any experience with that? Thanks in advance! We've been camping with the kids since they were babies, but this will be our first RV!
Jennifer

[DrewE]

Given the structure (or lack of it) of most motorhome walls, I'm not sure even securely attaching a shoulder belt to the wall would accomplish all that much in a serious collision. It would be of some benefit in a comparatively minor one.

Since booster seats should not be used without a shoulder belt, I think the best you can reasonably do is have the children sit directly on the dinette seat and use the installed belts. Facing backwards would likely be a little safer than facing frontwards, as momentum would tend not to throw them against the edge of the table. As always, driving carefully and somewhat conservatively (as in leaving plenty of room to react, etc.) is in my opinion the most important step to staying safe.

[ksg5000]

McInnisfam wrote:
Sorry--to clarify, we're hoping for shoulder harnesses.

Every rig I have been in doesn't have any obvious place in the dining area to add a shoulder harness seat belt - I suggest you use the existing seat belt system and have them face towards the rear. That's what I did 25 years ago.

[mgirardo]

McInnisfam wrote:
Sorry--to clarify, we're hoping for shoulder harnesses. I've done some digging, but there's not much out there on whether we can bolt stuff to the walls and have it be ok. The kids' booster seats kind of prop them up higher so that in a car the shoulder belts fit correctly. We've got lap belts in the dinette and also in a captain's chair behind the cab area...perfect world would be shoulder harnesses too. Maybe I'm just being neurotic? 😉 Anybody ever heard of bolting shoulder straps in anywhere? Thanks in advance! 🙂

Bolting a shoulder harness to the wall won't hurt anything, but it isn't going to offer much protection. In an accident, it would most likely be pulled out of the wall without much force. You would probably need a metal plate on the outside of the motorhome and one on the inside and bolt through both plates and the wall. That would be sturdier.

-Michael

[Bumpyroad]

as I recall some newer (1994) fleetwoods had shoulder harnesses for front seat passengers but they were bolted to a metal structural piece in the wall. dinettes are usually not built with the seats towards the wall and there would not be any decent strong place to fasten the harnesses to.
bumpy

[McInnisfam]

Sorry--to clarify, we're hoping for shoulder harnesses. I've done some digging, but there's not much out there on whether we can bolt stuff to the walls and have it be ok. The kids' booster seats kind of prop them up higher so that in a car the shoulder belts fit correctly. We've got lap belts in the dinette and also in a captain's chair behind the cab area...perfect world would be shoulder harnesses too. Maybe I'm just being neurotic? 😉 Anybody ever heard of bolting shoulder straps in anywhere? Thanks in advance! 🙂

[Bumpyroad]

darsben wrote:
MY 1990 Southwind came with them in the dinette.
Are you sure they were not removed

are you talking about seat belts or shoulder harnesses. IIRC all 3 of my MHs had seat belts in the dinette, none had harnesses.

bumpy

[darsben]

MY 1990 Southwind came with them in the dinette.
Are you sure they were not removed

[Bumpyroad]

seat belts would be easy. shoulder restraints difficult/impossible perhaps.
IIRC none of my house seating had shoulder restraints.
bumpy

[ksg5000]

Google "installing seat belts in RV".