Car Seat solution in 109 regular

[Cutter]

I thought I'd share my car seat solution, I know I searched on here for advice a few times. From what I remember there was some back and forth on the wisdom of having a child of a young age in a rover, but since that's been covered lets just skip ahead... I had thought about putting a fold and tumble seat in the back bed, but the fabrication and hassle of losing my load space made me look for better options.

I picked up a sunshine Radian 65 car seat, I searched for the narrowest car seat and it seems to be the one- and is pretty much the exact size of the center seat. It also has a pretty robust metal frame in it. This let me remove the seat back and put the carseat all the way back against the seat supports so my shoulders have a bit more room, and more importantly little feet can't kick the shifter so easily. Works well, so I thought it would be worth sharing on here.

http://kaijustudios.com/cutter/sunshine_radian_rover1.jpg
http://kaijustudios.com/cutter/sunshine_radian_rover2.jpghttp://kaijustudios.com/cutter/sunshine_radian_rover3.jpg

[greenmeanie]

That looks good. Two quick questions. 1st is how wide is the seat for those of us too lazy to search and 2nd how are you retaining it in position. Is it only the lap belt or have you got a LATCH top strap hooked to something too?

[Cutter]

I think it was 14" wide, 18" deep - I will double check when I am out again. I don't have the top latch, only the lap belt, which is ok according to the manual. I'm going to look into the best place to put a mounting point for it though, not sure if building a bracket on plates sandwiching the bulkhead or something on the floor of the loadspace that ties into something below. More of a concern when my daughter gets bigger, for now she is 30lbs.

[artpeck]

Good solution. If you were here in California or other states with similar laws it still wouldn't be legal as they have to be in the back seat until 6 years old and 60 lbs. You would be surprised how many defenders out here go on the market when the first child arrives. That is how I found mine.

[bpj911]

What kind of wisdom does california have for something with no backseat?

[bkreutz]

What kind of wisdom does california have for something with no backseat?

Wisdom and California DMV in the same sentance?:eek: I think I'd rather go through overseas deployment immunization again before I darken their halls again.:)

[ignotus]

I think they only have to be in the back seat in Calif. if you have airbags but I could be incorrect???

gene

[Ncrover725]

That set up looks what I currently use for my three year old daughter. I also looked at a fold and tumble with other options. Since I only take my kids on short rides in lower speed areas I think it's more than sufficient.

[LaneRover]

What kind of wisdom does california have for something with no backseat?

I agree on the "wisdom and Cali gov't" don't belong in the same sentence. MAny states have a back seat rule, even Maine. But most of them say that it is IF there is a back seat. Officially Defenders have a back seat. Side ways and more dangerous but still a back seat.

[Broadstone]

Could you also remove the seatback stops, pushing the carseat further back to give you even more shoulder room. Could the spare wheel mount behind the center seat also act as an anchor for the over the top latch? I have not owned a 109 so maybe these are not possible options. I appreciate the info on this carseat though as I will be looking for a narrow one myself as soon there will be 2 carseats in the back of the 110.

[Cutter]

I suppose you could remove the seat stops, they are riveted in so I chose not to as I wanted to be able to quickly pop the seat back back on if I was doing some trip without my daughter. Wouldn't be that hard to drill out and replace when the seat is no longer needed. My 109 doesn't have any tire mount there, not sure if 109s did as they have the well on the side for it.

I would think that CA follows the rule of if there are no seats in the back, then the car seat can go up front as long as the airbags can be disabled as there are just too many trucks in existence. Mine has the benches along the side, which aren't appropriate. I would hope those kind of laws are enforced at the discretion of law enforcement, and it seems to me most LEOs would understand the situation.

Biggest downside I've discovered so far is my cup holders which were mounted on the backside of the center seat are now gone!

[RoverForm]

nice work cutter! i recently had my car in the shop and was supplied with a Mitshubishi Endeavor, and it wasn't that bad. anyway, i had to pick up some furniture in it and had my 5y/o nephew with me. the rear was full so i had to put him and his carseat in the front passenger and deactivate the airbags. two CHPs pulled up next to me on the freeway and different parts of the journey and i was sweating bullets!

still need to figure out the specifics for a 45lb 5y/o in the front of the SIIa with a lab belt only. probably not a good idea. and since it's a canvas top 88, there isn't really a shoulder harness mount anywhere.

but here's the CA regs:

V.C. 27360(a) Cite parent/guardian for each child who is not properly restrained in
the rear seat unless the child is six years or older or weighs 60 pounds or more.
V.C. 27360(b) Cite driver only if parent is not present.
Exceptions:

1. Court sanctioned exemption, medical condition, physical unfitness, or size.
2. Life threatening emergency or transported in authorized emergency vehicle.
3. Child over 40 pounds in rear seat of vehicle with lap belts only.

Each child is required to be properly restrained in the back seat unless child is six
years or older or weighs 60 pounds or more.

Exceptions: V.C. 27360(c) a child or ward under the age of six years who weighs less than 60 pounds may ride in the front seat of a motor vehicle, if properly secured in a Child Passenger Restraint System (CPRS) that meets applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards, under the following circumstances:

A. There is no rear seat.
B. The rear seats are side-facing jump seats.
C. The rear seats are rear-facing seats.
D. The Child Passenger Restraint System cannot be installed properly in the rear seat.
E. All rear seats are already occupied by children under the age of 12 years.
F. Medical reasons necessitate that the child or ward not ride in the rear seat.
The court may require satisfactory proof of the child’s medical condition.

A child may NOT ride in the front seat with an active passenger airbag if:

A. Under one year of age.
B. Weighs less than 20 pounds.
C. Riding in a rear-facing Child Passenger Restraint System.
ref: http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/pdf/ca_vr_laws.pdf