Security

[WFTW]

As many of you know, I have a little program called Wheelers for the Wounded in which off-roaders will take wounded military members off-roading and camping for a weekend.

My question is this...what can we do to ensure those who are riding along with us who have lost limbs, or may not have full use of their limbs, feel more secure and comfortable while riding in our vehicles...especially in Jeeps that may not have any doors?

This obviously presents a challenge when rock crawling where many of us use our arms and legs to brace ourselves.

All I can think of is lots of grab handles (aka "OH ********!" handles).

Are 4 and/or 5-point harnesses a must? Any other suggestions?

 

[Steve Curren]

Unkown about making a person feel "Safe" in a Jeep but window nets might work.I do have 2 harnesses I would be willing to donate to such a worthy cause.

 

[ntsqd]

Friend of mine is a Para. He built and now races a desert truck. To keep his lower legs from being beat up from flopping around his truck has a couple 'footman' loops bolted to the floor. We use the velcro comms cable bundling strap to secure his feet.

The particular strap we use comes on a roll and you cut off the length you need.

 

[1leglance]

I have given this some thought regarding my own rig since it will be the Disabled Explorers demo vehicle...
I figure I will have to put in 4 point harnesses in both front seats (for when a spinal cord injured person wants to drive using hand controls)...

I like the velcro straps idea and I have some of that stuff....
Padding for any hard surfaces around legs, arms....

It will be something to learn about....I hope that after the Continental Divide Expedition in July we can get back into the Ride-A-Longs as these will provide us with lots of info...stuff we can pass on to you Jason and the other WFTW groups doing runs....

Keep us posted on what you work out and I'll do the same.

 

[adrenaline503]

I was at REI the other day and saw a wide array of foam blocks for roof rack mounts and kayak attachments. Perhaps a few of these and some heavy duty velcro could be used to stablize someone in a comfortable way without making an assisted egress more difficult in an emergency. My brother just shattered his L2 in a bike wreck (no nerve damage thank god) and I had similiar plans for ant lengthy road trips.

 

[WFTW]

Steve...What sort of harness? Do you mean a 4 or 5 point? While the seats I am installing are capable of working with the 5 point harnesses in the front and the 4 point harnesses in the rear seats (I'll have 4 bucket seats in the Jeep), I do not have the proper mounts for the harnesses installed at this time. I want the harnesses installed properly, which means I would have to add to the Jeep's roll bar. I will be looking further into that when I get back to the States in a few weeks and discussing it with the guy who's customizing the Jeep for me.

I will have the items stored in the back strapped down for safety (so they won't bounce around and hit someone. I would like to add a second security feature by placing netting behind the rear seats just in case one of the straps in the back comes loose.

ntsqd...I really like that idea...VERY innovative!!! I will be looking into that further. I do suppose you have a picture of that set-up do you? If you don't, but you think your friend does, he can email it to me at jason@wheelersforthewounded.org.

Lance...that a good idea about padding the hard surfaces. With no doors, I won't have to worry about those, but I could pad the inside of the lip that goes up from the floor to the exits of the vehicle. I think something waterproof (or resistant) would be best...maybe some type of rubber? If you can think of a good material to use that can be easily attached, fill me in. I'll take a look at some hardware stores when I return to the States and see what I can find there.

adrenaline503...If you get what you mentioned in your post set up in your vehicle, I'd be interested in seeing a picture of that. The only downside for my particular need is that I'll have people of different sizes riding along. With limited space in the Jeep, I won't be able to carry lots of different sized padding. In a few months I'll start taking a closer look at what I'll need to take with me and it's possible that I may consider taking a smaller trailer with me. If that happens, then my -space- issue is solved.

These are terrific ideas...thank you all for your input and suggestions...exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

 

[Steve Curren]

I have one each 4 and 5 point. I also have a harness bar but putting that in most likely would prevent the use of the back seats as it goes between the roll bars and behind the front seats. Let me know what I can do to help these wonderful people.
Steve

 

[WFTW]

I have one each 4 and 5 point. I also have a harness bar but putting that in most likely would prevent the use of the back seats as it goes between the roll bars and behind the front seats. Let me know what I can do to help these wonderful people.
Steve

I'll have to wait until I get back to FL and talk it over with the guy doing the customization to see what we can come up with. I'll then have a better idea of how I could mount the harnesses while still being able to use all 4 seats (if that's at all possible). But, I'll let you know, thanks.

 

[Steve Curren]

Let me know, I will be waiting for your mail.
Be safe,
Steve

 

[1leglance]

you shouldn't need 5 point (but take anything free you can get
4 point should be plenty....
Now to figure out how to make that happen in my FJC!!

 

[Steve Curren]

Anything he doesn't want is yours....

 

[ntsqd]

ntsqd...I really like that idea...VERY innovative!!! I will be looking into that further. I do suppose you have a picture of that set-up do you?

I doubt that it ever was photographed as none of us thot much of it. We just solved that one and moved on to the next. It is no more complicated than it sounds. A footman's loop on each side of the footwell with a velcro strap to secure each leg at the ankle. We cut the velcro long enough that ~1" can be doubled back on itself to form an easy to pull tab.

I presume that the difference between the 4 point and the 5 point harness' being discussed is the crotch, or more properly, Anti-Submarine belt?
There is a very good reason for wanting the Anti-sub belt. With both of the shoulder belts adjustable for tension the wearer or someone else can really cinch them down. That pulls the lap belt up too high. You could tighten the lap belt until their legs were loosing circulation and you could still pull it up with the shoulder belts.
The Anti-Sub belt keeps this from happening. Normally they are intended to keep the occupant from sliding down and out from under the shoulder & lap belts, but in slow speed off road uses that is not nearly as important as holding the lap belt down out of the occupant's stomach.

In desert racing it extremely rare to see the "Twist to Release" type of seat belt latch. The over-center cam action hook latch is far preferred for dirty environs. The twist release's do not deal well with getting full of airborne grit.

At one time there was a coupler made for door bars that allowed the bar to hinge open. This was priamrily a street/strip drag race part. If they are still around one might be suitable for the shoulder harness cross bar. Could allow it to hinge up out of the way for rear seat access.

Another thing I see done commonly in slow speed off road stuff that experienced high speed folks don't do is level out the seat. The seat back should not be nearly verticle at it's most forward position. If the vehicle is operated with the seats like that the spine is unsupported in compression. By tilting the whole seat top to the rear the whole spine is in contact with the seat back and is supported by the seat back. Picture a position more like that of the driver of an F1 car.
This was something my para friend didn't understand until he bottomed out the truck at ~40 mph 2 miles into his first race. His back was sore for a week. Rolling the seats so that the seat back supports more of the occupant's weight does reduce leg room. It is very worth that sacrifice.

 

[ZR2nit]

get a four or five point harness and a seat that is comfortable/sturdy enough to accomadate all.