scooter Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Does anyone out their have any experience of Link & Latch style Harness Fasteners? If so, what are the pros and cons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted January 2, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted January 2, 2007 Assume you mean the hook and latch type American seat belt fasteners. I used to use these all the time for stock car racing. They are simple to use and the advantage for stock cars was their simple operation with little chance of being clogged with shale and muck. The hook part goes over centre to secure and also has a ball catch to stop them coming undone. There is always the slight chance that you could catch the lever in your cuff and undo it accidentally, but this never happened to me and I think it is highly unlikely. Some belts however have a webbing cover over the hook which is secure by velcro to prevent catching it. In summary I think they are a good belt and generally have good quality adjusters on the lap and shoulder straps. HOWEVER, I'm not sure they are approved for road use in the UK. You need to check this out. Let me know if they are, as I would probably change to them when my present belts need to be swapped. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter Posted January 2, 2007 Author Share Posted January 2, 2007 Thanks Paul. Yep, that's the very same - I was enquiring with some American suppliers and it transpires that I can get 2 US racing approved harnesses delivered for under £90. Sure, they might be unlucky enough to get stopped by the taxman, but even with duty and vat, that's still a bargain. I notice you ask if they are legal for road use - I was under the impression that anything other than an inertia reel belt was prohibited (not that this has ever bothered me!). But then I could be wrong... I frequently am! Edited by - scooter on 2 Jan 2007 12:22:21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted January 2, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted January 2, 2007 Scooter My car passed SVA test in 2000 with full harness belts (Caterham aircraft buckle type) and many others have passed this way since, so inertia reel don't appear to be necessary. I seem to remember that seat belts should haved one handed operation, but whether this is for fastening or unfastening I'm not sure. Certainly harnesses are not one hand friendly. I had assumed that seat belts had to have some sort of European approval marks and that the American style hook and latch type would not have this. I have just looked at the belts in my 7 and they only appear to have FIA approval, which ran out in 2003!! I've quickly googled and found this http://www.securon.co.uk/press/seat_belts_general.htm#approvalvmot Seems MOT only requires belts to be examined for wear. My car is due for MOT test in February - I'll ask my friendly tester. If you do go ahead and purchase the belts, suggest you go for 3 inch wide lap and shoulder straps and perhaps more importantly check the lengths, and where the adjusters will end up. In a 7 it's important that the adjusters on the lap straps are the type that pull up i.e. pull loose ened towards the sky when adjusting. There is no room in a 7 to pull the strap down. Also watch what fittings are on the ends. Many are a clip type which go onto an eyebolt, which may be OK for shoulder strap, but there is not enough room to fit on a lap strap. On a lap strap, you need the fittings with a hole and a bolt through. Forgive me if I'm telling you something you're already aware of. I'd be interested to know how you get on. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanAm Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I could be wrong, but I believe the law requires seat belts to be fastenable one-handed, but this is waived in the case of full harnesses. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazerBrain Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 Alan - I'd heard that about the "one handed fastening" before too. I can't think why it would be necessary, surely you should be parked whilst belting up One handed removal makes perfect sense - ie for quicker release in an accident. cheers, Darren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted January 4, 2007 Area Representative Share Posted January 4, 2007 Lazerbrain - Your logic seems good, but I'm not sure logic applies when you are talking about legal matters. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) www.lads7.co.uk Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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