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Seat belt recommendations - crow; hooker or something else?

T

tectweaker

Well Known Member
I currently have 4 pt harness in my rv3.

Looking to get a 5 point harness with the main objective of acro flying

What do you guys recommend? I have heard good things about crow.

I will obviously need to do something for the crotch strap.

Do the other straps fit in the existing bolts of do they require additional work as well for hooker or crow installation (for shoulder and lap)

My shoulder strap goes all the way back and is connected to the fuselage with a steel wire.
 
Crow or "mini Hooker" seem best compromise IMHO between weight / functionality.. and Crow will tend to win on cost. You'll need to cross check between Vans and Crow websites for lengths for an RV-3. I've made a crotch strap fitting for our (still in build) RV-3. Will be using Crow, albeit not yet checked sizes.

Crows need 8mm washers to adapt the Crow 5/16" (I think) holes to the Vans 1/4" ones. Easy & cheap, no "work" required.
 
I have Hookers, they work fine and the folks at Hooker have provided great service at very reasonable prices for some changes I needed.

Have not dealt with Crow so cannot comment.

If you are planning on negative g acro I would suggest getting ratchet style belts, really the only way to get it good and tight - keep your head off the canopy :eek:!
 
Search for "Crow" here on the forums, and you will get hours of detailed descriptions of the choices and installation options.
 
I have a set of 5 point Crow belts for my RV7 sitting in a box at the hangar. If you want to get tocuhy-feely with them, you are more than welcome.

I'm sure there is someone closer to San Jose with Crows and Hookers, but that wouldn't give you an excuse to go flying.
 
I've riden with Hookers (don't tell the wife) and own crows. The Hookers offer more color combinations and if I had wanted that, I might have coughed up the extra cost for them. Don't get me wrong, they are nice....but I can't tell the difference between them and Crows wearing them. I wanted all black, so saved the money and went with Crow, which are also very nice.

Having strapped into race cars thousands of times with many different manufacturers and latch styles....the Crows are as good as anything I've used and I do not regret the decision. They are color limited though.
 
Racing Belts

Here is a suggestion that I think deserves some consideration. I race sportscars with SCCA and NASA. Our belts time out in either 2 years or 5 years depending on what certification they have.

I have two sets of Schroth five point belts with cam lock for my RV-4. They are great belts but not useable in racing because of the time limitations.

So if you know any racers, ask them about used belts. Most look like new and are completely safe. Many will be available for free, or minimal cost.

Jim
N444JT
 
Hooked up with Hooker

I went with hooker because I wanted a dual lap belt with a ratchet on one of the belts. Crow did not offer that
Bob
 
Another vote for Crow. Easy folks to work with and lots of options.

I put the Crows in my Skybolt. I did the pull up belts on the lap and pull down on the shoulder. I also put another belt with airline type latch over the top. So I guess I've got a seven point harness.

I've done -3.5 g's without coming out of the seat.
 
SMRacer said:
Here is a suggestion that I think deserves some consideration. I race sportscars with SCCA and NASA. Our belts time out in either 2 years or 5 years depending on what certification they have.

I have two sets of Schroth five point belts with cam lock for my RV-4. They are great belts but not useable in racing because of the time limitations.

So if you know any racers, ask them about used belts. Most look like new and are completely safe. Many will be available for free, or minimal cost.

Jim
N444JT
Click to expand...

I want to go to the next NASA sports car race, is there a schedule posted?

All heavy equipment belts have dates sewn into the belt also. I think they are 3 years as well, but when they are removed, they are typically cut in half.

When you search for CROW and settle in to spend hours reading - - the Crow people said they can/will provide any color you want. You just ask, as they are not all listed on the website.
 
tectweaker said:
I currently have 4 pt harness in my rv3.

Looking to get a 5 point harness with the main objective of acro flying

What do you guys recommend? I have heard good things about crow.

I will obviously need to do something for the crotch strap.

Do the other straps fit in the existing bolts of do they require additional work as well for hooker or crow installation (for shoulder and lap)

My shoulder strap goes all the way back and is connected to the fuselage with a steel wire.
Click to expand...

I've had both, currently using Crow with the rotary latch in my 7A.

On reflection I liked the feal of the Hookers, in particular the solid feal, weight, and the shoulder pads.

The rotary latch looks cool but sometimes the belt tabs can be a little tricky to insert, however the price can't be beat
 
tectweaker said:
I currently have 4 pt harness in my rv3.

Looking to get a 5 point harness with the main objective of acro flying

What do you guys recommend? I have heard good things about crow.

I will obviously need to do something for the crotch strap.

Do the other straps fit in the existing bolts of do they require additional work as well for hooker or crow installation (for shoulder and lap)

My shoulder strap goes all the way back and is connected to the fuselage with a steel wire.
Click to expand...

The guys on Team AeroDynamix hang from Hookers.
Hooker is a sponsor.

Responsive.
Solid product.

Not the same as some of the forces one might experience in aerobatic competition but obviously, the trust them to be upside down next to each other.


I suspect someone will chime in with their experience.

James
 
My interior color combination limited me to Hooker ... The only supplier with a wide choice of colors. I got a Hooker sport set for RVs; they look great, but I still find them a royal PITA to adjust. So do all my passengers.
Were it not for the color thing, I would have Crows ....good quality, easy to adjust
 
Rupester said:
My interior color combination limited me to Hooker ... The only supplier with a wide choice of colors. I got a Hooker sport set for RVs; they look great, but I still find them a royal PITA to adjust. So do all my passengers.
Were it not for the color thing, I would have Crows ....good quality, easy to adjust
Click to expand...

Give Hooker a call.

I had some "adjustment ideas" that I shared with them as I have an RV6 with them. We experimented with some things that I think made an improvement but it is inappropriate for me to discuss as it is not their standard product.

I think the issue is that on a Side-by-Side you have little leverage the to tighten the belt and their belts are stiffer(?) (thicker???) than some others. They also have a mechanism to minimize any slippage that also makes it harder to tighten easily.

Again, give them a call and ask for Scott. Tell him I suggested you give him a call.

James
 
jclark said:
Give Hooker a call.

I had some "adjustment ideas" that I shared with them as I have an RV6 with them. We experimented with some things that I think made an improvement but it is inappropriate for me to discuss as it is not their standard product.

I think the issue is that on a Side-by-Side you have little leverage the to tighten the belt and their belts are stiffer(?) (thicker???) than some others. They also have a mechanism to minimize any slippage that also makes it harder to tighten easily.

Again, give them a call and ask for Scott. Tell him I suggested you give him a call.

James
Click to expand...

My comments relate to the more harness with the rotary buckle. The version with the lift up buckle (which I had prior) were a sice to tighten up. Real smooth. Real nice.

James
 
I've tried them all. I could have any restraint system I choose. I choose Hooker. Service, friendly, knowledgeable, safety focused, ease of doing business with,flexible options, ease of use, decades of proven product, and they look top shelf.
 
If for no other reason, I like being able to say, "My wife gave me a pair of Hookers for Christmas!"

Mine have the camloc and they work very well and don't take three hands to put them on like the gooseneck latches do.

650 hours and they still look new.

The down side, they are heavy, how much heavier than their competitors, I don't know. I only hope that the extra weight translates into extra strength, should I ever need them for their intended use!
 
N941WR said:
The down side, they are heavy, how much heavier than their competitors, I don't know. I only hope that the extra weight translates into extra strength, should I ever need them for their intended use!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah ... the weight ... forgot to mention that. My Hooker Sport set came in a box that was shockingly heavy. It weighed in at 10 lbs.
 
I installed an Allen Silver Acro harness in my Pitts S1S a month ago. Easy to install, just the right size for small aircraft and the ratchet makes you feel good and tight for those hard outside maneuvers. He'll make it in most colors and he's a load of information.

Cheers, Hans
 
Thank you all for the recommendations. I think that the consensus if largely crow if I was not doing much inverted stuff.

Since I am planning on doing acro - it looks like the acro belt might work well with the ratchet. Especially since Allen is close to me.
 
Rupester said:
Oh yeah ... the weight ... forgot to mention that. My Hooker Sport set came in a box that was shockingly heavy. It weighed in at 10 lbs.
Click to expand...

I have Crow in the Rocket and was only going to suggest their hefty weight as a downside... If Hookers are the same then I guess that removes that argument.
 
Toobuilder said:
I have Crow in the Rocket and was only going to suggest their hefty weight as a downside... If Hookers are the same then I guess that removes that argument.
Click to expand...

Depends. I switched from Hooker Sport with conventional latch to Crow rotary lock and saved 5 lbs. Reason - the Hooker were 14-15 yrs old, fading and, were heavy. I do only moderate, positive acro, so no worries there.
 
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