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Shoulder Harness Anchor

C

clutch22

Well Known Member
Can somebody school me on the shoulder harness/cable system?

I'm at the point in the tailcone construction where I am supposed to install the F-635 anchor.

I have a few questions:
-How does the overall cable system work? Does the cable just run from the anchor, along the cabin top and attach to the shoulder harness?
-Is this system used because the composite cabin doesn't provide a strong enough point to mount to in the case of a crash?

I know eventually I would learn how it works as I build on, but I'm asking now in case different shoulder harness options (single strap / double strap) somehow result in a different anchor location?
 
Unless I'm mistaken (I'm still building as well) the back seat shoulder harnesses attaches to the longeron anchor points in the tail and just run over the luggage compartment to the seat and the front seat shoulder harnesses attach to the anchor points on the composite shell located above and slightly aft of the front seats. There is a specially designed hard point in the shell for the shoulder harness. I don't know of any good designs for a single shoulder belt. Changing from the factory design would require (a requirement for me at least) a crash load structural analysis to verify the redesign.

I attached a link to an earlier post, scroll down the page a little and there is a picture of a nice interior with seat belts.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=1987&page=23
 
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clutch22 said:
Can somebody school me on the shoulder harness/cable system?
Click to expand...

Justin provided a basic description, that I will add additional comments.

clutch22 said:
I have a few questions:
-How does the overall cable system work? Does the cable just run from the anchor, along the cabin top and attach to the shoulder harness?
Click to expand...

The rear seat cable, runs from the longeron in the tail, through the middle of the baggage bulkhead cover and connects to the rear seat shoulder harness.

clutch22 said:
-Is this system used because the composite cabin doesn't provide a strong enough point to mount to in the case of a crash?
Click to expand...

No, this system is used to get the appropriate angle over the should and a sturdy attach point for the rear passengers. Otherwise it would be attached to the top skin, which I suspect isn't strong enough to hold due to the extra G forces in an accident.

The structure for the front seats has been strengthen in the canopy cover. The honeycomb material has been replaced with epoxy filler, making the attach points more harden.

Van wrote an article this past year that talked about various elements of the seat belt design in the RV-10. While I take issue with several of his opinions in the article that attacked Greg on what he did in his RV-10, I think the seat belt portion was spot on.

I'm not sure what you mean by "any good designs for a single shoulder belt." Are you refering to what you typically find in an automobile? That style isn't really used today. What Van's does provide is a shoulder belt that has dual over the should straps that "Y" into a single strap that connects to the mount point or cable. There are many other 3rd party vendors that sell competitive products for RVs depending on your unique requirements.

If you don't mind adding a couple pounds of weight, retractable shoulder harnesses are available for the front seat, but not from Van's.

bob
 
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Ah, okay thanks. It's clear now. I thought that cable was somehow run along the top to help out with the front harnesses.
My 182 has a retractable belt, and I really like it. But I have a while to contemplate that issue.
 
J Twilbeck said:
Cool...Who sells this? I would like retractable for the front and back. Do these exist?
Click to expand...

David used to sell them here: http://www.n423cf.com/belts/index.html , but was rumored that he may have stopped reselling them. I believe the manuafacture is AM-SAFE, which you can get from a variety of sources. I would contact him directly. If it's true he stopped selling them, he should be able to point you in the right direction for other vendors.

I'm not aware of any retractables for the year seats.

bob
 
Hooker as well

Hooker Harness also sells the retractable reel option, although that choice limits which type of latch and belt colors you can pick (think black was the only option, but that may have changed). Happy with mine, although the lengths were way off so I just sent mine back for adjustment. Hooker has been a pleasure to work with so far, despite some other postings I've seen to the contrary.

Dwight
 
Vans opinion

"Van wrote an article this past year that talked about various elements of the seat belt design in the RV-10. While I take issue with several of his opinions in the article that attacked Greg on what he did in his RV-10, I think the seat belt portion was spot on" - Bob Leffler (sorry, quote function wasn't working well so I manually quoted :D)

Here is a link to the article Bob referred to. I think it is required reading for those contemplating modifications to the stock belts:

http://macsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/94-99_Handbook_v6.pdf
 
Yeah I didnt want to use Greg's method, I was thinking more along the lines of incorporating the shoulder strap into the overhead console area (B.L. 0), or upper outboard corners. But there may not be hard points there. I'm not sure, all I know is I can worry about it when I get that far along in the build :D
 
Andrew,
The only hardpoints in the cabin top are the two that are already molded in for the front seat shoulder harness attach points. It's easy enough to create hardpoints elsewhere by removing the honeycomb and replacing it with flox, but I can't speak to the proper angles piece that Bob brought up.

Now that I'm to the 90% done, 90% to go phase, my standing advice is try to keep the structural mods to a minimum. You'd be surprised how even simple things can add weeks to the project. Over time it adds up until you're like me, just wanting to get it over with. :eek:
 
Rear Seat Harness Anchor

I am finishing up the tailcone and have a more basic question on the harness attachment.

1) I cannot find the bracket (which I remember as F-636) and cannot find it in my inventory list.

2) The plans just say attach the bracket but there are no holes. So do I simply drill the holes, or did I do something wrong and not use the right angle bracket? Normally, the plans are very specific.

Thanks
 
They're in the kit. It's been a long time but they might be in one of brown bags so look to where ever you put that stuff. As for the install, you have to drill the holes into the longeron using the bracket as a drill guide. The bracket is located on the longeron using the dimensions in the blowup of fig 1 on page 10-14.
 
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