5 seat belts in MWB Hi roof transit conversion

G-Man

How is everyone getting rear travelling seats that convert to sleeping berths.

Can you buy or order to make a 3 seat bench with 3 seat belts that convert to sleeping berths..

Or do I maintain 3 seats up front and get a 2 seat bench for back..

Where do you source these convertible travelling seats to beds.

Will a swivel 2 seat bench up front fit in a transit and then will it comply with the walkthrough from the front requirement.

Mefistofelino

Some of the usual suspects:


https://www.reimo.com/en/camper-van-conversion-shop/rock-and-roll-bed-campervan-rock-and-roll-bed/

https://scopema.com/en/benchseats/

Be prepared to open your wallet - the 3 seaters can easily set you back €3-4000

G-Man

Mefistofelino wrote: »

Be prepared to open your wallet - the 3 seaters can easily set you back €3-4000

Wow - I had no idea how costly a basic feature like this might be.

Are there other options that are close... Say a regular bench seat or equivalent from mini-bus and perhaps fold it down and assemble a bed over it with frame and cushions. So for the driving part you have a solid eningeered solution, with suitable seatbelt anchor points, but for sleeping, you jury rig something reasonable..

I guess it got to pass an auto-engineer inspection -so maybe I talk to one first.

Mefistofelino

They're not *that* basic. You have a seat that will accommodate up to 3 adults and needs to withstand the loadings that would be expected in a crash. That will be of the order of several tonnes. (IIRC, the seat belt loading for a passenger car is around 3 tonnes. For buses it is 1 - 1.5 tonnes per person / seat, but I stand to be corrected on that). Most of those seats have integrated seatbelts so the crash loadings will be transmitted through the seat frame and into the van floor, rather than in a car where at least two of the three points of a belt are connected directly to the structure.
Take all of that and now add a folding mechanism which needs to easily convert the seat to a flat base and yet has to be strong enough to deal with the loadings above.

G-Man

Mefistofelino wrote: »

They're not *that* basic. You have a seat that will accommodate up to 3 adults and needs to withstand the loadings that would be expected in a crash. .........

Ah yes I get that, but for me building I am trying to balance the cost of this flexibility with other options.. So for me 5 total belted seats starts out as a must and some sleeping capability for same.. I was trying to fit all of that into a small van.

I now realise, that perhaps if I got a larger van, I might not need so much expensive flexibility and maybe I use the extra space of a larger van to fit dedicated proper seating and homebuilt sleeping berths down the back.

CJhaughey

I think the big cost involved in rock and roll beds is certification, no engineer will sign off on a belted seat that hasn't been tested.
There are some for sale that are not crash tested and they are much cheaper.

Jaden

FWIW. I had a requirement for 6 Belted Seats, and, after much looking and deliberation, a coach built home was the only option.

Even the, finding one was hard. Took me nearly 3 years to find what I wanted.

I suspect, that you may go down this path too, just an opinion.

G-Man

Jaden wrote: »

FWIW. I had a requirement for 6 Belted Seats, and, after much looking and deliberation, a coach built home was the only option......

You mean the true factory built motorhomes.. Hmm - cant see myself laying out that amount of money just yet... I want van door flexibility to put kayak/bikes in.., when its not everyone going.

What with the expense of seat flexibility, I think I look to larger van and having a permanent bench seat from a crewcab fitted. I woud imagine a proper bench seat fitted permanently, will be on the right path to certification.

Mefistofelino

G-Man wrote: »

You mean the true factory built motorhomes.. Hmm - cant see myself laying out that amount of money just yet... I want van door flexibility to put kayak/bikes in.., when its not everyone going.

What with the expense of seat flexibility, I think I look to larger van and having a permanent bench seat from a crewcab fitted. I woud imagine a proper bench seat fitted permanently, will be on the right path to certification.

Some of the bench seats depend on a seatbelt mounted on the B-pillar, like in a car. Others have integrated belts. If you are installing a bench seat - especially one with integrated belts - you'll have to reinforce the floor, probably across the width of the chassis, rather than just the mounting points. The RSA have a guide on this

G-Man

I am handy enough with DIY and metalwork - so should be able to source and do the work myself. I will talk to a suitable auto engineer for advice too.

Thinking it out now, I should probably think if I want a day van with 5 seats and just 2 berths maybe or go the whole hog for a much larger van with 5 seats and 5 berths..

Smaller van will be more useful every weekend for day hikes and trips and indeed not the whole family will travel and stay in it.

Casati

G-Man wrote: »

I am handy enough with DIY and metalwork - so should be able to source and do the work myself. I will talk to a suitable auto engineer for advice too.

Thinking it out now, I should probably think if I want a day van with 5 seats and just 2 berths maybe or go the whole hog for a much larger van with 5 seats and 5 berths..

Smaller van will be more useful every weekend for day hikes and trips and indeed not the whole family will travel and stay in it.

Very easy to make the former work with a crew cab van with a pop top

G-Man

Casati wrote: »

Very easy to make the former work with a crew cab van with a pop top

Could probably rig some sort of temp sleeping arrangements on the seats below too.

Does a converted to a pop top still get to a resonable revenue/insurance position of campervan rates... I read recently that revenue are more acceptable to pop tops now and whats position on insurance companies.

Hi op,

As suggested above, a crew-cab van with fold down seats and something like the following could work well for you.......

https://infinitycustoms.co.uk/products/transit-custom-kombi-bed

Add a pop-top for 'upstairs' sleeping if needs be!

autumnalcore

Re: 3 seats

FASP do a cheaper 3 seater they only sell to businesses though so you may have to persuade a coachbuilder with an account to order it still crazy money though.

https://fasp.it/seat-production/camper-and-motorhome/?lang=en

We end up scrapping the idea of seats that became beds and opted for seats that fold flat forward (caravelle/kombi) and the bed folds out over the top of them.