Kids in the back - multimac seatbelt alternative?

[67westy]

We have a westy with a 3/4 bed so only have 1 3 point belt due to the wardrobe. At the moment the youngest is in a britax seat that can be fitted with a lap belt but he's just about to grow out of.

I've been looking around for alternatives and come across multimac which is a system that fits a new bench seat with built in harnesses over the existing seat and straps in using the seatbelt anchor points. Looks to be well designed and a super club or super club junior should fit and give 3 harnesses in the back. Has anyone got one fitted?

Pros: it should last us another 8 years, easy to remove and can be used in other vehicles.

Cons: quite pricey! The alternative is no family trips or the wife in the back with a lap belt.

https://www.multimac.com/range

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[ozziedog]

I don’t have any kids but I understand the issues. This looks a great way to deal with these issues. I didn’t like it initially but as I read and understood a little more, it’s actually like a large kiddie seat for several little uns. The only thing I would add is that although this is rigoursly tested, it’s maybe tested on a more modern seat than what you’d find in a bay window. So in a nutshell, I’d increase the anchorage of the original bed to cater for this partially because the added height alone would increase the leverage and Westy type beds are primarily ply, so possibly some more metal plate too. I’m also assuming that the straps and fixings won’t be in contact with the back of the seat which isn’t fixed in the traditional sense. The idea sounds great but I’d ring them first to chat about what you want to do. It appears to be one of the best solutions I’ve seen. As for cost, safety for them little peeps has no price tag, and after several years I should imagine resale value should be high hence lowering the initial cost. :mrgreen:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,wish I’d thought of it :mrgreen:

 

[67westy]

Cheers ozzie. Similar lines to my thoughts. The westy bed frame is fairly sturdy. As it attaches to the seatbelt anchors I'm hoping not too much pressure will be on the base itself but I'll definitely be giving them a call to talk it through

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[Graham L]

Hi Adam
I hope you and the family are well, is it 2 or 3 children now, havent see you for a while.
Are you still hoping to use the bed in the westy or just use it as a back seat?
If its just 2 then you might be better fabricating a bracket on the wardrobe side to take the top and bottom anchor or the other alternative is the ford focus isofix bar which Ive seen see bolt through the upright over the tank, its something like £79 from ebay, might be worth a look.

 

[67westy]

Hi Adam
I hope you and the family are well, is it 2 or 3 children now, havent see you for a while.
Are you still hoping to use the bed in the westy or just use it as a back seat?
If its just 2 then you might be better fabricating a bracket on the wardrobe side to take the top and bottom anchor or the other alternative is the ford focus isofix bar which Ive seen see bolt through the upright over the tank, its something like £79 from ebay, might be worth a look.

Hi Graham

All well thanks, hope you are too. Still at 2 kids (for now). We tend to use the Rapido for sleeping now so would rarely use the bed in the westy. I had briefly looked at the isofix bars but it would only buy us a couple of years max until we need the belt or another solution.

For fabricating the brackets it's not something I have the skills to do and obviously strength of the solution would be a concern. Is it something you offer?

 

[Graham L]

Hi Adam
I hope you and the family are well, is it 2 or 3 children now, havent see you for a while.
Are you still hoping to use the bed in the westy or just use it as a back seat?
If its just 2 then you might be better fabricating a bracket on the wardrobe side to take the top and bottom anchor or the other alternative is the ford focus isofix bar which Ive seen see bolt through the upright over the tank, its something like £79 from ebay, might be worth a look.

Hi Graham

All well thanks, hope you are too. Still at 2 kids (for now). We tend to use the Rapido for sleeping now so would rarely use the bed in the westy. I had briefly looked at the isofix bars but it would only buy us a couple of years max until we need the belt or another solution.

For fabricating the brackets it's not something I have the skills to do and obviously strength of the solution would be a concern. Is it something you offer?

Its something we've done in the past and I understand the strength etc is always a concern, happy to look into it further for you.

 

[67westy]

Hi Adam
I hope you and the family are well, is it 2 or 3 children now, havent see you for a while.
Are you still hoping to use the bed in the westy or just use it as a back seat?
If its just 2 then you might be better fabricating a bracket on the wardrobe side to take the top and bottom anchor or the other alternative is the ford focus isofix bar which Ive seen see bolt through the upright over the tank, its something like £79 from ebay, might be worth a look.

Hi Graham

All well thanks, hope you are too. Still at 2 kids (for now). We tend to use the Rapido for sleeping now so would rarely use the bed in the westy. I had briefly looked at the isofix bars but it would only buy us a couple of years max until we need the belt or another solution.

For fabricating the brackets it's not something I have the skills to do and obviously strength of the solution would be a concern. Is it something you offer?

Its something we've done in the past and I understand the strength etc is always a concern, happy to look into it further for you.

I'll give you a bell soon then I might need to make a decision of future children as well :lol:

 

[67westy]

I decided to give the multimac a go and it arrived this week and it's a very nice bit of kit. Very easy to install and it's very secure. One slight snag where the legs supplied are a little short but they are sending out some longer ones today so customer service seems spot on as well.

The seat will fit on the front seats so can be stored there if you need the bed (assuming you don't also need the cab hammock).

It is heavy though, definitely a 2 person lift to move it into position.

We'll have a ride out in a week or two to give it a proper go. But initial impressions are positive and the kids love their new seats.

 

[gninnam]

Looks like a nice bit of kit

 

[ozziedog]

Brilliant, I was wondering what had happened with this idea. One of, if not the best solution I’ve seen for this issue.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,.,,.maybe a sticky ?

 

[T2 Brinky]

Looks like it was made for the job hope it works out.

 

[Graham L]

Interested to see how you got on with this Adam once its in use

 

[67westy]

Cheers all I'll report back after a couple of months use. If anyone wants a look at it I'm sure we'll be at a few shows this year