Irish Balloon Flights
This guy appears to convert cargos into passenger vans.
http://www.sprinter4x4.com/
This guy appears to convert cargos into passenger vans.
http://www.sprinter4x4.com/
Irish Balloon Chasing
- Thread starter hkpierce
- Start date
Awesome seating - two questions -
1. anyone know about the kind of seating system he's using (I could use more, but we're full up per Sprinter's standards)
2. Does this impact legality or insurance? (Is it legal in the US to convert to hold more than the OEM provided for?
Thanks for your thoughts and any facts. LOL
Tim
Altered Sprinter
Happy Little Vegemite
Tim those seats are available in the US saw one bus on ebay US almost identical same seats and glued on carpet type fabric. and they are total crap, extremely poor quality but they are legal as to the year design twenty years old more maybe.
The are US safety Federal regulations for seating in the States,for both Sprinters, Mountain man has undergone a seat exchange for his cargo van at least I think it is a cargo van
I was looking at this today comparing US Standards Euro and Aus standards again all US standards in part are from Europe but written up differently and extremely vague as to how amendments over the year don't have cross references to the original standards etc.
I can back this up but need extra time if in doubt.
Basically under in part DOT HS 807144
these are the requirements
Headliner for impact resistance
Side protection =covers plastic on a Sprinter
Head rest protection
side door locks with audible warning if not locked
08 models now automatically lock down once you reach ten miles per hour.
first aid kit, fire extinguisher.
three point safety belts to fit in the designated place , the same as the passenger unit.
Modification must comply to the model year
Cargo impact barrier behind only on a cargo van not the passenger unit.
seats must have a US decal to standards for US Safety regs same as the belts.
Anchorage of seats to original positions or be bolted in a manor that is secure to Federal regulations.
Bolts have to be to a high tensile non chromed finish and a secondary compliance certificate applied for.
The US Passenger Sprinter has full compliance for seating another seat behind the rear wheel arch is a real headache because of rear bumper protection required in the event of a rear end collision. long story on that one.
Cargo vans Sprinters in the US do not have a compliance for extra seating as Benz never submitted the cargo van for this compliance, it has not been crash tested in the US.
Fitting of seats can be done you need to submit a form from the feds for compliance with a certified installer that can sign off on the paper work I have not found the proper US form for this yet.
Each state has different regs it's not standardized across the N/American sector but it can be done.
Why for insurance liability you are required to submit this modification to your insurance holder in the event of an accident , you have coverage but may not if , you were to be challenged over this in the event of who is actually liable.
The US will be changing its regulations within two years on imported vehicles to comply with ISO standards, this is a Federal matter which will override all lower states regulations. European manufactures are really putting the pressure on the Feds now over this issue.
I have a schematic for seat installation but it's on the work computers in town, will post if required.
The Federal safety documents are really hard to follow but its specific to commercial vehicles under ten thousand Lbs on imported Vehicles. Local Chev's and Fords are similar but don't have the same requirements because of local design rules[The issue with those is seats installed after the rear diff, big problem ]
Richard
The are US safety Federal regulations for seating in the States,for both Sprinters, Mountain man has undergone a seat exchange for his cargo van at least I think it is a cargo van
I was looking at this today comparing US Standards Euro and Aus standards again all US standards in part are from Europe but written up differently and extremely vague as to how amendments over the year don't have cross references to the original standards etc.
I can back this up but need extra time if in doubt.
Basically under in part DOT HS 807144
these are the requirements
Headliner for impact resistance
Side protection =covers plastic on a Sprinter
Head rest protection
side door locks with audible warning if not locked
08 models now automatically lock down once you reach ten miles per hour.
first aid kit, fire extinguisher.
three point safety belts to fit in the designated place , the same as the passenger unit.
Modification must comply to the model year
Cargo impact barrier behind only on a cargo van not the passenger unit.
seats must have a US decal to standards for US Safety regs same as the belts.
Anchorage of seats to original positions or be bolted in a manor that is secure to Federal regulations.
Bolts have to be to a high tensile non chromed finish and a secondary compliance certificate applied for.
The US Passenger Sprinter has full compliance for seating another seat behind the rear wheel arch is a real headache because of rear bumper protection required in the event of a rear end collision. long story on that one.
Cargo vans Sprinters in the US do not have a compliance for extra seating as Benz never submitted the cargo van for this compliance, it has not been crash tested in the US.
Fitting of seats can be done you need to submit a form from the feds for compliance with a certified installer that can sign off on the paper work I have not found the proper US form for this yet.
Each state has different regs it's not standardized across the N/American sector but it can be done.
Why for insurance liability you are required to submit this modification to your insurance holder in the event of an accident , you have coverage but may not if , you were to be challenged over this in the event of who is actually liable.
The US will be changing its regulations within two years on imported vehicles to comply with ISO standards, this is a Federal matter which will override all lower states regulations. European manufactures are really putting the pressure on the Feds now over this issue.
I have a schematic for seat installation but it's on the work computers in town, will post if required.
The Federal safety documents are really hard to follow but its specific to commercial vehicles under ten thousand Lbs on imported Vehicles. Local Chev's and Fords are similar but don't have the same requirements because of local design rules[The issue with those is seats installed after the rear diff, big problem ]
Richard
ah - maybe we should just buy a school bus.
that would be nice.
Ah, who can tell which was installed first - the seats or the rear diff!
maybe I'm staying up to late to make proper sense (kidding)Thanks, Richard, for your contributing your experience and expertise so freely.
Humbled by such a great group of contributers,
Tim
Altered Sprinter
Happy Little Vegemite
School buses don't get me going on those, year after year safety mandates have been stalled and stalled no time left, regulations accepted but never gone through senate for final submissions, rollover, side protection and mandatory safety belts for all passengers ,, at least they have a real chassis,I'll run this up another thread , when I get the information together with specific US codes , both Federal and state by state so we can see who the pussy's are. Richard.
Seat instalation.
