Is it ok to route tether strap underneath the seat?

[Unregistered]

My son is rear facing in a Marathon and the anchor point is behind the seat. Is it ok to route the tether underneath the seat and hook it from below?

If I go over the Marathon and seat back,,,I cant get him into the seat without a real struggle. He is 31 lbs and wears 2t - so toddler sized and as it is, I am hefting him into the middle seat. It is near impossible with the tether going over head..plus he grabbed and pulled at it, yelled, etc.

Any suggestions?

[Patriot201]

You will need to use the D-ring to tether.

You can't go under the seat to attach it to the tether anchor. Going over the child is okay, but is cumbersome.



Pictures:

This is the D-ring. It gets looped around a NON-MOVING part of the vehicle, such as the leg of the front seat or a seatbelt stalk.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/patriot20171/Carseat%20stuff/Boulevard/DSC_2396.jpg

The tether then connects to the D-ring.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/patriot20171/Carseat%20stuff/Boulevard/S8000418.jpg

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/patriot20171/Carseat%20stuff/Boulevard/DSC_1694.jpg

[scatterbunny]

No, Britax does not allow tethering a rear-facing seat underneath the vehicle seat. It sounds like you're using the rear-facing tether in the Australian method, which is okay...but like you said, difficult to get child in and out when they are older and bigger. You can also tether rear-facing using the Swedish method, which is actually detailed in your Marathon owner's manual. :) You'd use the d-ring strap that came with your seat. We have tons of threads here about how/where to tether rear-facing, so you might try the search function for more information, if your manual isn't clear enough.

[crunchierthanthou]

No, you can't tether the MA rf under same seat as which it is installed at all. rf tethering is a bit different than ff. There are two methods- both stablilize the top of the seat and improve side impact performance, but they are otherwise very different.

You can do Australian method- which you have discovered is less than convenient. That's when you have the tether toward the back of the vehicle and attach to the manufacturer installed tether anchor. It prevents downward rotation.

Swedish method is more common and much more convenient. It's when you tether toward the front of the vehicle and it prevents rebounding toward the back of the vehicle. There is rarely an actual tether anchor available and you use the tether connector strap that came connected to your tether. It's also called the d-ring and is a short piece of webbing with a loop at one end and a metal ring at the other. You wrap it around something metal, immovable and anchored to the frame of the vehicle. Front seat legs work great.

What vehicle do you drive? Maybe someone here can recommend a rf tether point for you. It needs to be toward the front of the vehicle so that it angles forward, rather than back or even straight down.

eta: wow, I'm slow. :o

[Unregistered]

2004 Expedition,,RF in the middle row, center seat.

If I use the driver or passenger seat..wont it pull the tether and seat sideways a bit?

I am going out to the car to see if I can find a part bolted to the floor..and also to see if my marathon has this d-ring,,it is an 04 marathon - never noticed that before.

Is it better to untether it for now? Can I use it untethered,,until I figure this out?

[crunchierthanthou]

It can be used untethered and it is better to do that for now. All Britax convertibles pass testing without the rf tether; it's just an added safety feature. We had a chat with a Britax rep last spring and she was very clear that it's better to leave it untethered than to route it under the seat.

You can order a new d-ring through Britax (http://www.britaxusa.com/shopping/parts.aspx), though their shipping charges are usually a little ridiculous (only $5 for the part, but nearly $10 to ship it).

The rf tether point doesn't have to be directly behind the seat. It can be off to the side a bit- the inner seat leg for either front seat would be fine. Seatbelt buckle stalk anchors often work well, too. The rf tether should only be taut so there is no slack. It shouldn't be so tight that it affects the recline or pulls the seat to the side.

[Patriot201]

If I use the driver or passenger seat..wont it pull the tether and seat sideways a bit?

The middle picture (posted above) is of a seat installed in the center with the tether anchored to the inside leg of the passenger seat. It is fine like that. :)

[Unregistered]

I found a D-Ring that came with the my Radian 65..is this one OK to use with the Britax MA?

The front and passenger seats are on a recline mechanism....If I wrap it around the base,,it slides up in front of the recline track but not on it? It looks when the tether is tightened that it would interfere with the seat going all the way back?

I have pictures and would like to upload but have never done that on this forum.

Anyone have a link with help as to how to register and upload pics? thank you all for your replies - I did not know that one should not over tighten the tether.

C

My next concern,,is that my 18 month old is not 32 lbs..I really want to rear face as long as possible, I've been scouring se and Ebay - I've actually learned some new Swedish words today LOL..