Question Help for a friend: finding a seat that can Rf in a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab

turtlemama

New member
Ok I have been talking to a highschool friend and she is trying to find 2 car seats for her girls.( I think my FB posts are freaking people out and getting them to change their seats!) Their vehicle is a truck as mentioned in the title. I'm trying to find her something that RF but we arent having much luck due to space in the truck. Right now the youngest is FF in a Scenera and the oldest FF in an Evenflo Chase Deluxe.

Here are their stats
DD1 is 28 months and 41 in tall and weighs about 30 or 31 lbs. 14 in torso
DD2 is 13 months 35 or 36 in tall all torso height weighs about 23 lbs or maybe even 24 now. 11 in torso.

The torso heights are estimates because she couldnt get them to hold still so she measured them in their seats.

We are looking at the Evenflo Symphony 65, but I dont know if they will RF in the truck or not. She would prefer to at least RF the 13 month old, but doesnt think she can find anything that will fit.
She doesn't have a lot of money right now. They are hoping the girls will last in the seats they are in until tax time, but she doesnt think they will.
 
ADS

cpsaddict

New member
We have an 04 Dodge Quad Cab and we have a Britax Marathon rf in it. Granted, I am fairly close to the dash when we use the classic MA we have. With the Marathon 70, we have tons of room to move the seat back. I highly recommend that or the Roundabout 55. For the older, the Chase is fine for now, then maybe a Nautilus. I have a Scenera and I know it fits rf. What is the issue with the Scenera? Remember that the rf seats do not need to be at a 45 degree angle. My 19mth old is at about 30 degrees in her MA.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Out of curiosity, why the Symphony?

I'd look at the Safety 1st Complete Air first. It's tall (11" torso is not huge for a 13 month old. That's just a hair longer than Laine's, and Laine is only about 30" tall. She was wearing an 18 month shirt and 6 months pants yesterday), 40 pounds rear facing, and takes up little space front to back. It'll also be something she's used to with the Sceneras. She should easily be able to rear face both in them. Make sure if she buys two she asks for a twin discount. :)

Wendy
 

aeormsby

New member
We also have an 04 Quadcab - the Dakota though, which is the smaller truck. I have no problem installing a MA or Uptown RF. The front seat needs to be a little more upright - but I would think that would be less of a problem with the full size truck.
 

turtlemama

New member
She wants the Symphony because it can go to a booster and that would convince her husband easier on buying new seats.
She said her DD doesnt fit RF in the Scenera anymore, she is over 34 inches tall.
I think she also said she couldnt get it to fit RF, but I will check and make sure that's right.
I was wondering the same about the torso height on the younger one since that didnt seem tall there to me either.
I had her set on the GN until she started looking around some more and saw the Symphony. Actually I might go look at one for DS myself since Im still trying to find a good seat for him that will fit in my car.
I told her about the CA65 as well. How tall do they go FF?
She wants to harness as long as possible as well.

ETA: She says the front seats of the truck dont leave any room to RF the carseats. Her husband is over 6ft tall too, so I guess he doesnt have much room.
I can paste her messages here if that is more helpful.
 

brittany

New member
my dad has a 2010 dodge ram quad and i cannot imagine anything NOT fitting back there! he is 6'4 and I am 5'10 and I rode behind him one day and had at least a few inches between my knees and his seat!
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I get confused with the body styles. Is the Quad Cab a regular-sized back seat? We have the Mega Cab, but my understanding is that the extra space comes from taking up part of the bed. (In other words, I assume that the front and back seat are the same as another body style, then they take part of the bed to add the "extension" behind the back seat.)

Anyway, my truck will fit absolutely anything rear-facing and still give the front passengers more than enough room. I have a Radian rear-facing behind my seat (granted, not at a full 45-degree angle) and I'm miles from the dash. If I needed it at 45 degrees, I could do it easily and just move my seat up a tad.

But like I said, I'm not sure if that applies to the Quad Cab, so that might be irrelevant.

Remember that for older children babies with good head control, the seats don't need to be at a 45-degree angle. They can be more upright, which would allow more room for the front passengers, if necessary.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I suspect she's trying to install anything back there with a newborn angle. Tell her she can sit them more upright.

Also, I'd be shocked if a 34" child didn't fit in the Scenera unless they had a 15" torso or so. Laine would have about four inches above her head at 30". She may be confused because the Scenera's forward facing height minimum is 34". Not that she can't rear face past 34". Not to mention, even if it did state 34", the Sceneras now allow the head to be even with the top of the shell. The Complete Air says that as well, and has a stated 40" height limit.

Wendy
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
We have an 03 and put the seat rf in the center postion. We have a Radian XTSL, but I bet a CA would work very well.
 

turtlemama

New member
Ok she says her younger one is at the top slots for the Scenera, and it wont fit securely in the middle, so thats why they FF outboard. She talked to her Dh and he wants to wait til they get another seat before they turn her back around.

She wants me to mention that they will have 2 seats back there that need to be rearfaced. I dont know for sure, but I think she may be set on the Symphony 65 for both of them. I will find out.
 

Dorothy

New member
IIRC, the Mega cab does have more front-to-back room than the Quad cab. But, it has been a year since I've been in both. Regardless, I agree with the PPs that just about any seat should fit back there rfing at a more upright angle. FWIW, my cab should be similar to the Quad cab, and I have easily fit the CA. I currently have a MR behind the passenger seat with plenty of room up front. We have a TF in the middle. It takes up just about an inch more room, and I don't want to have to worry about anyone scooting the front seat back against it. Just FYI- I couldn't fit the Radian more upright, bc the recline foot kept slipping into the seat bight.

Oh, it might help to know I am 5' 10", so I have our seats pretty far back. Although, I do sit very straight, whereas most men I know like to recline for some reason. Anywho... HTH.
 

turtlemama

New member
Thanks! I think she is set on the Symphonies
Those should fit RF right?

Right now Im trying to help her figure out how to get the Scenera back RF, she said when they had it that way before, it started bouncing all over the place (her own words were "and I do mean BOUNCING" ) and she said they did everything but "weld the seat in" and it would not fit tightly anymore. We live in different states so it is hard for me to get an idea of what the problem might be. She sent me a picture of the base of the seat FF and she had the foot thing up, so Im thinking maybe she didnt push it down when it was RF.

This is what she told me. I asked if she tried a rolled up towel or pool noodle.

"Yeah i tried that it didnt help i think it cause all of he weight is in the back and instead of it being flat at the rear facing position on bottom it is at an angle the only flat part hangs of the seat"

Im not sure what this means, I think I might be reading it wrong?
 

turtlemama

New member
Im waiting for her to send me pics rf. Ill see if she can send them and then Ill post those here. I think she may also just be waiting until they get the new seats and then just try and RF those instead. Ill find out. I gave her the link to this site too in case she wanted to post.
 

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