Rear-Facing Evenflo Triumph – how to access the "knobs"

U

Unregistered

Guest
I searched and didn't see this question anywhere, but I apologize if it's a repeat.

We have two girls, 2.5 and 13mo, and one more on the way, and we're getting Evenflo Triumphs for them all this week (not digging the bucket seat anymore for an infant, and we had a Graco convertible that we're not feeling confident about plus an older FF seat, so we're just getting them all the same seat).

Anyway, we worked really hard to install the one seat we've bought so far rear-facing, and we got it REALLY tight, but then we couldn't get to the knobs to adjust the harnesses. We'll have two RF (my 13 mo is only 16 pounds) for quite awhile, and while I don't change the adjustments too often because I never put them in in thick clothes, I do need to be able to do it occasionally, KWIM?

Any recommendations?

Oh, we have a 2001 Yukon Denali, if that makes a difference, and we were going to put both RF seats on the passenger side, one in the middle row and one in the back row, with my oldest FF on the driver's side and the two seats in front of her down for easy loading.

Thanks!

Mandi
 
ADS

Momto2whosews

Senior Community Member
It sounds like the back of your vehicle's seats have a countour to them and the cushion is in the way of the knob. Am I right? This happened to me also, although it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, the tighter I got the seat the worse the problem was.

Can you recline your vehicle's seat backs a notch and still have a tight install? The only other thing I can think of is to put a rolled towel or foam noodle under the base to level it, and then use the level adjustments on the Triumph to compensate and get the proper angle (at least the Triumph has a lot of options for reclining). Just make sure that the towel/noodle is under the Triumph, and not between the Triumph and the back of the vehicle seat - that is a no-no, although it is tempting in this situation. If nothing else works, you may just have an incompatibility issue and need to look for a different seat. :(

The other thing about the Triumph is that it isn't always good for newborns. The way the harness adjusts doesn't allow for the shoulder straps to come closer together (or angle) to meet an infants shoulders, so a lot of little babies don't fit well in this seat. One or both shoulders could be at risk for slipping out, which is very dangerous. My girls both moved into our Triumph at about 5 months, but they were big babies (at least 18 lbs. by then and with broad shoulders) so it wasn't an issue for us, but I doubt they'd have fit well as newborns. I just thought I'd mention that since your kids are so petite.

Another option might be to get a Scenera for the newborn if you dont' want to use your infant seat. It's narrower, cheaper (about $40) and fits newborns pretty well, and it has a higher RF weight limit than the Triumph.

And finally, are you aware of the new Triumph that is coming out? It's going to have a higher weight limit and a few other new features. I don't know if they've moved the harness adjuster knob though. But it will cost about the same. I think the website is www.safetymadeeasier.com
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Yeah, the Triumph is not really the best seat to have 3 of... there's issues with the harness not fitting kids properly at or below when rearfacing, the back is short and you can only use it till the head is within an inch of the top of the seat ('even with' for every other convertible on the market gets you many extra months of rearfacing time), the rearfacing weight limit is a low 30 pounds, the forward facing top slots aren't all that tall (about 15.5 inches, while other seats like the Platinum Cargo or Safe Seat 2 or Evenflo Generations are about 17 inches), and as you've found, it's not really compatible with your car at all, if you can't adjust the knobs. (Which is why Southpawboston is itching to replace HIS Triumph...it doesn't work in his car, either... might want to try a search, I think he's the only one currently with this issue with this seat, usually the harness isn't fitting kids rearfacing very well, that's the main complaint).

It IS a safe seat if you can use it properly, so don't feel bad about your choice, I didn't mean to totally ram it into the ground, but there are so many better seats out there for the money....

:)
 

henrietta

Well-known member
You can only use *one* of the recline positions in rearfacing mode--the rest are all for forward facing. Just wanted to make sure you knew that. (-:

We have this problem with the Triumph in our Passat, but we can fix it by using 3 noodles taped together to get a better recline angle. That usually fixes it.

hths

henrietta
 

southpawboston

New member
Anyway, we worked really hard to install the one seat we've bought so far rear-facing, and we got it REALLY tight, but then we couldn't get to the knobs to adjust the harnesses. We'll have two RF (my 13 mo is only 16 pounds) for quite awhile, and while I don't change the adjustments too often because I never put them in in thick clothes, I do need to be able to do it occasionally, KWIM?

we had the EXACT same problem with out RF triumph... the knobs just jammed right into the rear seat. made it really hard to adjust. :(
 

VLsMom

New member
same problem here. the outboard seat we have our triumph installed in is contoured, and the installation is SO tight that the knobs are literally jammed into the leather seat making it impossible to turn. frustrating, isn't it!? seems like it'll only work for us once it goes FF.

thankfully it has the memory harness, so when you buckle and unbuckle, you can sortof loosen it and get your child out without turning the knobs. press the red button to release the crotch buckles and slide them up as far as possible making it easier to slide their arms underneath the harness straps to get them out.
 

Momto2whosews

Senior Community Member
You can only use *one* of the recline positions in rearfacing mode--the rest are all for forward facing. Just wanted to make sure you knew that. (-:

We have this problem with the Triumph in our Passat, but we can fix it by using 3 noodles taped together to get a better recline angle. That usually fixes it.

hths

henrietta

Thanks. I don't have my manual anymore since I gave the seat away about a year ago. But I thought you could only use one recline position in FF mode. Guess I got it backwards. I do remember it being clearly marked on the stickers on the side of the seat though - maybe that's why I never commited it to memory :)
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Can you recline your vehicle's seat backs a notch and still have a tight install?

Please enlighten me! :) I read about this recommendation all the time, for people with SUVs and sedans included. It seems like it is recommended at least once a week on this board and I just can't wrap my head around how you would do this... :scratcheshead:

I guess I am a total idiot because I can't figure out how you would go about reclining the vehicle's seat backs in any type of seat except a captain's chair. It seems to me that it wouldn't possible in any type of seat except a captain's chair. Am I just a total moron? Please help guide me in my thinking! :) :shrug-shoulders:
 

Momto2whosews

Senior Community Member
Please enlighten me! :) I read about this recommendation all the time, for people with SUVs and sedans included. It seems like it is recommended at least once a week on this board and I just can't wrap my head around how you would do this... :scratcheshead:

I guess I am a total idiot because I can't figure out how you would go about reclining the vehicle's seat backs in any type of seat except a captain's chair. It seems to me that it wouldn't possible in any type of seat except a captain's chair. Am I just a total moron? Please help guide me in my thinking! :) :shrug-shoulders:


Some SUV's (including my Santa Fe) that have folding rear seats have this option. I have a lever on the back of my seats that allows them to either fold forward or go a few notches backwards. It's very similar to how you'd adjust a captain's chair, but it doesn't go that far back. Actually, I'm not even sure why it goes backwards - it's not like you're going to sleep back there, but it sure is handy for installing carseats :)
 

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