No place to RF tether?

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Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 16, 2008

• #1

We have a 2001 Odyssey. DD2 just outgrew her snugride, so I installed the RA for her in the 2nd row passenger side captains chair. But I cant find any place on the front seat of the van to tether it. Am I missing something, or is there not a place in that van? TIA!
(dh asked why we couldnt just tether it to the anchor spot on the captain chair, but I didnt think U could RF tether to the same seat or bench the carseat was installed on. Can U?)

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 16, 2008

• #2

No, you can't RF tether that seat to the same seat it's on. The tether spot must be forward of the seat's location.

Can't help you on finding a spot but wanted to confirm that.

 

W

Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 16, 2008

• #3

Thank you! I'll be SURE to tell him I was right:thumbsup:

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 16, 2008

• #4

Is there a bar or anything under the front seat that you can tether to? Are the seatbelts for the front seats bolted directly to the vehicle?

 

bombedier

Senior Community Member

• Oct 17, 2008

• #5

Take your D-Ring that was supplied with the seat and loop it around the chair rail of the seat in front of your RA. Attach the tether to this D-ring.

 

W

Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 18, 2008

• #6

bombedier said:

Take your D-Ring that was supplied with the seat and loop it around the chair rail of the seat in front of your RA. Attach the tether to this D-ring.

Click to expand...

That was my plan, til I looked at the seat and they R attached to the floor all the way front to back, there is not way to go anywhere around the seat, no seat leg so to speak. And the seat belts Rnt bolted to the floor, they R kinda like in the seat housing as well. I looked for a bar under the seat, couldnt C any, but I guess I could get a flashlight and double check. Not sure if Im explaining it right, but the way we had the seat RF tethered in the Civic was simple, and there is no place that I can see that would work. I can try 2 take pics later. But hopefully somebody with an Odyssey might C this and be able to help.

 

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Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 21, 2008

• #7

Working on gettin pics.

 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Oct 21, 2008

• #8

ketchupqueen said:

No, you can't RF tether that seat to the same seat it's on. The tether spot must be forward of the seat's location.

Can't help you on finding a spot but wanted to confirm that.

Click to expand...

Britax does allow Australian style tethering as well - in this method of tethering the versa tether is routed toward the back of the vehicle and attached to the manufacturer tether anchor that would be used for that seating position if the seat was forward facing. Australian tethering functions differently - it focuses on preventing downward rotation whereas Swedish method reduces and for the most part, prevents, rebound.

When tethering swedish style, you are correct in saying that it can't be tethered to the same seat and that it must be forward of the seat. (Towards the front of the vehicle.)

Tethering Australian style would still provide the same potential benefits in a side impact collision, so is an alternative if Swedish tethering won't work in your vehicle. The hard part about Australian style is it means maneuvering the child around the tether when putting him/her in & getting him/her out of the seat. :thumbsup:

I believe Lovinwaves has a post in the article forum about how to tether to the center tray in the Ody. I know from prior posts that the seat tracks just can't be used in the Ody. More and more vehicles are starting to have completely enclosed seat tracks, so I think it may become more common to not be able to find an appropriate place to place the D-ring.

 

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Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 22, 2008

• #9

And do I remember correctly that I dont *have to* tether it, but it adds protection?

 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Oct 22, 2008

• #10

Wife&MomX3 said:

And do I remember correctly that I dont *have to* tether it, but it adds protection?

Click to expand...

You're correct. You don't have to tether it. It probably adds a small amount of protection. How much or of it would make a real difference in injury in real world collisions we don't know.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #11

Someone just posted pics of tethering in an Ody (I think.) Will this work for you? http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=602857&postcount=3

As for AU tethering, I must be confused, I thought I had read that was disallowed. Maybe it was allowed after being initially prohibited?

 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

Staff member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #12

Hi, as Snowbirdca25 posted earlier in the thread, Australian tethering over the top of the rear facing Britax convertible and directly to the vehicle seating position's top tether anchor (the anchor that would normally be used for a forward facing install) is allowed. :thumbsup: I remember seeing in it the manual for a RA that was manufactured in 2000 and in the manuals for early and newer MAs/Blvds. I'm not sure if it was taken out and then put back in newer manuals, or if it's been there all along. That said, top tethering downward toward and/or underneath the vehicle seat upon which the rear facing convertible seat is installed is not allowed according to Britax. This was all clarified during an online chat with Britax representatives hosted here earlier this year. I don't think we have the chat transcript posted yet to link you to, though, sorry.

 

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Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #13

Ketchupqueen--I dont think I can squeeze mine btwn the seat tracking and floor like that. But even if I could, is it ok to do that, when the metal part isnt actually all the way thru the loop?

AFA Australian tethering, the tether spot in the back of our Ody is at the floor, not above, for FF tethering. So we couldnt do it anyway.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #14

Yes, it is okay, as long as it's all the way clipped and holds that way. The next poster posted that she did that in her van and as it stayed in it gradually worked its way out more.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #15

That said, top tethering downward toward and/or underneath the vehicle seat upon which the rear facing convertible seat is installed is not allowed according to Britax. This was all clarified during an online chat with Britax representatives hosted here earlier this year.

That may be where my confusion came in. Good to know!

 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Oct 23, 2008

• #16

Wife&MomX3 said:

Ketchupqueen--I dont think I can squeeze mine btwn the seat tracking and floor like that. But even if I could, is it ok to do that, when the metal part isnt actually all the way thru the loop?

AFA Australian tethering, the tether spot in the back of our Ody is at the floor, not above, for FF tethering. So we couldnt do it anyway.

Click to expand...

Britax tethers are pretty long - and you'd be routing it over the vehicle seatback identical to the way that a ff'ing tether would be routed. In that situation it's not a problem to have it on the floor at a point towards the back of the vehicle if that's where your tether anchors are.

I'm not sure about roof anchors and what kind of an effect they'd have on Australian tethering, but you don't have roof anchors so the actual location of yours wouldn't make a difference since the routing to the point of over the seat back would be the same regardless - and from a technical perspective, the anchor being on the back shelf, back of the vehicle seat, or on the floor isn't going to affect the actual tethering itself unless it prevented the tether hook from reaching. :thumbsup:

 

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Wife&MomX3

New member

• Oct 23, 2008

• #17

Oh ok, I see wut U mean.
At the moment, the only tether spot in the back of our van is the center position, we need to order the kit or wutever to install anchorage points in the 2 outboard spots. So the only config that we'd be able to tether the RA is putting baby center of 3rd row, and moving DS's Regent up to the capt chair the RA is currently in, next to DD1's RF Scenera. DH would never go for it, since the tethering isnt required for safety, and he already argues w/ me over every little thing I try to do to keep the kids safer longer. A week doesnt go by that I dont get crap from him for keeping DD1 RF.