Child seats and drawers (1 Viewer)

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Jan 29, 2008
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Carlsbad, CA
I currently have my 4 year old twins in car seats in the second row. I am using the cargo tie downs for the top tethers on the car seats. I want to install an ARB or Dobinson drawer system in the rear. Is there a safe solution for the top tether with a drawer system? Are the cargo anchors still an accessible/viable option? Would love to hear from other parents that went this route.
Thanks.
 
Will look into it. For clarity using the cargo anchors in the floor today. Would not tie into the drawers
 
It’s possible the cargo tie down can still be accessible. My home brew drawers are just shy of touching the 2nd row seat back. The cargo anchor is still accessible due to the rearward leaning slope of the seat back and the 12” height of the drawer. A drawer with less height and more length would render it inaccessible. Use a level to measure plumb off the seat back based on drawer height. You could also use a strap and some d-rings to create an extension tethered to the rearward second row seat mount bolt under the seat.

It’s doubtful any solution, including the cargo tie down, has been tested for such an application as I’m not sure car seats even had the upper anchor in the mid 90’s. But it’s better than nothing.
 
You will not be able to access those hold downs if you go dobinsons route. I have those drawers.

Now...I don't know exactly how the child seats you have work, but I have had child seats in my back seat dropping/ picking up friends with children from the airport. Their car seats utilized the seat belt, seat belt went through the seat then the child seat had its own incorporated harness.

Unsure though, all I have is my dog who doesn't require a child seat :meh:
 
My seats utilize both the seat belt through the seat frame and a top tether.

Thanks for the heads up on the Dobinson’s, can any one with an ARB setup confirm if the front cargo hold downs, right behind The second row seats, are accessible?
 
Dobinsons for reference.
PXL_20201126_230640455.jpg
 
My car seat did not require the top tether to be used if installed using the 3 point seat belts. The shoulder belt was up high in the back and had a bracket it passed through to hold the top of the seat. It moved around a little more than using the straps on the seat and the top tether but did not seem unsafe, had it installed that way for about 5 years while my two boys each used the seat. Think it was a Recaro brand seat.
 
I had a tether loop with a d-ring attachment on it that came with the car seat. The webbing was seatbelt like webbing. I was able to use the webbing around the one of the rear attachments of the seat and tether the car seat to the d-ring. It took a little king foo/jedi maneuvers to put the loop in position and then slam the seat down. I figured if the rear seat attachment was good enough for an adult this would be fine too. I tied a bit of string to the d-ring to fish it out from behind the drawers.
 
Place the kids in the drawers. Problem solved.
 
I have the 3rd row seats and seat belts removed. So I used the seat belt bolts to attach just the tether loops from the 73709-12010 anchor assembly to the seat belt captive nuts in the rear pillars. There is no need for the top anchors to be on the floor. Many cars have them at or above the level of the attachment on the child seat. The only requirement is that the angle to the anchor must be 20 degrees or less in the horizontal plane.
 
Follow up. I went with the ARB drawers (rd1045) and the front tie downs are still accessible so I didn’t have to change how the seats are installed.
 

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