Badger110 wrote:

As part of the build i considered using a complete bench seat in the front of the truck as i was going to utilise it as part of a bed set up ( similar to dormobile single seat/beds ).

For this i had to look around to find out how the law is with regards to bench seats up front or changing your current seating set up.

Department of transport aren't much use but looking into the IVA ( Individual Vehicle Approval ) manual which is the manual you follow when building a vehcile from scratch or changing it structurally amongst other things i did find some answers.

Firstly, the IVA manual on the Seats themselves

Quote:

1.Every seat must be securely attached to the vehicle structure, or other obvious suitable load bearing parts of the vehicle (see Notes 1, 2and 3).
2.Every seat mounting must be of adequate strength to support the loads likely to be imposed (see Notes 1, 2and 3).
3.Each seat, seat back adjustment and seat displacement system must incorporate an automatic locking system which operates in all positions provided for normal use.
4.A seat fitted with a displacement device to facilitate access by passengers must be fitted with an unlocking control which is accessible from outside the vehicle when the door is open. Where the seat immediately behind the seat concerned is designated for an adult, the unlocking control must also be easily accessible from this position.
5.The rear parts of the seats must not have rough or sharp edges likely to increase the risk of injury to the occupants. See Note 6
6.A system of head restraint must be fitted on every outboard front seat. 7.For outboard front seats the height of the top of the head restraint above the R point must be at least 700mm,(see Annex 1)taking into account Note 4.

The note sections relate to headrests and movable seats and it's alot of text and relevant to what i was going to do or introducing a middle seat to the Puma.


The seat belts are independant to the actual seats and the IVA has a section regarding seat belts;

Quote:

.Each seat requiring a belt must be fitted with a seat belt of the appropriate type. (see Annex 1)
2.For motor caravans, ambulances hearses and other special purpose vehicles where seats are intended for use when the vehicle is driven on public road are required to be fitted with seatbelts. Other seats must be marked with a pictogram or sign clearly indicating that the seat is not to be used whilst the vehicle is in motion.
3.Each seat belt must bear the appropriate approval marks or have the equivalent characteristics to that of a belt approved for the same category of vehicle to ensure the belt meets the required approval standards. (see Notes 1and 4)
4.Each seat belt must be attached by an appropriate fixing and be securely fitted (see Notes 2and 3)
5.There must be no damage to the seat belt structure that would affect its strength.
6.The lock mechanism must securely lock the belt
7.The lock mechanism must be able to be released easily, both in normal use and when the belt is under load. 8.With the seat belt fastened and the seat unoccupied, retractor mechanisms must take up any excess webbing. (see Note 5)
9.A retractor mechanism must be correctly positioned to ensure the correct operation of the belt (see Notes 6and 7)
10.The seat belt must sit correctly across the wearers torso so as to provide effective restraint in the event of a frontal impact (see Notes 9,10and11)
11.There must not be any sharp edges / objects in the seat belt area likely to cause damage to the belt. 12.The seat belt must be able to be stored so it is always readily accessible to use (see Note12)
13.Where an airbag is fitted in front of a passenger position, a warning label for the airbag must be permanently fixed to the vehicle
14.The warning label for the airbag must be visible in front of a person about to install a rearward facing child restraint (Figure 1)
15.The warning label for the airbag must be visible when the door is closed otherwise a permanent reference elsewhere that is visible at all times is required.
16.A harnessor three point belt “effective upper anchorage” location must be at least 450mm above the reference point. (see Figure 2)
17.A lap/diagonal belt “effective upper anchorage” location must be at least 140mm from the longitudinal centre line of the seat. (see Note 13)
18.The lower anchorages must be at least 350mm apart.The lower anchorages on side ward facing seatsmust be at least 350mm apart but no further apart than 500mm.

Again, i haven't included the notes section, but above is the guidelines for seat belts.

Below is the IVA's guidance on seat belt anchorage

Quote:

1.The vehicle as presentedmust be accompanied by satisfactory evidence of compliance with the required standard for “Seat Belt Anchorages”.
2.For vehicles with seat belts fitted to secure passengers in Side Facing Seats, the belt anchorage points, including the seat anchorage for belts mounted directly to a seat, must be securely attached to the vehicle structure, or other obvious suitable load bearing parts of the vehicle (see Note 1)

Note 1 for above was very important for me and i'll include it here;

Quote:

Note1:If attached to a thin metal floor, adequate support to spread the load of the anchorage is required, e.g. spreader plates of at least 75mm x 75mm x 4mm mild steel fitted under the floor, of the legs closest to the rear of the vehicle and between the leg and the top of the floor surface for the leg closest to the front of the vehicle

My opinion is, based on the information for the IVA manual is that there is no reason you can't put a middle seat in a Puma.

However, that's my opinion based on the information i've read regarding IVA's. You can find the manual here to make up your own mind;

IVA Manual


Going back to my idea of fitting a complete bench seat ( from a Bongo ) i would've passed all the stipulations from the IVA manual to do it, but i went for a different idea in the end for the bed in the rear.


Hope that helps you somewhat