DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Project update: March 2022
We will update this information again: end of April 2022.
Earliest possible Availability: July 2022
Likelihood we will hit this date: probably 50/50
Update 1 March 2022: we have had to develop a completely different swivel design to that which I have described below because it is still proving impossible to source the steel grade we used pre-covid. In addition our previous design used a set of captive roller bearings to provide a nice smooth movement - they have gone up in price by a huge amount making the total swivel cost far too high. So Plan B: we have made a prototype, simpler, design which works very well. It does raise the seat higher than we would have liked (so the design will not be acceptable to TUV Germany) , but it spins very easily and does not snag on handbrake, door pillar, or floor matting. Next step is to prepare the manufacturing drawings, and get our production facility to make a couple of prototypes. Then we'll probably still have to make a few tweaks to the design before we get it strength tested. Sign up below to stay in the loop.....
Cheers, Rob McC.
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Update 1 Feb 2022: We had a design all ready for safety testing back at the start of Covid but since then, unfortunately we have not been able to source the specific strength of steel that we need. Apparently there is a global steel shortage so the mills are just churning out standard strength material.
Why do we need super strength steel? The front right corner of the seat doesn't actually touch the floor of the van, it hovers over the top of a plastic ducting housing lots of cables. It's handy for Ford, but makes things much more difficult for us because the safety test we need to do causes the front of the seat to 'dive down'. We found in our initial tests that without the direct floor contact the seat leaned too far forward for passengers to be safe. Presumably this is why the Transit Custom double seat swivel available from another fabricator is only tested with one seat belt in use & the equivalent of a single passengers weight.
We are hoping to be able to get the specific steel we need by Easter so that we can get on with testing.
Please sign up below and we'll continue to keep you updated as soon as we have any more news.
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Our famous Double Swivel range has been in production for 10 years or so with models currently available for the T5, T6, T4, Vivaro & old Transit vans. Swivels do need to be van-model specific. We don't currently have a version suitable for this van...
But we are working on it! and we need your help...
There are two things you could do to help make this swivel a reality....
a) Be part of the design process:
Sign up to our Product Design Group - we are compiling a list of people willing to share ideas, measure stuff in their van, even to try out prototypes. Obviously you would need to be fairly close to our office in Keighley, West Yorkshire. If thats you - join the email group below and we'll keep you in the loop. Hopefully you'll be able to help move this product along with us.
b) Vote this project up:
If not, the other way to help is to simply let us know you're interested. The more people who vote it up the higher priority we will give the project! So fill in the form below and we will count the votes. We'll also email you as soon as we have any news on the design to share with you.
The Key design features for this product will be...
- Safety tested, ideally to TUV standard, but perhaps simply to UK bench test standards initially
- Easy to fit - minimal cutting, drilling, & general faffing about
- Solid, long lasting design
- Maximum height gain 50mm compared to your original passenger seat
- Quiet and smooth to operate
- Weight: 25Kg max
- Colour: Black
