Carseats, kids, and safety

[little busito]

I've searched the forums but still can't find what I'm wondering about....

We have 3 kids (7 -- 60lbs, 4 -- 35lbs, and 20months -- 26lbs). Our 1990 International/Wayne 8-window has two bus seats with 2 shoulder belts each; not sure if these were original or installed by the previous owners.

I am wondering what to do about car seats for the 4 and 20mo ..... Not worried about the 7yo as I don't believe he needs one by law. I *want* my 4yo and 20mo in carseats but am wondering who here has had experience with toddlers in a skoolie and what type of seat worked best for you. The two seats with seatbelts face each other with a table in the middle.

Thoughts? BTDT? Ideas?
Thanks!

 

[family wagon]

Several times I haveused ratchet straps to secure my toddlers' car seats to the bus seats. It worked pretty well.

 

[butlerbus]

Car Seats

Well, I am glad someone else asked this question. I love that skoolies are safer than RV's, but I need to figure out car seats for at least two kids and at least a seatbelt for a few more. We were hoping to build in the LATCH system when we build the bus (which we are almost ready to start), but I wanted to see if anyone else had any other ideas too.

 

[little busito]

So far we have used a regular convertible car seat with the shoulder belt for my now 2yr old, a high back booster with the shoulder belt for the 4 year old and a booster with lap strap for the 7yr old. Seems to be working fine and I feel co fife the they're safe. As I understand, children under the age of 5 are the only ones who legally need a seatbelt in a schoolbus, so that's nice.

 

[Robin97396]

Some of these converted buses had the school bus car seats built into the passenger seats. With all these people converting buses and scrapping seats it might be fairly easy to get some of those seats.

 

[Whiskeyjr]

I have been pondering this at great length. My proposed solution is to weld up some seat bases out of square tube steel and mount a set of take-out suburban 2nd row seats. I understand it is of crucial importance to tie these seat bases to the bus shell, not the frame, as the two can come loose from each other in a serious collision.

If the seats are of new enough vintage, they will have latch points built into them, and will be a bit more comfortable than legacy bus seats.

You can find top shape takeout 60/40 bench seat pairs on eBay for ~650 or so, some higher. Junkyards sell seat pairs for ~200 for low end buckets.

 

[gbstewart]

some mini vans have built in car seats, in there bench seats, wouldn't be to hard to install one in a bus, there also not that big, my seat belts where attached to the seat bases that I used.
gbstewart

 

[Maffei]

We bought 2 of these bus seats off Craigslist

They have 2 seats built in that can be used as a car seat for anyone of forward facing age and also can be used as booster seats for older children. Fold everything into the seat and then you have 2 regular belted seats for adults.
Where are you located? We bought 2 but only need 1. We are planning on selling the other.

 

[Robin97396]

Now there's your problem. Those little people are so needy.

 

[cadillackid]

We bought 2 of these bus seats off Craigslist

They have 2 seats built in that can be used as a car seat for anyone of forward facing age and also can be used as booster seats for older children. Fold everything into the seat and then you have 2 regular belted seats for adults.
Where are you located? We bought 2 but only need 1. We are planning on selling the other.

my bus is full of these kind of seats...

-Christopher

 

[Robin97396]

The driver's seat too?

 

[cadillackid]

Ha!! I'm guessing the driver seat too since mine is the short bus ����

Christopher

 

[Robin97396]

Yeah, I too enjoy a booster seat while driving.

 

[cadillackid]

My bus has Air ride suspension but I want to find an Air-ride driver seat for it.

-Christopher

 

[Robin97396]

Yeah, these air ride seats are nice. Apparently mine still needs a new shock based on its bounce rate. Makes driving interesting when you hit a bump.

 

[cadillackid]

Yeah, these air ride seats are nice. Apparently mine still needs a new shock based on its bounce rate. Makes driving interesting when you hit a bump.

where do you even get air seats from? im guessing that when busses end up in the bone yard the first thing to get yanked from the interior is a good air ride seat...

I have an older bus so I just have the low back basic driver seat... its not bad. . but I have a feeling once i start running 1000 mile road trips im going to want a better seat
-Christopher

 

[Robin97396]

I don't know about you, but this air ride seat isn't going to get me any further down the road on long drives. Mine is kind of like sitting on one of those exercise balls because when I drive over a bump I bounce. My arse actually catches air. I generally let the air out of my seat so it bottoms out while I'm on back roads. It sits down pretty low so I probably look like a kid that just ripped off a bus. On the highway it is nice to be up higher.
You can check truck junk yards for air ride seats. They don't seem to be that rare. Maybe run a wanted add to see what turns up.

 

[cadillackid]

I don't know about you, but this air ride seat isn't going to get me any further down the road on long drives. Mine is kind of like sitting on one of those exercise balls because when I drive over a bump I bounce. My arse actually catches air. I generally let the air out of my seat so it bottoms out while I'm on back roads. It sits down pretty low so I probably look like a kid that just ripped off a bus. On the highway it is nice to be up higher.
You can check truck junk yards for air ride seats. They don't seem to be that rare. Maybe run a wanted add to see what turns up.

are you saying that air-seats arent all they are cracked up to be? I'll surely know what a regular seat feels like after 1000 miles because my first drive (other than the test ride I took) will be in the standard low back seat.. my bus is 1050 miles away.. once its painted i'll be driving it home.. (even before I A/C it)..

-Christopher

 

[daddyoften]

I like air ride seats. You can get a new one from any truck shop like Peterbilt, kenworth, Mac....
I've also seen used take outs at these shops as well at a reduced price
Eric

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Whiskeyjr]

I feel a bit selfish to put an air ride seat in the Skoolie when my wife and kids will not have that luxury. Do you think the passengers are better off than the driver anyway?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk