Temporary/Lightweight van seating?

tedujam · Aug 10, 2020

I'd love to hear some ideas for temp seating. Most of my driving will be me and a co-pilot, but will occasionally have 2-3 people in the back, and I think they'd feel a little more secure with an actual bolted down seat and seat belt. I'm not going the $1k plus Sienna recliners seat route. Really just want something like a lightweight bench seat that can be pulled in/out easily.

The current one that I pull in out of my 2009 E350 weighs close to 100lbs and is not easy or fun to swap out (or carry around anywhere).

bullfrog · Aug 10, 2020

Only school buses are allowed to use folding chairs as temporary seating and only for migrants going to and from the fields legally. Some states still allow passengers in the bed of pickup as long as they are seated on the floor of the bed. The big concern will be insurance coverage in the event of an accident and what state and federal laws come into play. You are better off to keep the factory seats and belts or take a second vehicle! There are several after market seats available with seat belts that if mounted properly will work and they are expensive, money wise you are probably better off to just go to the auto salvage and get a stock one for your vehicle when and if you need it. Tow a Suzuki Samurai! Lol!!!

B and C · Aug 10, 2020

Most seats will be heavy. My front seats are swivel captain chairs and I can barely lift them. When you need to install/remove the seat you already have, put those passengers to work. Splitting the load makes for lighter work.

A second vehicle sounds like a better idea for when you have more passengers.

highdesertranger · Aug 10, 2020

yes the reason they are so heavy is because they must conform to safety standards. let us know if you find a light weight DOT(Department of Transportation) approved seat. highdesertranger

tedujam · Aug 11, 2020

I probably should have mentioned that I'll be driving with these passengers mostly in countries where acceptable rear safety seating includes wooden crates and a blanket on the floor.

bullfrog · Aug 11, 2020

Seat belts can actually be dangerous if used in improper seating situations. For years parents wanted seat belts in school buses. What they failed to realize is that school bus seats were designed for smaller passengers to hit their chests against the seat in front of them in an accident with only minor injuries or none at all. New York politicians finally gave in and tried seat belts and the first low speed accident caused the small bodies to bend at the waist due to the seat belts causing several serious head and neck injuries. This isn’t something to just throw in without serious consideration as you can do more harm than good. Figure out a way to use the factory stuff or let them ride on the roof rack and go slow. Lol!!!