Inward facing bench seats

backinblack · Dec 19, 2020

I need some sensible answers so need to venture to this side of the forum

A friend of mine has taken a TD5 90 in part ex and the previous owner has put Inward facing bench seats in the back with no seatbelts. Can anyone please tell me if they are legal to use?

Many thanks

wireman · Dec 19, 2020

Yes they are. There is no requirement for seatbelts on sideways facing seats. The jury is out on whether it is more dangerous to wear them or not. Iirc children under 12 cannot travel on sideways facing seats.

cappers · Dec 19, 2020

wireman said:
Yes they are. There is no requirement for seatbelts on sideways facing seats. The jury is out on whether it is more dangerous to wear them or not. Iirc children under 12 cannot travel on sideways facing seats.

Legally you can have any belt you want or none at all for side facing seats but if they are fitted they must be worn.
If carrying children you can only use an approved child restraint and none of them are approved for use in a side facing seat.

Many older Landys had sideways facing seat & belts fitted from the factory (County spec) or fitted aftermarket.

backinblack · Dec 19, 2020

@wireman @capo many thanks for the response, I will let him know tomorrow. I've never driven one before so hopefully gonna have a play in it next week before he sells it.

Cavey_P38 · Dec 19, 2020

it also depends i believe on what your logbook states as the no of seats etc. or seats tested at MOT i think

Know that someone in the shooting community was prosecuted for passengers in the back of a county 90 on a sideways bench seat, believe it was to do with no. of seats it was either fitted with at factory / or at MOT or on logbook and it may also involve what seats are listed when insured. Over 7 now gets very expensive as it falls into minibus territory.

Certainly do your homework

cappers · Dec 19, 2020

backinblack said:
@wireman @capo many thanks for the response, I will let him know tomorrow. I've never driven one before so hopefully gonna have a play in it next week before he sells it.

You are welcome.
If you've never driven one before.....have fun and enjoy! They are very different from a modern car; you have to steer them to stay straight and match gears to speed, anticipate braking and they bounce and twitch (esp 90s) and roar at speed.
Very tractor like on the road but absolute fun off road.
You'll either love it or hate it.
Personally I don't drive anything else (unless I have to!).

backinblack · Dec 20, 2020

Cavey_P38 said:
it also depends i believe on what your logbook states as the no of seats etc. or seats tested at MOT i think

Know that someone in the shooting community was prosecuted for passengers in the back of a county 90 on a sideways bench seat, believe it was to do with no. of seats it was either fitted with at factory / or at MOT or on logbook and it may also involve what seats are listed when insured. Over 7 now gets very expensive as it falls into minibus territory.

Certainly do your homework

I think that may be the problem since there are no windows in the back I suspect it's officially a 2 seater.

backinblack · Dec 20, 2020

capo said:
You are welcome.
If you've never driven one before.....have fun and enjoy! They are very different from a modern car; you have to steer them to stay straight and match gears to speed, anticipate braking and they bounce and twitch (esp 90s) and roar at speed.
Very tractor like on the road but absolute fun off road.
You'll either love it or hate it.
Personally I don't drive anything else (unless I have to!).

I'm sure I'll have a little on road fun but I like my creature comforts now so won't be on my shopping list any time soon.

Cavey_P38 · Dec 20, 2020

once you own one, they are like marmite..

either you love it or hate it

off road it does what it says on the tin.

If you love one then you will own more....

My 90 pickup has 3 seats on the logbook and MOT and insurrance, have been 7 up on the A1 but that's another story ...

backinblack · Dec 20, 2020

I wouldn't mind owning one but given the silly prices they command these days it's highly unlikely.

Cavey_P38 · Dec 20, 2020

backinblack said:
I wouldn't mind owning one but given the silly prices they command these days it's highly unlikely.

Valid point

however there are still bargains to be had if you don't mind the spanner time, check out my potential 110 project thread, me and a mate bought three 110 that had been stood in a field for years, took me 8 months to get the deal together so everyone was happy, so keep looking and one will find you if your patient

backinblack · Dec 20, 2020

Cavey_P38 said:
Valid point

however there are still bargains to be had if you don't mind the spanner time, check out my potential 110 project thread, me and a mate bought three 110 that had been stood in a field for years, took me 8 months to get the deal together so everyone was happy, so keep looking and one will find you if your patient

I'll need to find another house first with more car parking space

raisingveg · Dec 21, 2020

capo said:
You are welcome.
If you've never driven one before.....have fun and enjoy! They are very different from a modern car; you have to steer them to stay straight and match gears to speed, anticipate braking and they bounce and twitch (esp 90s) and roar at speed.
Very tractor like on the road but absolute fun off road.
You'll either love it or hate it.
Personally I don't drive anything else (unless I have to!).

so true when i hit 57mph its like riding a coal scuttle on re entry into the earths atmosphere brilliant fun
as for side ways facing seat i decided not to

mick 1986 · Dec 23, 2020

Cavey_P38 said:
it also depends i believe on what your logbook states as the no of seats etc. or seats tested at MOT i think

Know that someone in the shooting community was prosecuted for passengers in the back of a county 90 on a sideways bench seat, believe it was to do with no. of seats it was either fitted with at factory / or at MOT or on logbook and it may also involve what seats are listed when insured. Over 7 now gets very expensive as it falls into minibus territory.

Certainly do your homework

It doesn’t get expensive or fall into “minibus territory”. I have a 1992 110 CSW, originally 12 seats. It now has 9, 9 tested at MOT, and on the log book, and insured for 9 occupants. It doesn’t cost anymore than a “normal car”, and rightly so.

My sideways seats have lap belts, and are used when occupied.

The only problem I have ever had, was when trying to insure it through NFU. They couldn’t offer a quote as it was more than 5 seats. The other insurance companies I have used just insure it.

Cavey_P38 · Dec 23, 2020

my best mate has a 7 seat 90 and his insurrance, not the NFU loaded it up massively and when he queried it, that was the response from them,it was insured as people carrier. etc.

so he took 4 seats out the back and then it was at previous price.

mick 1986 · Dec 24, 2020

Cavey_P38 said:
my best mate has a 7 seat 90 and his insurrance, not the NFU loaded it up massively and when he queried it, that was the response from them,it was insured as people carrier. etc.

so he took 4 seats out the back and then it was at previous price.

NFU can’t insure anything with more than 5 seats.

Inward facing bench seats

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