Seat belt harness

JM PRO

JM PRO

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Hi everyone.

I have done a search and only found 2 topics discussing harnesses. It's been a couple years and thought I would ask for new opinions. I currently have Crow and have always used Crow.

My complaints are:

The shoulder release is a pain in the butt to release. 

My biggest issue is after 2-3 days of riding my shoulders are beat up. I get a rash on mainly my shoulders, not my neck from chafing.

I also like the idea of the new cam lock releases. What is the opinion on the cam locks and do they get stuck or not operate correctly because of the sand?

 
Shoulder- meaning the should adjustment straps to loosen or tighten the?

belt clamp- to undo individual belts.
 

for the shoulder adjustment loosening I found that once you get in the habit of pushing the adjustment in the opposite direction of tightening (1/8”) makes them way more enjoyable to loosen (lengthen) to get in and out. For the buckle you can remove the screw ball and spring and clean and it’s like butter after that for a while. 
 

I tried the kind in the pick below for the rear seats. It collects more sand sooner and has to be cleaned more often. I would not get again. IMG_3287.jpeg
 

I think the chaffing for me comes from the connection point being lower behind the seat then higher up by my shoulders (long torso doesn’t help). 

 
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We’ve got 5pt harnesses with cam locks and 0 issues at this point. 
How wide is the webbing on the shoulder mounts? Maybe try a bit smaller? 

 
Chummin said:
We’ve got 5pt harnesses with cam locks and 0 issues at this point. 
How wide is the webbing on the shoulder mounts? Maybe try a bit smaller? 
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The Cam Lock looks pretty cool and I would guess is faster to buckle up.?

I see that Crow has a new aluminum adjuster for the shoulders and lap. Hopefully they loosen easier and stay tighter while driving.

Still not sure what to do about my shoulders getting rashes at the end of a couple days riding. Could be my fault, I like my belts really tight. maybe too tight.

I currently have 3" with the pads sewn on

 
Cam lock works in the sand i had a set of the high end Team Tech with cam lock and never had an issue.  They have some awesome padding sewn into them, but daymn they aint cheap at all. 

I have always wondered what to use on the belts to make them adjust easier.  I heard dryer sheets years ago but never tried it. 

 
Look at the difference between the 2" and the 3" belts. i like how the waist adjuster is right next to the camlock on the 2" compared to the standard location on the 3". Both Crow and PRP belts are the same way.

Will the 2" shoulder and lap belts stretch more than 3"??

I am a big guy at 6'4" and 240 LBS.

SB5.3CAM_Cam-Lock-Harness-1-no-strap-456x600.jpg


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TeamTech is by far the best and most comfortable harness I have ever had.  The camlock works awesome and have never had an issue. They are a bit pricey but worth every penny.

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I know a lot of people like pads, but I use a duck bill to keep mine tight and i do not move in the seat, 

sounds like you are not getting your belts correctly tight,  

It seems like you have more room to get the belt across your waist tight,  pretty sure you are not getting your belts on correctly 

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Harness tech has come a Long way in the last few years

Crow is a favorite of mine because Fred Crow worked at Simpson for years and he fixed alot of the early designs - the fabric and materials are top notch and workmanship is great   Their new belts are very good with some innovations  - but outshined on Tech by Simpson (now part of Holley) and Impact Racing 

Simpson, Impact, also make HANS devices so they are deep in safety for drivers.

Here is what I see dealing with alot of the  harness brands daily

 - the greatest new thing is having adjuster Next to the latch - and pull up instead pf down - this makes it SO much easier in sand car to get belts tight especially with bigger people and smaller/tighter cars (Crow, Simpson and Impact do this best) To me this is a must have and a "duh" why didn't they do that years ago instead of struggling  to tighten the belt near the slot in the seat

 - the adjusters are also better  - they don't come loose have easier releases that you hold and pull and combined with adjusters up by the latch  and pulling up not down they are way easier to adjust

(Simpson and PRP do the adjusters best and both have models with adjusters near the latch or at the latch - Simpson does this on the new cam lock too)

- the new Cam locks do not jam up with sand and are easier to latch and release (Simpson and Impact are best IMO, some older designs stick, Crow is also  good but not as elegant as Simpson's brand new design)

- 2" vs 3"  and Pads  - 2" are way more comfortable with pads and must be good as SCORE allows them in most classes  - also some manufacturers like Simpson and Crow have tapered pads which are easier on the neck - Sterum straps were the rage  - but they get a lot of bad press now - even though I get lots of people wanting the PRP 4x3's for UTVs  that are set like that

- Harness and Belt permanently attached for easy buckle - that was a no no before when they were sewn together ( some people got hurt or died)  but now they are Latch linked and safe  - Simpson does this  - have not seen it on others like this  - these type of belts are not approved for racing because you cannot slip out as easy if the car flips  - so thats something to think about 

Crotch strap vs V style crotch strap (5 way vs 6 way)  on the male side  - Racers tell me a Ruptured testicle (can I say that?) is common when you crash with a 5 way harness  - luckily I have not had that experience yet- but most cars are not set up for the 6 sway harness - so most of us will have to take our chances -  but next car I will do that

IMO - I have not felt comfortable personally with any UTV style belts that are made by Generic companies that don't have years of racing safety equipment experience 

Crow, Simpson, Impact, team tech, Dietz all have Safety equipment as their main business  - that says something IMO  - PRP seems to have gained a lot of experience  - but others I don't see in off road high powered car racing ..  - I am sure I missed some brands  but these I am familiar with  and are priced all affordably 

This picture is a combo of new styles - Simpson example -

Has adjusters near the latch and newer easy adjusters  (these pull down), has attached harness where shoulder harnesses and belts are connected for easy  in and out and has the new easier to latch and unlatch (but safer)  latch  - light years ahead of the old stuff

these are really nice 

image.jpeg

 
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A few years back I switched to hard shell seats, and new belts. Corbeau fx1 seats and matching cam lock belts. I have to say the first few trips were frustrating due to sand getting into the cam lock mechanism and getting jammed up. Took them apart, cleaned out the factory lube that was in them, lubed with ptfe dry lube and they are perfect. I like the cam lock belt much better, once they are adjusted just get in and buckle up. With the old link and latch style I was always having to loosen them up, latch, then re tighten. 

 
Biggest thing for comfort is getting them installed/adjusted correctly:

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If the shoulders are chafing, it’s probably because the mounting point is too low, or too close together.

JM PRO said:
Look at the difference between the 2" and the 3" belts. i like how the waist adjuster is right next to the camlock on the 2" compared to the standard location on the 3". Both Crow and PRP belts are the same way.

Will the 2" shoulder and lap belts stretch more than 3"??

I am a big guy at 6'4" and 240 LBS.



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2 or 3” should stretch similarly. They’re all designed to stretch a certain amount so they don’t just cut you into 5. 

Biggest thing if you’re worried about failure is paying attention to the dates stamped in. 

 
I’ve always ran 3” belt with 2” shoulder harness to avoid the rubbing on the neck.

 
FWIW, when we went from a 5 pt to an 8pt (+ wrist restraints) in the pro mod, our driver liked it a LOT better from a comfort & security perspective, but it did take quite a bit of time to get him into the car.  The wrist restraints were a PITA.

 
Almost all race cars are using 2" camlocks (have to run 2" to work with HANS). That should be enough to make a decision

 
Only belts I run are Impact 2" camlocks. I don't always run my neck restraint and they are still more comfortable than a big padded 3" that will rub the neck. 

 
Sounds like you're tightening your shoulders too much. Laps should be as tight as possible. Shoulders can be looser. We ran Crow 2" in the two Class 1 cars when I used to race. I ran a Necksgen HNR amd never had any issues. We also had regular PRP suspension seats. 

I run Jettrim seats in my car with Simpson 3" padded belts. By far the most comfortable seats and belts I've ever had. Even my kids like how easy the Simpson belts are to adjust. 

 
acefuture said:
Almost all race cars are using 2" camlocks (have to run 2" to work with HANS). That should be enough to make a decision
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They just started allowing 2" in Score. - previously everyone ran "dog bones" basically 3" folded over to 2" and sewn together over the shoulders so they looked 2"  so you can run a HANS or similar. Some people still ask for that  and Crow does that I have not seen that with others now

IMO even with 3" adjusted correctly they still rub  your neck  when you are bouncing through the Whops because most of the mounting points are generic - unless you build the car for you,  they will never be perfect - 2" give you some leeway there 100% agreed

I am glad @Bobalos mentioned wrist restraints  - since we don't run window nets most of us I would think (unless you have a Speed UTV) I think wrist or arm restraints are mandatory. I will not drive without them - Arm restraints are preferred but too hard for most to spend the time on getting buckled in, so velcro wrist restraints work.  I have seen too many arms go out in crash and either lose or crush a hand to not use them. it's not a pretty sight  - that said I don't wear a helmet unless I am at the drags ... so I am a bad example and not Gen Z responsible, no knee pads etc. I guess ...

 
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