TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 28, 2006 1:24 am

Having picked up my fair share of bodies from the dunes I'm going to throw my opinion in the ring.

The human body can only withstand so much force until it breaks. No amount of padding, belts, cages, helmets, or any other safety gear can save your life when things go wrong. Toys are being built faster and more powerful, but people continue to drive carelessly. Sometimes even 10 MPH can kill a dune rider. It's a calculated risk we all take.

Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:40 pm

Vanhag wrote: Having picked up my fair share of bodies from the dunes I'm going to throw my opinion in the ring.

The human body can only withstand so much force until it breaks. No amount of padding, belts, cages, helmets, or any other safety gear can save your life when things go wrong. Toys are being built faster and more powerful, but people continue to drive carelessly. Sometimes even 10 MPH can kill a dune rider. It's a calculated risk we all take.

word

Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:34 pm

More like word UP! lol yeah...

But thats exactly why cars are getting totaled so frequently. They are built to get crushed so the passengers of it dont have a quite as immediate of a speed to zero time interval.

Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:21 pm

so, whats the word on crow belts. im lookin to buy a set.

Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:55 am

I think they make a quality product. My personal choice is the 3" latch and link 5 point system (no camlock for off-road). As a company ... they've shown great leadership by replacing belt systems and working closely with buggy manufacturers to improve safe mounting and gererally "get to the bottom" of the concerns raised by this incident.

Sun May 07, 2006 11:04 am

Can i add my 2p worth and feel free to shot me if you like, I have used similar sewn in belts at sea in race boats and RNLI lifeboats,ive been involved in a highspeed crash and after words when we were looking at it we noticed that the stiching of one of the securing loops was streesed so we ditched the lot and bought new,

As i see it if the belt is done up securly and tight then ALL sewn points should take roughtly the same beasting ( obviously in practice this isnt true but i hope you can see were i am comming from)

As for the seat this is why so many Dragsters over here fix there seats permantly with no runners.

So all in all as far as i can see it was an unfortunate accident, there could of been other factors involved like, old belt, belt been on other vehicle involved in a crash. inexperianced driver ect ect. i do belive it is a tad unfaire to blame the belts straight away but it is nice to see the manufactures responding so well. Thank you

Sun May 07, 2006 3:34 pm

I think Vanhag nailed it. While the design of the belt system in this accident came under fire, it has become clear that the primary cause of the fatality was driver related. This season ... there have been at least 3 driver fatalities at Glamis that can be attributed to driving errors. The most recent involved almost the same scenario as the one on President's day. The crash involved running over a kiddie track while traveling at a speed not consistant with the terrain. The driver was pulling the front wheels up when he hit the track. The tragic part with this crash ... the seatbelt never had a chance to protect the driver. He wasn't buckled in. Each of these crashes has had a sobering effect on many of the long time duners. Much discussion surrounding helmets, seats, mounting, belt systems, etc. has been bandied back and forth. One of the realities of the sport hasn't been given much thought however. Speed. Speed as it relates to driver experience. With the advent of the "double throw down" Long Travel, twin turboed, race fueled dune car ... the consideration of the physics involved in a crash and the high speeds that multiply those forces never seem to surface during these discussions or are ultimately dismissed as the furor dies down. High speeds, high horsepower, long travel ... all conspire to seriously test a driver's skill and judgement. When the driver's skill and judgement don't match the known mechanical parts of this equation ... witch's eyes claim front suspensions, Mendeolas break, cars crash. I'm not sure that manufacturers of frames, belts, transmissions, or any of the components on these cars can keep up with some of the decisions made by the drivers.

Sun May 07, 2006 5:30 pm

It aint the speed its the sudden stop

Tue May 09, 2006 9:29 pm

Driver error. My saying in the construction field is: “The difference between amateurs and professionals is that professionals know what they’re not capable of.” and no amount of nails and glue (or buckles and stitches) can make up for that.

Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:34 pm

Saw that my name was on this thread, so thought I should jump in and join in. :)

As with any seat belt the safety of it will differ with the amount of G force of an impact, the amount of weight behind the belts(persons) then adding in the size of a person and how well tightened the belts were to the seat.

My size is a smaller frame say 112 lbs. I could take more G forces in a crash on my belts... due to the stretch factor and weight behind them than say a 200 lb person.

So please make sure your belts on on tight, correctly and are always updated after 2 years or so. Sun and weathering of the straps will also lessen the belts safety if left out in the elements.

Just want my off roading brothers and sisters to be as safe as possible out there :wink:

Cathi~
www.suspensionsunlimited.net

Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:34 pm

Thanks Cathi. I think your response and Crow's response (along with all of the manufacturers) shows the community feeling of the Glamis faithful. This issue first surfaced on glamisdunes.com and migrated here out of concern for the off-roaders on this site. BTW ... sambanistas ... Cathi makes some of the most highly regarded cars on the planet.

Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:37 pm

clearsurf2001 wrote: Thanks Cathi. I think your response and Crow's response (along with all of the manufacturers) shows the community feeling of the Glamis faithful. This issue first surfaced on glamisdunes.com and migrated here out of concern for the off-roaders on this site. BTW ... sambanistas ... Cathi makes some of the most highly regarded cars on the planet.

Clearsurf you need to go to buttercup for the fastest cars in the sand.

Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:59 pm

Quote: Click to show hidden post from this member on your ignore list

Hmmmmmm.... nah .... guess it was nothing

Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:21 am

clearsurf2001 wrote: Quote: Click to show hidden post from this member on your ignore list

Hmmmmmm.... nah .... guess it was nothing

So Clearsurf..... where would you go to see the different ways to istall the saftey belt :?:

Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:05 pm

Terry Cloyd wrote: clearsurf2001 wrote: Quote: Click to show hidden post from this member on your ignore list

Hmmmmmm.... nah .... guess it was nothing

So Clearsurf..... where would you go to see the different ways to istall the saftey belt :?:
manufacturer installation instructions

Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:42 pm

Brad sometimes we don't do what the manufacturer instructions wants. Do you think that the manufacturer of the Volkswagen motor wants a set of 94MM cylinders on thier motor? Do you think they built the VW motor so I could use it in the sand dunes?

There is many ways to tie the hook on the fishing line. I only see one way.

Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:10 pm

Terry Cloyd wrote: Brad sometimes we don't do what the manufacturer instructions wants.
when it's for safety, i'd pay attention to it.

Terry Cloyd wrote: Do you think that the manufacturer of the Volkswagen motor wants a set of 94MM cylinders on thier motor? Do you think they built the VW motor so I could use it in the sand dunes?
yes terry, i'm sure thats exactly what they had in mind :roll:

Terry Cloyd wrote: There is many ways to tie the hook on the fishing line. I only see one way.
and what's the deal with tying a hook? i was entirely unable to comprehend that statement in a way that supports your point.

Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:38 pm

If someone is not planning on following the instuctions on how to "correctly" install seatbelts it seems to me like that would be kinda like lets say driving in a place and in a fashion that you are "NOT" supposed to :!:

Why would'nt someone follow the "manufacturers" instructions on something of such importance :?:

Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:52 pm

Brad I can see you are a safety & a pay attention to it man, why do you blame the seat belts or how it was installed? Did you know that there is places in off-roading you can't travel that fast? People need to prerun the area that they need to speed on. There is land out there you can go fast on without testing your frame or your seatbelts.

My first dune buggy was a 239 Ford flathead with tripower. The next one 36hp VW.

Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:03 pm

yes, and good for you, terry.