Fitting extra seats in the back of a SWB transit..

[sloppycoder]

Hiya, Im going to be starting a business soon that will involve transporting some kit and some crew to one type of job, and a larger load of kit and no crew at other times.

In thinking about this I've come up with an idea I'd like to try!

Starting with a SWB transit with a half bulkhead and no extra windows. 1) Add a cargo restraint net and fixings which can be fitted either directly behind the bulkhead for a full load or about 4ft further back. 2) Add a row of foldable/removable seats (like oldschool bus seats probably?) in the 4ft gap that can fit three extra people when necessary or be folded away for maximum space.

It would be pretty ace if the seats could also fold flat open and become the base of a bed, ill be working at some festivals with any luck

I havent got the van yet, looking at 2nd hand with budget of about 2k. I've seen a few LWB vans already on this layout but with a permanent bulkhead behind the seats and then of course there's crew cabs but im really wanting to stick to a SWB for the easier parking and reduced weight/fuel an i dont need the extra space.

Thanks very much for any help / suggestions! Looks like a good forum you've got here.

Alf

[belly]

if you dont mind me asking what kit are you intending to carry?

[belly]

oh and welcome to the forum

[sloppycoder]

No problem belly, Im a soundengineer and i dabble in doing site prep / production work as well. When its proper full it will be speakers/amps/lighting gear and other bits and bobs that have done the filling. Other times it might be either a smaller PA and/or band equipment or just a bunch of silly hippy tat / tents in the back section!

ty for the welcome.

[belly]

ah ok the reason i ask is that you suggested a net! only thing being is if you do have to break hard or at worst a crash with crew in the back it could be nasty i've got two jobs and one of them is a marquee erector and quite often use crew vans! you can get a lwb fwd! arn't flight cases and pa equipment quite heavy tho?

[sloppycoder]

ah ok the reason i ask is that you suggested a net! only thing being is if you do have to break hard or at worst a crash with crew in the back it could be nasty.....

Yeah your not wrong there. I was thinking of something like this....



...The square section at the top, maybe with wider strapping and smaller gaps, that ought to be man enough? If there isnt a similar net available, or a bigger one i can fold up a bit that is going to do the job then i wouldent even be happy with having a half bulkhead in the first place! I take what you mean about the danger with crew in the back though. Id have to be very happy that the net / fixings would not fail under pretty extreme circumstances.

Do you know where i can find out about any legal requirements for either the cargo restraint or the seats and seatbelts that i'd have to meet to be roadworthy? I guess its fun to daydream but theres no point building it if it makes me uninsurable!

Cheers.

Alf

[belly]

Yeh I think that sort of net is fairly substantial! As for mounting it I've never looked for them but you might have the mounting points for seatbelts already there as they made the swb in tourneo form! Maybe some eye bolts screwed in there as for the seats I don't know about insurance the crewvans I've always used have been factory ford ones! Maybe give them a ring I'd be intrested tho as iv thought a couple of times about making the jumbo a crewvan as marquee jobs seem to be getting bigger and mostly on trucks