LS170 seatbelt issue

[wuntunearlybko]

got a 2004 LS170 that i cant get the seatbelt around me. i have just been buckling it behind me but i want to fix the problem before someone gets hurt. this is purely for private use on my farm, only myself and my father run it, 99% of the time its me. i know i am fat but my wife cant even get it buckled around her without it being painfully tight, and she is athletically fit so i know its not just me :tong

i cant see where anyone has cut and repaired the belt, could the retracting mechanism be malfunctioning? i really dont wanna spend the $400 for a new seatbelt unit/kit unless its really necessary.

thanks for any and all help!

-cutts-

 

[motrack]

I have never seen LS170 that the seat belt was too short to fit a large size person...... I am 6ft and 250lbs and can fit the belt around me with room to spare. Maybe a stone or something is caught in the retract mechanism not allowing the belt to pull out correctly?

A company in Noblesville Indiana makes the belts for NH or did 4 years ago. They came to our lot from time to time and took measurements to make custom belts for plus sized operators.

 

[wuntunearlybko]

thanks for the info. that is the only thing i can come up with, i was just hoping that maybe someone had a quick fix for this. i will pull it off the machine and see if i can clean it out some.

 

[Randy88]

If its a quick fix your looking for and also cheap, unhook the wires leading to the seatbelt switch and add onto them and run them up to where its nice to get at and put in a switch, we used a push pull switch and forget the seatbelt completely, so instead of hooking it up you pull the switch and that unlocks the pedals once your in the seat, the second you get off the seat switch the controls lock again anyhow and when you sit back down you just recycle the switch and your pedals are released and ready to go.

When we have a door on my older 565 we trade that switch out for a door switch and that does the same thing, I gave up fighting my seatbelt on the 565 after putting in a new one and that didn't work much longer than the old one. Mine always jam about 1/2 or 2/3rds the way out and you are constantly retracting and pulling to get it all the way out, and no it happens to everyone in my family, even my youngest son who weighs 120 lbs and is a bean pole, its got something to do with the lock mechanism that locks as you pull it out, I've taken it apart several times and it made little difference, my 190 does the same thing at times, we installed a door switch on that one too.

To do it right you should put in a new seatbelt or thats what most will tell you anyhow, to me I've run skid steers over 20,000 hours and long before all the safety liability requirements came along we survived just fine, I'd be happy to have only the seat switch honestly, the door switch is more so nobody leaves the door open and takes it off, I put that on because mine is so old it never had one from the factory, even my newer 190 never came with a door switch for some reason so we put one on that skid steer too. Best of luck

 

[toomanymachines]

take a blow gun and blow out the ratchet mechanism. I have the same problem on my old landcruiser. dust and crap from the years. My ls fits around my 38" waist no problem with lots of room to spare. If you can fit in the machine the belt should fit you.

 

[wrwtexan]

only skidder with a racing harness

I run an LS180 for tree shearing and needed a better belt than what is in it to keep me from going out the front when I would hit a stump. I installed a five point racing belt in it and put in a bypass switch beside my left knee which as described in the earlier post, fools the computer into thinking the belt has been latched. An old slide adjust lap belt out of GM van bolted to the seat will also work.

 

[bpogue]

I run an LS180 for tree shearing and needed a better belt than what is in it to keep me from going out the front when I would hit a stump. I installed a five point racing belt in it and put in a bypass switch beside my left knee which as described in the earlier post, fools the computer into thinking the belt has been latched. An old slide adjust lap belt out of GM van bolted to the seat will also work.

Now that's cool! That is actually a good idea. I hate to think of all the times I have been thrown around and give whiplash with mine.

 

[wuntunearlybko]

its not bypassing the safety switch i am after, i want to be able to fasten my belt bc i can get rough with the machine and it throws me around. i want to strap in and do what i need to do and not worry about being thrown out.

thats a perfect idea. i joked around about doing that at one point but now it just makes sense. i like the extra protection it provides. i assume the switch in the bottom corner just behind the light is the seatbelt safety switch override? i just ordered a belt from summit so i hope to install it this weekend. lol i assume this would never fly on a job site?!

thanks guys

 

[wrwtexan]

The switch below the light is the override. Drill a hole and attach the center strap below the ride adjust and the lap belt to the tabs on the bottom back of the seat. Notice the tubes on the frame just above the back of the seat. The shoulder strap arch slides down into them, allowing me to take it out quickly and raise the seat panel. It bolts to the sides at the bottom of the seat, above the suspension, and rests against the back. At the front of the hystat cover panel which the seat suspension bolts to, is the loader valve cover. There are two bolts under the front of the seat holding it down. I made a pair of tabs which keep the front of the hystat cover panel from raising up on rough ground.
When I strap in and cinch down, I stop when the skidder stops.
Where I run, OSHA would get lost trying to find me if the thorns didn't get them first.
Climb in, strap in, and hang on!

 

[wuntunearlybko]

i dont have pics yet but i got my 4pt harness installed this weekend! MAN that is nice, should have done this a long time ago! after looking into the OEM restraint system it looks like the retractor stop plate is missing a spring and is allowed to just flop around, thus preventing ANYONE of ANY size to use the belt. otherwise its in decent condition. still no worth reinstalling. also, i just have the override switch dangling around for now, not sure where i might actually install it. speaking of, why is it a 3 wire harness but only 2 of the wires connect behind the seat? is one a ground?

i appreciate all the info.

 

[87silvert]

recert

Don't forget to get those 5 point harnesses recertified every two years. You can send em back to the manufacturer.

 

[Cappy29]

The Three wire harness for the safety system provide a power in which goes to the seat switch. From the seat switch two wires come off the switch. one goes to the connector then to your instrument cluster to light up the dash when you first hop in the skid. The other wire goes to your seat belt switch which then goes back to that connector then to the cluster. I hope that helps you figure out the wiring. Cheers