Broken clavicle from a HANS

[stephen wilson]

My quick 2¢, a wider yolk would push down on your shoulder ( Deltoid muscle? ), restricting arm movement.

[kea]

Scott,
With the 3" belts, some of it's width rolls up against your neck (well, really the vertical side of the HANS), so you get some side-to-side belt restraint along with that which holds you from forward movement and thus into the seat.

[Daryl DeArman]

Or some of it extends off the outside edge of the HANS...MAKE CERTAIN your belt spacing is what HANS recommends. The newer HANS devices have been improved (see there is always room for improvement) and have a little lip on the outer edges to assist in capturing the belts. You don't want to get spit out between the harnesses.

[Hardingfv32]

How about a 3" shoulder belt, with the HANS on top, and then a second 2" shoulder belt over the HANS?

Brian

[dalz]

My new teammate Jeff has the latest (Willians?) shoulder belts that are 3" but they narrow to 2" only in the HANS area, which seems like a good solution. Looking at them my mind wonders about their strength compared to a conventional belt, but I'm sure that is considered in their construction.

[stephen wilson]

Brian, they do sell dual shoulder belts as you describe for HANS usage. I've seen them on the Scroth site, I'm not sure who else sells them.

[Daryl DeArman]

There are the dual 3"/2" under/over harnesses out there that address the harnesses slipping off the HANS and spitting you out between them concern.

My concern would be the additional issue with egress in an emergency.

HANS, as far as I know, still has yet to endorse their use. My opinion on this is (a) endorsing their use admits knowledge of a belt dumping problem and (b) they didn't sled test with this configuration, so they don't know how they'd perform. It would be very simple to sled test with this configuration and let us know....but then that brings us back to issue (a).

[Hardingfv32]

1) I believe the 3" shoulder belts slimming down to 2" is accomplished by folding the 3" belt and stitching it to the reduced width. There should not be any lost of strength.

2) There is no issue with egress using the combination 3"/2" shoulder belt system. Putting them on is a little more work, as they slide off the HANS just as easy as a single belt system. The benefit is that you have a 3" shoulder belt holding you in if you have an accident. The 2" belt can be set to have slightly less tension. The 3" belt stops your body and the 2" belt stops the HANS (and your head).

I see no reason for a sled test. There is nothing restricting the 3" belt from functioning as it always has and the 2' belt is installed and functioning as specified by HANS. I should mention that the 3" and 2" belts each have their own anchor points, about 1.5" apart in height and at different widths.

Brian

[Will Velkoff]

What is everyones take on the safety/fitment with 2" vs 3" shoulder belts w/ the Hans?

My belts just expired, and I'll be looking for a new set soon. Not sure if I should go with thet Willans that reduce from 3"-->2" in hans region-->back to 3", or the standard 3" belts.

My personal gut feeling is that the excess belt on the 3" shoulders goes up against the inside of the hans and helps hold it in place left to right. And I feel that it has less of a chance of "slipping off" than a 2" belt.

[Matt King]

What is everyones take on the safety/fitment with 2" vs 3" shoulder belts w/ the Hans?

If your belts are mounted properly (meaning the distance between the shoulder straps is correct), there is no problem with 3-inch belts that narrower belts solve.

[Daryl DeArman]

I see no reason for a sled test. There is nothing restricting the 3" belt from functioning as it always has and the 2' belt is installed and functioning as specified by HANS. I should mention that the 3" and 2" belts each have their own anchor points, about 1.5" apart in height and at different widths.

I'm not saying one is needed. Simply, my opinion as to why HANS hasn't commented publicly on their effectiveness/need. Without a sled test they can't say for certain how it functions in a zero degree and 30 degree offset impact tests.

They are supposed to submit sled test data for every model (degree and product line). I imagine if all tests are done with 3" belts, they can't comment on how it would work with the 3"/2" set up.

[924RACR]

If your belts are mounted properly (meaning the distance between the shoulder straps is correct), there is no problem with 3-inch belts that narrower belts solve.

I agree 100% with this. I'm using 3' belts with my older-style HANS - no wings. We relocated my shoulder belt attachements, as they were well out of place anyway for me in the car, HANS or not. So naturally, in doing so, we put 'em at the recommended HANS distance, knowing we'd eventually get a HANS.

So my shoulder belts wrap up a touch on the inside of the HANS, and I've not had any issues to date (though thankfully I haven't hit anything hard yet)...