Hey Folks,
I used the D-Cel device from the company that makes the Hutchens Device ( http://www.hutchensdevice.com/ ) at Maine Forest Rally. We fit it the night before and erred on the side of tighter rather than looser. Once all the straps were tightened per our understanding of the manufacturers directions I could move my head forward about an inch and then the straps started to tighten up, I could probably only tilt my head towards my shoulders slightly, and I could turn my head far enough to just see out the side windows. So if you drop something on the floor you won?t be able to look down and pick it up, nor will you be able to look over your shoulder to back up. With this limited movement I initially thought it might be a problem to race with, but frankly I didn?t even notice I was wearing it after we left service. Entrance and egress from the car was a non-issue as it only attaches to your pelvis. It adds a couple of extra steps when getting ready for a stage, so start 45 seconds earlier and try not to forget all the normal stuff like chin straps. My only negative comment is I got a little discomfort towards the end of the day from the pelvis straps. However, once it is on you can feel how well it supports your head and neck. In short I am very pleased with it and will not race without this or some other head and neck restraint. Call me crazy but I am also looking into the stock car style seats with rib, shoulder, and head restraints (http://www.butlerbuilt.net/index.html, http://www.joieofseat.com/index.htm, http://www.rrpinc.com/ ).
Regards,
Preston Stempler, #712
I used the D-Cel device from the company that makes the Hutchens Device ( http://www.hutchensdevice.com/ ) at Maine Forest Rally. We fit it the night before and erred on the side of tighter rather than looser. Once all the straps were tightened per our understanding of the manufacturers directions I could move my head forward about an inch and then the straps started to tighten up, I could probably only tilt my head towards my shoulders slightly, and I could turn my head far enough to just see out the side windows. So if you drop something on the floor you won?t be able to look down and pick it up, nor will you be able to look over your shoulder to back up. With this limited movement I initially thought it might be a problem to race with, but frankly I didn?t even notice I was wearing it after we left service. Entrance and egress from the car was a non-issue as it only attaches to your pelvis. It adds a couple of extra steps when getting ready for a stage, so start 45 seconds earlier and try not to forget all the normal stuff like chin straps. My only negative comment is I got a little discomfort towards the end of the day from the pelvis straps. However, once it is on you can feel how well it supports your head and neck. In short I am very pleased with it and will not race without this or some other head and neck restraint. Call me crazy but I am also looking into the stock car style seats with rib, shoulder, and head restraints (http://www.butlerbuilt.net/index.html, http://www.joieofseat.com/index.htm, http://www.rrpinc.com/ ).
Regards,
Preston Stempler, #712
