Safety should be a top priority when it comes to your UTV. Modern turbo machines are so capable that a mistake at high speed could be costly to your health. For years, we have installed racing-style harnesses in nearly every sport UTV we have had come through the UTV Driver stables. There are a lot of great harness choices on the market, so choosing the right ones for you can be a bit daunting!
Assault Industries has been selling harnesses for a few years now, offering some trick features with each kit. They are available in 2- or 3-inch strap widths, in both H- and V-style shapes. The V-style brings the shoulder belts down to the center of the lap belts, while the H-style places the straps a little further apart at the bottom (over the tops of the thigh). They are available only with black straps, but have removable logo panels that come in six colors—black, blue, green, red, yellow, and orange. The shoulder pads are also removable and washable, so you can keep your harnesses fresh without having to remove them from the car.
Assault’s 2-inch harness comes with an auxiliary “submarine belt,” or fifth mounting point for the harness. This is bolted underneath the seat between your legs and prevents you from slipping through the harness down into the floorboard of the vehicle in the event of a crash. In off-road racing, this is a mandatory safety item, and it’s a smart move to put them on your play car too. Installation is quite simple and straightforward with most UTVs, as long as you have a horizontal harness bar behind the seats to thread the harnesses over. We recommend using an aftermarket or OEM seat with holes above the shoulders to properly locate and retain the shoulder belts. A plastic chest buckle is also included, keeping the harness from rolling off of your shoulders. Make sure when you install the harnesses, you test-fit with the driver and passenger to ensure the buckle is positioned across the sternum, and not up toward the neck.
Assault’s five-point harnesses feature easy-release shoulder adjustment mechanisms, which make adjustments on the fly a simple one-handed affair. With the narrower 2-inch strap, adjustments to the lap belt are easier to make over the 3-inch units when the straps and rollers get dirty. The lap belt latch features a leather guard to protect the occupant from the buckle, and a red pull-tab-with-Velcro attachment that keeps it secure. Pricing for the 2-inch five-point harness is set at $119.99 per seat.
We are loving these 2-inch straps more than we thought we would, and actually prefer them over the wider 3-inch belts after spending a few dozen hours strapped in to them. The ease of adjustment these narrower straps provide have won over our passengers too—every single person who has strapped themselves in to the Assault harness has commented on how easy it was to get it positioned correctly. You can find the harness online at assaultInd.com under the “Accessories” page.
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