Pickup Trucks Targeted : Seat-Belt Firm Seeks a Snug Niche in ’86

State Highway Patrol and local police officers figure to have a field day after the first of the year, issuing tickets to those who violate California’s new mandatory seat-belt law.

And while most automobiles are equipped with seat belts for every passenger, owners of pickup trucks will be especially vulnerable because, with few exceptions, their vehicles don’t come with seats or seat belts in the bed.

But two Orange County hang-glider pilots think they have come up with a way to enable pickup drivers to continue hauling gangs of friends and family around without breaking the law.

They have developed a removable seat system that will enable owners of pickup trucks and other vehicles with lots of rear space but no extra seats to quickly convert their cargo areas into legal passenger compartments.

Fryford Corp. of Orange actually began building its “2nd Seat” last year, but expects the recently passed mandatory seat-belt law to be a big impetus to sales.

The seat system was developed by Rod Stafford of Orange and Steve Fry of Laguna Niguel. Stafford said they formed the company with about $16,000 “and a mass of ignorance . . . (after) Steve saw the seat-belt law coming.”

But it was comfort, not safety, that sparked the development of the 2nd Seat. Stafford and Fry were testing hang gliders “four or five days a week” in the San Bernardino foothills for a Santa Ana company, “and that meant a lot of riding in the back of pickup trucks,” Stafford said.

Using hang-glider part rejects, he developed a hammock-style seat and headrest supported by metal tubing. The supporting tubes, quilted nylon seats and seat belts can be quickly removed and stowed, leaving only the brackets for the belts and the seat. Friends liked the seats, so Stafford made a few more.

Car and Driver magazine liked the system too, saying in a recent review that “this portable rumble seat really caught our fancy.”

Fryford so far has sold about 3,000 of the systems, but Stafford said he expects sales to soar in 1986, chiefly because of the seat-belt law. 2nd Seat has distribution outlets in every state and around the world.

Stafford said the company expects sales to exceed the $8 million mark in 1986. Fry said the company also is negotiating with several large companies as investment partners to help service the anticipated growth.