Video transcript
Hey guys, Mike from Kiravans here again. Today we're looking at offset swivel plates for your campervan. So what is an offset swivel plate? A normal swivel plate goes in between your front passenger or driver seat and the seat base, and it enables you to turn your front seats round to face the back, giving you a bigger area to enjoy in your campervan. Normally, they will have the swivel point in the middle of that base, so that it's a simple 180 degree rotation, you face the other way.
With an offset swivel, they move the pivot point towards the middle of the van slightly. So as you rotate your seat, your seat will be more central in the van, which will give you the opportunity on the driver's side maybe to move away a bit from a furniture unit in the back. It brings the seats closer together, if you wanna eat round a table. And this one made by RIB, not only does it bring it towards the centre of the van, it also brings it more into the back of the van, so it's offset in two planes if you like.
So, that's the theory of it. I just wanted to take a few measurements, 'cause we get a lot of questions about these things. How much is it offset? Do I need it? All that kind of stuff. So, I've rigged a little Go-Pro camera up above me. I've put some tape markings on my desk, it's all very technical. And I'm gonna swivel these around and see if we can get some measurements to see what the actual difference is between a normal passenger swivel and an offset passenger swivel.
So, let's rotate the normal one first. I'll just try and hold it steady, in it's little square. So hopefully you'll be able to see from above what happens. As it rotates, it basically lines up exactly with the plate down below. So you're more or less pivoting on a central point. This one however. Hang on, I'll put it back where it's meant to be in a sec. I'll get it spun around so that it faces the back. And then I'll get it back on it's starting position. So as you can see from above, this swivel plate has now come all the way back to here, as well as coming over that far. So what is that distance? It's about, well it's early 40mm closer to the centre of the van. So if you imagine you have a passenger one and a driver one, they're gonna bring them both in closer. And what, I dunno if we can. Well I guess it's gonna have come back this far, that's more or less about 100mm into the back of the van.
So there you have it, that is the theory and the practicality of how an offset double swivel works. You can look at the pros and cons of your own particular set up in your van and decide whether this is something you want to install or not. So hopefully that will have helped you. Thank you for watching. And I'll see you next time.
