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In regards to the tie down strap with the retainer bolt it seems overly conservative to use the retainer bolt since we got approval to remove the retainer for freestanding and bolted down options. It seems inappropriate/overly expensive to have to do a full scale crash test. Is the concern that the strap will pull the pin up? If I recall correctly when you did the freestanding crash test on the KS Type F3 TCSB (maybe with the new 350 update vehicle) that there was little, if any deformation of the connection pin. Was this do to the fact that with the addition of more loop bars and the resulting double shear on the connection pin?

We agree with you that in the free-standing and vertical bolted-down applications, the pin's retainer bolt is no longer needed to hold down the pin when the double shear loops are incorporated. In the strap toe-down concept, the strap will be loading the pin between the loops with the potential for pin deformations, even with the double shear loops present instead of the original single shear loops. Now, of course we do not have proof that this will occur nor will be a problem. However, we are cautiously guiding you on this matter until we have evidence to support a change in our opinion. If you asked others in our group, you may obtain a slightly different response to that which was provided by me.