Note: Due to personalization demand, Buckle Buddy can only handle limited orders this month.

How This New Seatbelt Silencer Is Disrupting The $20B Farm & Offroad Driving Accessories Industry

By Johan Marais | Game Farm Manager, Limpopo, South Africa

As Seen on 4x4Community • MyBroadband • Cape Talks Radio Show

Look, I'm not the type to complain about much. I've been running a game farm outside Hoedspruit for the past 15 years, and I've dealt with my fair share of problems – broken fences, poachers, drought, you name it.

But if there's one thing that drove me absolutely mad on a daily basis, it was that bloody seatbelt alarm in my Hilux.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Every. Single. Time.

I'd be driving from the main house to check on the watering holes – maybe 800 meters on a dirt track at 15 km/h. The alarm would start screaming at me like I was racing down the N1 without a belt.

Then I'd stop, open a gate, drive through, close it behind me. Get back in the bakkie.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

By the time I'd done my morning rounds – checking on the herd, opening and closing gates, driving between paddocks – I'd buckled and unbuckled that seatbelt at least 12 times.

Sometimes more.

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It Wasn't Just Annoying. It Was Exhausting.

The thing is, I'm not against seatbelts. On the tar road? Of course I wear it. When I'm heading into town, or driving on public roads, I buckle up without thinking twice.

But on my own property? On dirt tracks where I'm barely going faster than a jog?

The constant beeping felt like Big Brother had moved into my dashboard.

And I know I'm not alone in this. At a braai a few months back, my mate Hennie was complaining about the exact same thing on his farm in Mpumalanga.

"Ek's moeg daarvoor," he said. "I'm tired of it."

Another friend, Kobus, who manages a hunting reserve near Musina, had the same frustration. He told me he'd been clicking the seatbelt in behind his back and sitting on it – just to shut the alarm up.

"Not ideal," he admitted, "but what else can you do?"

I Tried Everything

And I mean everything.

First, I tried just ignoring it. Maybe I'd get used to the sound, right?

Wrong.

After about 30 seconds, the beeping gets louder. More insistent. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum because you won't give them sweets at the checkout.

One forum post I read described it perfectly: "It gets louder and more annoying if you try to ignore it."

Some poor guy on another forum even said, "The first time I heard it on my new bakkie while parking, I almost hit the gas." The alarm startled him so badly he nearly crashed.

Next, I tried the classic farm trick: buckling the seatbelt behind my back.

This worked… sort of. The alarm stopped, but now I had this uncomfortable strap behind me, and it was just inconvenient.

Then I looked into getting the dealer to disable the alarm.

I called up the local Toyota dealership and asked if they could reprogram it.

The guy on the phone laughed. "Ja, we can do it, but it'll void part of your warranty. And it's about R3,500 for the software reprogramming."

R3,500? To turn off a beep?

No thanks.

Finally, I tried buying one of those cheap seatbelt clips online.

You know the ones – generic plastic or aluminum plugs that you stick into the buckle to trick the car into thinking you're wearing the belt.

I found one on Takealot for R49. Ordered it. Figured, How bad could it be for fifty bucks?

It arrived a week later. I plugged it in.

Silence.

Beautiful, glorious silence.

I smiled. Problem solved, I thought.

Three days later, the clip cracked in half.

Turns out, cheap plastic doesn't hold up well to the South African sun, dust, and the constant clicking in and out. The thing just snapped.

"These generic clips break easily and don't always fit," someone had warned in a 4x4 forum I was reading.

They were right.

And here's the frustrating part: every time one broke, I had to order another one.

R49 here. R99 there. By the time I'd gone through four or five of these things, I'd spent almost R500 – and I still didn't have a solution that actually lasted.

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The Solution I Didn't Know I Needed

About two months ago, I was at another braai (yes, this is where all good farm advice gets shared).

My buddy Frik pulled up in his Cruiser. I noticed he had something clipped into his passenger seat – a kaki colored seatbelt plug with his name engraved on it.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Buckle Buddy," he said, tossing it to me. "Custom-made. Got my name on it and everything."

I turned it over in my hand. It looked well-designed. Personalized.

"Does it work?" I asked.

Frik grinned. "Boet, I've been using it for six months. No more beeping. No more hassles. And when I need to take it out and use the real belt on the tar road, I just pop it out and stick it in the cubby."

"But doesn't it break like those cheap ones?"

"That's the thing," he said. "I've got their lifetime guarantee. If it ever breaks – for any reason – they replace it. No questions asked."

"Even if I lose it, or just want a different name on it, they'll make me a new one. Free of charge."

That caught my attention.

"Where'd you get it?"

"Online. South African company. They 3D-print them custom. You can get your name on it, your farm name, whatever you want. Basic one is like R250, but I paid extra for the guarantee so I never have to worry about it again."

I went home that night and looked it up.

Buckle Buddy.

Turns out, thousands of farmers, game reserve managers, and off-road drivers across South Africa were already using them.

And unlike the cheap clips I'd tried, these weren't just generic plastic junk thrown together in a Chinese factory. They were made locally, 3D-printed in South Africa, and you could customize them.

Plus – and this was the kicker for me – you could add a lifetime guarantee.

For an additional fee, if your Buckle Buddy ever breaks, wears out, Or you simply want it personalized with a new name… they'll replace it.

For life.

No more buying replacements every few weeks. No more wasting money on cheap clips that snap in half.

One purchase. One time. Done.

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The Lifetime Guarantee Changes Everything

I ordered my own Buckle Buddies that same night.

Picked the maroon one (to match my red Hilux), added my name – "Johan" – and ticked the box for the lifetime guarantee.

Total cost? R350 for the set, plus extra for the guarantee. Still less than what I'd already wasted on those cheap clips that kept breaking.

Though the guarantee was expensive, here's what made it worth it:

I never have to think about it again.

If they break tomorrow, next week, or five years from now – doesn't matter. They'll send me a new set.

It arrived three days later. Free shipping, comes with the lifetime guarantee.

I clicked one into my passenger seat buckle (I use that one for groceries, tools, sometimes my dog when he hops in), and clicked the other one into mine.

Silence.

No beep. No alarm. Just peace and quiet.

I drove around the farm that morning – opening gates, checking water points, moving between paddocks – and for the first time in months, I wasn't fighting with my bakkie.

It sounds like such a small thing, doesn't it?

But when you're doing it 10, 12, 15 times a day, or even just on weekends… that little fix makes a massive difference.

Here's Why Buckle Buddy Actually Solved My Problem (When Cheap Clips Didn't)

After using mine for the past two months, I can tell you exactly why this is worth every cent – and why I'll never go back to those generic clips.

1. The Lifetime Guarantee Means I'm Covered (Forever)

Look, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you these things are indestructible.

They're 3D-printed plastic. They live in a hot, dusty bakkie. They get clicked in and out multiple times a day.

Things can break.

And honestly? That's fine. Because I paid for the lifetime guarantee.

If mine breaks tomorrow, I contact them, they send me a new one. Done.

If it breaks in six months? New one.

Two years from now? New one.

I lost it? New one.

I've already gone through four or five cheap clips in the past 6 months, spending close to R500 total. With Buckle Buddy, I paid once, and I'm covered for life.

That's the peace of mind I was looking for.

One guy on the forums put it perfectly: "Works like a bomb."

And even if it doesn't work perfectly forever – even if something goes wrong – I'm covered.

That's the difference between buying cheap and buying smart.

2. It's Customizable (So It Actually Feels Like Yours)

This was the part that surprised me.

When I first heard you could put your name on it, I thought, "That's nice, I guess."

But when it arrived with "Johan" engraved on it in bold letters?

I don't know, man. It made it feel… personal. Like this wasn't just some generic gadget. It was mine, for my car.

Some guys get their farm names on theirs. Others go cheeky and get slogans like "Shut Up and Drive" or "Lekker Ry".

One of my mates ordered one that says "Not on a farm" – a little inside joke for those of us who are tired of being told what to do on our own land.

It's a small thing, but it makes you smile every time you use it.

And let's be honest – it makes a great gift. I've already ordered two more as Christmas presents for Hennie and Kobus. Both are under the same lifetime guarantee, because I ordered them together. I'm not giving someone a gift that they might break in a month.

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3. It's Designed for Our Lifestyle (Not City Commuters)

Here's what I love most about Buckle Buddy:

It's made by someone who actually gets it.

The whole product is designed for farmers, game reserve managers, off-roaders, and anyone who drives on private property.

It's not marketed to city dwellers who want to cheat the system on the highway. It's for us – the guys who are driving slowly on dirt roads, opening gates, checking on livestock, doing short trips where a seatbelt alarm is just plain unnecessary.

The website even says it clearly: "Perfect for driving on the farm, 4x4'ing, and game viewing."

That's exactly what I use it for.

And here's the thing: I still wear my seatbelt on public roads.

When I drive into Hoedspruit, or head to Polokwane, or get on any tar road – I take the Buckle Buddy out, put it in the cubby, and buckle up like a normal person.

This isn't about being reckless. It's about having control over how I use my own vehicle on my own property.

4. They're Honest About Compatibility (Which I Actually Appreciate)

One thing I respect about Buckle Buddy is that they don't promise it'll fit every vehicle on the planet.

They're upfront about it: it fits most standard seatbelt systems, but not all of them.

If you've got an aftermarket seatbelt system, or a old vehicle with a weird buckle shape, it might not work for you. They say that right on their site.

I appreciate that honesty, because those cheap "universal fit" clips I bought? They claimed to fit everything, and half the time they didn't.

With Buckle Buddy, you can check compatibility before you order. My Hilux? No problem. Frik's Cruiser? Works perfectly.

If you're not sure, you can contact them and ask. They'll tell you straight up whether it'll work for your vehicle or not.

No false promises. No surprises.

5. It's Removable (So You Use It the Right Way)

Here's something I learned with those cheap clips:

When they get stuck in the buckle, you're tempted to just leave them there permanently.

I had one metal clip that got jammed so deep I couldn't get it out without a screwdriver. So I just… left it in. For weeks.

That's not smart. Because then you forget it's even there.

With Buckle Buddy, it's easy to pop in and out. So when I'm heading to town, I naturally take it out and use the real belt.

Even if it breaks inside the buckle, you press the button and shoots right out.

It's designed to be used the right way: on the farm, in the clip. On the tar road, in your cubby.

Simple. Practical. The way it should be.

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What Other Drivers Are Saying

I'm not the only one who's figured this out.

Since I got mine, I've been reading reviews and comments from other South African drivers, and the feedback is pretty much the same across the board:

From a 4x4 enthusiast on MyBroadband: "When I'm out on the farm in my 4×4 I don't want a seatbelt on. I use these for sure!"

From a Hilux owner on 4x4Community: "There are a few types of these around. Work like a bomb."

From an American user (Michelle): "No more annoying dings when there's no person in the seat… It's well-made, super easy to use, and has made my daily driving way less frustrating."

From a forum user who bought one as a gift: "Love the ingenuity of this clip! It easily slips on… and I will be buying one for all my other cars!"

Why I Wish I'd Found This Sooner

It's been two months now, and I can honestly say:

This little R350 gadget (plus the guarantee) has made my daily farm routine so much better.

No more beeping. No more frustration. No more unbuckling and re-buckling 12 times in a few hours.

Just quiet, comfy drives around the property.

And if something ever goes wrong? I'm covered. For life.

It sounds like such a small thing. But when you're living with that irritation every single day, the relief is massive.

I genuinely wish I'd found Buckle Buddy a year ago. Would've saved me so much hassle (and money wasted on cheap clips that didn't work).

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Should You Get One?

Look, I can't tell you what to do.

But if you're like me – if you:

Drive on private property regularly (farm, game reserve, large plot)
Open multiple gates during the day
Move vehicles short distances at low speeds
Are tired of that bloody seatbelt alarm nagging you
Want something that's actually backed by a guarantee (not cheap junk you replace every month)
Want the peace of mind knowing you're covered if something goes wrong

Then yeah. You should probably get one.

The base version is R250. Custom-made in South Africa. Free shipping with some buckles.

And here's the thing: even if you skip the guarantee and just get the basic version, you're still better off than buying cheap clips that break constantly.

But personally? I'd recommend the guarantee. It's worth it just for the peace of mind alone, nevermind the fact that I can get a brand new Buckle Buddy every second month if I like.

One Last Thing

I know some people will read this and think, "Just wear your seatbelt, you idiot."

And look, I get it.

But here's what I've learned:

There's a difference between being reckless and being practical.

When I'm on my own land, driving at 15 km/h, opening gates and checking water points… I should have the freedom to decide whether I need a seatbelt in that moment.

And I shouldn't have to listen to a car alarm scream at me for making that choice.

Buckle Buddy gives me that freedom back.

And honestly? That's worth a lot more than R250.

Ready to silence that annoying beep? Check if Buckle Buddy fits your vehicle here:

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P.S. – If you order a bunch for yourself and friends, get the lifetime guarantee. It covers your entire order. Seriously. It's worth every cent just knowing you'll never have to deal with this problem again. One and done. (Then you get free shipping too!)

P.P.S. – Let me know in the comments what you get engraved on yours. I'm genuinely curious what slogans people come up with. Mine just says "Johan" but I'm tempted to order a second one that says "Nie op 'n plaas nie". We'll see. 😄