hydraulic steering - need input

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Hi all, i need a little help.. i´m helping a friend rebuild a "long john" bike, and we want to replace the steering system - currently using a rod connecting the steering tube to the fork..
167-1.jpg

do any of you fine builders out there have some ideas for hardware ?? i initially thought of a speed boat steering setup..but i dont know if thatll work.. i want it to be a " 1:1 steering"

hope you can help

Flemming
Denmark
 
Pleasure boats (under 30ft) usually use a steering cable and not hydraulics. As you noted, the steering is not 1:1 Hydraulics would be expensive as well. I do think you could replace you rod linkage with a steering cable. It would allow you to run a little closer to the frame without worrying about interfering the rod linkage.

Great Idea. Now you just need to find a cable. In addition to Marine cables maybe an automotive cable use for the throttle(gas).
 
Another place to look for this type of cable is in the commercial lawn mower shops. Exmark, Scags and a few others once made three wheelers (not a walk behind with a sulky) that used a cable set up for steering.
It was funny to see this post, I've been planning my Autorama entry this morning and I think that I may go cable steering as well! Looking forward to seeing how you go about this!
 
thanx guys, been thinking about cables too, but hydraulics would just be soo much nicer :) :D , anyways, i´ll keep you posted on this..

regards from cold&windy Denmark

Flemming
 
Hey, I was thinking exactly the same thing today. Any luck since 2008? I was looking at old clutch cylinders. Master/slave pairs go for less than $50 on ebay...
 
Re: hydraulic steering - need input
by oilycog on Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:07 pm

Hey, I was thinking exactly the same thing today. Any luck since 2008? I was looking at old clutch cylinders. Master/slave pairs go for less than $50 on ebay...

Hi oilycog, unfortunately not, we desided to go ol´school and did a sterring rod instead.. but i you do go ahead - POST PICS :)

regards
Flemming
 
Hydraulics could work,...but will surely require some specific engineering.

DH mountain bikes have hydraulic brakes these days, so some of the technology is there for a passive type system.

A simple hydraulic ram, pumping a line, to another ram could work, and with a light enough oil wouldn't have too much stiction or damping effects.

But still, it could be technically challenging enough just to find the right kinds of parts.
 

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