hydraulic steering - need input

[flemrasm]

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..

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

 

[user 135]

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).

 

[Chainsaw]

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!

 

[flemrasm]

thanx guys, been thinking about cables too, but hydraulics would just be soo much nicer , anyways, i´ll keep you posted on this..

regards from cold&windy Denmark

Flemming

 

[oilycog]

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...

 

[flemrasm]

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

 

[b-rad]

fedt cykel!

Jeg håber at det går godt med projekten!

 

[feuerdog]

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.