Shock absorber for steering (off-road?)

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I was bored waiting for the hour between my pills and breakfast to go by, so I was cruising around the web and a noticed an ad for a "steering shock absorber (I did not open the ad) but the idea and picture seemed interesting.

The one bracket shown in the picture didn't look right (the 90-degree angle mounting flange where the load would be is not supported) but the coil over shock absorber" and it triggered some thought. I don't think the (2-dimensional [push-pull]) coil part is needed but the shock absorber might be when driving hard in rough dirt trails or the open sand. After having the steering wheel almost jerked out of my hands a couple of times the concept is interesting.

Choosing the right unit would take some looking into as some can be too soft or too hard and it has to be able to be mounted in a proper horizontal 2-dimentional situation (push/pull so-to-speak) to be of much good... assuming that this is even a good idea.

Needs some more thought.

Lee

[Piledriver]

Google for steering damper.
In use since the 1950s.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I looked this as you said Piledriver. It's been so long that had forgotten about them as (if I remember correctly) they are usually not used on sand vehicles I have seen for quite a while now.

I do remember seeing broken ones now that I have seen pix of them and the fitting for them on tie-rods. I have also seen the tie-rods broken at that fitting now that it comes back to me.

I hobbled out and looked at the stock steering setup on my black buggy that I have been working on for the last several billion years now and the fitting is there... sitting kind of twisted but there.

J-bugs"

The Volkswagen steering damper shock replaces your broken or leaking stock steering dampener that can cause dangerous and shaky driving conditions. A damaged steering damper can cause more wear to your front end and steering components. The steering dampener fits 1960 through 1977 Standard Beetles, 1960 through 1974 Karmann Ghias and 1973 through 1974 Things.

Lee

[Piledriver]

Much larger versions are typically used on off road trucks, likely for same reasons... not sure why they would have a spring unless it was a return to center setup. Those vehicles pretty much guaranteed to have power steering.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Replaced. Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Silly me, I had a sleepless night last night (its 19 degrees out right now [just before 9:00 AM]) and got thinking about and remembered that rails don't run the stock VW setup for long due to weight, stuff breaking and the steering box off-set.

The sand on the coast is different than what I saw in in in-land CA years ago, so it is easier to get stuck or when you hit a "sand fill" where someone has go stuck in the sand and has thrown enough sand trying to get out of it where the Bug's pan, or rail's frame is flat on the sand and the tires are hanging down. When the toy is gotten out, they (usually) fill the hole, but it is still soft until mother nature packs it back in... usually in a day or two (depending).

That cast connector can get broken too but as I said, rails usually center the steering on the beam or change over to rack 'n pinion or something else such as electric steering (yes, I have seen it done but not for long).

In WA turning brakes are not allowed on the street except for a couple short areas, and if caught your bank account is reduced more than a bit (not sure just how much now days). Rails are not allowed on the street anymore as come night, rain or fog they disappear and are very vulnerable to not being seen. Again, on non-street buggies that casting is usually replaced as it can break. My black buggy is not there yet (the nose of the black buggy is very low,

10-01-06 018 (2).jpg

and I don't remember if my blue buggy was ever changed (I drive on the sand very slowly usually but then there is the others that are not careful when driving on the sand on the trails in the trees. My Honda Pilot has been hit several times by "clowns" (and young kids driving or sitting on the parent's lap steering) and the "sacrificial" steering rods are not being made any more ($$$ if you can find them).

The idea of the shock absorber is still being thought about but not that quickly right now.

Thanks for the "put". Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Much larger versions are typically used on off road trucks, likely for same reasons... not sure why they would have a spring unless it was a return to center setup. Those vehicles pretty much guaranteed to have power steering.

I think you might be correct but then there might be times when the shock absorber itself needs help too especially when off-road of the road has a lot of potholes.

A shock absorber (even without the spring setup) can still slow down or make the steering a bit stiffer also, especially, if on a rail for instance, where the fuel tank weight is in the rear of the vehicle.

Steering knobs (https://www.bing.com/search?q=steering+ ... 8380844db8) are not a good idea to use off-road (or even on road). They were popular years ago but having the steering wheel pulled (via using the knob) out of your hand can either break one's wrist or just control of the steering. The angle of the steering wheel and the setting (location or angle).

It seems that everything has it's +"s and -"s to their use.

Lee

Just for the heck of it:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view ... ajaxserp=0

This is a 1940 Buick steering wheel with the secondary steering wheel inside of it. If I remember correctly there were several different ones and I think I got to drive the car with it but the angle was enough off that it wasn't easy to use as my arm and wrist got in the way. It was meant for long drives so the driver wouldn't get tired. The one I got to use was very different that this one as it was in the wheel more solidly.

Lee

If I remember correctly the two types of steering wheels, or add-ons I posted were mainly designed for parking but got miss-used.

Lee