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homebrew hand-throttle

V

vortec

1/2 ton status
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looks like everyone uses bike gear shifters for their hand throttles, and basically gives them cruise control (sort of). i was thinking that a bike brake handle might be better because i could adjust it easier over rocks and stuff and set it to spring back and close the throttle when i let go, and even lock it down with a pin or something so that i could go foot-only on the street. not sure what the best mounting spot is in a k5. i'd want it where i could reach it, but where i didn't accidentally hit it all the time.

anyone here tried the brake instead of the shifter? best location? i have an auto, so shift handle is out. i'd have to reach around the steering wheel...not great.
 
I'm thinking T-case shifter handle(s). I toyed with this, but couldn't get it smooth enough for my taste, so I just used the AC idle-bump solenoid for my OBA.

-- A
 
perhaps on the center console? It'd be at your side, but within easy reach. Hard to accidentally hit.
 
i am a bike mechanic at our local shop... if you were to use a brake lever.. i would recommend a campy style road bike brake.. the way they release the brake cable to get enough space to pull the wheel out is with a pin, so you can lock it open with the pin. I think this would work with what your saying. Campy stuff aint to cheap tho.. its high end road, but if you find an older model should work the same way. Or if you used a indexing shifter (has clicks on it) you could set it to a perfect speed.. almost as it works on a regular bike. Trying to think of a few other parts, but the shifter still seems teh best (non indexing downtube shifter from old road bike)
 
yeah, i considered the t-case shifter, but it's too far down there, IMO. i'd have to lean an probably smack my head on the dash at some point. ha.

i even considered using a small pulley system on the cable to give it smoother control and limit the range of motion. i know it sounds odd to intentionally handicap the truck, but full throttle offroading is a quick way to grenade parts. plus, i like taking simple ideas and making them all crazy :screwy::D. i tried sticking a small nerf football under my gas pedal once to control bouncy foot. worked pretty well, but looked ghetto.

the campy lever sounds exactly like what i'm thinking. i'd have to look at a normal cheap one, but i'm thinking a few well-placed holes or an added adjustment screw could be a way to go. good info. thanks.
 
Travis Wilson, a guy who owns Wilson Performance in Dayton, TN has a bike brake lever on his shifter.
:bow::bow::bow:
They build bad ass 4 x 4 trucks at his shop. He has a small two finger brake lever, and I've wheeled with him and saw it in action, I'm going to make one like it too.

The reason is, when your creeping over something, you need one foot for clutch, one foot for brake, one hand for wheel, and one hand for shifter. There is nothing left for throttle but your Johnson. :haha:

You might as well mount the extra throttle to the shifter cuz you are already touching it. There is no better place. If you mount it elsewhere, it's no better than not having it.
 
BlazerBud said:
Travis Wilson, a guy who owns Wilson Performance in Dayton, TN has a bike brake lever on his shifter.
:bow::bow::bow:
They build bad ass 4 x 4 trucks at his shop. He has a small two finger brake lever, and I've wheeled with him and saw it in action, I'm going to make one like it too.

The reason is, when your creeping over something, you need one foot for clutch, one foot for brake, one hand for wheel, and one hand for shifter. There is nothing left for throttle but your Johnson. :haha:

You might as well mount the extra throttle to the shifter cuz you are already touching it. There is no better place. If you mount it elsewhere, it's no better than not having it.
Click to expand...
he has an automatic tranny tho...


why do you want a hand throttle with an auto?
 
clarkjw24 made one for his rig...i see them pointless unless you are running a manual and dont want to do all the foot work...
 
why do you want a hand throttle with an auto?
Click to expand...

for one thing, an auto tranny truck bounces around just as much as a manual, and i've accidentally stomped the gas on more than one occasion.

also, as a runningback (when i was a teenager), i tore up my knees several times and eventually had to choose between football and a life of walking properly :confused:. tough choice. they're ok now, but after that, they're never 100%. a typical wheeling day for me means hundreds of highway miles (no cruise control) followed by however much wheeling we can squeeze in, then leaving for home around midnight. when the knees get sore/stiff/numb, it's a bit harder to react as fast on the brake, or throttle, so hand throttle might be good. just something to look into.

a friend of mine has a bad ankle and she actually uses a broomstick to operate her clutch on long trips....i don't ride with her.
 
that totally makes sense. i've heard lots of horror stories about young guys who mess up their knees playing football. major bummer.

you know what would be super cool? if you found a way to mount it on your steering wheel so that it could retract and not have a bunch of slop. if you used a bicycle brake cable, you could do it in such a way where turning the wheel wouldn't cause the throttle to engage - the sheath on bike cables give them their rigidity, so if you found a mechanism that automatically retracted/wound it up it would be pretty sweet. that way you could have both hands on teh wheel and one or two fingers feathering the throttle.
 
pvfjr has one in his step side, 4 speed though. its just a bike brake lever, JB welded to the shifter. he can set it to auto pull back, or lock it in for redneck cruise control:D
 
if you found a way to mount it on your steering wheel
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yeah, i was thinking it would be cool to have something similar to paddle shifters on there. i remember in the 80s that all the stunt bikes, and eventually consumer ones had those little collar things that went around the frame between the front forks and handlebars and allowed the bars to spin 360 degrees without wrapping up the cable. i always thought those were pretty cool. and the construction isn't that complex. if they had those for steering columns, it would be perfect. sort of a niche market, though. offroaders and wheelchair people pretty much.

i've heard lots of horror stories about young guys who mess up their knees playing footbal
Click to expand...

if i'd get off my desk-job butt and start working out again, maybe my knees would be in better shape. i don't mean lifting cars or anything, of course, just keeping the joints exercised better. i don't regret football, though. i got high-fived every time i broke someone's ribs (i played linebacker, too). now, i'd get arrested for it. ha.
 
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