Home-made tractor equipment, manufactured on the basis of walk-behind tractors, is equipped with a front steering axle. To create the steering of a homemade mini tractor, mechanical and hydraulic components from serial equipment are used.
How to make steering on a mini tractor
Steering is designed to change the direction of the vehicle. You can make do-it-yourself control for a mini tractor based on mechanical gearboxes of worm and rack types. There are designs built on the basis of hydraulic mechanisms operating from a separate gear-type pump. The power transmission to the pump shaft is carried out from the toe of the engine crankshaft or from the through shaft mounted on the gearbox.
The most common worm-type drive, which includes a number of nodes:
- wheel;
- a column with a shaft mounted inside on bearings;
- gearbox (from the "classic" passenger models VAZ, Moskvich or GAZ, it is possible to use units from UAZ cars);
- traction coming from the gearbox to the front axle swivel hub;
- connecting rod, providing synchronous rotation of the front wheels.
When using a rack and pinion gearbox, the kinematic diagram is simplified. The rail is connected by steering tips to the swivel hubs. The length adjustment of the drives is carried out by a threaded connection, fixed with a separate nut. The use of such a gearbox requires an accurate calculation of the installation location. For home-made equipment, a rack and pinion gear from an Oka car is used.
Drawing and tool preparation
To create a steering, technical documentation is required, in accordance with which components are selected for a future design. Publicly available drawings are used as the initial base. The documentation will need to be finalized in accordance with the dimensions and design of the existing frame of the minitractor. After purchasing the spare parts necessary for the steering, you can begin to select the tool.
The minimum set of tools includes:
- tool ruler and tape measure;
- calipers;
- scriber for metal;
- a hand drill with a speed controller and a chuck for clamping a drill with a diameter of up to 15 mm;
- electric cutting machine ("Bulgarian");
- welding machine (it is possible to use a small-sized inverter-type installation) and a set of electrodes;
- a set of wrenches or heads;
- cutting discs;
- drills for metal;
- pliers;
- hammer (for breaking scale);
- file (for grinding sharp edges).
Usually, steering on a homemade mini tractor is required in order not only to improve equipment, but also to facilitate a number of agricultural work. The walk-behind tractor in the form in which it is sold does not always facilitate, for example, the plowing process. Therefore, the creation of a convenient mini-tractor is an urgent issue for most summer residents.
For owners of small plots of land, such homemade products can save a lot of effort and money. Not everyone can afford to buy a ready-made tractor. The investment will not pay off. But to build such a technique is within the power of any person who knows how to hold a wrench and read the drawings.
Working drawing, preparation of tools and parts
The first stage of work is often bewildering. There are masters who do not have special education. However, they are able to create a masterpiece from a pile of scrap metal. They keep the entire assembly process in their heads and do not know until the end what they will succeed.
A professional approach always involves a drawing. It allows you to work in stages and understand in advance which parts you need to purchase. Therefore, it is better to sketch a drawing and an assembly diagram.
Almost everyone has a tool that will be required in the process of work. Need to cook:
- drill;
- a machine with a cutting wheel, popularly called a "grinder";
- welding electric apparatus;
- wrenches of different sizes.
In principle, the assembly can be done in any way. If there is no welding machine and you can’t find it, you can bolt the entire structure. It is necessary to prepare drills, electrodes, bolts and nuts. In addition, grease or oil for lubrication is useful.
The creation of steering is based on the principle that is used in domestic VAZ or GAZ-53 cars. You can take a ready-made system and customize it in size. Usually the shaft needs to be shortened. The car can also be controlled with the help of steering rods. The gearbox must be fixed on the frame and deployed to the operator. The brake is applied drum hydraulic. Together with the hydraulic system, you need to buy a pump that will ensure the correct movement of oil through the system. Before starting work, it is necessary to determine what load will be on the minitractor and what is the power of the motor.
Assembly and adjustment of equipment
Steering allows you to move the tractor in a certain direction. In general, the entire system consists of a steering mechanism and a steering gear. There are two types of mechanism:
- worm;
- rack.
For a tractor, the worm type is most often used, since it makes it easy to overcome bumps in the road and has a significant number of advantages. However, there are also disadvantages. The largest of them is a large number of parts and assemblies. Over time, backlashes form, which are difficult to eliminate. The rack and pinion mechanism is simpler and more popular today.
Steering work begins with proper seat placement. The knees of the seated driver must not rest against the steering rods. Sometimes, when creating a homemade tractor, the handles of the walk-behind tractor remain as a steering. They are convenient, but in the event that the movement is carried out only forward. Reversing is difficult. That is why it is recommended to install a steering wheel. If the system is controlled by the steering wheel, it must be adjusted in height.
In order to control the minitractor was not so difficult, hydraulic cylinders are used. Do not make them yourself. It is better to buy a ready-made system. On sale there are devices designed specifically for agricultural machinery.
When creating the steering of a homemade mini tractor, use the steering column from a VAZ-2106 car or from any other car. The column is bolted to the steering rods at an angle of 45°. It is important to consider that the dimensions of the steering rods and columns do not always match. You can fix the problem by welding, welding additional paws. Relative to the wheel, the thrust should be at a right angle. After all the work, we adjust the wheel alignment.
In general, the design can be simple, without springs and other reinforcements. Since there is still no heavy load, like on a car. Sometimes the mechanism uses a steering wheel swivel assembly, a ball joint and steering knuckles.
Pedals required for full operation:
- clutch;
- brake.
Pedal placement, height and direction also need to be customized. As a rule, if these are old parts of a VAZ car, they are high when mounted on a mini tractor. It is not comfortable. But the cables for the pedals can be taken from an old scooter.
In the process of creating a small tractor, all elements must be adjusted to the adapter or made, as they say, for themselves. Parts, especially those that carry a load, need to be burned through welding at high amperes.
You can figure out how to attach the steering column yourself, based on the specific design of your walk-behind tractor.
It is better not to come up with too wise designs and keep everything simple.
Independent production of remote control boat motors
Part I. Basic Provisions.When the length of the motorboat is more than 3.5 m, the control of the outboard motor not by the tiller, but by remote control from the front of the cockpit (wheelhouse) is dictated not only by considerations of convenience, but also by safety requirements. On a large boat, when operating the tiller, the view ahead along the course is significantly impaired, which can cause a dangerous collision with an obstacle. In addition, the presence of a self-draining under-engine niche makes it very difficult to control and leads to rapid fatigue of the driver.
The simplest way out is to use remote control systems produced by the industry. Unfortunately, at present, the fate of the only domestic MDU-1 produced until recently by the Kaluga Turbine Plant is unclear, and its output was completely insufficient. Foreign remote control systems are expensive and often inaccessible to the bulk of water motors. In such cases, it is quite realistic to make a simple do-it-yourself remote control system.
Full remote control includes devices to turn the motor, to change the position of the throttle valve of the carburetor, to engage the reverse clutch and the "Stop" button. In a simpler version, you can do without a drive for reverse, since you have to switch it relatively rarely, and this can be done using a standard handle mounted on the motor itself.
Remote control motor rotation
The steering control, which ensures the rotation of the motor, is the simplest part of the device in question. The cable from the steering column drum, on which it is laid in several turns and locked, is led through the blocks to the motor. Here, its ends are attached to a bar pivotally connected to the motor handle (on a stud or on a bolt).
Cables for steering. The correct selection of the cable according to the design and diameter, depending on the conditions of its operation, the reliable termination of its ends, the proper design of the blocks are of no small importance for the safe operation of the vessel.
Cables made of galvanized steel wire are used both for the steering gear (shturtros) and for remote control of the throttle and motor reverse.
The structure of the cable (Fig. 3) is indicated by three numbers, which express, respectively, the number of strands, the number of wires per strand and the number of organic cores. For example, the entry 6X37 + 1 OS means: a six-strand cable, has 37 wires per strand, with one organic core. The design of the rope determines its flexibility, on which the dimensions and weight of blocks and drums depend, and which, along with strength, serves as the basis for its choice in the manufacture of a particular gear. The greater the number of wires in a strand and the smaller their diameter, the more flexible the cable.
For the manufacture of standing rigging gear, rigid cables are used, which, with a minimum diameter and weight, have the greatest strength and do not stretch under load. Flexibility is of paramount importance for shturtros.
Cables of the 1X19 and 7X7 design are very rigid and are used almost exclusively for the manufacture of standing rigging on yachts. 6X7 + 1 OS cable can also be used for standing rigging, although it is less strong and stretches more than the previously mentioned cables (due to the presence of an organic core). This cable is of little use for steering rope due to insufficient flexibility, which requires the use of pulleys and blocks of too large diameter (see table 1). The organic core contributes to the retention of grease that prevents corrosion.
Cable 7X19 is the most durable of the flexible cables. It is used in the manufacture of steering ropes, for which, along with strength, low stretching under load is important. The valuable properties of this cable include the possibility of sealing fires and the presence of a metal core, thanks to which the cable does not crumple in the pulley groove and can be wound onto the winch drum in several layers. When closing the fire, the middle strand is usually cut down, in which case it is necessary to take into account the weakening of the cable by 15%.
Cable 6X19 + 1 OS has an organic core. It is more flexible and elastic than the 7X19 cable, but it stretches and deforms more under load, and therefore is not suitable for winding on a smooth (without grooves) drum and for multilayer winding.
Cable 6X37 + 1 OS - very flexible, easily spliced. The wires that make up its strands have a small diameter, so a cable of this design is produced starting from a diameter of 5.5 mm. The cable is highly stretchable and is used for small diameter pulleys.
The choice of a suitable cable diameter is a rather responsible task. The breaking load of the steering cable intended for turning outboard motors must be at least 300 kg. This condition is satisfied by cables with a diameter of 2.5~3 mm. The most corrosion resistant cables are made of galvanized or stainless wire. Cables made of non-galvanized or copper-plated wire quickly rust and break, especially at bends.
When the cable passes through a block of its wire, in addition to stretching from the load, additional stresses are obtained from bending, twisting and crushing between the wires. Wires that have burst due to fatigue and wear are always located at the point where the cable touches the block. It should be remembered that in practice the steering cable is subjected to variable loads, i.e. works for fatigue.
The most common mistake made by inexperienced amateurs is the use of too thick a cable with small diameter blocks!
In this case, a thicker cable will not only not provide greater strength, but will also wear out at the points of contact of the blocks much faster than a thin one.
In table. 1 shows the minimum pulley diameters of pulleys, measured along the groove, depending on the design and diameter of the cable. The drums of steering gears or winches should also have the same diameter.
Table 1.
The radius of the groove (bale) of the pulley should be equal to 1.05 of the cable radius. With a narrower or wider bale, the cable wears out faster. The sheave bale should span 130-150° of the rope cross section. The use of aluminum or textolite drums helps to reduce cable wear.
Rigging work. In order to make a correct and sufficiently strong fire on a cable, you need to have certain skills. Amateurs often replace it with contractions made from scraps of a copper or aluminum tube, superimposed on the ends of the cable folded together (Fig. 4, a). The inner diameter of the tube should be approximately one and a half times the diameter of the cable, the length should be 10 cable diameters. The tube, put on the cable and pressed close to the thimble, is riveted until the cable is tightly compressed, then the second and third contractions are placed at a distance of 40-60 mm. In the absence of the opportunity to purchase or the desire to cut the tube, it is quite possible to get by with ordinary nuts of the appropriate diameter. Due to the presence of a thread in the hole, the riveted nuts are well held on the cable. It is recommended that you always have several suitable nuts with you in the boat in case of a possible splicing of the cable while camping.
You can make a connection using one long (80-100 mm) tube (Fig. 4, 6), flattening it alternately in two mutually perpendicular planes. The sealing of the end of the cable by pressing it into the hole of the steel ball is also strong enough (Fig. 4, c). The breaking strength of such termination is 60-80% of the rope breaking load.
Remote throttle control and reverse/idle motor clutch
The most widespread among amateurs are various cable-operated throttle control systems. One or two pulleys with handles are attached to the control post (for reverse and for gas). With the help of bosses (see Fig. 135), into which the ends of the cable are soldered, it is attached to the pulleys. The lugs are secured with wire clips in the pulley sockets. Near the motor, the cables are enclosed in Bowden sheaths, which provide flexible connection with the motor and free movement of the cables themselves. To fasten the ends of the Bowden shell, stops must be mounted on the motor and on the boat, one of them must be adjustable.
On engines with motorcycle carburetors of the K-36, K-65 type (Moscow-12.5, Moscow-25, Moscow-30, Neptune), the damper can be controlled (Fig. 5) using one cable by disconnecting magneto leash from the carburetor. The ignition timing is set constant for the operating speed of the engine. The drive cable 3 with a soldered tip 4 is attached instead of the standard cable to the carburetor damper. The cable has only one working stroke - to open the damper. It returns to its place under the action of spring 2.
The disadvantage of the device is that the ignition timing is unregulated depending on the speed, as a result of which, at low speeds, the engine operates with strong vibration and with incomplete combustion of the fuel mixture. With a significant length of the cable in the Bowden shell, the force of the carburetor spring is not enough to reliably discharge gas.
However, for the currently produced Neptune-23E engines equipped with the MB-23 electronic magdino, or old engines that have a self-made ESZ described on this site, the first drawback is not typical, since the ignition timing is automatically adjusted depending on the speed electronically. Therefore, for small boats with Neptune-23E, such a simple "gas" control scheme is very convenient and, due to its simplicity, is preferable.
A stronger return spring is required to move the carburetor choke and magneto panel together. In this case, the cable is attached to a lever brought out at the bottom of the pallet specifically for connecting a remote control.
On motors "Moscow" to return the gas control system from the "Full throttle" position to the "Stop" position, as one of the options, you can use a flat coil spring. The spring is attached to the shaft 8 throttle lever at the level of the lower bolts of the crankcase cover (Fig. 6). Second end of the spring 9, attached to the bracket 7, which is mounted on the crankcase cover. If the elasticity of one spring is not enough, two or more springs are installed, placing them on a vertical roller 8 one above the other. For example, two springs, each 7.5 wide mm, 0.6 mm thick and about 450 mm long with the number of turns in the free state (before installation on the axle) - seven, in working condition - 10. During assembly, the force developed by the springs 9, adjustable by pre-twisting the roller 8, after which it is connected to the gas sector and the thrust of the ignition advance mechanism. To reduce friction in the gas control system, loosen the nut on the tiller, lubricate the spring and other rubbing surfaces. In the proposed scheme, the rotation of the gas sector in the direction of increasing engine speed leads to the twisting of the helical spring 9. This ensures that the engine speed is automatically reset, which is especially important in the event of a cable break. 12 gas adjustment. A similar system can be applied to the Whirlwind motors, which have an exit to the outside of the end of the vertical throttle shaft. Here it is more convenient to use a cylindrical return spring. 8 (Fig. 129, a), fixing one end of it on the lever 7 of the roller 6, the other - on the pallet or the rear handle of the motor using a bracket 9. A spring with a diameter of 10 mm is wound from a millimetric wire. The length of the spring (approximately 120 mm) is selected in such a way that its force returns the throttle lever 7 to its original position - until the carburetor damper is completely closed.
Drive designs with return springs still cannot be considered absolutely reliable, since the spring, especially with improper heat treatment, can eventually break due to metal fatigue. In light of this, huge advantage modern engines with electronic ignition with automatic control of the ignition timing is a small effort to control the "gas". Since the force is several times less than with the joint drive of the throttle and the rotation of the magdino, it is possible to get by with a much weaker return spring, which also requires less preload, and thereby practically eliminate the possibility of its breakage. Along the way, you can get rid of the "saw" familiar to every owner of the "Progress" - a gear sector that fixes the "gas" handle in a certain position. With the force of a weaker spring, the friction forces in the handle mount will completely cope. If we are talking about springs, it is worth noting that door springs, which are sold in abundance in hardware stores, can be successfully used as return springs. It is only necessary to choose a suitable diameter and cut off a fragment of the required length. Usually from one door spring two "gas" return springs are obtained.
More reliable is a double-acting cable that works both for traction and for emphasis. Such cables, for example, are equipped with remote control for motors "Moscow" and Kaluga "MDU". A cable is made from a two-millimeter spring wire, on which a spiral of soft wire is wound from the outside, so that the cable moves freely back and forth. The usual Bowden shell is unsuitable for this purpose, as it tends to stretch. The reciprocating movement of the cable (core) is carried out with the help of a gear rack, to which the cable is attached and with which the gear sector (or gear), fixed on the control handle, engages. The core can also be attached directly to the end of the sector lever opposite the handle.
Vladivostok water motorists successfully tested the RK-50 coaxial cable of the appropriate diameter with a fluoroplastic dielectric as a double-acting cable sheath. Having cut off a piece of cable of the required length, the central core is pulled out of it and instead of it, a spring wire Zh 1.8 mm is inserted. A thread is cut at the ends of the shell and standard tips from the Kaluga "MDU" are screwed on, threaded studs are put on and riveted onto the ends of the wire. You can also use the RK-75 cable (also with a fluoroplastic dielectric), but it should be noted that with the same core diameter, the outer diameter of this cable will be larger than that of the RK-50, and instead of standard tips from MDU, you will have to make homemade ones.
The double-acting cable drive is simple in design, but only works reliably with a gentle bend in the cable. With a bending radius of less than 0.5 m, the core sticks in the sheath, so the cable routing should be as smooth as possible, and the core diameter should not exceed 2 mm (preferably 1.8 mm). The most reliable control systems with an "endless" cable. Here, the cable, both in direct action and in return, works as a traction cable. In its simplest form, such control can be applied to the throttle valve on the Whirlwind motor (Fig. 7, b). In the hole of the tide, which is on the right side of the motor pan behind the tiller base, a bowden holder is inserted and fastened with a nut 2. The second holder is the same, but with a shorter end, mounted on the rear handle 10 motor (you need to drill a hole with a diameter of 8.2 mm for it). At the end of the vertical roller 6 throttle valve protruding from the bottom of the pallet, lever 7 is put on, fixed with an M4 screw 12. A sleeve is placed on the free end of the lever 7 11 with clamping screw 12 for cable 3, in such a way that it has rotation in the hole of the lever 7. The control handle is of the usual type, both ends of the cable are fixed on the pulley. For reliable operation of the system, the return branch of the cable must have a sufficient bending radius.
Another version of this system is more compact and convenient, but it requires the manufacture of more parts (Fig. 8). Here is a bowden holder 11 for both branches of the cable fixed on the square 2, and the cable bends around the roller 5 on the other end of the bracket. square 2 fastened to the motor tray with a bracket 15 (on the "Whirlwind" of the latest releases - directly to the tide available on the pallet).
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Rice. 9. Remote throttle control on the Whirlwind motor using an “endless” cable (second option). Assembly drawing. 1 - plank, 2 - square 30x30x2 with a cut shelf, 3 - cable, 4 - handle, 5 - video clip, 6 - roller axis, 7 - M8x28 bolt with nut, 8 - cheek (square 35x35x2), 9 - rivet Zh 4, 10 - countersunk head rivet, 26, 11 - block for fastening the Bowden shell (Bowden holder), 12 - stainless steel sleeve 13 - M5x10 bolt with nut, 14 - pin, 15 - bracket. |
The lever is the same as in the first version.
This design can also be used on the motors "Moscow", "Veterok" with the appropriate adjustment of the dimensions.
Remote activation of forward travel on the Veterok motors and reverse on the Moscow motor can be carried out by a system with a return spring (see Fig. 7, a) or with an endless cable (Fig. 10). In the latter case, a bracket must be attached to the rear handle or motor tray 1 , made of brass tube, with roller 4 at the back end. sliding sleeve 2 performed with a leash 7 for reverse handle and cable clamp 3.
It can be noted that in most cases it is possible to do without a remote control of the reverse on a pleasure boat. For example, when using a boat for long-distance and short-range tourism, fishing, the reverse usually has to be switched once per transition. In this case, you can also turn on the stroke with the standard control knob on the motor, especially since you still have to approach the motor to start with a manual starter. Even if the motor is equipped with an electric starter, this fact cannot be considered an absolute prerequisite for equipping the boat with a remote control for reverse. As a rule, a serviceable motor starts well from an electric starter even with the gear engaged, which allows you to switch reverse very rarely and extends the life of the gearbox.
Remote reverse control is really important when the boat's maneuverability is high, for example, when using it as a water taxi, for towing a water skier, and for some fishing methods.
In each case, you need to weigh the pros and cons in order to make the right decision. In case of refusal to use remote control by reverse, the cockpit of the boat will not be cluttered with additional cables and control handles, which will simplify the use and care of the vessel.
Dual motor remote control features
If the boat is equipped with a twin-engine setup, two problems arise:
1. How to organize the synchronous rotation of the motors while maintaining the parallelism of their axes?
2. How to choose the optimal number of controls and arrange them rationally?
As a rule, standard remote control systems that are supplied with commercial motorboats are designed to control one motor and have the design of connecting elements shown in Figure 11:
When converting a boat for two motors, amateurs usually have a desire not to change anything in the standard design, but to control the turn, connect the motors with a special rod, which should be connected to the standard plate with its middle (see Fig. 11). The author at one time also went down this path. As a result, enough negative experience was obtained to abandon all kinds of rods and not recommend this method of control for beginner water motorists.
The rod, together with the springs and the plate, took up too much space in the recess, interfered with the tilting of the motors and the placement of gas tanks, in the event of tilting one of the motors, it was impossible to control the other motor even after disconnecting the faulty motor from the rod. In addition, the springs rusted intensively and quickly lost their rigidity.
As a result, a rather simple and reliable system, albeit imperfect, was developed. Two aluminum plates with three holes are put on the cable, a cable is threaded through two small holes, a bolt is passed through a large hole. And on the handle, another plate with a hole is attached through a regular mounting hole (two holes on the "Veterka"), and all this is pulled together with a bolt. Springs - in the cockpit under the gunwale on both sides, do not interfere with anything and do not rust. The plates along the cable can be moved with some effort by adjusting the distance. The size of the plate attached to the motor handle is chosen in such a way that when both plates are tightened with a bolt, the cable is sandwiched between them, which prevents spontaneous sliding of the plates along the cable.
This design of the assembly for connecting the motors to the cable allows you to control the boat, even if one of the motors is tilted and not disconnected from the cable. At the same time, the effort on the steering wheel is, of course, greater than when driving two running motors, but nevertheless it allows you to calmly control without making sharp turns. Such a quality can be very valuable in critical circumstances. With a long transition, the tilted motor must be disconnected from the cable.
Remote control of the throttle and reverse of two motors "in full" can be difficult for a number of reasons.In this case, it may be advisable to abandon the reverse control (see above) and thereby significantly simplify the remote control system. As an example, we can cite a variant of finalizing the control panel of the Kaluga MDU for controlling the "gas" of the second motor. The regular handle of the MDU was removed and between it and the body of the remote control was placed the handle from the old Progress remote control, from which the latch was removed. To ensure the necessary fit on the axle, an annular sleeve made of textolite was pressed into the large hole of the handle. To create frictional forces that counteract the return spring, washers made of rubberized fabric were laid on both sides of the "Progress" handle. Then the regular handle of the MDU was put on the axis, pressed against the "Progress" handle with force and fixed with a clamping screw. This design uses a long flexible cable in a Bowden sheath from a Japanese car. The sheath of the cable is fixed directly on the control panel, as a result, the cable does not stain the clothes of passengers.
Much more complex and advanced single-handle throttle and reverse control systems have been developed by amateur motorists, but their manufacture can result in no less than the purchase of a modern foreign-made remote control system. Due to the fact that at present, with the availability of money, the acquisition of foreign remote control systems (new or used) is not a problem, the relevance of self-manufacturing such systems has significantly decreased, and their consideration is beyond the scope of this article.
Part II. Vodomotorshikov offer.
After the publication of an article on simple home-made remote control systems, water motorists sent their diagrams, sketches and drawings of simple remote control units, which are offered to the attention of readers.Since long cables suitable for use in choke control systems are still in short supply, a hard traction control system has been developed and tested in practice by Nikolai Kuznetsov. A steel rod rod runs along the entire cockpit of the boat, and only for the direct transfer of force to the motor, a short, non-deficient flexible cable is used, which works only for traction. A traditional return spring is used to release the "gas". The scheme of this remote control is shown in Fig.1.
Part III. The simplest foreign remote control system.
After the publication of an article on simple home-made remote control systems, Alexander Mavrin kindly offered me a simple foreign system for remote control of the throttle and reverse of outboard motors for review. To be honest, when I drove up to Alexander's office, I expected to see a single-handle control system similar to the one shown in Fig.2. Such a system with minimal changes was produced by many foreign firms in various countries. The domestic MDU-1 system of the Kaluga Turbine Plant was arranged in exactly the same way, only, unlike foreign systems, less corrosion-resistant materials were used. Seeing on the table a box with the familiar inscription "Morse", I finally confirmed these expectations.
However, when I opened the package, I experienced ... no, not a shock, because it is quite difficult to shock me, but quite a surprise. I saw a design that really can be called the simplest. It turns out that American manufacturers of goods for water recreation pay a lot of attention to the Low-end sector! Two halves of the control panel housing, stamped from high-impact polystyrene, two stamped aluminum control levers, brake plastic inserts with springs, a separator insert, a set of connecting parts and that's all! Of course, all fasteners and springs are made of stainless steel. The console is designed to work with standard double acting cables.
The control panels can easily be doubled when used with a twin motor unit. At the same time, the company's instructions recommend installing the "gas" handles of both motors in one box, and both reverse handles in the other. In this case, plastic "knobs" are installed on opposite sides of the handles, which makes it possible to conveniently control two motors (see Fig. 3.)
It should be noted that the described control panel is much simpler than the domestic two-handle remote control "Moscow". Let me remind you that for all its positive qualities, the "Moscow" console was rather complicated and, accordingly, required a fair amount of production costs. Suffice it to say that the body of the domestic remote control was quite accurately cast from silumin, since teeth were cast on the inner surfaces, along which the gears rolled, and all this in order to ensure the movement of the rod of the cable tip without distortion. In the "Morse" remote control, the cable is fixed with an annular groove in the slot of the embedded plate, which allows for a rather significant distortion during operation. That is why the tip of the cable clings directly to the hole of the control handle without any gears, hence the extreme simplicity and reliability of the design.
Without any doubt, the production of such a remote control is possible at almost any domestic machine-building enterprise capable of stamping aluminum spoons and plastic utensils. For the manufacture of parts does not require high-precision machine equipment. All that is required is the desire to produce the desired mass production. The described American console costs $50 in Vladivostok. It seems to be not much, but for a poor Russian consumer, this price still seems excessive. The retail price of a similar domestic product of 300~500 rubles looks quite real.
Modern double acting cables are no problem either. Such cables are already being produced in the CIS countries, for example, at this Ukrainian enterprise.
The panel of the described design may well be recommended for self-production. Of course, polystyrene casting is unlikely to be available to amateurs, so you should not copy the product exactly. It is easier, in my opinion, to make plastic halves of the box glued from textolite or fiberglass. For the same reason, the dimensions of the parts are not given.
(p. 9, message 220) talks about my Iris rowing boat with a homemade remote throttle control, neutral-stroke-neutral switching, and also a Yamaha-3 motor rotation. The successful operation of the boat led me to the idea: - Is it possible to assemble such a remote control by turning the PLM for motor boats with motors up to 20 ... 30 horsepower?
The main ideas are the following:
- get away from purchased systems with tension cables or cables of the “pull-push” type, steering machines, “poker”, metal-plastic steering wheels (steering wheels), with their overweight, progressive gaps / wear, and a solid price for today;
- use home-made tie rods with closed (from dust and moisture) ball joints "from the auto industry", standard closed-type ball bearings, materials that can be bought on the construction market or in stores like OBI or Leroy Merlin;
- to obtain a progressive steering characteristic - with a large gear ratio in the near-zero zone and with a smaller i, i.e. with acceleration, when turning the motor closer to "right-/left-on-board".
The remote control scheme on the Iris was as follows:
For “more serious” motorboats, I think to make a PLM remote steering as follows:
So, the steering wheel in the style of the F-1 automobile formula rotates on ball bearings together with an eccentric pulley that moves the bow tie rod to the right / left by means of cables, i.e. across the hull of the boat. At the second end of this rod is a ball joint, fixed with its finger with a nut on the front rocking arm. The rod tilts a double-lever rocking chair, mounted longitudinally in the boat's hull, also in ball bearings. The rocking chair with its second (stern) lever turns the motor through the stern steering rod and the leash. The stern steering rod practically repeats the design of that used in the steering trapezoids of cars.
For the necessary rotation of the motor by ±35º from the DP, it is enough to assign the following dimensions of the control elements:
– steering wheel rotation angle ±90º;
- diameter of the steering wheel along the axis of the handles 280 mm;
- the small radius of the eccentric pulley in the sector of ±30º from the DP is 46 mm, at the extreme points - 72 mm;
- rack travel (nasal tie rod) 185 mm;
– radius (length) of the outboard motor leash 200 mm;
- stroke of the stern steering rod (chord of the trajectory of the front end) 210 mm.
Taking into account the fact that the cables (see the upper elements of the diagram) are tense, provide backlash-free rolling of the rack and pulley over each other, as well as the transfer of the minimum acceptable effort, we can say that we have received a mechanism, as it were, according to the "rack-toothed gear" scheme with progressive characteristic.
The design of the steering wheel is type-setting, glued from plywood, with voids inside, light, 260 grams:
The design of the eccentric pulley is similar, it is glued with epoxy resin from five layers of plywood:
As a rail, a meter-long square-section pipe 15x15 mm with a wall thickness of 1.5 mm from AD-31 alloy was taken:
The length of the free end of the rail will be determined locally during layout work in a particular boat. To it, the free end of the rail, an insert with an M10x1 thread will then be attached to screw in the ball joint shank. Like the rest of the ball joints, this one is a half of the anti-roll bar from a car. Anyone, practically. And here is the most free place (!) in my scheme: a friend from a car service brought out a small armful of worn and discarded racks ... But! As a rule, of the two hinges of one rack, at least one has no wear, is tight when moving by the finger ... Or even both - stuffed grease under the rubber cover, sawed it in half, cut the thread, and into action! The stern tie rod itself will look something like this:
The rod body is a circle Ø12…14 mm from the same AD-31 alloy.
The bearing assembly of the steering wheel is made on ball bearings of the closed type with dimensions Ø52x Ø40x7 mm, "millionth" series. Details, hub and body, made of caprolon, circle Ø72 mm:
A scattering of small bearings will be used in the bearing units of the rocking chair, and the outer race from an outside bearing will be used as a spacer between the “millionaires” in the hub, which weighs less than three hundred grams in the assembly:
Here the pulley is put on a hub inserted on bearings into the housing:
To fix the cables from slipping along the pulley, threaded clamps will be made.
In fact, one cable is used here, with the ends pressed into the holes of the M5 studs, which are screwed into a cracker (caprolon), for which tension is performed with one M5 screw of this balanced cable system - the left end of the rail in the photo has a caprolon roller. What balances the system.
After pressing the cable into the tips, the latter were alternately fixed in a vice and tested for pulling out; my strength was not enough to pull them off each one by one, and even when working in pairs ...
The rotation of the motor will be limited by the stops, but not on the motor itself, but on the stops on the steering wheel. For reliability…
Our colleague Shurik gave me the idea to use a pipe, but not a round one, but a square one, as an element that transmits rotation from the bow arm of the rocking chair to the stern arm. Somewhere a square with a side of 30 ... 35 mm with a wall of 1.5 ... 2.5 mm from the same AD-31 will be enough. And the tee profile 40x20x2.0 ... 3.0 mm will go to the levers. Everything is in Merlin. Yes, and the fastening of the elements of the rocking chair into a single assembly in this case can be performed on screws / nuts, without argon-arc welding. Well, and to carve the details of the bearing units of the rocking chair is a matter of technology and time. The nodes themselves will be glued into the body in place.
Fastening and angular fixation of the eccentric pulley on the hub will be performed integrally with the steering wheel steering wheel with bolts through the spacer(s) bushing(s). But, for the correct, beautiful location of the fasteners on the steering wheel and at the same time ensuring the horizontality of this formulaic steering wheel in the neutral position, and the rails in the middle of the stroke and the motor in the “straight” position, all this will be marked on ... the boat that I am going to build to replace old Besenka.
Guess from two times: where did the contours and parameters of Imp-2 come from?
These are the kind of strange people we are, designers: plywood is still being purchased, and remote control is already being done.
So, for popcorn, and on the second series. Which, quite possibly, will happen earlier at Shurik with my remote control, but on his Sportsman.
PS: who needs details, I'll drop the sketches.
PPS: He hesitated, and connected the hub, the eccentric pulley and the steering wheel into a single unit - the steering column, estimating the angle of displacement of the horizontal axes of the steering wheel and the eccentric purely by drawing: