Traditional engine controls

[MoominPapa]

But, everyone else, what are the relative merits of wheel vs. push/pull gear change?

 

I find it difficult to image how it would be possible to get enough force to change Melaleuca's Lister-Blackstone box with a wheel. It would have to be well geared down, in which case it would take even longer to engage emergency stop mode. (Oh look we're going backwards! Not because we're in reverse, just because we bounced off the target.) The alignment on the linkage is all wrong at the moment: when I've fettled it the forces should be easier.

 

The speed control is a wheel, and well geared down. It uses the Stanley drill technique to take the rotation through 90 degrees and the vertical shaft has a square-cut thread on the end on which runs a nut which is pinned to the engine speed control lever. The main thing I would like to change it to provide a positive stop at the idle end of the travel. At the moment it's too easy to repeatedly give the wheel another half-turn "down" to make sure its in tickover and then when you need to go it's an unknown number of rotations before anything happens.

 

MP.

[Liam]

I find it difficult to image how it would be possible to get enough force to change Melaleuca's Lister-Blackstone box with a wheel.

 

The Town Class, Stirling, has a wheel for the gear change. I don't know how it relates to other wheel gears as the others I have driven have all been push/pull... but I know that after a trip from Anderton to Stockton Heath my knuckles were battered! It is pretty heavy but nothing I wasn't able to manage, like most things it takes a bit of getting used to.Much prefer the push/pull rod levers but I do find myself bending down to reach under the hatches when changing gear, especially coming out of ahead.

 

Edited due to not knowing back to front.

Edited April 16, 2008 by Liam

[Chris-B]

The Town Class, Stirling, has a wheel for the gear change. I don't know how it relates to other wheel gears as the others I have driven have all been push/pull... but I know that after a trip from Anderton to Stockton Heath my knuckles were battered! It is pretty heavy but nothing I wasn't able to manage, like most things it takes a bit of getting used to.Much prefer the push/pull rod levers but I do find myself bending down to reach under the hatches when changing gear, especially coming out of ahead.

 

Edited due to not knowing back to front.

 

 

I disagree Liam, Baldock has the original gear wheel setup made and fitted by Harland and Woolfe when she had her National engine and it's spot on

 

When Tony Matts @ Foxton fitted the Perkins D3 in 196? he retained the gearwheel setup and made a new link to the PRM 500 hydraulic gearbox. The result is a Gearwheel in exactly the right place in the hatches and 45deg "click" either way to engage Reverse Neutral Forward

 

Chris

[magnetman]

I've used an old single socket windlass attached to a horizontal rod which has an arm on the other end operating the manual gearbox via a length of angle iron. My theory is that you only need to operate gearbox when boating and the hatch is open so a lever sticking up a bit isn't a problem as long as it has enough travel & is removable when you want to close the hatch.

[Liam]

I know it was my fault for taking the skin of my knuckles as I now realise I was going about it the wrong way... holding it at the top and moving it to the left to go into reverse with my right hand and my knuckles kept on catching on the hatch. I just hold it at the bottom now and pull either way, depending on what I want to do. It only needs to be moved slightly and then the momentum moves it the rest of the way.

 

This is with the Blackstone gearbox.