Steering Lateral Position Adjustment

[akmountaineer]

Anyone know how to adjust the rearward position of the steering laterals (1450)? My right stick hangs back about two inches more than the left which I find rather annoying. I see a bolt on the front base for forward position adjustments, but I'm not sure on the rearward adjustment.

Thanks.

 

[Sylvia Tunaskas]

I am not a mechanic, nor do I profess to know how to do it properly!! BUT!! I have watched my mechanic "adjust" the "sticks".

It appears that the alignment of the sticks, is the final step in making sure the brake bands are adjusted properly. There are rear slave cylinders that activate the steering / braking function in the rear end. There is a basic adjustment explained in the service manual. In my situation it started with a visual inspection of the OC-12 rear end. (top cover removed) There are adjustable shafts that manually connect to the brake shoes. These shafts are activated by the rear slave cylinders. (not to be confused with the "master cylinders" located at the base of the sticks) The mechanic appeared to move backwards from visually inspecting the brake bands to determine they were "within specs". He then adjusted the "linkage" based on his knowledge. If the slaves are functioning properly and there is a difference in the "stick" alignment, he can rectify it with the adjustment of the shafts. Prior to that it is important to make sure the haudraulic system has been bled, and the components are functioning properly.

Needless to say there is probably a shortcut to getting the sticks aligned properly. I do not have enough confidence in my abilities to risk "puking" the OC-12.

That said, beware and do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[akmountaineer]

I am not a mechanic, nor do I profess to know how to do it properly!! BUT!! I have watched my mechanic "adjust" the "sticks".

It appears that the alignment of the sticks, is the final step in making sure the brake bands are adjusted properly. There are rear slave cylinders that activate the steering / braking function in the rear end. There is a basic adjustment explained in the service manual. In my situation it started with a visual inspection of the OC-12 rear end. (top cover removed) There are adjustable shafts that manually connect to the brake shoes. These shafts are activated by the rear slave cylinders. (not to be confused with the "master cylinders" located at the base of the sticks) The mechanic appeared to move backwards from visually inspecting the brake bands to determine they were "within specs". He then adjusted the "linkage" based on his knowledge. If the slaves are functioning properly and there is a difference in the "stick" alignment, he can rectify it with the adjustment of the shafts. Prior to that it is important to make sure the haudraulic system has been bled, and the components are functioning properly.

Needless to say there is probably a shortcut to getting the sticks aligned properly. I do not have enough confidence in my abilities to risk "puking" the OC-12.

That said, beware and do what you feel comfortable with.

Very interesting, thanks for the info. I hadn't considered trying to adjust it downstream.

 

[turbinator62]

I don't know about the 1450, but I had the same problem my 1402 which has the same master cylinder set up.

The forward stop is set by a small weldment on the bottom of the stick which contacts the top of the master cylinder (on a 1402). When I replaced my master cylinders, my sticks were no longer lined up due to small differences in the castings. The only way to set them even was to grind off a small amount of metal from the stop on the one furthest back. Then I adjusted the brake actuating levers on the rear end so the sticks came back evenly with full braking applied.

Look at yours and make sure this is what is happening. If the stick is hanging up before it gets to the stop, then the problem lies in the master cylinder. If both sticks are forward to the stops, you can grind off a little from the bottom of the stick stop or the top of the master cylinder of the rearmost stick. A little bit of material removal makes a big difference on the lever position. If you over do it, you can add a little weld to the stop and start over.

If the stick is not all the way forward, the master will not re-prime from the reservoir properly, which could be a problem if you have a small leak in the slave cylinder.

If the stick is not going forward to the stop, the problem lies in the master cylinder itself. Stock 1966 Ford Econoline van master cylinders (used on Imps and Sprytes) have to have some of the casting ground off to clear the forks on the bottom of the lever so it will go fully forward. (In the second picture I installed the cylinders before I realized I had to modify the casting, so out they came) Make sure there is no interference between the stick forks and the casting forward of the pivot. Also look for other things that may be interfering with the stick.

Hope this was helpful and good luck.

Sources for master cylinders http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...+econoline+master+cylinder&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[akmountaineer]

Thanks, Turbinator. That information is helpful. The stick setup is slightly different in the 1450, but I think the principles and main components are the same. I can hit the forward stops with both sticks, but when pulling the levers rearward to engage the brake action, the left engages before the right resulting in asymmetrical lever positions. Based on the info you provided, I'm suspecting the adjustment is somewhere on the rear slave or plunger which will bring the right stick forward to same engagement point as the left.

P.S. Nice avatar. I trained on the T6A in Columbus, MS. It's a sweet ride.

Jon

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

sounds like a band adjustment in the rear

 

[turbinator62]

Thanks, Turbinator. That information is helpful. The stick setup is slightly different in the 1450, but I think the principles and main components are the same. I can hit the forward stops with both sticks, but when pulling the levers rearward to engage the brake action, the left engages before the right resulting in asymmetrical lever positions. Based on the info you provided, I'm suspecting the adjustment is somewhere on the rear slave or plunger which will bring the right stick forward to same engagement point as the left.

P.S. Nice avatar. I trained on the T6A in Columbus, MS. It's a sweet ride.

Jon

It looks like all you have to do then is adjust the brake actuators on the rear end. There are threaded rods with adjusting nuts that will set the contact point for the brakes. You should be able to even up the levers this way. Make sure they aren't too tight. You don't want the brakes to drag. The OC-12 is a little different than my C-4, but the function is the same.