Homemade joystick conversion

[Paul Allwood]

Since I've removed the housings over the end of the spools that provided dust protection, I decided to add a second o-ring on each spool as a dust seal. Not sure if it's really needed but it can't hurt. I'll still make a full cover for it but it may not be completely dust proof.

Here's the top face of the valve. These are the standard o-rings. They seem a bit light on to be a pressure seal, maybe they are just a dust seal ?? Not sure.



This washer holds the standard o-ring in place. I machined an extra o-ring groove on the outer face to fit a second o-ring. Left = standard. Right = extra o-ring groove.



Here the washers are in place. The standard o-ring is in behind them. You can see the extra o-ring at the front.



All back in place, now with 2 o-rings on each spool.

 

[Paul Allwood]

When I started I wasn't sure how well my homemade joystick bits would work, or even if I would be able to make it work at all. After giving it a bit of a test today I'm really happy with it....also really surprised.

I hadn't really given the 3rd spool much thought, and the joystick changed have left it a bit hard to use with the lever so far away from the joystick. So I made the same mod's to the 3rd spool as the others. This also simplifies the cover that I'm still to finish.

This will need some sort of simple linkage and lever to try to make it easy to operate with the joystick for when I'm using a grapple (that I haven't made yet). It won't be as easy as electric but I reckon it will be usable, and I really enjoy using things I've made.

 

[Mrlunchbox]

I really do enjoy seeing this progress. The posts showing the whole assembly with joystick inplace really do make it look good. Nothing wrong with a little overdesign/building lol Will be so much better to use!

 

[JohnDB]

When I started I wasn't sure how well my homemade joystick bits would work, or even if I would be able to make it work at all. After giving it a bit of a test today I'm really happy with it....also really surprised.
...
It won't be as easy as electric but I reckon it will be usable, and I really enjoy using things I've made.

Yeah I find great enjoyment in making/fixing something that's a challenge and getting it to work. I'm not a 'restore something and wrap it up in cotton-wool', its got to be enjoyably usefully functional. I guess a lot of us are like that. Looking forward to your next installment, 'almost neighbour'

 

[torch]

Nicely done Sir!

 

[Paul Allwood]

I really do enjoy seeing this progress. The posts showing the whole assembly with joystick inplace really do make it look good. Nothing wrong with a little overdesign/building lol Will be so much better to use!

Thanks

 

[Paul Allwood]

Nicely done Sir!

Thanks

 

[Paul Allwood]

Made a bit of progress on bits to operate the 3rd spool over the past few days. This will be for a grapple that I haven't made yet.

It looks a bit like an afterthought that's been tacked on the side, and that's pretty much what it is. I changed my mind after I made the joystick bits for the first 2 spools. There's still some welding to do and covers to make to finish it off but I think it might work. It won't be quite as easy as an electrical 3rd function, but I'm probably not going to spend too many hours using it so I'm happy enough with it.

As with most of these things that I'm making for the first time, I would probably do it differently if I made it again.

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Here's a view of the bits that combine the two separate spool operations into a single handle.

Brilliant !

 

[Paul Allwood]

Brilliant !

Thanks Hugo

 

[chim]

Good stuff Paul. Keep it coming

 

[Chanceywd]

Made a bit of progress on bits to operate the 3rd spool over the past few days. This will be for a grapple that I haven't made yet.

It looks a bit like an afterthought that's been tacked on the side, and that's pretty much what it is. I changed my mind after I made the joystick bits for the first 2 spools. There's still some welding to do and covers to make to finish it off but I think it might work. It won't be quite as easy as an electrical 3rd function, but I'm probably not going to spend too many hours using it so I'm happy enough with it.

As with most of these things that I'm making for the first time, I would probably do it differently if I made it again.

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That blue box tubing takes me back to my working days for Albany international.
A lot of what we built in Maintenance was painted that color.
Every time we scrapped or changed something those odd pieces of steel would be thrown in the scrap bin. We were allowed to take it if we wanted. Lots of 1-1/2" , 2", and bigger square came to my steel pile and I'm still using pcs for projects even though I retired in 2010.

Bill

A couple pieces still in my inventory!

 

[D2Cat]

Made a bit of progress on bits to operate the 3rd spool over the past few days. This will be for a grapple that I haven't made yet.

It looks a bit like an afterthought that's been tacked on the side, and that's pretty much what it is. I changed my mind after I made the joystick bits for the first 2 spools. There's still some welding to do and covers to make to finish it off but I think it might work. It won't be quite as easy as an electrical 3rd function, but I'm probably not going to spend too many hours using it so I'm happy enough with it.

As with most of these things that I'm making for the first time, I would probably do it differently if I made it again.

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Did you purchase the lever handle ends and build the rest of the shaft?

 

[Paul Allwood]

That blue box tubing takes me back to my working days for Albany international.
A lot of what we built in Maintenance was painted that color.
Every time we scrapped or changed something those odd pieces of steel would be thrown in the scrap bin. We were allowed to take it if we wanted. Lots of 1-1/2" , 2", and bigger square came to my steel pile and I'm still using pcs for projects even though I retired in 2010.

Bill

A couple pieces still in my inventory!

Looked pretty close to what I've been using.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Did you purchase the lever handle ends and build the rest of the shaft?

The lever handle ends are the ones that came with the valve. Yes, I made the rest.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Some days you spend a lot of time working on something that seemed like a good idea at the time, only to work out eventually that is not. I'm sure you know those days. Well, today was another one.

I made a cover for the 3rd spool lever with an oblong shaped hole, planning to use one of the boots that came with the valve. Turns out the oblong shaped hole doesn't work so well as the boot pulls off as soon as I move the lever. I don't think I can make it any tighter without tearing the boot.

I'll probably machine a round(er) hole in the cover and find a more suitable boot, or change it a bit more....not really happy with how this latest bit turned out.

 

[JohnDB]

Wondering if the lever moves a lot more (up/down) at that position than where the boot was originally, so you may need a much bigger boot? I don't think rounding out the hole will make much difference.

 

[Paul Allwood]

Wondering if the lever moves a lot more (up/down) at that position than where the boot was originally, so you may need a much bigger boot? I don't think rounding out the hole will make much difference.

You're right, it does move more. I'm thinking a rounder hole and a bigger boot.

 

[Hugo Habicht]

You're right, it does move more. I'm think a rounder hole and a bigger boot.

Move the boot closer to the pivoting point.

 

[Paul Allwood]

I wasn't happy with the cover I had made for the lever to operate the 3rd spool so it's now in the bin and I made a new one. Scrap steel has to come from somewhere !

Much happier with the new one.

Next I'll make a cover for the end where everything attaches to the spools.