The ball on the steering wheel?

[selftot]

That's where mine is - about 7 o'clock on the wheel.
I dont think there's a wrong place - whatever is comfortable.

 

[SDT]

Am I wrong with it on the wheel rather than spoke?
View attachment 167738

No.

 

[Lil Foot]

Am I wrong with it on the wheel rather than spoke?
View attachment 167738

Nope, you're good, the one I bought has a "finger" that is supposed to rest on the spoke.

 

[BruceMc]

I never used one on anything (car/truck/tractor) until this fall, when the dealer threw one in with a bunch of other schwag when I bought the new tractor. We always called them suicide knobs, for good reason. But I put it on just to test it out and now I'm a convert.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Love mine too.

Ironically though, I put mine on the starboard side, but “work it” with my left hand?


EDIT: I also only know them by the term “suicide knob”….as legend has it, when a trucker would get into an accident that knob would crush thier sternum when they were flung forward against the steering wheel, hence killing the driver.

Not sure of the “validity” of that story.

This was before seat belt laws…………...Must be a 70’s thing???

 

[D2Cat]

Love mine too.

Ironically though, I put mine on the starboard side, but “work it” with my left hand?


EDIT: I also only know them by the term “suicide knob”….as legend has it, when a trucker would get into an accident that knob would crush thier sternum when they were flung forward against the steering wheel, hence killing the driver.

Not sure of the “validity” of that story.

This was before seat belt laws…………...Must be a 70’s thing???

That's where I heard the term came from, and been called that forever. Not sure if it was just truckers, but being crushed by it when in a crash = "suicide knob".

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Love mine too.

Ironically though, I put mine on the starboard side, but “work it” with my left hand?


EDIT: I also only know them by the term “suicide knob”….as legend has it, when a trucker would get into an accident that knob would crush thier sternum when they were flung forward against the steering wheel, hence killing the driver.

Not sure of the “validity” of that story.

This was before seat belt laws…………...Must be a 70’s thing???

Thanks for the reasoning on "suicide knob." I heard the name but was told it was becaue they came off unexpectedly in turns causing a crash.

Seems I don't want one as I use the bucket to detect hidden logs/rocks in thick vegetation while flail mowing and coming to a sudden stop might cause issues with a knob.

 

[Lil Foot]

Hmm....
I was always told when I was a kid that the reason they were called "suicide knobs" was because (in a car or truck) they allowed you to spin the steering wheel in a turn or emergency situation faster than was possible without one, thereby causing a crash, or "suicide".

Maybe we need a philologist to jump in here....

 

[BruceMc]

This explanation lines up with what I remember about the origins of the name -

Why Is It Called a Suicide Knob?

Learn the dangerous history behind the “Suicide Knob.” We examine the mechanical risks that created the name and its necessary role in modern adaptive driving.

engineerfix.com

 

[Bearcatrp]

Hmm....
I was always told when I was a kid that the reason they were called "suicide knobs" was because (in a car or truck) they allowed you to spin the steering wheel in a turn or emergency situation faster than was possible without one, thereby causing a crash, or "suicide".

Maybe we need a philologist to jump in here....

Was told the suicide knob was banned due to implanting into the drivers face on head on collisions.

 

[Lil Foot]

This explanation lines up with what I remember about the origins of the name -

Why Is It Called a Suicide Knob?

Learn the dangerous history behind the “Suicide Knob.” We examine the mechanical risks that created the name and its necessary role in modern adaptive driving.

engineerfix.com

This article seems to somewhat support each of the origins mentioned above.
Thanks for posting.