Steve, thanks for reminding me of Mr. E… That’s how I want to live.
Tom, I did consider a walking beam but I thought a single wheel would steer easier. Standard ball hitch on the top. Below is a link made from a cut down tractor top link. This also allows some adjustment. The photo below might help…
I added a steering snubber to limit travel. Turn too much and the machine get damaged. From the start I could not see how to do it but after the test run it hit me… Stupid, your looking at the wrong side. Look at the safe side and attach a limit strap there to protect the other side. So now there is a chain on both sides to limit how far it can buckle/turn…
Brian, no way… I’m just kidding. The steering was a bit of an egg buster… Took the most time. I wanted something simple with common parts. Look at third world 2 wheel tractors where they attach them to trailers. They set on the tongue of the trailer and use the handle bar of the tractor. But I can’t set back there with the log… Pooh… So I pretend. My handle bar is that cross iron that has the pulleys attached.
Stock steering wheel and shaft on pillow block bearings. At bottom of steering shaft is small diameter chain sprocket. Poor man’s rack and pinion. Chain wraps around sprocket at mid point, going strait.
At both ends of the chain, cable is attached. The cable routes to the side end pulley than to the arch rear end of machine so when the cable pulls on the arch end it also pulls on the handle bar via the pulley. Of course it ended up being reversed so that’s why the extra stacked pulleys complications.
Maybe the next sunny day that I have off I can make a better steering video.
It’s nice to be able to steer out of a spinning wheel. Articulation steering is cool.
So the chain currently runs around the “top”/“front” of your steering column sprocket?
Sorry, having trouble putting my ideas to words…
(LEFT HAND SIDE OF PICTURE) If you’re looking down through your steering wheel, your left side steering chain comes up and over the upper edge of your steering column sprocket clockwise, and then back “down” the right side to form the right hand chain?
This would make it so of you turn the steering wheel to the right/clockwise, it would pull on the left chain, and thus turning left, correct?
(RIGHT HAND SIDE OF PICTURE) Could you place 2 more sprockets “in front of” the steering column sprocket, slightly off to the sides? Then you could loop the chain up over the side sprockets and then around the bottom of the steering column sprocket, effectively reversing the pull of the chain?
I made an MSPaint diagram that hopefully makes sense…
Brian, I looked at that steering geometry and thought that too at first until I took a better look at the second picture and that shows the cable around the left side of the pulley and then going to the right side of the unit which would then pull the right side tight and thus make a right turn.
Brian &Don, yes you are both correct. I thought about reversing by the sprocket method but it was easier to use the cable pulley method and just route the cable to the other side.
Marvin, a 440 is a nice machine. That dead wet one in the photo, I’ll measure it. Haven’t used it much and need to keep an eye on it to see if anything could let loose. It’s more of a pole skidder than a log skidder. Wood varys so much that a good size pole might be a bigger problem than a small saw log.
I’ve only had the time to fire up a few times. The log above is 10" on the small end and 12’ long. 12" on the large end. Ultra busy at work and I hope to fire up a few more times and grind some needed charcoal.
Chomper off the trailer. Got the engine running, long story there. No idea why there is a dang solenoid in the bottom of the carb…! Cut and split a bit but have to get a hydraulic hose. Pulled out a bit more wood.
Hey JeffD
Those must be powered ON to allow gasoline flow up into the main jet well. Battery voltage/power opened lower carb bowl solenoids are called “anti-dieseling”, “anti-run-on”, or “positive shut down” solenoids. Depends on the manual you read.
O.K. when they work and you DO have good battery power.
Twitchy just working off the engine charging coils; when water corroded; when the engine left unused for long periods.
Some fellows removed these if they can get the w/o solenoid carb bowl or plug.
Some fellows slice and dice the plunger part off. Or drill and pin back to always retracted.
So Steve, I was asking Terry about that solenoid as well last week. If that solenoid isn’t working, it also adds as a safety device and not let the starter work? How can I bypass it so u can start my lawnmower on just wood gas? I already put a new one in and they cost $35. It seems they heat up and go bad?
Thanks
Engine setting for a long time. Jumped bad starter relay t o crank engine. No start. Had good spark. Must be plugged up carb so removed carb and found this wire thing solenoid. So jumped it to battery and reinstalled carb and it fired right up. Runs sweet, Honda GX610 18hp. The solenoid might be nice for dual fuel.
Yes JeffD would allow almost instant gasoline to the engine turn-off de-energizing the solenoid.
BillS just sent you an e-mail. Ha! Carburetor fuel shut off solenoid not covered.
Cut off the extension plunger. Or drill and pin it retracted.
S.U.
Opps BillS.
I just reread and your system seems to go-no-spark/or no-crnaking allowed with a bad solenoid?
Just gouund out the supply wire through a resistor equivalent to the resistance of a good solenoid coil winding. “Resistor” can be an auto light bulb. Try with a test light probe. Resistance is to protect what may be an electronic controller on yours. Old school eletro-mechanical systems is just directly ground out the solenoid wire.
S.U.
Hi Bob, I got it at the spring auction. It’s a commercial unit no longer going. The owner/builder passed away a few years ago. It’s a Simplex 14 Chomper. I should do a video of it. The video right above is not a Chomper.
Took the most time. I wanted something simple with common parts. Look at third world 2 wheel tractors where they attach them to trailers. They set on the tongue of the trailer and use the handle bar of the tractor. But I can’t set back there with the log… Pooh… So I pretend. My handle bar is that cross iron that has the pulleys attached.
Cut and split a bit but have to get a hydraulic hose. Pulled out a bit more wood.
