Steering wheel

“ The free or direct gear moves with the impulse or pressure brought against the steering wheels or one of them by any ruts or obstructions on the road. This movement has to be resisted by the hand of the driver, as it is in some of the steam-cars with lever-steering handle and many of the wheel-steering light cars. An objection to the locked steering gear is that the worm gear rigidly holds the whole of the connections between it and the steering axle. Hence any shock by blow or heavy push at one wheel has to be withstood in all its force by the steering connections. ”

“ To some extent a car becomes an extension of the body, but you're always aware that your hands are on the steering wheel, your foot on the gas pedal or brake. You extend your awareness consciously. You interpret a slight tremble in the steering wheel as a shimmy in the front wheels. ”

“ If it be resisted the hand and arm feel in a very disagreeable way the effects of the shocks, especially at high speeds on bad roads, and of which the steering gear is relieved. The driver, however, soon learns to keep a loose but ready hand on the steering wheel or lever just as in riding a bicycle or tricycle. On very light and moderate speed cars lever or free-wheel steering gear would seem to be in every way sufficient and quicker in action than the locked gear, and while running on good smooth roads there is very little tendency for the steering wheels to wander one way or the other. ”

“ The automobilist should frequently jack up the front of his car so that the front wheels are free of the ground. Then he can test the condition of all the steering-gear parts between axle-arm and steering pillar, and see and feel every joint and find out where, if any, and how much looseness or wear there is in any part. He cannot do this properly while the weight is on the wheels. Looseness between steering wheel and end of steering pillar can be found at any time. ”

“ In a rear-steerer which has not an open front, whether driven by a clutch or by differential gear, I fail to discover any good quality. The steering of a rear-steerer is so very uncertain, that such machines cannot safely be driven at anything like a high speed, because any wheel meeting with an obstruction will, by checking the machine, diminish the weight on the steering wheel just at the time when a greater weight than usual should be applied. ”

“ A further point gained by the use of two wheels only is the fact that the whole weight of machine and rider is on the driving-wheel, as it is also on the steering-wheel, so that by no possibility can the wheels be made to slip in the driving, or to fail in steering from want of pressure upon them. ”

“ It is so particularly in the case of an automobile driver. The steering wheel is a sort of antennæ, which imparts a vibratory intelligence to him, that cannot be grasped or understood by others in the car.
At first the matter of driving is a feeling of intensity in doing certain things, and in trying to anticipate the conditions. This state of mind continues until driving becomes a reflex action. The throttle, or the pedals are instinctively moved; the throwing in of a gear is proceeded with in an easy, natural fashion, and the starting movement is brought about without a perceptible jerk. ”

“ I. I mean that the motor-omnibus driver, sitting as he does in front of his vehicle and manipulating his steering-wheel like this, can do little or no harm to the apparatus. On the other hand, the steam-roller mechanic, standing inside the body of the vehicle, and having the steering-wheel in this position—
He. On the sofa? ”

“ It will be readily understood that if the carriage of which a and b are the driving wheels be set to move in a straight course and the road resistance to both wheels be the same, then h will remain parallel with the axle. If, however, the steering wheels are set to turn a corner, the wheel b being on the inner or smaller curve, then the wheel a will have to move faster than b, and the arm f will be pulled through a greater angle than the arm g, and the cross-piece h will cease to be parallel with the axle. ”

“ Turning the steering handle not only causes the front and rear pairs to turn opposite ways, but owing to their swiveling about an inward pointing axis, the machine is compelled to lean over toward the inside of the curve; not only is this the case, but each pair rises and falls with every inequality of the road, if the rider chooses that they run on the ground; but he can, if he pleases, arrange that in general they ride in the air, any one touching at such times as are necessary to keep him on the top of the one wheel, on which alone he is practically riding. ”

“ We found the car beneath a tree.
"The steering knuckle broke," said he;
"The driver's dead; they say his wife
Will be an invalid for life.
I wonder how the man must feel
Who made that faulty steering wheel."
It seemed a curious thought, and I
Sat thinking, as the cars went by,
About the man who made the wheel
And shaped that knuckle out of steel;
I tried to visualize the scene—
The man, the steel and the machine. ”

“ Fig. 46.—Steering Mechanisms. A, Worm and worm-wheel steering gear; B, nut and screw steering gear.
The stationary part of the front axle of an automobile is usually a forging, and must be of considerable strength in order to support the weight imposed upon it by the engine. It is usually bent down in the center, in order that it may be the lowest point of the mechanism, [Pg 167] thus to receive possible blows of stones or other high points of the road that would cause serious damage should they strike the crank case or fly wheel. ”

“ If the hand is kept always in one position on the wheel when only slight turns are desired, there will be no difficulty in knowing by its position when the front wheels are pointing straight ahead. When turning corners the position of the hand on the wheel may be changed and both hands should be used. Do not attempt to turn the steering wheel when the car is not moving as this throws a very great and entirely needless strain on the whole steering mechanism. ”

“ The pinions mesh with two wheels that are mounted on a countershaft, on which is also fixed a chain-sprocket, from which the drive is transmitted, through a long chain, to a chain-wheel surrounding the differential gear mounted on the back axle. Traction-engine type of steering gear, with revolving fore-carriage, is most generally adopted, and is rendered sufficiently rapid in its movement by suitable gear, operated by a diagonal shaft and wheel, from the driver’s footplate. ”

“ Sociable machines are both front-steering and rear-steering. Rear-steerers with each rider driving the wheel on his side only are nearly as objectionable as the single-driving rear-steerer. Front-steering sociables with dif ferential gear are safe and comfortable; but all sociables are slow machines. For nearly every make of single tricycle there is a corresponding tandem. The Coventry rotary in the tandem form suffers more from the single-side driving than in the single form, the rear-steering machines not so much, owing to the greater weight which the steering wheel has to bear. ”

“ Visions of disaster come to the automobile driver at the thought of running without the steering tie rod. One thinks of wheels trying to go in divergent directions and of ultimate destination in the ditch. As a matter of fact, it is possible to run along quite a while at moderate speed with only one wheel connected to the steering apparatus, and experiments have demonstrated that this can be done at quite a lively gait, on a speed track, whether straightaway or oval. ”

“ It must be learned by experience. Good judgment is required to make a success of it. One man should always handle both reverse lever and steering wheel when guiding an engine.
Q. How should the steering chains be put on a traction engine?
A. The chains should be so put on, that when the steering wheel is turned to the right, the engine turns to the right; when wheel is turned to the left, the engine turns to the left.
REVERSING AN ENGINE.
To reverse the motion of a plain Slide Valve engine, remove the cover of steam chest and place the engine on the dead center. ”

“ Steering and Turning Ability. —It has been mentioned several times that steering is a matter of importance in the prevention of accidents. Designing engineers should, therefore, take that into account. It was formerly thought that turning ability is a function of the length of wheel base, but there are other things to be taken into account and some late designs with reasonably long wheel bases are able to turn in half the radius that was required for some of the older designs with shorter wheel bases. ”

“ This engine had two driving wheels and a steering wheel. The boiler was at the back with the steam cylinders horizontally on each side of it. Three passengers were carried.
The carriage was steered by means of a lever connected with the fork of the front wheel. The cylinders were three inches in diameter, with nine-inch stroke; the working steam pressure was one hundred pounds per square inch. The driving wheels were three feet in diameter. The weight of the carriage when fully loaded was only three thousand pounds. On level roads the speed was about twelve miles an hour. ”

“ When the car is stationary (and the engine running) always endeavour to run it as quietly as possible. It is sometimes annoying to people to have the noise of an automobile outside their door and no good can accrue by allowing the engine to run on unchecked. Underneath{44} the steering-wheel, on the steering-column you will notice the throttle-lever, mentioned in the preceding chapter. ”

“ Two pieces of 1/2-in. soft-steel rod were used for the axles, a hole being drilled near each end for a cotter, to hold the wheels in place, and also holes through the diameter between the wheels, for 1-1/2-in. screws to fasten the axles to the bolsters.
The steering wheel is constructed of a broom handle with a small wheel fastened to its upper end, and the lower end supported by a crossbar, F, and the back end of the hood. Before fastening the crossbar F in place, adjust the steering wheel to the proper height for the seat ”

“ The object is to enable the driving wheel on either side of the engine to increase or diminish its rotation to suit the conditions caused by the leading or front pair of steering wheels.
In the figures a is a plate wheel having the lugs l, by means of which it may be rotated by a chain. a is a working fit on the shaft s, and carries three pinions e pivoted upon their axes p. f is a bevel-gear, a working fit on s, while c is a similar gear fast to s. The pinions b, d are to drive gears on the wheels of the engine, the wheels being a working fit on the axle. ”

“ Under the middle of the car was a powerful motor for revolving the wheels, in front of the dashboard was a projecting ram over which stood a search-light of 90,000 candle power, above the forward wheels were air brakes, the driver's seat was in front, and before it stood a steering wheel and several levers. ”

“ RUNNING GEAR The steering of a motor car, or the change in the direction of its movement, is effected by changing the position of its steering wheels, usually those in front, in relation to the rear wheels. In a horse-drawn vehicle, the axles are parallel when it is moving straight, as are also the planes of its front and rear wheels. To turn the vehicle to one side or the other the front axle is swung so that it is out of parallel with the rear axles, the vehicle turning to the side on which the axles would meet if they were extended. ”

“ The front wheels, d, d, are hung to the front axle, E, so that the center of each wheel base is in a line coincident with the axis of the pivotal connection which is provided between the journals for the wheels and the axle, which arrangement practically destroys any tendency to deflection from the course that might otherwise arise from striking an obstacle, and so renders the steering easier. ”

“ This accommodating action of the gear is important for free turning of corners, but it has its disadvantage, in that if one wheel, while the vehicle is on the straight, meets with more obstruction than the other, the gear allows it to be obstructed, and tends to push the other wheel round against the action of the steering gear. Correspondingly, if one wheel is on a greater thickness of greasy mud or a more slimy bit than the other wheel, it has more freedom of, and help to, rotation than the other, and skidding or sideslipping on the greasy road results and is aggravated. ”

“ Assuming that the vehicle is in perfect condition for use and the engine has been set going, the first thing to do is to examine the ways and means of starting the carriage either forward or backward, to ascertain how to stop it when desired, and steer it from side to side or round a corner, or to avoid an obstacle. We will suppose that the vehicle is of the Panhard type, with wheel steering and single lever at the right-hand side, giving the speeds forward and reverse. ”

“ We are told by experts that seventy-five per cent of the driver's steering efficiency is lost the moment the arm is extended outward from the side of the car. By the use of this device the hands of the driver are upon the wheel when the corner is actually being rounded. ”

“ Water; centrifugal pump IGNITION: Jump spark CURRENT SUPPLY: Storage batteries, dry cells LUBRICATION: Splash oiler MOTOR-CONTROL: From steering wheel CHANGE GEAR: Sliding type SPEEDS: 3 forward and reverse CHANGE-GEAR CONTROL: Progressive type DRIVE: Shaft
Lambert, Model H, 35–40 H.P. Buckeye M'f'g. Co., Anderson, Ind.
PRICE: $2,000 BODY: Side entrance tonneau SEATS: 5 persons WEIGHT: 2,000 pounds WHEEL-BASE: 105 inches TREAD: 56 inches TIRES, FRONT: 32 × 31⁄2 inches TIRES, REAR: 32 × 31⁄2 inches STEERING: Screw and nut BRAKES: On cross shaft and rear hubs SPRINGS: Semi-elliptic, front ”