A good source for all manner of items, including linear actuators, is:
http://www.herbach.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?
This link is to their search page. I have been buying from them since i was
in college in the late 1940's. They had lots of WWII surplus then. They
have
both new and surplus now.
Herb Crary
Boulder CO
E10M
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pieter" <pvcl plitch com>
To: "Elec-Trak Tractor" <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 2:39 PM
Subject: (ET) power steering?
All this discussion of using linear actuators as front or rear lifts got
me
thinking.
My E-15 has a very heavy loader on it, and the steering is a real two
handed job. I was looking around the 'net for info on linear actuators to
use for a lift and came across an article on an old Yanmar diesel tractor
converted to electric.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/renewables/tracpage.html
Well - why not do the same thing to an ET?? He used a linear actuator
controlled by a joystick of sorts to steer. It would be a simple matter
to
place a linear actuator between the frame and a steering knuckle parallel
to the tie rod. I don't think too much force would be required, which is
good because you want fairly fast response (screw travel), so leverage
will
be reduced. There are a number of dish positioners that run on 36 volts
and use a revolution counting circuit to stop at a predetermined
position. If the steering wheel ran an encoder that "told" the actuator
where you were pointing it, the actuator would then move to that position,
steering the front wheels. A dish positioner would be very cheap to
try. The hardest part for me to design is the steering wheel encoding
mechanism. Any engineers out there?
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