Hand clutch for Dodge Ram?

TimWafer · Sep 3, 2011

Well, 2 weeks ago tonight I fell off my roof while installing metal roofing. There were a few drops of water on the sheet when I took it up. Forgot to dry it off and some leaves were already drifting down from the trees that evening. I think one ended up on the water drops. I was screwing the sheet down when I must have backed up and stepped right on a leaf. In an instant I was sliding off the edge thinking Oh Sh!t this is gonna hurt. Dropped about 15 or 16 feet to the ground and mostly landed on my left leg. It was a very quick trip.
Realized it was broken when I attempted to stand back up. Was of course alone at the time so crawled into the house to the phone. Ended up that it shattered my left tibia and I had compartment syndrome from the swelling. It was a mere 3 surgeries & 11 days in the hospital before I was able to return home. Amazing how fast you get weak just laying in bed.
Supposedly I’m going to be non-weight bearing on my left leg for possibly 12 weeks. I think the Dr. will OK driving next week of an automatic transmission. That’s good for the car but my truck is a 5-speed manual Dodge Ram. Wonder how I might temporarily convert it to a hand clutch so I could use it in a few weeks.

Tim

Dell (WA) · Sep 3, 2011

Tim.......iff'n yer really clever, a LONG pole/rod with appropriate "bends" (and tie-raps to hold in place) could be fashioned to PUSH on yer clutch with yer left hand and kinda letter stick-up thru the steering wheel. Most steering does NOT require lock-to-lock turning. Thankfully yer tranny has "sincro-mesh" for eazier non-grinding shifting. Remember, yer not drag-racing so fast shifting is NOT necessary. Simple, eh? ........Dell

Tom in TN · Sep 3, 2011

Tim,

It might be cost prohibitive, but you might contact a shop that makes conversions for paraplegic people. They might not have anything for manual transmissions, but it might be worth a call.

Good luck and I'm really sorry for your difficulties.

Tom in TN

Mike (WA) · Sep 3, 2011

Neighbors, relatives and friends can be very helpful in such situations. Would be surprised if you couldn't swap it with somebody for an automatic on a temporary basis.

We got hay in the other night- I'd just turned 63, and wife and kids said I needed to play with the grandkids rather than try to unload the trailer, as I've done in the past. That worked until the very end, when I got on and helped a bit. Then stepped off the trailer wrong, and twisted my knee. Can walk on it, but not very well. Guess I'll watch some serious football for awhile.

S.Crum · Sep 3, 2011

I drove a 68' Chevy K-10 with a 4 speed and no power brakes or power steering for 8 weeks following having my left knee "reassembled". Of course I was young and stupid but particularly coordinated. One crutch went on the passenger's side and the other positioned at my right hand. The left leg was over to the kick panel, the right leg had duty on all 3 pedals. To start out, right foot on the clutch, crutch tip on the gas pedal, once rolling, right hand shifted, right shoulder gassed it, right foot clutched it, once cruising, right foot gassed it. To stop right hand knocked the shifter to neutral and right foot braked. To hold steady at a stoplight I held the brake with the crutch and the clutch with the right foot. Dad was pretty sweet on those 427 engines so I rarely stalled it. Dang those old Chevies were tough, Too bad they stopped building trucks in 1987.

Rick Kr · Sep 3, 2011

How about swapping your truck with one of your friends who has an automatic til you"re healed?

Rick

Anonymous-0 · Sep 3, 2011

Don't kill some innocent person because you have the overwhelming urge to go somewhere. Sorry about your accident but please don't make it worse by doing something foolhardy...like driving with a crutch on the clutch.

ralph wilton · Sep 3, 2011

ive seen this done drill a hole in your clutch pedal and get a long piece of all thread put a handle on it and make a hanger on lower dash then just clutch with your left arm

ralph wilton · Sep 3, 2011

ive seen this done drill a hole in your clutch pedal and get a long piece of all thread put a handle on it and make a hanger on lower dash then just clutch with your left arm

thurlow · Sep 3, 2011

Way back when, I had a great-uncle who lost a leg to cancer; he had a '53 3/4 ton Chevy with a 4-speed. One of his sons bolted a piece of heavy strap metal to one of the pedals (can't remember which) which extended towards...and barely cleared...the other pedal. It was bent/off-set so that as the clutch was disengaged, he could apply the brake. He worked either pedal or both with his one leg.

JMS/.MN · Sep 3, 2011

I made three of these 11 years ago when I broke my left ankle- cost about 5 bucks each. Note how the strap steel presses against the top of the pedal when pulled back- transfer the load to the pedal, does not come loose where bolted on. Nationwide AgraAbility picked up on the idea and has it on their site, along with other clutch ideas.

old · Sep 3, 2011

Pretty simple do not drive the truck for a few weeks. To set up a hand clutch in it will cost you more then it is worth to do so unless you just plain have to drive it and even then is it worth it?????? Ya I have driven 4 speeds etc and only used one leg and you learn to do it but again if it is for only a few weeks why do it at all. Take it from some one who pushed things to many times listen to your doctor take it easy or you may end up on disability because you did not let your self heal

Goose · Sep 3, 2011

Funny you should mention that. My main project for tomorrow is to replace a sheet of steel on a garage roof that a storm dropped a tree on. Ten foot side walls.

I"m gonna park my pickup against the wall of the garage where I"m going to work, and run a half inch rope "lifeline" across the roof from the other side and hook it to the strongest belt I can find.

I fell off the garage roof of my house when we were building it 12 years ago. I was placing the first sheet of sheeting on the bottom corner of the roof, and it had to be exact as the rest of the sheets built off of it. I"d tacked it with several screws and was sitting on it. I wanted to re-align it a bit, so I removed the screws in front of me, thinking there were still a couple behind me. There weren"t, and the sheet of siding and I both went overboard.

I landed on my feet in soft dirt, but I managed to bruise some ribs somehow and had to sleep in a recliner for a couple of weeks "cause it hurt too much to lay down flat.

Hope you heal up fast.

Tony S. · Sep 3, 2011

I always park the loader with the bucket just below the edge of the roof. Figure if I slide off I"ll land in the bucket. So far it"s never happened but it makes me feel safer.

oldtanker · Sep 3, 2011

How about being a good boy and letting it heal? Friend did that last year and still hasn't heal cause he will not follow the doc's instructions! Don't be a dumb a$$ and cripple yerself fer life trying to prove something to yourself or others!

Rick

fixerupper · Sep 4, 2011

Use your crutch. Worked for me when I had a broken ankle. It"s probably not legal but at least I could get around. Jim

Anonymous-0 · Sep 4, 2011

Sorry to hear about your broken leg. but I agree with the guys that say you should leave the ram parked till your leg heals, It's kinda like the dog chaseing cars, what are you gtoing to do with it when you get there?

teddy52food · Sep 4, 2011

If you get in an accident, some lawyer will say it is all your fault cause you shouldn't have been driving. I am disabled with leg problems & don't drive anymore.

kyhayman · Sep 4, 2011

Get well first, then drive the truck. Docs would not medically release me to drive anything for 8 weeks, even an automatic and it was 6 months before the physical therapist would release me to drive a clutch.

Thing of it is, if you are driving without a medical release thats the same as being a drunk driver in the eyes of the law. Anything that happens is your fault because you arent supposed to be there.

Clodbuster · Sep 4, 2011

Sorry for your injury, take the time you need to get healed up correctly! You can rig up a hand lever and if you do it, do it right and solid. Don't think that in some emergency stopping situation you can get a crutch on top of the clutch in time. You may be able to just brake and stall the engine if you're lucky. Think about what you may need to do if a kid ran out in front of you.

The best option is to trade trucks with a buddy for a while if you can. Look at renting another auto as another option. There are electric clutch releases and anything you can dream up and build. I hope you are just needing this for a short time and can work around it.

I do have some experience in this as I am missing my right foot. I can drive a stick but it is not as safe as driving an auto. Heck I have seen someone drive using a joystick controler in a van, but that gets into some big money.

redtom · Sep 4, 2011

My great uncle with a wooden leg had a 65 dodge pu with a hand clutch. It was basically a rod about 1/2 in dia passing through a bracket on the dash with a smooth shift knob on it.

LJS30 · Sep 4, 2011

(quoted from post at 04:08:18 09/04/11) How about being a good boy and letting it heal? Friend did that last year and still hasn't heal cause he will not follow the doc's instructions! Don't be a dumb a$$ and cripple yerself fer life trying to prove something to yourself or others!

Rick

This is the best advice yet.

charles todd · Sep 4, 2011

I agree with the others, let it go until you are medically released to drive proper. Chances are you are on pain killers. They mask the pains and let you do more than you should do. I know this first hand. Had some for back issues. I would not feel the pains and over do it physically. Then the real pains hit!

If you are set on driving a manual transmission, many posters have suggested good ideas. Crutch, broom handle, ready-rod, ect. I WOULD NOT run anything through the steering wheel. NEVER! Not smart.

I do know a man that worked for the railroad in the late 70's. He had an accident and a rail car ran over him. His legs were amputated between the hip and knee, both of them.

He had several businesses, plant nursery, logging, bulldozing, ect. Tough guy. He had all kinds of specialized hand levers for various controls. Throttle, brake, and clutch. They all were custom prosthetic devices made of aluminum. They came up under the steering column and had right angle handles. I mean this guy drove 18 wheelers like this.

I'm sure the rail road insurance (or settlement) was paying for these devices and he was medically released to use them. If you try to rig up something and have an accident, its all you.

Good luck and heal quick!

CT

TimWafer · Sep 5, 2011

Think I’ve worked out a deal with a friend who is just getting a 3/4 ton Chevy automatic on the road to use as his plow truck this winter. He just had everything mechanical gone over & repaired and said I could use it for a couple months. Ill offer to pay the cost of getting it registered & insured. He has a couple other pickups as his daily drivers so doesn’t really need mine so I guess it gets a rest for a while.
Been off the painkillers since I got home except for some occasional Tylenol. Dr said she would probably clear me for driving autos at this weeks visit as long as I was off the heavy painkillers. Pain is not bad at all at this point. I lived in a lot worse pain for years and eventually got use to ignoring it for the most part. Pain in the extremities is much easier to ignore. Severe headaches are the worst for me.
Still want to rig up a hand clutch on a couple pieces of equipment. One is my little Towmotor forklift. I’d like to clean up my yard after the roofing project and have most everything already on pallets.
I’ve got the 656 hydro tractor I could eventually use if I can devise a way to get up on it but that’s not top priority right now.
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers
Tim

Hand clutch for Dodge Ram?

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