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Hydraulic clutch

R

rlp in Co.

Well-known Member
Does anyone know of a way to use the power steering pump pressure to operate the clutch on my pickup? My left knee just recently went bad and my pickup is a 5 speed.
 
No. May be time to trade. But you could use a vacume booster. Diafram and a hand valve. But would be better to trade for a automatic.But a friend with no control of his legs can drive anything using a cane with a u on the bottom with rubber hose over it.
 
Some vehicles had a spring assist on the pedal that went past center when depressed. Made for a light pedal .

If you vehicle has hydraulic master cyl and a slave cylinder changing the size of one or both would change the effort to push pedal.

Ran into a Steiger a few years ago that someone had put wrong sized master cylinder and correct one made lot of difference. But, doing this also changes the length of stroke at slave cyl so might effect full release of clutch.
 
Many IH tractors used a "clutch booster", a hydraulic cylinder with internal valving, that did just what you are suggesting.

Probably not the easiest thing to do, though!

<img src = "https://i.imgur.com/yiBndWd.jpg">
An example
 
> Yes, I drove over the road trucks. The problem is starting and stopping.

Yep, that's the problem. Gotta start it in gear and kick it out of gear before stopping. But you only need to do it the one time when you drive to your orthopedic surgeon. After he sticks that huge horse needle in your knee you'll be fine. Trust me on this, you'll think it's the greatest think that's ever happened to you. You'll want to hurt your knee again just so you can feel the relief of having the fluid drained out of it. Well, not really, but you do need to see the doc.
 
Nope, I might have to sell my pickup. I like stick transmissions. They last much longer and are much cheaper to rebuild and they get better gas mileage.
 
Thanks for that link! I didn't know that they made clutch boosters. I was looking at my pickup and there's not much room beside the huge brake booster.
 
(quoted from post at 12:26:39 02/15/21) Does anyone know of a way to use the power steering pump pressure to operate the clutch on my pickup? My left knee just recently went bad and my pickup is a 5 speed.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a hand-clutch is in order if you really want to keep this truck. Fairly simple setup but probably not the easiest to fab up. I'd see drilling through the clutch pedal arm or possibly the pedal itself. And I'd make sure there was a guide of some kind possibly attached to the underside of the dash so your actuating rod doesn't flop around. Since it sounds like you were ready to make a modification, this might be the way to go.

Gerrit
 
How long does your doctor say this will last? If it is short term, consider renting a different vehicle to get past this. If it is long term, this could be time to get an automatic transmission.
 
A modification like that would be hard to install with a bad knee. What will the resale value be on a vehicle modified like that? Most dealers won't touch it. It would be private sale or salvage.
 
(quoted from post at 17:44:15 02/15/21) A modification like that would be hard to install with a bad knee. What will the resale value be on a vehicle modified like that? Most dealers won't touch it. It would be private sale or salvage.
Click to expand...

Doing the mod with a bad knee would be a problem.

Resale value? Undo the mechanical linkage for the hand clutch and discard. Truck may already be old and resale value is no longer a consideration. The OP doesn't say what kind of truck or what year.

Gerrit
 
I didn't read all the post's, but isn't there a handicapped
device avaiable for people that need clutch assistance??
 
Mechanical hand clutch is not hard to operate. I have done that.
Not hard to make.
Can't help with hydraulic operation.
 
Hand clutch with 5 speed, you going to steer with your bad knee while you work the gas with your good one.

Buy an automatic.
 
All liability and resale considerations aside, a word of caution: most of the hydraulic clutch systems I have seen use brake fluid. I would not want to mix fluids or mess with the steering. If you are determined to use the existing vehicle then I would seriously consider a 12 volt linear actuator. I would think that you could mount a bracket on the bottom of the dash and put some type of a slotted bracket or clevis over the clutch pedal arm for the actuator to push against.

A quick Amazon search turned up an actuator that will push about 225 lb with a 6 inch stroke that travels approximately half an inch a second and draws about 3 amps at 12 volts. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RXQGJLT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_F0681GVNHXA8RCQ22VA1

I think a spring loaded center off type switch (DPDT momentary) plugged into the cigarette lighter and fastened to the end of the shifter would be easy enough to use with your shifting hand. You would bump the switch or hold it down to move the pedal up or down and release the switch to stop moving the pedal in a given position. The actuator has internal limit switches to stop when it reaches the end of its stroke so I would try to set the travel geometry up so that the actuator travel has authority over the full clutch pedal travel without trying to push the pedal through the floor or pull it back past its engaged stop.

Just thinking out loud here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RXQGJLT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_F0681GVNHXA8RCQ22VA1

Carl
 

That may be true, but if the actuator is capable of over 200 lb of thrust then I would think you could increase the the travel speed by moving the attachment closer to the fulcrum of the pedal linkage. I'm sure there are units with a faster travel speed but I'm not sure of the price point.

It seems to me that Most of the hydraulic clutches in the trucks I have driven have a feather/slip point somewhere near the middle of the pedal travel. I'm not sure how much of the full pedal range would be needed in an instant but thought it might be an inexpensive experimental solution to the problem at hand or knee in this case.

Carl
 
I have heard nothing but good stories about those trucks. Personally I would not sell it. If I were in your shoes and all else failed I might look for a junker with an auto for the short term. Just my opinion.

I would not think that that set up has a very hard clutch pedal feel but I have not driven one of those before.

Carl
 

Might be easier to hook up a hand throttle for the gas to use when shifting gears till you get your foot back in position. Or use your cane to run the gas pedal. For most driving you can always skip a couple gears too. Take the throttle cable off the mower or tractor to run your gas for a while. Clamp the throttle cable onto your shifter so you can gas it after shifting. After a little practice, you'll be ready for drag strip. If you use your cane or a stick on the throttle, you could drill a hole and run a wire through the hole and around the foot pedal. Maybe for a hand throttle something with a pistol grip might be better, like with a clamp or a gripper for picking up the newspaper. For the pedal end, either bolt in a bracket to hook it to, tie into the pedal linkage up on the firewall, or run the cable out and back into the firewall so the outer part is anchored on the firewall and the moving end attaches to the pedal so it will pull the pedal down.

If it is warmer than below zero out there, then I'll come out and chauffer you around. lol
 
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