Elec-manual flex shaft or push pull

[Denisefwd93]

Rainy day engineering.....

Thinking outside around the electronic...

Not trying to take away from our friend making the shiftster, just doing my own brainstorming LOL

If I understand it right, the shaft for the electric transfer case has to turn more than 180 degrees?

Does rotating the shaft require more than hand muscle?

Mental picture: Mount a flexible shaft with a mechanical coupling on the t-case shaft, route cable up to cab connect the shiftster, or something like it at that end. A flexible shaft doesn't twist they are actually used in boats for steering.
link to one manufacturer of such a cable maker.
http://www.machinedesign.com/mechanical-drives/flexible-rotary-shaft-operation-uses-and-advances

Push pull cable operation:
A push pull cable connected to a push-button lock 3 position lever something like you see on a bicycle. (But not that small) a boat engine control is closer to the idea.

On the t-case;
a gear & rack with a ratio and torque to turn the shaft. Essentially a small rack and pinion! The difference would be the rack moves gear. kind of reverse of steering in a car where the gear turns and the rack moves

For safety; get Ron or other automotive electrical genius to wire in a saftey lock to only let it work when in neutral. a 12 volt solenoid pin only unpins the gear when neutral?
Please feel free to run with this idea!

Seems doable to me but I like to tinker and I've been around engineers and builders all my life. My Hungarian gene pool is probably the cause. One of my ancestors invented the radial airplane engine. But they also plundered and burned villages.

 

[planeflyer21]

Interesting.

I'd been thinking about a handled flex shaft, that is run up into the cab. Similar to the ones used for adjusting a telescope's position.

 

[RonD]

No reason to reinvent the wheel

The shiftster has the correct labels and detents(you can add Neutral as well) for the BW1350/1354 transfer cases.

So mount the shiftster IN the cab, and use flexible drive shaft between shiftster and transfer case shift rod.
You would need to make a weather proof housing for transfer case interface, old shift motor housing could be useful there.


Yes, you need to turn transfer case shift rod 270deg from 2WD to 4Low, then back the opposite way.
2WD---90deg---4high---90deg---Neutral---90deg---4low

Shiftster already has that spacing

 

[Curious Hound]

"A flexible shaft doesn't twist they are actually used in "

Actually, some twist and some are used for push-pull. The ones for older speedometers are used for rotary motion.

I'm just not crazy about making a cable do rotary motion if it has a bunch of bends and turns in it. This application, when I visualize it in my head, has at least 180 degrees of bend in the cable to get from transfer case to a convenient location in the cab.

Being an electrician, I like the original motorized setup. It just needs to be more reliable and longer lasting. A DC servo motor with a resolver could position that shaft very precisely and make the contact wheel unnecessary. But I think that setup might get expensive. The microprocessor to operate it would be fun.

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[85_Ranger4x4]

It would be nice to have the detents down below so you knew for sure you were in gear.

You get cable stretch and you won't really know what is going on down there with them up with the knob.

 

[Denisefwd93]

"A flexible shaft doesn't twist they are actually used in "

Actually, some twist and some are used for push-pull. The ones for older speedometers are used for rotary motion.

I'm just not crazy about making a cable do rotary motion if it has a bunch of bends and turns in it. This application, when I visualize it in my head, has at least 180 degrees of bend in the cable to get from transfer case to a convenient location in the cab.

Being an electrician, I like the original motorized setup. It just needs to be more reliable and longer lasting. A DC servo motor with a resolver could position that shaft very precisely and make the contact wheel unnecessary. But I think that setup might get expensive. The microprocessor to operate it would be fun.

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Lol NOT a speedometer cable, a flexible shaft they're actually used for steering boats I posted a link above in my first post.

A flexible shaft is not a cable like in bicycles, and push pull cables like you see on lawn mowers this is not the suggestion.

A true flexible shaft has a housing that is actually the bearing and the actual shaft is flexible like a cable but it's made specially to resist twist. Something like turning the shaft on a transfer case is probably pretty light duty compared to steering a boat.



I think the shiftster mounted on the end of a flexible shaft would be the perfect answer on a rainy day or if you're sitting over top of mud and you can't get out....

I like to play with relays & electrical stuff from being in the HVAC business all my life. But I fail miserably in electronics

 

[Curious Hound]

I just used speedometer cable as an example. That was the first that came to mind. I have a flex shaft for me Dremel tool. Working in industrial maintenance, I have seen different variations of the concept.

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[85_Ranger4x4]

Most weed eaters use a flexable cable driveshaft too.

 

[RonD]

The only problem with the electric motor on the transfer case, IMO, is lack of use.
I have rebuilt a few when I got the vehicles and then always shift them once a month from 2WD to 4low and then back to 2WD, just sitting in the driveway.
Haven't had to rebuild those again.
The brushes and contact ring get dirty and no connection, thats why tapping on them with a hammer sometimes gets them working again.
I rebuilt my 1994 shift motor 10+ years ago and still shifts fine.........every month, lol, a little more in the winter.

 

[turbo91xlt]

The problem with these ideas is they all will end up costing more then just pulling a good ol' reliable manual transfer case from the pick'n'pull in the 1st place...

 

[Curious Hound]

The problem with these ideas is they all will end up costing more then just pulling a good ol' reliable manual transfer case from the pick'n'pull in the 1st place...

Vast majority of what comes through my local pick'n'pull is 2wd. Find a manual 4x4 isn't easy around here. I do have a 1350 in storage. But no shifter or linkage for it. I was originally hoping to build a doubler with that case.

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[Denisefwd93]

The problem with these ideas is they all will end up costing more then just pulling a good ol' reliable manual transfer case from the pick'n'pull in the 1st place...

You are right about the case they are easy to find,. But it's the hardware (shifter and linkage) that are hard to find.

Do it yourself people tend to forget how much and how staggering the cost of having things done on vehicles like this amounts to. Maybe some of the pros here could look up the flat rate cost of changing out a transfer case, I'm just guessing it would be hovering around $600.

Then there is the question what about all that electric and wiring hanging around after you put in the manual T case? Here again to pay someone to remove all that is going to be very expensive.

That leaves me to ask Ron a question, can these trucks run with the gem module and shifter motor unplugged/removed?

Clearly it's not about cost because if you've ever had to pay to have a clutch transmission automatic transmission transfer case rear end Drive Shaft or anything done buy professional you would be looking for Alternatives also.

The intent of this posting this discussion is to look at the shiftster's simplicity and try to bring it "indoors"

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I kinda think if you can fab an alternative shifting method you are mechanically inclined enough to do a t-case swap.

They are not uncommon in yards around me, others say different for other areas though.

 

[Denisefwd93]

I kinda think if you can fab an alternative shifting method you are mechanically inclined enough to do a t-case swap.

They are not uncommon in yards around me, others say different for other areas though.

I really like the Shiftster's simplicity, bring it into it cab of the truck with a flexible shaft; seems like the answer that I'm seeking, will I do it? when will I do it? who knows!

 

[RonD]

GEM doesn't care if Shift motor is connected(1995-2000), there is no test for connectivity on start up for it.
4WD lights would still get grounded for bulb test on startup, thats not part of 4WD system just a bulb test.

The 4WD lights work by contacts in the shift motor, so you could high jack the wires on the GEM and make you own contact wheel on the transfer case so you know for sure shifter is lined up.

These look like usable shafts: http://thonab.se/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Flexible-shaft.pdf

Flexible rotating control shaft is offered and what this use would be, Torsion shafts, high torque/low speed

Exposed shaft units could just be covered with heater hose type tube to seal both ends and offer some protection, the shaft is not "spinning", lol, just rotating slowly when used