Bob I thought about that too, about being so close to Santa I mean. I bet Dale could use that compacter to make one hell of a toboggan slide in winter.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bob Kennedy Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 19:31 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Ideas on shortening a throttle cable? Of all the tools you have, I'm surprised a set of taps and dies aren't on the list somewhere. Well you live closer to Santa than anyone I know, maybe you can get word to him. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 5:18 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Ideas on shortening a throttle cable? Just in case anyone cares, I did fabricate a small bracket. I cut a 3 inch length of this nice shiny flat bar with a hack saw then sliced up the middle of it about 3/4ths of an inch and removed the waste forming a sort of lap to make the bar thinner at that point and polished the edges. I then bored a hole through the thinner section to thread it over a bolt which holds part of the carburetor onto the chassis of the engine. I took a bit of the outer conduit and unwound a couple of inches of that then I bored two small holes really close together near the far end of my bracket. I wrapped a loop of the wire around the outer conduit of the cable pulling it tight and passing the ends through the two small holes and pulling the ends really tight so they really grab the cable conduit then gave them a twist or so to hold them firmly. I drilled a little hole in the throttle lever of the packer and bent the core wire and inserted it then took the machine for a little walk around the yard operating the throttle with the remote lever. I finished it up by applying a pair of hose clamps around the handle and the throttle assembly and a couple of cable ties to keep the throttle cable against the steering handle and took it again for another walk around the yard. I can now idle or race the engine with a control on the handle at my right hand. Works like as if Bomag had intended it. I probably should have removed the handle which is solid steel and bored holes into it and tapped them for machine screws but I don't have a set of taps, it would have tidied the finish up a little prettier. Now it is raining again, not too keen on going out there to begin lifting the patio stones. I do have a roast of pork in the smoker though, should be eating shortly. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 9:39 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Ideas on shortening a throttle cable? Well this is the wound sort. I cut the end off of the inside wire and pulled it through then cut the helix with a couple of strokes of a hack saw. It was softer than I had anticipated. I then pushed the core back through and pinched the shield back onto the handle mounting assembly. I will have to renew the end but my present problem is to fabricate a mounting bracket for the throttle end of the shield. I have a wonderful piece of steel from a bar clamp. The clamp sucked, I have broken three now by squeezing them but the steel bar is really hard strong stuff. I think I will be able to mount it to a bolt which performs another purpose but is in a convenient location, not sure though how I'll fix the end of the shield to the bracket. I don't have much by way of metal fabrication equipment. Perhaps a small 'U' bolt. ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 7:29 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Ideas on shortening a throttle cable? There are 2 types of cable housing to be aware of. 1 looks like a spring of sorts. It is wire wound like a spring and the cable slides through the center of this helical housing. The other type is solid, again the cable slides through this too but it is much harder to shorten. There is a seal at the end of the solid type but it isn't necessary. You can cut through the housing if careful with a set of cable strippers if you have a set that is large enough to close without damaging the cable. There are other ways as well, that is an example. The wound type is easier because you can just start unwinding the housing until you are happy with the length, cut the housing with good old wire cutters and fix the new end on the cable. Now to add to all this trouble, there are 2 types of cable too. The solid cable that has always been around and the very flexible type that has a round end braised to the cable. Those are a PIA to work with. If you have the solid wire cable running through the housing, it can be shortened with a bit of trying. To put a new end on the cable, you will need a pair of "Zippo" pliers. They are a set of vice grips that have a pair of blocks welded to the jaws. 1 block is shorter than the other so when squeezed the blocks form a Z looking end in the cable. You can bend your own end with lineman pliers as a last resort. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com ; w...@yahoogroups. <mailto:ww4b%40yahoogroups.com> com Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 2:32 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Ideas on shortening a throttle cable? I got my plate compactor but I am a little uncomfortable with the operating mechanism. When the engine is throttled up the machine begins marching forward but the kill is at the front of the unit about as far from the operating handle as it is possible to get and thee throttle is down along the side as part of the carburetor. I can easily bore a small hole to insert the tip of a throttle cable and fabricate a bracket to install under a nut on the engine for the free end of the sleeve but my problem is that the cable is 6 feet long and I only need about two and a half. I have some ideas as to how I might shorten it, the steel of the cable is hard like heck but I thought I might start with the collective intellect of these groups. Some of you are on both of course ; Any suggestions which would minimize risk to the smooth operation of the cable would be appreciated. Thanks. . and the thro [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
