Pedestal Steering

[Unregistered]

I would like to put pedastal steering in my Ontario 32'.I would like the shifter knob on the pedastal.I have the big shift lever handle mounted in the cockpit,and you need to pull it back hard to put it in reverse.I think a small shift handle on the pedastel won,t do the job.Any sugestions?

Thanks

Hans

[Tim]

Are you installing an Edson pedestal? If so they have all the needed hardware for A-4 engine controls on the pedestal. I have called them several times for parts and they have been very helpful. They do have a larger shift lever for A-4's and the series 64 shift cables, although Shoreway Marine has the same cables for about half the price.

[Don Moyer]

Hans,

It's true that pedestal-mounted shifting levers have somewhat less mechanical advantage than those mounted on the side of the cockpit. However, many folks still prefer the lever on the pedestal.

Here is a technical note we prepared on the subject of adjusting pedestal-mounted shifting levers:

Pedestal-mounted shifting systems typically have somewhat less cable travel than those which are mounted on the side of the cockpit, which makes them very prone to having problems associated with being able to reach both forward and reverse and still have a reasonable neutral zone.

It's very important that the cable assembly is adjusted so that you're able to engage the forward detent near the end of the travel in the forward direction. This adjustment is necessary so that you will have sufficient travel in the rearward direction to accommodate reverse and still have a reasonable neutral zone between forward and reverse.

In the past, we have seen several pedestal-mounted systems where the range of cable travel had shifted so far in the forward direction that there was barely sufficient travel remaining to reach the forward detent before encountering stops within the cable system. In this configuration, whenever the forward adjusting collar is set to provide a "stiffer" adjustment, the additional force required to get the reversing gear into the forward detent results in the cable system reaching the limits of its travel before the detent is reached.

The adjustment procedure itself is somewhat more difficult in pedestal-mounted shifting systems. Adjusting the forward adjusting collar a single notch in the tighter direction might make the shifting effort feel extremely tight, while backing the adjustment off one notch may result in slippage at high power settings.

Universal had apparently recognized this problem by the late seventies, since they redesigned the forward adjusting collars on their very latest engines so that they have notches considerably closer together for a more effective adjustment. We offer these late model collars in our online catalog, and we are now installing them in all the reversing gears that we rebuild to sell on the catalog. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to install these new collars in engines already installed in boats, due to limited access.

Regards,

Don Moyer