Pilot Control Spring Mod

[Jay Flay]

I worked with a customer in Louisiana who installed a kit into his Tigercat 724G Feller Buncher. His "steering control was soft and a bit snappy". After his install he fed back to me recently..."Fit like a glove and a much more comfortable resistance on the sticks than factory." I am curious if anyone else in this forum, with name-brand equipment, sees a need for this type of drop-in mod for joystick controls. Is there a hidden niche demand somewhere in the world of heavy equipment (aftermarket)?

 

[Digndemo]

Jayflay the link does not work…

 

[Jay Flay]

Jayflay the link does not work…

Oh! Thanks for the heads up @Digndemo! I will have a look. www.SpringPilot.com

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I wonder if increasing the length of the levers would help. The shorter the levers, the more a linear displacement of the end of the lever will open the valve. Double the length of the lever, and you halve the response for a given displacement.

 

[Jay Flay]

I wonder if increasing the length of the levers would help. The shorter the levers, the more a linear displacement of the end of the lever will open the valve. Double the length of the lever, and you halve the response for a given displacement.

I think you may be right. I have seen people with direct-activating forward control machines post great results by swapping out their factory levers with longer ones. I am not aware of any instances where this would apply to remote-activating joystick pilot controls.

 

[dfkrug]

OK, James, I installed the springs into my friend's Diggit EM15, and we both like the improved feel. Adding more resistance to the the joystick motions is a plus. Worth trying, IMO.

Here are some pix. The install is very easy, but there are issues with how this joystick is made. The inner boot has is too thick to fit in its upper groove, so it was loose. You can see damage where the installer tried to force it in. The outer boot really needs a plate to secure it, and keep the mounting bolts tight. There aren't even washers there.

The spools should be greased, and the inner U-joint needs some thick oil. That was done here (photo).

 

[dfkrug]

Here is another pilot control that needs help: an AGT Industrial KRW232 skidsteer. This joystick is slightly different than the above, with only one boot, and a different way of retaining it.

You can see the rubber lips and the plate that secures the boot, but it was loose. Greasing the spools is a must, IMO, plus keeping dirt out. We will put the GEN1 springs in there.

This skidsteer suffers from the same problem the 1T excavators have: they are so light that they are VERY jerky. This KRW232 is borderline unusable on pavement due to high traction and powerful hydraulics (V-twin gas engine).

 

[MattB4]

Oh! Thanks for the heads up @Digndemo! I will have a look. www.SpringPilot.com

I have a Typhon Terrror XVII on order and this spring kit interests me. How would I decide between Gen 1 or Gen 2?

 

[Jay Flay]

I have a Typhon Terrror XVII on order and this spring kit interests me. How would I decide between Gen 1 or Gen 2?

Hello @MattB4 - I have a few very happy Typhon customers. Both are excellent kits. GEN2 is hot right now. It delivers 20% more resistance (stiffness) and includes my piston protection feature. It is my personal favorite and is selling 100:1 right now. Let me know other questions, if any.

 

[Jay Flay]

I have a Typhon Terrror XVII on order and this spring kit interests me. How would I decide between Gen 1 or Gen 2?

@MattB4 Did I just see your order a minute ago? I will have tracking sent over shortly. I believe the Typhons my customers installed into so far are the XViii and the XX. Yours could be the first XVii. Very excited to hear your feedback after install. Thanks!