Traction Engine driving seat

I have a 6" Ruston Proctor SD engine, with the driving seat mounted on the back of the tender and my lardy a**se on the back, the front end occasionally pops up (wheelies on a TE are a bit hairy).

I quite fancy building a parallel motion seat with a single jockey wheel that takes my weight rather than that weight hanging off the back of the engine.

Does anyone know of any designs before I go out in the shed and re-invent the wheel?

I've not got a design but have built one for my 4" Ruston Proctor SD,

This is Mk1 with a puncture proof tyre, this wheel was not man enough for my 12 stone. Steering on hard surface was good but on loose surface very poor.

Mk2 Twin pneumatic wheels and footrest position changed, engine raised on blocks with scales under the front to check the downforce changes. The seat can also be moved for and aft to position bodyweight. Working better but still a little light at the front on a loose surface.

A better point of suspension would be further foreward on the rear axle, I'v just done this for the trailer hitch on my new bike, the hitch on my old bike was from behind the rear wheel, and as the load on the trailer went up, so did the front wheel/ well it got very light.

This is the old bike

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 25/05/2018 12:30:58

If you went to a 4 wheel bogie with a seat, you could just tow it and have near zero tongue weight on the engine. In addition your ground pressure would be lower as driver weight would be spread over a much larger tire area. In soft ground you would not sink as much as with a single or dual wheel.

Just food for thought. Good luck.

A 4 wheel cart would remove the down force on the hitch and may work with a 6" version of the Ruston but having driven a 3" Burrell (similar size to the 4" Ruston) with that setup it's not very comfortable, your feet need to be well out to the sides to stop getting your feet trapped by the rear wheels when turning corners and it can be difficult to reach the controls.

My setup is not ideal as it's difficult to see into the firebox but it's easy to reach the controls without having to lean forward and getting backache.