Accelerator pedal riser

richard5933 · July 24, 2019, 07:04:18 PM

Finally determined what's causing my right knee to hurt...accelerator pedal is just a bit too far to the right and a bit too far from my seat. Being only 5'-2" tall, this is nothing new. This time I'm a bit short (pun intended) of ideas for solving it.

I don't have cruise control and don't want it, so lets leave that out of the conversation. The problem is coming from 'floating' my heel over the pedal while I press the pedal with my toes for the hours that I'm driving. This is causing pain in the top of my knee under the knee cap since it causes constant tension in the muscles.

Oddly, the brake treadle is perfect for me, as is the clutch pedal. I think that because the accelerator is slightly offset to the right of the seat it makes it just enough of a stretch to be a problem.

I did try moving the seat close, but then it's too close to comfortably use the brake and clutch. Can't move the accelerator without moving the brake pedal since they share the same mounting platform.

So, I'm trying to come up with a way to build a riser on the accelerator. Right now my idea is to get a pedal cover and a 1" piece of some type of rigid foam behind it and make a riser block for the pedal.

Anyone already done this or seen something similar? I'd rather not reinvent the wheel if there is already a solution out there.

luvrbus · July 24, 2019, 07:20:42 PM

Heavy equipment dealers like Cat sold the risers for years ,I have purchased a few set for short legged operators before but they are not called risers and I forgot what Cat called those

Ed Hackenbruch · July 24, 2019, 09:14:44 PM

The PO of my bus made one out of wood, had a couple of different levels for your heel so you could change the angle of your foot. i used it for several years and then found out that i liked it better without it so took it off.

sledhead · July 25, 2019, 05:01:22 AM

I had the same problem and was tinkering last year in Florida and tried a 2 x 4 that I planed on a angle like a wedge at the seat side and put it flat on the floor in front of the peddles with 2 small screws through it into the floor trim and wow! what a difference . Now my foot is 1.5 " higher then it was and I do not have my heal floating in the air like it was before . Ya I know cheap fix but it works great and after we got home I ended up staining it the colour of the floor .

I looked at different peddles and I tried a block on the peddle in different sizes but the 2 x 4 on the floor felt better

dave

Utahclaimjumper · July 25, 2019, 05:55:08 AM

One of the first things I did on my present coach,,a small block also changes the leverage applied to the pedal to your advantage,(by changing the angle of attack ) So less pressure is needed.>>>Dan

richard5933 · July 25, 2019, 06:09:23 AM

Quote from: Utahclaimjumper on July 25, 2019, 05:55:08 AM
One of the first things I did on my present coach,,a small block also changes the leverage applied to the pedal to your advantage,(by changing the angle of attack ) So less pressure is needed.>>>Dan

It's an air throttle, so fortunately the amount of pressure required is minimal. What's causing the problem is just having to hold my leg elevated for the entire time I'm driving. I'm thinking of adding the pedal extension and adding a riser mounted where my heel goes to provide a place for my heel to rest, taking the weight off my knee.

Utahclaimjumper · July 25, 2019, 06:54:35 AM

It's simple to just try the heel riser first. That way you can experment with different hights as needed.>>>D

DoubleEagle · July 25, 2019, 07:03:58 AM

I had a similar problem on my Model 05 Eagle, years ago, not so much with elevation, but with the angle my foot was in while going down the road. I fashioned an aluminum mounting plate out of some heavy aluminum angle that left a 3/4" riser on the bottom to rest my heal on, and adjustment screws so that I could change the angle of the whole unit. I have thirteen pieces on metal in my right leg, so finding a comfortable position was desirable for long trips. When I had it finally adjusted, I had my foot at a right angle to my leg with the throttle at the highway cruising level. My heel rested on the bottom riser, and my foot was comfortable for hours. In your case, just add in elevation, if you can separate the fuel pedal from the mounting platform for everything else, otherwise, adding a shaped wood block might be best. One consideration is being able to transfer your foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal without getting hung up (as you know better than most of us, you never know when someone is going to cause you to brake suddenly).

Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM · July 25, 2019, 08:57:16 AM

In my MC-9 I still had the original air ride seat that the Greyhound drivers sat in for hours on end and it did not have cruise control. The seat air cylinder leaked a bit. I would have to air it back up about every 45 minutes to an hour as it would go completely down in that span of time.

I was going to fix it but decided against it. I discovered on long hauls, that the settling seat worked to my advantage as the angle of my knee and hence foot would change over time and I would "reset" it several times on a long road trip. That prevented me from sitting in the same position for hours on end i.e. same knee and foot angle. My legs, feet never tired on a long drive.

Just a thought. Sometimes simple things in life are easier. Or maybe I was just too lazy to fix the air leak.

richard5933 · July 25, 2019, 09:50:11 AM

Hmmm...installing an air seat...that's an idea.

Geoff · July 25, 2019, 01:41:52 PM

I get cramps in my leg from driving long hours, no matter what I am driving. The first thing you said is you don't want cruise control, but for me that is the only solution to having to have my leg cramped. With cruise control; I can move my cramped leg straight into the isle, flex it and move it about to get rid of the cramps. I love cruise control and have spent a lotto money to keep it operational.

richard5933 · July 25, 2019, 02:13:59 PM

Quote from: Geoff on July 25, 2019, 01:41:52 PM
I get cramps in my leg from driving long hours, no matter what I am driving. The first thing you said is you don't want cruise control, but for me that is the only solution to having to have my leg cramped. With cruise control; I can move my cramped leg straight into the isle, flex it and move it about to get rid of the cramps. I love cruise control and have spent a lotto money to keep it operational.

This might sound odd, but it still haunts me whether or not the cruise control on our 4106 contributed in any way to a delayed response when we were involved in a head-on collision. For that reason alone, I'm reluctant to even consider adding cruise to our current bus. Might this change in the future? Perhaps. But, for now the only thing that's going to mash down the go pedal is my right foot.

chessie4905 · July 25, 2019, 02:48:56 PM

Cruise control may have contributed to crash? Doesn't it release when you hit the brake pedal?

I went to a truck salvage yard and purchased a used air ride seat. It was good mechanically, but the cushions were rough. Turns out, Bostrom sells a kit composed of new foam and new fabric seat and back. I made a template of the old seat pedestal (GM original) and of the Bostrom seat. Three holes line up on adapter plate and the other requires a stud. I dry fitted it before making pattern. Air supply is right under seat and comes through the one unused hole. Air ride seat has seat belt attachments. I'll be able to adjust ride height as needed.

richard5933 · July 25, 2019, 03:39:43 PM

Quote from: chessie4905 on July 25, 2019, 02:48:56 PM
Cruise control may have contributed to crash? Doesn't it release when you hit the brake pedal?...

Yes it did. The cruise shut down immediately with the brake pedal application. The fraction of a second that it took going from accelerator to brake pedal is what I'm talking about. I know that it verges on ridiculous to think about fractions of a second, but I still wonder if a fraction of a second would have made a difference.

Back to the topic here, an air seat is a great idea for the future but for now I'm going to start with building a pedal riser.

Ed Hackenbruch · July 25, 2019, 05:42:35 PM

Just get some women's high heel shoes in different heights and see which one works the best for you!

On the subject of cruise control, 20 years ago we bought a used jeep light wagoneer. Once while my wife was driving it and twice while i was driving it, the gas pedal went to the floor and we took off. I disabled it and years later when the turn signal/cruise control stalk went bad and i replaced it, i found that where the wires went into the steering column they had worn thru and came into contact with each other and the metal of the steering column. Evidently under the right conditions it would activate itself. And no, we were not using it any of the times that it happened. Also had it happen one time on an old van that had, i believe, an after market system on it. I disabled that one too!