Ram assisting Armstrong steering

Another dumbass question!
Way back when, before power steering became an industry standard, a few blokes were fitting power assisting rams to their vehicles.
I don't mean replacing the existing steering boxes with power steering type, but rather a ram that was anchored at one end (much life the early steering dampers) and attached to sometimes the drag link. Idea was that if you blew a hose or had a pump failure you simply ripped the pump belt off and still had full control over your steering.
I drove an old cab over that had one of these setups many years ago, actually steered quite well, you always knew if she chucked a belt, the steering became heavy. A bit like those "sure-guides" that were popular once.
Having a look at an off road/racing site they still make them, but in another guise, road legal, or at least they are in the States.
They have one type where the original drag link is replaced with a double ended ram, centreing valves etc, looks very complicated, very professional and very expensive.
But the one that interested me was the stand alone ram type, early Ford and GMH ran them for quite a few years, been years since I bothered to look. Think they were anchored on the chassis on one end, as I said above, other end went to either some sort of clamp affair, of maybe a special drag link that had an 'eye' built into it. Reckon they worked on the principle that when you first installed them you centred the original steering so it was dead ahead, extended the ram to half it's travel so that you still had full lock (and full control) both L/H and R/H lock.
Got an idea that they were running lower pressures than modern "full power" steering boxes. Would have had to have some sort of valving attached to the existing steering components to tell the ram when to exert force. Also to allow the pump pressure to return to whatever reservoir you were running.
Reckon there may have been a few blokes here who tinkered with these systems early in the piece, maybe fitted them and/or drove them yourselves.
Older brother many,many years ago drove an AEC 8 wheeler octopus tray truck on beer deliveries, manual steering, what a handful that was! Bloke who owned it always promised that he would fit a power assist ram, but the bro left after about 12 months, no power assist steer for the AEC, but he (bro) had arms like Popeye! Whether it was from slinging 18 gallon kegs around or wrestling the octopus, never thought to ask.
I was still going to school and went for a run up to the Hawkesbury River with him a couple of times and that was when they were first putting the Syd-Gosford Tollway in, so it was all on the old Pacific Highway, down Moonee Moonee and back up all the twists and turns. Hard road in it's day.
Cheers, Dave

Kogz
m80

Can remember ..... eye can

the 'F' model Mack we had way back wen (spose 10 years ago)
the mack had power assisted steering as U described
rumor had it they couldn't pass roadworthy coz of all the slop in steer n wheel any thing upto 1/4 turn
I now kno th@ most of steering slop disappeared with the engine runn n
wunder how many were put off the road test

LOL

cya

§

Boss had one on AA 180 from new, took it off as he reckonerd it was dangerous.
Lost road feel. Had 2 of them as prime movers, 34 ft trailers on stock work.
Not too bad to steer as long as you kept them rolling slowly when reversing.
Probably only 4 ton or so on the steer axles then.
You come up with interesting memories Dave. All the best. Paul.

Interesting comments, Swishy & PaulFH,
Wonder if it was Mack that tried them out years ago, the cabover I drove years ago was also a Mack slimline, old steel cab, cook you in summer,freeze you in winter. Had a Scania with a Duplex box, very basic. As I said earlier, I thought it steered quite well, but around that time anything was an advantage over one foot on the dash to give a bit of leverage AND it had the crossover chain link steering with the box on the left hand chassis rail. I reckon it may have even been one of Mayne Nickless's cast offs.
Paul, you said your boss had one on an old Inter and took it off as he thought it dangerous, some blokes used to reckon that the system mentioned could deceive you, low revs didn't want to respond, up on higher rpm they were OK.
Maybe factory fitted they were adequate, aftermarket only so-so, could have been the way they were set up and who was doing them.
May be like a lot of things, always pros and cons. Mate of mine had a couple of old Deutz Jupiters, never drove them myself, lots of blokes hated them on sight, called 'em "V8 Harley Davidsons" or "Hitlers Revenge", yet some blokes got phenomenal runs out of them.
Which reminds me, must have been back in the early seventies, couple of Fuso trucks started appearing about then. Couple of contractors tried them on coal cartage out of the Burragorang Valley, earned the nickname "UFO's", Unhappy Fuso Owners. Mates father in law reckoned they almost sent him broke, one stage a group of owners were going to start some sort of class action against the distributors, don't recall the outcome except that they ended up getting warranty work gratis. Didn't do them much good though, they soon disappeared and didn't show up on the coal again.
Dave

Dave

My 1967 Kenworth had that steering. Was much too light and had no feedback.

I also had a TK Bedford bogie drive 10 ton CAP crane with the steering ram. This was double purpose acting as power steering when normally driving.
It had a hole in the roof where the crane operator sat up to his waist through the hole facing backwards. This reverse position was fitted with clutch, gearstick extension and brake. You could walk a load and the steering was a second circuit to the steering ram so you steered with a left right hydraulic lever. It worked really well.

Lang

Yes Dave, probably low revs the issue. Think his was factory fitted, I drove the later AA180
and he ordered it without the power steering.
The Deutz had some success, bloke in the Western District had a cabover sleeper on stock
work in 1966. Boss got up into it for a look at Caramut one day, very nice, but he said " you
don't make money sleeping in trucks ".
One of the Iuelli's ( ?? ) had one mid 70's, subbied local for A.R. Neal out of Fairfield paper
mill. We referred to them as V8 Volkswagons.
There have been worse things brought to Australia as you say. Admire the Camerons and others
who sourced better trucks for the industry. Good shifting, Paul.

It was the std power steering set up in Bedford busses

The ram had the valve built into it. Turn the steering wheel, the valve opens and chases the moving ram/valve. When it catches up, the valve closes and the action stops.

The D model Ford truck had them too I think.

I had a F700 cabover Mack which had air operated power steering. This wasnt too bad as you could adjust the tap to control the airflow and so would have full air around the city and turn it down so it was not so sensitive when on the open road. If the airflow was left full on when on badly corrugated roads you would lose air pressure as the shimmy of the wheels on the rough road would dump air. This system had an air ram anchored one end on the axle and the other on the tie rod.

Mine still has the ram, I did put new seals in it about 18 moths back to fix a small leak other than that it's trouble free and works well.

Mikeg,
something positive there! Just out of curiosity, how do you find it handles over differing RPM as well as differing road speeds?
Obviously not an issue as you posted trouble free and works well.
Take it that this is in your motorhome? probably factory fitted? if so, what build date is that around, got me intrigued now, have to look up something on behalf of Mr Google.
Dave