Hand Throttle use?

capt17

capt17

Junior Member
Ok, Totally elementary question here but can't seem to find a good answer on the internet. What was a the hand throttle used for on the early vehicles? The cable is not hooked up on my 35 truck and just dangles. I don't even really see where or how it goes on my 97 Carb. Simple right?! :p
 
It was useful for warming up a car in the winter and to keep the generator charging at idle if you were parked and listening to the radio.
 
capt17 said:
Ok, Totally elementary question here but can't seem to find a good answer on the internet. What was a the hand throttle used for on the early vehicles? The cable is not hooked up on my 35 truck and just dangles. I don't even really see where or how it goes on my 97 Carb. Simple right?! :p
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Should be a little lever on the left hand side of the throttle shaft. It seems many 97s have them missing or broken. Uncle Max on this site probably has one he could spare.
 
I find it useful when starting my truck while on a slope. I keep my right foot on the brake and use the hand throttle to give it enough gas to get it started.

My hand throttle is spring loaded, so it returns to idle as soon as I let go of it.


Tom
 
capt17 said:
Ok, Totally elementary question here but can't seem to find a good answer on the internet. What was a the hand throttle used for on the early vehicles? The cable is not hooked up on my 35 truck and just dangles. I don't even really see where or how it goes on my 97 Carb. Simple right?! :p
Click to expand...


If the truck in your avatar is the vehicle in question, the hand throttle would allow the engine to run at high idle to power the pump.
 
Thanks 1952Henry! I knew that was a main reason for the fire truck's, but everyone else seemed to have a hand throttle too so I just wanted too make sure I wasn't missing something else. The piston pump in this truck does function, but it has leaks all over and it shakes the truck quite intensly. It's on the "rebuild someday" list. :D There's some historical photos of the truck and a photo of it pumping a few years ago on the department's webpage.

http://www.cutfd.org/19351.htm
 
I had to use the hand throttle on my 35 fordor to get home recently when the engine did not want to idle properly at stop signs/red lights. One foot on clutch, the other on brake, and hand throttle used to keep the engine idling at a speed that it would not stop running. Problem was bad condenser, point contacts filming/burning, and weak spark. I did this to get the car home to make repairs rather than attempting to make repairs late at night on the side of the road.
 
Funny no one has mentioned using the hand throttle as a primitive "cruise control." In addition to all of the uses mentioned this is the one I use it for the most on long road trips. Main risk is that it is not "self canceling" when the brake or clutch is depressed and has to be turned off manually. For emergencies when it may take too long for me to reach down and push the throttle knob in I have installed a kill switch above the mirror to kill the engine so it doesn't race when I push in the clutch without pushing in the throttle knob. More info here: http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88677
 
I always thought that the hand throttle was too, be mainly used as a 'primitive cruise control' on long highway trips as it is fitted on several Ford models.
 
Is this the same fire engine/department I donated a 97 to a few years ago?
If so, let me know your address again and I'll send you a hand-throttle assembly.
It's a lever, cap, spring and pin.
A good idea to use a block of wood underneath it to prevent tweaking the throttleshaft when driving the pin.
 
It is Uncle Max! I PMed you on another forum a little while ago to give you an update and didn't know you were on this site as well. I just recently found this site. The truck runs superbly still thanks to your generousity and great great work. Always working through that little punch list that adds up over time with the truck. I need to take a closer look at the carb that's on her now and make sure the arm isnt on there already. As always, thank you so much for your help!
 
Hand throttle, cruise control. We ran a '29 tudor on the beach back in the early '60's when there were few buggys on the beach. It had 8.20x15 US Royal Masters ambulance tires on split & widen rims to provide a big foot print on the sand.
We would drive the A into the trail tire ruts from other beach buggys, set the hand throttle in second gear, and climb out of the car on to the running boards to enjoy the sun, surf, and cold one. One man stayed near the wheel & kept a close watch on the where she was going. Couldn't beat the looks you got from folks on the beach watching the "driverless" A go by.
 
I believe the throttle was activated by a rod and not a cable. The rod has an end as the accelerator rod does and slips over the steel ball at the end of the lever. If your 97 has the lever and ball on the drivers side of the throttle shaft you most likely need the proper linkage rod.
 
When I was 16 (and didn't know too much about old Fords or anything else for that matter) I bought my first car, a '48 TuDor Sedan. I didn't know what the "T" stood for on the dash knob and it was stuck (hard to pull) and I didn't even think about trying to follow the cable to see where it went so, while driving it one day I decided to see if I could pull it out and see what (if anything) would happen. Well, I gave it a good yank and all of a sudden the car took off... :eek: about scared the you know what outta me... That's when I learned to look before you leap... so to speak.
 
Vic Piano said:
When I was 16 (and didn't know too much about old Fords or anything else for that matter) I bought my first car, a '48 TuDor Sedan. I didn't know what the "T" stood for on the dash knob and it was stuck (hard to pull) and I didn't even think about trying to follow the cable to see where it went so, while driving it one day I decided to see if I could pull it out and see what (if anything) would happen. Well, I gave it a good yank and all of a sudden the car took off... :eek: about scared the you know what outta me... That's when I learned to look before you leap... so to speak.
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Hi Vic. Although I'm sure it wasn't funny at that moment, I enjoyed the laugh now! Steve
 
One thing to consider is that the Model T did not have a "foot throttle." Also many tractors never had any throttle other than a hand throttle. Henry probably never saw a reason to get rid of the hand throttle. IMHO!
 
first thing I thought of was the cruise control aspect One of my first jobs was a delivery driver for a big greenhouse here in Mass while driving to Bangor,Maine, about a 5 hour ride ,,my leg would cramp up on the gas pedal , SO I used the hand throttle,, but the knob would 'EVER SO SLOWLY 'work its way back to the dash thus slowing me down :confused: soooo I took the company gas card and wedged it between the back of the knob an the dash ,,,well smooth sailing for about an hour till I hit a bumb and "snap" the card broke in two :eek: no money ,no cards after a phone call to the shop I found there was aswitch to a sadle tank I didn,t know even worked !the boss did not even ask how the card got broken and I was glad he didn,t
 
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