World's Largest Manufacturer of Flexible Shafts

Elliott Mfg. · P.O. Box 773 · Binghamton, NY 13902 · Phone: (607) 772-0404 · Fax: (607) 772-0431

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e-novation: Elliott Flex Shaft Steering

Out with the old! In with a flexible shaft steering system including tilt that reliably transmits steering input directly to the rack.

The Elliott flex shaft system replaces conventional (and costly) single or double universal joints contained within the steering column. The “feel” is more fluid and more “direct” at every angle of turn, according to users and customer design engineers.

Elliott’s flex shaft provides yet another form of “flexibility”—installation and connectivity—giving added design options to customers.

Elliott’s “Mechanically Advantaged Flexible Shaft Steering System” includes a speed increaser built within the steering wheel. The speed increaser (with a ratio of approximately 4:1 to 6:1) increases the revolutions of the steering shaft. Reducing torque load and allowing the use of a shaft as small as 3/8’s of an inch. This small but reliable shaft allows ‘design freedom’ in routing the shaft and a greater range of optional ‘tilt’ for the wheel. The 3/8 diameter flexible shaft is the coupled with a rack & pinion box with a built-in speed reducer. The ratio of the reducer matches the speed increaser resulting in a 1:1 system with a built in mechanical advantage.

Elliott also offers true Power Steering: The Elliott Complete Mechanically Advantaged Flexible Shaft Steering System with Electric Assist.

This Elliott system is configured the same as a typical mechanical system with the addition of an elastomeric torque sensor built into the speed-increaser in the steering wheel and a 12 Volt DC electric motor coupled to the steering rack. The torque sensor will activate the electric motor when a preset steering load limit is exceeded. Once the electric motor has assisted the steering input to the point where the torque load is reduced, it automatically turns off. The electric motor assist can be tuned to activate different steering input loads and can be sized to achive a wide range of ‘power assists’—ranging from about 10% assist to 50% assist. This rugged system is not a start-up to completion power steering system (such as found on most cars & trucks) as it is designed for applications where, at normal lower level steering inputs, power assist is not required.

Some consider the Elliott Flex Shaft Steering System “brilliant thinking”. We call it e-novation and it’s only available from Elliott Manufacturing Company.