Edson Steering system/wheel removal

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Rafiki

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Calling for advice from anyone with an Edson Steering system.
I need to remove the wheel as a prelude to changing the bearings in the top of the steering binnacle. The downloaded instructions refer to removing the nut holding the wheel onto the end of the shaft ....... obvious..... BUT.... the "nut" on the end of the shaft / boss of the steering wheel looks like the pictures below and is made of some sort of fairly hard plastic.
So is the black plastic just a cover for a nut and therefore needs to be prised off, or is it the nut itself. I have tried using an adjustable on it but it just slides off and I fear a wrench of some sort will just mash it up.
Has anyone got experience with the same steering system
Edson 3.jpg Edson 2.jpg Edson 1.jpg

Andrew
 
I have the same system on my Westerly Falcon. The nut is plastic and is generally no more than hand tight. If you use a spanner use it gingerly. The wheel should come off fairly easily once the nut is removed but may require a bit of rattling to free it. I have never had to use a gear puller to get it off but it is a sturdy piece of kit and a gear puller would work.
 
macd said:
Sorry, I should perhaps have written "possibly". Ours is.
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks for the clarification! There is/would be no logic to making this a left-hand threaded nut, it's not like the wheel is always turning in a singular direction and therefore the nut is likely to be loosened over time.

That said, I find most left-hand nuts are simply put there to confuse the end-user at some point down the line :)
 
Tiercel said:
I have the same system on my Westerly Falcon. The nut is plastic and is generally no more than hand tight. If you use a spanner use it gingerly. The wheel should come off fairly easily once the nut is removed but may require a bit of rattling to free it. I have never had to use a gear puller to get it off but it is a sturdy piece of kit and a gear puller would work.
Click to expand...

Excellent, you have a similiar boat and the same wheel . I will try to remove as you have suggested - it is certainly a lot more than hand tight !
 
I can also confirm that the whole thing is the nut.

It is a standard right hand thread (unscrews anticlockwise; lefty loose, righty tighty)

We replaced ours with the Edson quick release 'nut' as it makes it easy to remove the wheel when we are having a cockpit party. https://edsonmarine.com/quick-release-wheel-nut-5-8-18-shaft-threads/

(though I don't remember paying that much for it...)

The wheel slides off - no taper.
 
john_morris_uk said:
I can also confirm that the whole thing is the nut.

It is a standard right hand thread (unscrews anticlockwise; lefty loose, righty tighty)

We replaced ours with the Edson quick release 'nut' as it makes it easy to remove the wheel when we are having a cockpit party. https://edsonmarine.com/quick-release-wheel-nut-5-8-18-shaft-threads/

(though I don't remember paying that much for it...)

The wheel slides off - no taper.
Click to expand...

Thanks John,
I will give it a go next week.
Incidentally have you ever replaced the bearings in the top end of the pedestal?
 
emmalina said:
Yes its a nut ! Same as mine but the question I have is why you need to change bearings Mine is 40 years old and fine ?
Click to expand...

The reason I want to change the bearings -probably 30 years old- is that the steering is rather stiff, I have greased everything I can and even had the rudder bearing changed, so changing the bearing in the top of the binnacle is the final thing I will try.
 
Rafiki said:
Thanks John,
I will give it a go next week.
Incidentally have you ever replaced the bearings in the top end of the pedestal?
Click to expand...

Yes I’ve changed the bearings. I’ve also put new ‘brake pads’ on the steering lock mechanism.

My steering was stiff as well and I discovered that the lining/inner sheathing of the cables had broken down inside. New cables ( inners and outers) solved the problem. I also fitted greasing points half way along the cable run.
 
john_morris_uk said:
Yes I’ve changed the bearings. I’ve also put new ‘brake pads’ on the steering lock mechanism.

My steering was stiff as well and I discovered that the lining/inner sheathing of the cables had broken down inside. New cables ( inners and outers) solved the problem. I also fitted greasing points half way along the cable run.
Click to expand...

Interesting John,

When I'm changing the bearings I could carefully disconnect the cables from the steering quadrant and withdraw them all the way through the conduit to see if there is any obvious broken strands or wear - obviously a winter job, so something to look forward to. You refer to "lining/inner sheathing" Mine are plain multi strand cables running within flexible conduits - quite a long run as a centre cockpit boat- with a piece of bicycle chain as the middle section running through the Edson binnacle. Is that the same set up as yours?
 
Rafiki said:
Interesting John,

When I'm changing the bearings I could carefully disconnect the cables from the steering quadrant and withdraw them all the way through the conduit to see if there is any obvious broken strands or wear - obviously a winter job, so something to look forward to. You refer to "lining/inner sheathing" Mine are plain multi strand cables running within flexible conduits - quite a long run as a centre cockpit boat- with a piece of bicycle chain as the middle section running through the Edson binnacle. Is that the same set up as yours?
Click to expand...

Same set up. (Ours is a centre cockpit Westerly Sealord)

From memory, the outers of the cable seem to have three layers. A rubber black plastic outer, a coiled wire second layer and an inner lining of semi transparent nylon/plastic.

You describe the control wires that connect to the chains that goes over the gear on the steering spindle/shaft exactly. They’re like a rather thick bicycle brake cable. Multi stranded steel.
 
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