Don Madge Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Has anybody any experience/comments of the Motorhome Handbrake Extender at http://tinyurl.com/lsesq Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffly16 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Good idea, but £45.99 !!!!! I think that's extortionate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 [QUOTE]griffly16 - 2006-07-26 1:55 PM Good idea, but £45.99 !!!!! I think that's extortionate.[/QUOTE] If you had to undo your seat belt to operate the hand brake you might consider it money well spent :-D Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 If I thought I was keeping my T25 much longer might think about seeing if it fits. If your back is 'playing up' hand brake can be very awkward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUD SHAW Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Hi Don, We have one and it does help. I no longer have to lean well over to my right to reach down and engage the hand brake. As yet, we have not tried the swivel seat to see if it will swivel without releasing the brake. Audshaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 £46 seems OK to me for a safety-related item that you certainly don't want to come away in your hand and it's a whole lot cheaper than the much less tidily engineered product mentioned in MMM a few months back. The operating principle looks a bit odd, but I guess it must work OK in practice. Pity the extender appears only to fit SEVEL motorhomes as it's a long reach down to the left-hand hand-brake on my LHD Transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I've just had a look at the website for this product and you appear to have to push the lever OUTwards with your thumb, not push the button INwards as you would normaly when disengaging the handbrake, I just wonder how easy this would be on some vans who's handbrake buttons are a bit on the stiff side? Not knocking it but it's something to consider if you have weak thumbs/hands, pushing in a button in is easier than pushing a lever out. If it were developed/redesigned so that you pushed the lever INwards as you do for the normal handbrake button it might gain more sales. As it stands I wouldn't be able to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 [QUOTE]Mel B - 2006-07-26 7:56 PM I've just had a look at the website for this product and you appear to have to push the lever OUTwards with your thumb, not push the button INwards as you would normaly when disengaging the handbrake, I just wonder how easy this would be on some vans who's handbrake buttons are a bit on the stiff side? Not knocking it but it's something to consider if you have weak thumbs/hands, pushing in a button in is easier than pushing a lever out. If it were developed/redesigned so that you pushed the lever INwards as you do for the normal handbrake button it might gain more sales. As it stands I wouldn't be able to use it.[/QUOTE] Mel, I agree with you it does not look promising. it would be Ok if you just wanted to raise the handbrake but for us I don't think it will work. We both suffer with arthritis in the hands and it's getting to the stage where it's difficult to release the handbrake on the Ducato. We don't have the problem with the car as it releases automatically as you move off. I was hoping for some feed back from somebody who has the thing installed. I'll try the mobility shop in Hull to see if they have anything better. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 It does apear to offer a small mechanical advantage, but as you say unless you have tried it pushing lever may be more difficult Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Mercedes ergonomics seem a lot better based on these comments!!! Or I have arms like an ape! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 We are lucky I suppose got a "foot" handbrake if that makes sense? Then just pull alever to release. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOTORHOMER Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Don I have just sent a PM. Motorhomer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 For a extra £20 you could fit a lower seat base. I did this to get a more comfortable driving postion, and after fitting, found the handbrake much easier to use as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 [QUOTE]howardtcz - 2006-07-27 10:32 AM For a extra £20 you could fit a lower seat base. I did this to get a more comfortable driving postion, and after fitting, found the handbrake much easier to use as well.[/QUOTE] I'm not sure whether this is an option with a battery under the seat (?) The main problem is not having enough strength in the hands to get the button pressed when it's at arms length. :-( Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Removing a swivel base from the drivers seat can make the handbrake easier as well as giving a better driving position. As these are often such a pain in the bum to swivel, and not a lot of use when swivelled, this is no hardship for us. Many years ago when my Dad was having a problem with his Rover car handbrake I made up a short length of angle aluminium with a 'U' bolt through one end (which had been partially flattened) and a padded grip on the other end. Dad then slid the 'U' bolt end over the handbrake and pulled to engage and then whilst pressing the button with his right hand could disengage (or Mum pressed the button for him to release the brake!) Very low tech and low cost - but it worked well for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Don. I remember reading the article, and it looked quite impressive. Re. the lever action. I think unless you can actually try this product you will not know if it is suitable for your particular needs. Howard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Clive Ape ... You did used to have monkey bikes didn't you! Perhaps you should try what we hereabouts call 'Grandad bikes' ... Honda 90s ... the little sods wouldn't want to be seen dead riding one of these!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 The beauty of the Handbrake Extender described above lies in its simplicity. A closer study of the photo suggests that the mechanical advantage gained by the lever mechanism should be quite high, so, even though the releasing action is unusual, I think it shouldn't be harder to operate than the original press-button even for people with hand problems. As howardtcz suggests, the only way to prove how tricky the thing is to use is to actually try it. I'd buy one if it would fit on my Transit's handbrake. Ford has now moved this to the outside of the driver into the door's footwell and, even with no seat-swivel, it's an uncomfortably long stretch to reach the lever. It would have been perfectly possible to have engineered a higher lever, but Ford appears to have just grafted a modified central-handbrake mechanism to the footwell instead. A lowered seat-box is not available for the Transit. A well-known supplier of lowered seat-boxes for SEVEL motorhomes once told me it should be simple enough to make one, but, when you study the complexity and robustness of the original Ford seat-box, you can see it would be a helluva job (and you'd need to relocate the battery). There's a photo in MMM May 2006 Page 242 showing an "Easy Release Handbrake" from SVO that operates in a different manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Don. Obviously this product was designed to make the handbrake easier to reach. Perhaps you could contact the company and bring to their attention the problems you anticipate. You never know. they may take any suggestions you offer on board and modify the release mechanism. This woulld be of benifit not only to yourself and other prospective buyers, but to the company itself. Depending on their disposition, they may even agree to allow you try the extender on the understanding that if not suitable you would be refunded. Howard (sober) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteS Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 As I am sure many of you already know Fiat, Peugeout, Citroen models are to be replaced later this year. I have read a few preliminary test reports on the vans, as yet no MH's based on the new models and the reporters seem to be raving for the new models. It will be interesting to see if they have addressed the handbrake problem. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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