# Broke old Western T-handle control - replacements and options?



## Colonel Monk (Feb 12, 2014)

Howdy

Dangit, the old plow truck fired right up, but the control cables were frozen from all the rain preceding the snow. Meant to get it inside and put new seals and gaskets on the unit but didnt'. Cable housing is checked and not waterproof anymore. I was going to put some heatshrink tubing over it to seal it up. Didn't.

In the past been able to wiggle it and pull on it a bit to get it moving but today (as I was taking a break from work) I was impatient and broke the T-handle right off.

This is a late 70's early 80's unit. Red box and cables, and T-handle for the hydroturn.

The Creep is a piece O work and could be the last season, but I plan on keeping the plow and mounting it to another Cherokee or Wagoneer next year.... OR get a mount for another truck or something.

So, the shaft on the T-handle broke off - can I just get a replacement, or am I going to be looking for a new control? This is a control cable-operated unit, not a strictly electronic one.

LIKE THIS

Will one of the black ones work from the 80s? Seems to be the same kind of setup.

Like THIS

I'm pretty handy in the shop too if it's possible to just reuse the broken part to fab another.

Thanks,

CM


----------



## SKYNYRD (Jan 13, 2009)

the black 81 and up unit is the same. much easier to change the cables when the stretch or otherwise break. complete tassembly (joystick and cables) should be around $200 or less. they had a dash mount or a floor mount bracket as well


----------



## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

the red T handle and red cables work together. the black joystick and black cables work together. in other words, dont try black cables with your red controller - it won't work. 

i'm going to be cleaning out all my western cable contolled parts - pumps, joysticks, cables... i have 3 or 4 of everything. i only have the black joystick and cables. some of the cables are new. if interested i can take a closer look and see exactly what i have.


----------



## Colonel Monk (Feb 12, 2014)

linckeil;1873775 said:


> the red T handle and red cables work together. the black joystick and black cables work together. in other words, dont try black cables with your red controller - it won't work.
> 
> i'm going to be cleaning out all my western cable contolled parts - pumps, joysticks, cables... i have 3 or 4 of everything. i only have the black joystick and cables. some of the cables are new. if interested i can take a closer look and see exactly what i have.


Howdy

So, I think I get ya, but can I assume that the pump end of the cable is the same?

I'm going to take the control out this weekend when it warm up, and have a look inside to see if there's anything to be fixed. If not, I will contact you and see what you have.

I need to do that to see what length cables I have anyway, they don't bend too good.

Thanks!


----------



## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

yes, pump end of the cables are the same between the red and black cables. its the joystick ends that are different. 

i beleive the cables are available in 2 lengths. i always get the longest so i can put big sweeping bends when routing them. you do not want tight bends.


----------



## Colonel Monk (Feb 12, 2014)

I have good bends, but I don't know how long they are.

The sheathing was badly checked, but I figured with some heatshrink tubing and some silicone to seal the ends before shrinking, that I'd get another 30 years out of this rig. These units were very well built - it's surprising that a plow system from nearly 40 years ago is still working well, but it surely is.

Our mount is a hybrid.... Western never made a mount for Cherokee Chief, so we had a Northman truck mount, and traded the chevy truck mount for some fabrication of a new motor frame for the northman.

Hoping to get it back working again, though I'm going to look at a plow tomorrow for adapting to Kubota bucket. Last year banks got too high and could have used the bucket plow to bench/push over the banks.


----------



## SKYNYRD (Jan 13, 2009)

linckeil;1873798 said:


> yes, pump end of the cables are the same between the red and black cables. its the joystick ends that are different.
> 
> i beleive the cables are available in 2 lengths. i always get the longest so i can put big sweeping bends when routing them. you do not want tight bends.


cables are 9' give or take an inch. i've seen a 4' part # but never seen a set in real life. a while back someone posted a part # for a 12' set but my western dealer had never heard of such a thing.

the only other major difference in 81 was they changed the starter motor. they may have changed the pump as well i don't recall but, the pump casings were the same to my knowledge. i just sold 2 pre 81 units and, kept 2 81 and up units. one of the ones i kept is still in use


----------



## Colonel Monk (Feb 12, 2014)

I'm guessing these are 8 or 9 feet anyway... The plow originally came from a late 70's chevy


----------

