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Johnson bar (vehicle)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Johnson bar activated parking/emergency brake on a 1930s White transit bus

Johnson bar is the term for several different hand-operated levers used in vehicles. Their distinguishing feature is a positive latch, typically spring-loaded, to hold the lever in a selected position, capable of being operated with one hand. Some Johnson bars have a fully ratcheting mechanism, some just a series of detents, and others yet simply engaged and disengaged positions.

A common example is the Johnson bar-controlled parking brake found on many trucks and buses.

Johnson bar is also the North American term for a steam engine's reversing lever, used to control the valve gear.[1][2]

The forward/reverse lever on Caterpillar tractors is also called a Johnson bar.

Some light general aviation aircraft (including Piper Cherokees, Beech Musketeers, and some early model Cessnas – such as the Cessna 140) - use Johnson bars to actuate flaps and wheel brakes. The Cessna 162 Skycatcher uses a Johnson bar for flap operation. A small number of older aircraft (including the Mooney M-18, some older M20s and some Progressive Aerodyne SeaReys) also have landing gear actuated by Johnson bars. The Boeing 707/720 aircraft had a Johnson bar for manually extending the nose landing gear, in case the normal gear extension failed.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Locomotive SP 786". Austin Steam Train Association. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  2. ^ "Steam Locomotives". RMI Railworks. Retrieved 2022-06-08.