Right Hand Clutch – Review

Volvo V70 with Right Hand Clutch

Last week I took delivery of my new Motability car.  Murray Volvo in Edinburgh had a very laid back approach to getting things done, but all went to plan…..kind of!

Unfortunately the adaptation was not fitted to the car when I got it.  We were let down by a company that advertised a nationwide hand control fitting service.  When it came to the crunch though, they were not prepared to travel to Scotland.  Luckily Graham from Autosound (just outside Edinburgh) stepped up to the mark and came down to my home to do the job for me.

So, the set up is a Manual Volvo V70 SE with Alfred Bekker Right Hand Clutch

Right Hand Clutch - Front

Hand Control

The adaptation does exactly as you would expect it to.  There is a rod attached to the clutch pedal.  This runs up alongside your left leg to about knee level.  It then joins on to a crossbar that passes underneath the steering wheel and ends in a handle just to the right and behind the steering wheel.  To operate, simply pull the lever toward the steering wheel with your right hand.  When you do this, the clutch pedal is pushed in.

The Car

I would guess that normally, it shouldn’t matter too much what type of car an adaptation is fitted to.  However, in this case I think it does.  The Volvo (along with several other makes) has an electric hand brake which releases automatically when you drive off.  From my experience this week, I think having this feature makes using the adaptation a huge amount easier.  That doesn’t mean it’s not possible to use with a traditional hand brake, I’ve not tried, but I think it’s something that should be born in mind.

Using The Clutch

The clutch pedal is the ‘heaviest’ of the three pedals.  It takes a lot more effort to push in the clutch than the accelerator or brake if you’re using your feet and this transfers to the hand controls as well.  In addition, the handle has to travel quite a long way, so it’s a fair ‘pull’ to fully engage the clutch.  If you can manage both of these factors though, it works!  Once I got used to finding the ‘bite point’, it got easier and easier to use.

Driving with the adaptation requires a fair amount of forward planning and encourages you to think ahead (probably not a bad thing).  Changing gear whilst turning a corner is rather difficult, as are slow speed manoeuvers like parking, especially in confined spaces, but the steering ball really helps with this.  It all takes a little getting used to, right down to basic co-ordination of right foot and right hand.  I saw it as a challenge and this seems to have paid off!

Opinion

This adaptation is something that is really going to work well for me.  It allowed us the freedom to choose a bigger car because we could not afford the equivalent automatic and that’s something that suits us and our circumstances.  It was quite a gamble though.  If you have read my earlier post on the subject, you will know that I read about the Right Hand Clutch in a Mobilise magazine article.  I then did a little research on the web but really failed to get much more information.  So, essentially I went into this whole venture blind!

Pulling the handle is quite heavy and therefore requires a degree of right arm strength.  Please bear in mind that I am in my thirties and reasonably fit.  I don’t find it too difficult but many people might.  Using the device needs a degree of re-training.  It is very different to using a clutch pedal and almost as far as you can get from driving an automatic!  The automatic brake and steering ball certainly make life a little easier.

I would strongly recommend that you make an attempt to see this adaptation in use before making up your mind.  If you’re not too far away from me, you’re welcome to pop round!  I really don’t recommend doing what I did.  I was lucky!

Graham from Autosound did a great job of fitting this device but he did admit it was the first one he’d done.  We found that the main rod from the pedal up needed to be shortened slightly.  It also made a big difference where on the pedal the device was attached.  If fitted as low as possible it increases the leverage of the pedal making the ‘pull’ a little easier.

It doesn’t get in the way of my wife driving the car, using the clutch pedal as normal.

Verdict

In my situation, we really couldn’t afford the car that would tick all the boxes.  This has been a good compromise.  It works for us but that doesn’t mean it will work for you!  Overall, I would have preferred the automatic, but needs must……

Pictures

Notes

Both the Right Hand Clutch and the Steering Ball are available as no cost adaptations through Motability.

Questions?  Either use the comments or Contact Me direct.

Related posts:

1. Right Hand Clutch – Update
2. Right Hand Clutch

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