Why Steering Wheels Are More Comfortable Than Joysticks for Off-Road Machine Drivers

When it comes to your off-road machines and steering, you’ve got two ways you can go: custom steering columns and their corresponding parts, or joysticks. This is no small decision, as how your machines handle not only affects job efficiency, but it also impacts how safe your workers can be on the job—and how many, or few, accidents occur.

At BSM North America, we’ve worked with steering columns for years, building custom models for clients and using commercial machining to create pre-made solutions. So take it from us: off-road steering columns are hands-down the more intuitive choice in a variety of respects. We discuss them below.

Custom Steering Columns and Wheels Provide Universally Comfortable Operation

Steering wheels are centered over the console, while joysticks, due to their one-handed usage, must be located off to one side or another to be practical to operate. This can make your off-road machines inherently right or left handed, in a sense. While drivers can perhaps learn to use their less dominant hand to steer, that certainly won’t be comfortable for your workers.

Steering wheel columns and the wheels above them, on the other hand, will have no such problems. Because they are located in the middle of where the driver sits, each hand plays a role in vehicular control, resulting in a less exhausting experience.

Steering Wheels Are Easier on the Body

The fine movements in the wrist required to operate a joystick may lead to overwork and fine-motor fatigue. Though they may require only a small twitch of the wrist to operate, repeatedly straining this fragile area of the human body doesn’t bode well for your workers’ long-term comfort.

Steering wheels, on the other hand, are operated with a large portion of the arm, making them much more natural to turn and thus a more logical choice for your employees both now and down the road.

Steering Wheels Offer Better Control

Of course, feeling comfortable in an off-road machine isn’t just about your driving position—it’s about how in-control the operator feels, too. While it may seem like a joystick would come out on top in this respect, they’re generally far too “touchy” to allow a driver to feel relaxed. Given their extremely limited range of motion, a centimeter of a wrong push can lead to disaster on a joystick-controlled machine.

Steering wheels, thanks to the larger range of motion required to operate them, do not have this issue. They thus allow drivers to feel more at-ease behind the console.

BSM North America: Producers of the Finest Steering Columns and Accessories

If you’re ready to embrace the most comfortable method of controlling an off-road machine, our Burnsville team is ready to customize you a perfect steering solution. Give us a call today at 952-890-8146.