Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals - what to do with them?

[Raven Morpheus]

Hey all

 

A month or so ago I bought a set of Saitek Rudder Pedals from Amazon. These ones - http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/pedals.html

 

 

I have a wooden "sit on" rig that I've built kind of as a dual purpose rig, to hold my X52 pro and pedals still, and also to attach a sim racing wheel/pedals to (Logitech DFGT).

 

After using the rudder pedals a few times I have come to the conclusion that they are just too big for me in general, I only have size 6 feet, I'm only 5'3" tall, and I seem to have to sit with my toes on the forward edge of the pedals with my legs bent as though I'm a woman giving birth just so that I can push them!! I've considered elevating the pedals to about a 45 degree angle to lessen my leg angle and/or allow me to put my whole foot on the pedal itself, but I don't think that would make much of a difference and I'm not sure they would still slide as I'd be pushing the slider more upwards. Basically I think no matter how I position them I'll always be sat in an uncomfortable position.

 

Obviously I can't send them back stating "they're too big and not positioned correctly for me" and ask for a refund because that just won't, or is unlikely to, happen. So, what can I do with them?

 

I'm not sure if it would make a difference but is it possible to take the pedals off and replace them with smaller pedals (like the Saitek combat version where the edge of the pedal starts at just about where the post that moves back and forth is and the pedal itself seems more upright)? If so where would I get hold of such smaller pedals without buying the Saitek Combat Rudder pedals set?

 

Or should I just sell them on ebay and hope that someone (preferably in the UK to keep shipping costs down) buys them?

Edited August 19, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[aeliusg]

Can you lower the seat?

[Raven Morpheus]

No. It's not really a seat. It's a couple of planks of wood that I sit on one end of. I built it that way because primarily I do my gaming in front of my monitor and my monitor is alongside my bed, so I needed something I could sit on top of on my bed.

[aeliusg]

You could build a box for the pedals to go on top of then. I'm actually not sure what's going on with your setup now. Are the pedals too long? It looks like you can adjust them. You're saying they're too big, but it sounds like your rig is too cramped for you because you have to put your legs up. Also you could think about a slight incline because flight seats are usually tilted up 30 degrees or so, since your seat is flat you can tilt the pedals instead.

[Raven Morpheus]

Well lets put it this way, if I actually put my feet onto the pedals like you're supposed to I can't push the pedals because I don't have enough of a bend in my legs to do so.

 

Currently I have the pedals positioned so that I push them from the front of the pedal with my toes/ball of my feet area. My toes are where the heel of a persons foot should go on the pedal.

 

If I push the pedals back away from me any more then my feet won't reach the pedals. If I move them more towards me I'm in even more of a "giving birth" position.

 

I've been considering inclining them, but as I said I'm not sure it would help because It'd make it harder to push them as I'm pushing more upwards than just back and forth.

 

In general I think that particular set of pedals is a bad design for my needs. My Logitech DFGT pedals (car racing pedals) I have positioned fairly well, albeit with a slight bend in my legs, but they are smaller and my legs aren't as bent as when I use my rudder pedals, in fact with a bolster cushion under my knees it's fairly comfortable. I also don't have to push them with the whole of my leg to use them. That's how I'd like to get my rudder pedals setup, but I don't think that's possible with the Saitek Pro Flight rudder pedals, I'd have been better off I think with the combat pedals, but even then thinking about it I guess I'd still have to have my legs very bent in order to push them.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[cichlidfan]

The problem appears to be that your seat is too tall for you to use the pedals the way they were intended, which is from a lower seating position and with the pedals some distance away from the base of your 'chair'. The combat pedals may work slightly better for you but they are still designed to be farther out in front of you.

[Raven Morpheus]

The problem appears to be that your seat is too tall for you to use the pedals the way they were intended,

 

No, it's not.

 

As I've said -

 

It's a couple of planks of wood that I sit on one end of

 

Imagine it as though you are sitting on a plank of wood with the pedals bolted flat to one end of the plank and you are sitting on the other end of the plank.

 

That's how I sit.

 

There is no chair involved.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[cichlidfan]

No, it's not.

 

OK.

[Raven Morpheus]

I also think they're too wide apart for me (hence the "giving birth" position remarks). The Saitek combat rudder pedals would also be the same I think.

 

Looking around I think I might have been better off getting a set of CH rudder pedals, because the pedals are only 5" apart as opposed to 8 or so on the Saitek rudder pedals.

 

I think I'll stick mine on ebay if putting them at an incline doesn't work.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Raven Morpheus

[aeliusg]

I get it now. Well, you should build a box to put them on since you have the woodworking skills. In aircraft the bottom of the pedals pedals are more in line with your bottom and you have the forward and backward thing, unlike in most chairs and your plank seat, which is what Cichlidfan and I were getting at. If you can raise them it would give you the extra range of motion in your legs.

 

Edit: also the CH Pedals are supposed to travel even farther, even though they're spaced closer together.

 

If you're willing to wait a while and deal with international stuff, maybe you can try these pedals from VKB: http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/4709-vkb-t-rudder/

 

I still think you should raise the base of the pedals though.

[Raven Morpheus]

Wow yeah those VKB pedals would be perfect for me. I wonder if they will be able to incorporate toe brakes.

[aeliusg]

No toe brakes unfortunately, I asked myself.

[Thick8]

You could put a piece of wedge shaped wood on each pedal. the narrow end at the heal and the thick end at the toe. this will change the angle to better suit your body size and position. you could also make the blocks wider than the pedals and put the overhanging portion towards the inside of the pedal which will position your feet closer together. drilling some holes in the blocks will allow you to attached then to the pedals with cable ties.

[98abaile]

Adjust your curves so that the rudder maxes out before it reaches full travel.