A brodie knob (alternative spelling: brody knob) is a doorknob-shaped handle that attaches to the steering wheel of an automobile or other vehicle or equipment with a steering wheel. Other names for this knob include suicide, necker, granny, knuckle buster, and wheel spinner. Design and use The device is a small, independently rotating knob (similar to a U.S. classic door knob) facing the driver that is securely mounted on the outside rim of a steering wheel. The protruding knob is an aftermarket accessory. The free rotation is intended to help make steering with one hand easier or faster. Older automobiles without a power-assisted steering system tended to have heavy and slow responses requiring hand-over-hand turning of the wheel by the driver and the knob allowed the driver to "crank" the steering wheel to make faster turns. Brodie knobs were popular on trucks and tractors before the advent of power steering. Their main use today is still in trucks, particularly semi trucks, where they allow simultaneous steering and operation of the radio or gearshift. They are also used on forklifts, farm tractors, construction equipment, riding lawnmowers, and ice resurfacers, where frequent sharp turning is required. The knobs are sometimes installed as an aftermarket accessory on farm and commercial tractors, their main purpose being to ease one-handed steering while the driver operates other controls with the other hand or is moving in reverse. Some boats are equipped with a helm featuring a stainless-steel wheel with a brodie knob. Etymology and disadvantages The "Steering Wheel Spinner Knob" was invented by Joel R. Thorp of Wisconsin in 1936. The Brodie name is a reference to Steve Brodie and was meant to describe all manner of reckless stunts. The device allows the driver to turn the steering wheel quickly from fully one side to the other making it possible to make cars "spin like a top" on snow-covered streets, but also causes drivers to oversteer at speed because of the reduced driver's feel for the car's steering system and the road. The device is often called a "suicide knob" because of being notoriously useless for controlling the wheel during an emergency. It is also called a "knuckle buster" because of the disadvantage posed by the knob when letting go of the steering wheel after going around a corner, the wheel spins rapidly and the knob can hit the user's knuckle, forearm, or elbow. If the