Fuller 9 speed shift pattern

[spardo]

I knew a Roger Hursthouse, but he wasn’t a driver, he was an accountant.
This was in 1960 and he came to do the books in the company where I was a
sales clerk. I suppose he could have changed later, I did, and so did the bloke
he brought with him. He became a teacher and part time driver later becoming
a director/investor in my brother’s and my firm, Marker Transport (Nottm) Ltd…

Ron Dyer’s name rings a bell as well, but I can’t think from where.

Salut, David.

[m1tch]

speedway:
Hi,I posted this on the ‘New and wannabe Truck drivers’ forum but was advised to repost here (thanks moderators) as some of the more, (ahem) mature drivers may be able to help.

I’m rebuilding an old 1930’s fairground ride and as part of which I’ve got an 1980 B series ERF with a ■■■■■■■ 250 engine and what I believe is a Eaton Fuller 9 speed gearbox, but I’m not sure).

There is a pull up elecric air switch on the shift lever to change between low and high range.

I have class 2 licence and have driven modern lorries but have only moved the ERF lorry round the yard.

I believe the gear shift pattern is as follows but not totally sure:

low range

left top - reverse
left bottom - crawler
middle top - first
middle bottom - second
right bottom - third
right top - fourth

high range

middle top - fifth
middle bottom - sixth
right bottom - seventh
right top - eighth

There is no indication of what the shift pattern in in the cab. Can anyone confirm this pattern. Also any advice on shifting gears with this type of gearbox?

Thanks for the replies so far and for those (I hope) yet to come.

If you want to find up more about the ride then check my website at

http://www.ridersofthelostark.co.uk

Im trailing my way through these forums and came across this rather old post, but as I remember driving a ‘V’ reg Leyland Bison Flatbed with this gearbox configuration i felt I should comment on my experiences. It had a clutch brake, which for most of the time broke, but when you got use to just dabbing the clutch to change gear, after you had got it rolling, was actually a really easy gearbox to use.
My first experiences of this where however not so good, I broke the clutch brake, I got a b*llocking and lots of grief from the guv but hey I learned quickly. That was in the late 80s but it was fun, no sleeper and booking into digs…days have certainly changed in my short time of driving HGVs since the mid 80s!

[dave_the_renegade]

I drove a Dodge K series with what was called a direct drive gearbox,which involved moving the gearstick and the button on the stick at the same time.

[wheel_nut]

Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

[carryfast]

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

[trev_h]

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

It was nothing to do with the linkage ! they were 2 different boxes the “w” shift and the “H” shift. Incidentily if you put a gear stick direct (without linkage) into either of these boxes, the gears would be totally back to front.

[wheel_nut]

Trev_H:

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

It was nothing to do with the linkage ! they were 2 different boxes the “w” shift and the “H” shift. Incidentily if you put a gear stick direct (without linkage) into either of these boxes, the gears would be totally back to front.

Now I am doing it, apart from crawler the gearchange in my Fuller equipped ERF, Ford Transcontinental and Saviem were all the same way round as a Ford Cortina and Mini Cooper

[trev_h]

5yrs seems to give you time to reflect on your answer !

[carryfast]

Wheel Nut:

Trev_H:

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

It was nothing to do with the linkage ! they were 2 different boxes the “w” shift and the “H” shift. Incidentily if you put a gear stick direct (without linkage) into either of these boxes, the gears would be totally back to front.

Now I am doing it, apart from crawler the gearchange in my Fuller equipped ERF, Ford Transcontinental and Saviem were all the same way round as a Ford Cortina and Mini Cooper

The Leyland Marathon which I drove was H pattern too if I remember right with the 9 speed fuller in it and the T 45 was too but had the Spicer box not fuller but the difference between the Marathon and the W pattern used in the Fodens and Bedford TM’s was all in the linkage set ups not the boxes Think it might even have been cable linkages on the Foden and Bedford but not the Marathon etc .But the Magi Deutz conventional with a 9 speed Fuller was’nt a reverse H or reverse W it just had the brilliant shift quality of a direct linkage in an ordinary H pattern.

[trev_h]

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:

Trev_H:

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

It was nothing to do with the linkage ! they were 2 different boxes the “w” shift and the “H” shift. Incidentily if you put a gear stick direct (without linkage) into either of these boxes, the gears would be totally back to front.

Now I am doing it, apart from crawler the gearchange in my Fuller equipped ERF, Ford Transcontinental and Saviem were all the same way round as a Ford Cortina and Mini Cooper

The Leyland Marathon which I drove was H pattern too if I remember right with the 9 speed fuller in it and the T 45 was too but had the Spicer box not fuller but the difference between the Marathon and the W pattern used in the Fodens and Bedford TM’s was all in the linkage set ups not the boxes Think it might even have been cable linkages on the Foden and Bedford but not the Marathon etc .But the Magi Deutz conventional with a 9 speed Fuller was’nt a reverse H or reverse W it just had the brilliant shift quality of a direct linkage in an ordinary H pattern.

So why did the W & H pattern boxes have different model numbers, if only the linkage was different?

[mikey1964]

I hope this helps but only you’ll know,

I used a late 70’s ERF back in the mid 80’s and it had a Fuller ‘road ranger’ gear box. I remember the ‘pull up’ for the upper range was a stainless steel handle which you just slid two fingers off the gear knob to grab and pull up.

It was a crash box and I struggled for the first hour as the plate showing the gears was worn out and what I discovered after much crucnching etc was…

As in a normal ‘H’ box you would expect 3rd to be top tight, well in this Fuller box 3rd and 4th are in opposite places, 3rd bottom right and 4th top right and off course this follows when you split up.

I say 3rd and 4th but it all depends if your counting crawler gears of course, but the next two along the range are possibly opposite to what you’d expect

As you may not be certain which box you have you could give this a try, good luck.

Mike

[dave_the_renegade]

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

I wasn’t a member of TNUK in 2006 Wheel Nut,so it is a new topic to me.
Cheers Dave.

[carryfast]

Trev_H:

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:

Trev_H:

Carryfast:

Wheel Nut:
Postby Spardo » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:58 am

Post by Dave the Renegade » Sat May 07, 2011 9:42 pm

This must be a record for a thread revival

But after all that no one seems to have remembered that shift pattern was what differentiated the typical lash up Brit cab over type remote linkage from the one used in conventionals in which it was the usual H pattern that applied.

It was nothing to do with the linkage ! they were 2 different boxes the “w” shift and the “H” shift. Incidentily if you put a gear stick direct (without linkage) into either of these boxes, the gears would be totally back to front.

Now I am doing it, apart from crawler the gearchange in my Fuller equipped ERF, Ford Transcontinental and Saviem were all the same way round as a Ford Cortina and Mini Cooper

The Leyland Marathon which I drove was H pattern too if I remember right with the 9 speed fuller in it and the T 45 was too but had the Spicer box not fuller but the difference between the Marathon and the W pattern used in the Fodens and Bedford TM’s was all in the linkage set ups not the boxes Think it might even have been cable linkages on the Foden and Bedford but not the Marathon etc .But the Magi Deutz conventional with a 9 speed Fuller was’nt a reverse H or reverse W it just had the brilliant shift quality of a direct linkage in an ordinary H pattern.

So why did the W & H pattern boxes have different model numbers, if only the linkage was different?

It’s all a long time ago and I’m only going by memory and was never involved with building any trucks with fuller box installations.But I’d say that it would be a good guess that different part numbers on W type shift pattern boxes would have differentiated the 9 speed used with the cab over cable lash up type linkages and all the rest because it’s obvious that the cable operated types would need a different type of selector input at the box .Although having said that it’s not all the Brits fault for using cab overs with that diabolical set up on the TM and Foden etc because Kenworth also used it on theirs apparently so it was probably a yank idea not ours .

[remy]

Fear not you people, the Fuller roadranger lives on, we have the 10 speed in all our lorries
We call the crawler gear 1’st , but it’s not used much, but then it becomes 6’th in high range with a normal H pattern.
It’s still a popular gearbox for big fleets.

[sammyopisite]

No one as mentioned the 13 speed fuller in the MANs as the early ones were column change and the fuller was only bettered by the twin splitter. There was also the heavy haulage fuller box which was 15 speed and the layout was 5 over 5 and then a switch for the bottom 5 deep reduction and “Cambro’s” of Chesterfield had a 6x4 Atkinson with the 15 speed fuller and an auxiliary 4 speed box box giving it a possible 60 forward gears.

[carryfast]

sammyopisite:
No one as mentioned the 13 speed fuller in the MANs as the early ones were column change and the fuller was only bettered by the twin splitter.

Did’nt drive anything earlier than an early 1980’s MAN with the 13 speed fuller but that just used the usual H pattern type gearshift with the usual range change and splitter but it’s arguable as to wether the twin splitter could have been ‘better’ than that .

[broadslide]

sammyopisite:
No one as mentioned the 13 speed fuller in the MANs as the early ones were column change and the fuller was only bettered by the twin splitter. There was also the heavy haulage fuller box which was 15 speed and the layout was 5 over 5 and then a switch for the bottom 5 deep reduction and “Cambro’s” of Chesterfield had a 6x4 Atkinson with the 15 speed fuller and an auxiliary 4 speed box box giving it a possible 60 forward gears.

I think the MAN and Saviem column change were based on the ZF 6 speed + splitter. Will stand to be corrected though.

[sammyopisite]

Broadslide:

sammyopisite:
No one as mentioned the 13 speed fuller in the MANs as the early ones were column change and the fuller was only bettered by the twin splitter. There was also the heavy haulage fuller box which was 15 speed and the layout was 5 over 5 and then a switch for the bottom 5 deep reduction and “Cambro’s” of Chesterfield had a 6x4 Atkinson with the 15 speed fuller and an auxiliary 4 speed box box giving it a possible 60 forward gears.

I think the MAN and Saviem column change were based on the ZF 6 speed + splitter. Will stand to be corrected though.

Yes broadside the first MANs and Saviems were Zf 6 speed + splitter I am not sure when MAN fitted the fuller it was either when they went to a 280 from the 240 or may have been when they went to 320 they then went to a floor mounted installation as I recall they thought it would be more driver friendly.I am sure that Steve “mushroomman” will know as he worked for Dow who ran a lot of MANs around that time.

[ramone]

I`m sure the 9 speed Fuller box i had in a 1984 Foden was a straight forward “H” pattern, i drove a few 13 speed Fullers in Ivecos they were “H” patterns too with the top 4 split

[sammyopisite]

ramone:
I`m sure the 9 speed Fuller box i had in a 1984 Foden was a straight forward “H” pattern, i drove a few 13 speed Fullers in Ivecos they were “H” patterns too with the top 4 split

ramone I have driven S/As with the “H” pattens ,the four corner patten and both those pattens reversed so that you went away from you to change up so they must have being trying to confuse the driver and succeeded sometimes. Scammell always fitted the 4 corner patten in the crusaders and the Samson. The MANs I drove only had the 4 corner patten but it was around 30 years ago and reading other members posts it seems as if they just just installed them as they thought fit at the time.