Right Tuesday, went out to work got in the wagon, done all me checks etc etc, noticed that the setup of the gearbox was a little strange!!! STRANGE is an understatement. Now i’ve read you guys talking about em on here, so when it finally clicked what it was i was kinda trawling back through my memory remembering all the pointers. Got it in me head that it would be simple!!! Chuckles, i made it sing all the way to Park Royal and all the way back, i was fighting to the max!
Right so here was what i was doing! Don’t Laff and don’t scream at me!
I was empty running up and pulling away in 7th position, not a probl;em going up the box, was flicking the switch up adjusting the revs and it would change up nicely. However going down the box was a nightmare, couldn’t adjust the revs to the point that would let it change and going from 4th position to 3rd was ny on impossible!
When i got back i told the TM not to give me the a wagon with an eaton in it, if i ever get one again i will flatly refuse to drive unless someone shows me correctly how to drive the dam thing.
Did look for the shunter, but as usual he was hiding in a cab asleep somewhere!
Cut my Class 1 teeth on an Eaton twin split,and in my opinion,there is no finer gearbox.It’s a shame that they are not built for the UK market anymore,due to emission control.(■■? )
We have about 5 older ERF’s in our yard,all on local shunt duties,and all with the Eaton box,and if they’ve been called upon to do delivery duties during the day,then yes,you’ve guessed it,I have to give drivers a lesson in how to use them.
Makes a nice change from our semi automatic Renaults.
Tip number 1 is don’t use the clutch unless you are stopping/starting.
When changing gear using the switch, flick the switch then ease off the throttle until it changes then re-apply the power. When moving the lever, ease off the power, and slide the lever through the gate. If you are doing it right, it should go like a knife through butter.
As the others say, once you have mastered it, you won’t want touch any other type of gearbox.
I have about 1.5 million miles on eaton crashboxes, mostly 9 and 10 speed. Yeah, they take a little getting used to, but once you learn how to follow the “400 rpm rule”, you’ll never miss a gear.
Eaton-Fuller is till very much alive and well, and is probably the largest manufacturer of truck transmissions in the world. You guys over there don’t see them much because so few of you understand how to shift them, having been spoiled with syncho transmissions for the last 30 years.
If you think an Eaton Fuller is hard to shift, try a Mack MaxiDyne or twin-stick transmission!
I,ve never driven one and would not want to, give me synchromesh and a clutch any day , the day i have to be taught how to use a gearbox is the day i stop driving trucks ( no offence meant tiggz)!!!.
Although i do change gear a lot without the clutch i dont fancy going back to the middle ages, when these days we are going forwards.
I occasionally drive automatice trucks and once you drive them there really is no going back get it up to 10 mph hit the cruise control, let it do ALL the work then sit back and concentrate on the more important things in driving like what radio show to listen to, what sandwiches my love has made for me tonight and…OH YEH looking in the mirror occasionally…
I have an Eaton / Fuller 13 speed and believe me It in no way compares with a twin splitter (which I’ve never seen over here) Once moving it is totally clutchless and from 1 to 12 only takes 4 lever movements, the splitter controls three gears in each lever position, once on a highway you could varry your speed from about 25 mph to top speed without ever moving the stick
As was written previously…one of the finest gearboxes ever built…i had one matched with a big cam ■■■■■■■■■■■ finest combination ever built for clutch free motoring…sorts the men out from the boys…once you have mastered it
enough said really
have a nice day (a crunch free one)
Best gearbox ever - just take your time with it - the button has 3 positons adn 4 main positions .
Think of it as 3 splitts on each main gear.
Set off using the clutch then only use the clutch when you are stopping.
Slot it into positon 1 - button in position 1 to set off loaded.
Building up speed/revs - move button to position 2, back off the throttle and then apply throttle again and it will have changed.
Do the same to position 3.
To move a whole position put the position switch back to 1 back off the throttle and move the lever to position 2. - then just contine.
Best gearbox in the world, the reason it has been discontinued is for noise pollution, tested by drive by noise. Its a straight cut box which do make more noise, I dont mean the crunching
As said, only depress the clutch to select a gear from standstill and when stopping, but even then you can nust knock it out of gear as you are nearly stopped.
Try 1st gear and hi range = position 3 on the switch or 2nd gear and low range = position 1… then push to switch to 3 and let your foot off the gas.
Its like juggling,its simple once you get it right.
If you need to change up you can use the switch to make 2 changes and then once you are in hi, move the stick to the next position while selecting 1 on the switch. Its a lot easier to do than it is to write
You will soon get it and then you can learn the bunny hop and jump from 3rd hi to 4th intermediate which equates to 11th
The first one I drove I was wondering what all the fuss was about, it was one of the smoothest gearbox’s I had used but just felt wrong. The second one what all the noise was about, could I get it into gear, could I zb, still I only had to deliver it, so I did’t give a zb.
On the third drive it all fell into place, smooth, quiet & relaxed, I was hooked.
AlexxInNY:
If you think an Eaton Fuller is hard to shift, try a Mack MaxiDyne or twin-stick transmission!
Eaton Fullers are a walk in the park. Try one of the old David Brown Boxes as fitted in old ERF’s, Atkinson’s etc. You will have enough time between each gearchange for a cup of tea! Try to rush it and you soon come to a standstill.
I’ve got to agree…I learnt to drive (here’s my hippie past showing itself) in an old 1950s BMC FG350 called Rita…then moved onto…a 1960s Leyland ( ) FG550 called Harriet…before graduating to a 1950s Fordson Thames 4d (diesel version of a Costcutter, for the anoraks amongst you) called Mabel…now they were proper CRASH boxes - I always reckoned you had to triple-declutch Mabel…you know…clutch-out of gear; clutch-swear whilst trying for gear of your choosing; clutch-into gear of her choosing.
From there, via a short foray in rigids, I got an old Foden 3300 unit (on nights out! TOO small!) with a Fuller Roadranger 13 to cut my HGV teeth in…and it was a dream, being Constant Mesh rather than Crash…so much so that moving onto an EC11 with twin-split was heaven!!!
For the record…then it was a twin-split in an Iveco( not so good, didn’t suit the engine as well as the ■■■■■■■■■■■ high revving), then synchro boxes, 12 to 16-speed, slapover and switch gate, H- and h- gate, with and without splitters (boring) followed by my current Eurotronic, first with a 12, now a 16-speed (just plain lazy…and very nice it is too…chucks hissy-fits and everything!!! )…so I’ve had a crack at most things “gearbox”…and I’d still give 'em all back for that twin-splitter/■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ drivetrain…
Beware though…for the unwary there are 12 “neutrals”…and you will find them all, usually when you least want to!
Ps.Apologies for rambling-trip-down-Memory-Lane-type-post…got carried away…
Rikki has just reminded me…must be rod-linkage, not cable…the same drivetrain in a Sed-Ack Strato was crap…entirely because of this. And quite right he is too!
AlexxInNY:
If you think an Eaton Fuller is hard to shift, try a Mack MaxiDyne or twin-stick transmission!
Eaton Fullers are a walk in the park. Try one of the old David Brown Boxes as fitted in old ERF’s, Atkinson’s etc. You will have enough time between each gearchange for a cup of tea! Try to rush it and you soon come to a standstill.
Thats the truth, I had a borderer with a 180 in and a 6 speed db running at “around” 32 ton, bulk tippers in the early 80,s ya know! Those db’s I think are a true crash aint they KV? fullers are constant mesh, there is a difference, and like you say, miss time it and youre toast on a steep hill! Mad as it seems, a 150 powered one was a bit better because the db6 speed was coupled with a two speed back end. The David brown i reckon had the lightest stick of anything. One of the heaviest sticks was a mandator I drove av760 and that six speed box, it was horrible, I think they flung the same box in the routemans as well. The Buffalo Mk11 with a tl12 in had a straight six as well, but that was very light!
The co-op milk and the the bread when I was there in the early to mid 1970’s ran fg550’s, twin back wheel on the 550’s. I loved em when I was a rounds-kid, the electircars were slow, and v.cold! Before the fg’s were the old austin and morris ld cabbed ones, with sliding doors! I was seduced away though to unigate, as they had those commer walkthroughs excellent! Good memories!
once you get used to it you will want to keep it for life 
)
It in no way compares with a twin splitter (which I’ve never seen over here) 
)…so I’ve had a crack at most things “gearbox”…and I’d still give 'em all back for that twin-splitter/■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ drivetrain… 
