on monday i’m doing a job on the 8 wheeler, foden with eaton twin splitter.
I have never driven with this box and heard loads of different tales (best/worst box in the world) so i’m just after a bit of advice (gear layout etc).
I’ve done a search but could only really find different ppl telling off their experience.
any help greatly appreciated.
its a 12 speed box 3 over 4
its a box that wont be rushed
ask the owner if it has a clutch brake and for other tricks
with practice you wont need the clutch
but when you do
apply double de clutching practice
when rolling
clutch down engage neutral …then clutch down engage gear
i love wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutch
hitch:
its a 12 speed box 3 over 4
its a box that wont be rushed
ask the owner if it has a clutch brake and for other trickswith practice you wont need the clutch
but when you do
apply double de clutching practicewhen rolling
clutch down engage neutral …then clutch down engage geari love wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutch
Just to add to my learned friends post the clutch brake is where you clutch down then push the clutch a little harder, you’ll know that the clutch brake has done its job if when you engage gear the 'box wont crunch. These boxes are a ‘marmite’ box, you love 'em or hate 'em. I personally love 'em.
Have a look at this vid mate and watch the guys gear changing.
youtube.com/watch?v=c8kfwXKN … re=related
Sorry for being so geeky on a Saturday morning but bodyclock has got me up.
Another fan of what is arguably the best gearbox ever made for a truck. They’re virtually indestructible.
I cut my teeth on them not long after passing my test, and was a maker of “I’ll name that tune in 1” until I mastered it. Absolutely fabulous, and as has been said, don’t try and rush it, or it’ll bite you on the arse.
Ken.
It’s a 12 speed box in an ‘H’ pattern. First is top left, second is bottom left, third is top right and fourth bottom - like any 4 speed box. However, each gear can be split twice, hence, twin splitter. On top of the gearstick is a switch with three settings, ‘I’, ‘II’ and ‘III’. If, for example, you started in second gear with the switch in the ‘I’ position, you would split once into ‘II’ and split again into ‘III’.
When I drove ERF E14s (and the various flavours of ECs) I would start in either first gear ‘III’ or second gear ‘II’ depending on how heavy the truck was, then block change to third ‘I’, block change to third ‘III’ and then use each individual split in fourth.
DO NOT RUSH THE GEARBOX! Rush the box and you won’t find any gear! Use the clutch to start off and stop, always change gear in the ‘green’ on the rev counter. When you split the box (going up the box), preselect the switch, foot off the accelerator and foot back on, it changes automatically. Actually changing gear (going up the box), preselect the switch, foot off accelerator, move the gearstick to neutral and then into required gear (in two brief movements) and foot back on. Coming down the box, foot off accelerator, move the gearstick into neutral, give it a quick blip on the accelerator and move the gearstick into the required position.
If you use the clutch, the clutch has two positions. Push the clutch down until it stops and then you can push it a little further ‘on the rubber’, this is especially useful for troublesome gears. You’ll feel the ‘rubber’, through your leg, at the end of the clutch travel. Use the gearbox like any other 4 speed going up the box, don’t rev between gears, double declutch on the way down.
However, having said all that, each gearbox has a personality of it’s own…
Bob
And when your stood still and you push the clutch down as far as it will go, you will hear the clutch brake engage.
It’s a sort of loud rumbling noise.
Ken.
Quinny:
Another fan of what is arguably the best gearbox ever made for a truck. They’re virtually indestructible.I cut my teeth on them not long after passing my test, and was a maker of “I’ll name that tune in 1” until I mastered it. Absolutely fabulous, and as has been said, don’t try and rush it, or it’ll bite you on the arse.
Ken.
I was the same,my first truck after passing my test was an ERF EC10 Celect. Could play Bonemian Raphsody on it `till I got used to it.
My mate showed me how to get a quick gear for when loaded and needing to drop down, basically he would pull the gear lever to neutral split it then push it back in, all in a split second, never missed a gear but don`t think it did the box any good in the long run.
dowahdiddyman:
My mate showed me how to get a quick gear for when loaded and needing to drop down, basically he would pull the gear lever to neutral split it then push it back in, all in a split second, never missed a gear but don`t think it did the box any good in the long run.
That’s how to do it.
I used to give a quick blip of the throttle to bring the engine speed up to the road speed when I used to drive them, and they were as smooth as silk when dropping down.
Ken.
um yeah basicly what they said. all i can add is that if during a gear change you hit a neutral , & believe me you will ,dont panic & try clutching to get a gear , much better to come to a halt & start off again . just hope you get a good box to play with , if you get a bad one it’ll be a gearbox you’ll hate .
we had them hauling tankers, EC11’s they were all identical but each one was a different beast to drive
The only thing i would add is you don’t need the clutch when downshifting within the same ‘gear’. Pre select the switch position and blip the throttle. Just make sure you give it enough so that the engine speed matches the road speed.
Agree with everything said. The attached may help - but in all probability it will confuse. Just stir the gears, make music and enjoy. It’s what driving’ is all about. A bit like riding a six-speed motorbike and wondering what gear you’re in.
paulfromwire:
hitch:
its a 12 speed box 3 over 4
its a box that wont be rushed
ask the owner if it has a clutch brake and for other trickswith practice you wont need the clutch
but when you do
apply double de clutching practicewhen rolling
clutch down engage neutral …then clutch down engage geari love wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutchJust to add to my learned friends post the clutch brake is where you clutch down then push the clutch a little harder, you’ll know that the clutch brake has done its job if when you engage gear the 'box wont crunch. These boxes are a ‘marmite’ box, you love 'em or hate 'em. I personally love 'em.
Marmite box…like that. Nothing much to add about Eaton twins. I did a driving assesment for one of the agencies I used to drive for in an ERF with an Eaton twin -splitter, and the guy really showed me the in’s and out’s of it. As already stated, you cannot rush this box, it’s 12 speed and it’s got 12 neutrals if you fluff a gear change! No clutch needed,(most of the time) 
you just pre-select your gear/split position, then lift off the throttle till the revs drop to around 900, PAUSE, then step on the loud pedal again. Try going round the block empty first, and then you’ll be better prepared for it when you’re loaded. I’ve driven one or two in my little experience, and it seems to me that each one has a few vagaries peculiar to it. The first time I drove one in anger I had 26 ton of bagged aggregates on the trailer, on a hot day, it wasn’t much fun at first, but after I’d got tipped and was on my way back for another load, well, I got better used to it. I was told later(after 2 days) that that particular one was the worst one they had! Personally though, it gives your left leg a nice rest, so yes, I like 'em, even driving around London 
One other thing, if you can’t get reverse without playing a tune put it in the 1st gear position and then go straight to reverse while your foot is still on the clutch. That should silence the orchestra.
Double post
hitch:
its a 12 speed box 3 over 4
its a box that wont be rushed
ask the owner if it has a clutch brake and for other trickswith practice you wont need the clutch
but when you do
apply double de clutching practicewhen rolling
clutch down engage neutral …then clutch down engage geari love wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutch
It a 12 speed box with 4 gear positions and two splitters.
It is a very quick box
you only need the clutch to start off
the advertising bumf was Hull to Dover without shifting 
Start off in second intermediate for instance, flick the button to low and shove the stick into third, then low medium and high will change by just lifting off the power, by the end of the week you will be bunny hopping
When you have mastered the items below then your onto a winner.
Fully freighted hill starts (anybody else remember head butting the roof)
Your first fully freighted climb, 2nd low to first high 
Your first bunny hop 
Dicovering that if you press the clutch all the way down it stops that clunking,when you put it in gear.
Reversed in high. 
Some of the jobs I have had with a twin splitter include…
6 months on a ERF A-frame wag n drag (sweaty palms 4 a couple of months)
Browns of Stoke on agency, he has still got some old stuff now.
I drove a few Iveco as well, remember them.
I got to say its my 2nd favourite box now.
My number 1 nowadays is Volvos i drive.
Dave Humphries:
Agree with everything said. The attached may help - but in all probability it will confuse. Just stir the gears, make music and enjoy. It’s what driving’ is all about. A bit like riding a six-speed motorbike and wondering what gear you’re in.
Yep, clear as mud 
It’s one of them things that’s easier to do than read about
Charles
I’m with Wheelnut, a twin splitter is not a slow gearbox, if you do it right there’s no faster gearchange on the planet.
Only use the clutch brake when engaging your starting gear, possibly when changing up on a steep hill, but never when changing down, it’ll destroy it if you do.
You really need to drive by ear or the rev counter to get the best from them, depending on whether you’re going up 1 or 2 gears at a time, you just have to get the revs right, approx 300rpm difference between single splits, 600rpm between double splits, so if you take it up to 1500rpm and change up one gear, it will slide in like a knife through butter when the revs hit 1200rpm, it’s the same but the other way around for down shifts, raise the rpms accordingly between the previous gear and the next and you’ll be fine.
Bunnyhopping, or pulling it back into neutral between each shift, guarantees no false neutrals and will give you an impossibly fast upshift, if you’re used to synchro boxes you’ll soon see why people are so fond of this box.
It does however have the ability to make you look like a complete idiot, so as you’re getting used to it don’t put anything on the shelves above the windscreen, they’ll be hitting you on the head at some point if you do
Thanks for all the advice.
sounds like im gonna have a great day, it’ll be an experience if nothing else.