r slicker:
wilson epicyclic and coventry self changing gears.
the wilson box was definatly tried in a aec as for csg im not 100% if this was a bus only aplication. the wilson box was normally for coaches maybe someone can enlighten me on the use of a wilson “air change” box in a aec ■■
The Wilson epicyclic,or Pre select gearbox,was used in several pre war cars,Daimlers and Rileys to name a couple,but I learned to use it in the army as the armoured cars of the mid '60’s used them.
In the Saladin armoured car it was coupled up to a Rolls Royce B80 straight 8 petrol engine.
This is the beast:
Just before I left the service,I became a driving instructor on the then new Chieftain tank which had the 6 speed Self Change Gears 'box in.This was behind a Leyland L60 2 stroke multifuel engine.(Turned out to be a very unreliable engine)!
I always liked the fuller 13 speed lovley light fast changes and no clutch on the move. They were much smoother than the zf box in my firms new MANs and dafs even in a foden 4000 with a set of worn cables. Does anyone know why fullers and eaton twin splitters were dropped in european trucks.
Does anyone on here have experince of the early automated gearboxes from the 80s and 90s. There was obvisouly merc EPS but there was volvo geartronic an eaton one scania CAG and i think there was one on the early magnums.
kr79:
I always liked the fuller 13 speed lovley light fast changes and no clutch on the move. They were much smoother than the zf box in my firms new MANs and dafs even in a foden 4000 with a set of worn cables. Does anyone know why fullers and eaton twin splitters were dropped in european trucks.
I think the Twin Splitter was dropped beacuse of noise regulations didn’t meet drive by tests.
kr79:
I always liked the fuller 13 speed lovley light fast changes and no clutch on the move. They were much smoother than the zf box in my firms new MANs and dafs even in a foden 4000 with a set of worn cables. Does anyone know why fullers and eaton twin splitters were dropped in european trucks.
Does anyone on here have experince of the early automated gearboxes from the 80s and 90s. There was obvisouly merc EPS but there was volvo geartronic an eaton one scania CAG and i think there was one on the early magnums.
I tried EPS when they first came out - would that have been the late 80s? Hated it.
Bowker had a prototype Geartronic F12 on a K plate, LHD, and which was a good machine. Good enough to order a batch of production Geartronic FL10s, in fact. The first one came, on an L-plate, and was a total disaster for most of its life. As a result, the rest of the order was converted to manual but the first came through as a Geartronic. It was as good as gold for the whole time they had it! I quite liked it to drive, it was smooth and fairly predictable.
The only trip I ever did in a Mack was a recovery job when I was on for chapman and Ball.
I can’t be sure what the 'box was,but it was supposed to be a 7 speed(?)
That was the best range of equally spaced gears you could use,and the engine,(Maxydyne) was torquey enough to live with that number, but there was a few more in there if you played around.
kr79:
I always liked the fuller 13 speed lovley light fast changes and no clutch on the move. They were much smoother than the zf box in my firms new MANs and dafs even in a foden 4000 with a set of worn cables. Does anyone know why fullers and eaton twin splitters were dropped in european trucks.
Does anyone on here have experince of the early automated gearboxes from the 80s and 90s. There was obvisouly merc EPS but there was volvo geartronic an eaton one scania CAG and i think there was one on the early magnums.
After learning how to wrestle the 13 speed Fuller column change in the 1977 M.A.N. 280 I ended up getting quite fond of it.
Another advantage was that you could slide easily over to the passenger side to put the kettle on .
Hi In 43 years of truck driving I’ve used most types of gearbox from sychro boxes in TK & Km Bedfords -6 speed DB’s in Guys & Atki’s -Scammell gate change- 9 &13 &16 Spd Fullers (including a round the corner change)through to a new Scania (BLOODY HORRIBLE) an I shift Volvo and auto Renault Premium (the best auto)
The best had to be Fullers, but its true that they were too noisy for modern trucks also drivers allegedly could not handle them hence the development of the 16 speed Eaton Fuller synchro - not a good box.
The worst of all by a 100 miles had to be the ‘chinese’ ZF in a Daf 2800 DKS also fitted in MAN’s with column change, I owned the Daf for a few months some days I could not change smoothly at all other days I thought I had got the hang of it only for it to bite me at the most inopportune moment, like diving into a roundabout I hated it with a vengeance
A story about the Scammell gate change:- for those who do not know you have to change up holding the lever to the right hand side of the gate and hold it to the left when changing down. Every gear had to be used as it was not possible to cross the gate, if approaching a roundabout or traffic lights you had to change down as you slowed down, if not and a gap appeared or the lights changed you had to stop and go down through the gate to find first, when set up right it was a lovely change.
One day I had filled up in my local garage and was in side talking to the garage owner when a friend of mine who owned a TK pulled in with his brother.They saw my truck unattended and jumped in it and drove off (pre HGV) about 20 minutes later they crept back in doing about 10MPH got out and sheepishly said they had broke the gearbox. I had an idea what had happened so I gave them a good boll****** and got in to find it was stuck in something like 3rd with the lever in 6th, I moved the lever back to first told them boys shouldn’t play with mens trucks and drove off
Gavin
mushroomman:
After learning how to wrestle the 13 speed Fuller column change in the 1977 M.A.N. 280 I ended up getting quite fond of it.
Another advantage was that you could slide easily over to the passenger side to put the kettle on .
I once drove a vauxhall midi van with a 5speed colum change and that was bad enough. I think a fuller and colum change would leave me making noises like someone learning the bagpipes.
Warren T. Claim:
What gearboxes have largely disappeared from usage today that you miss. Also what was the best and worst type of box of old? Also what was the box where you had to twist the gearknob?
God i want the Twin Splitter back.
the box where you twisted the gear knob im pretty sure you mean the Old Daf 95 with the 16 speed eaton with the twist and lift collar twist for the split lift for the range change.
i loved the twinsplitter box,i had two trucks fitted with it,the first one was a erf,and this was great truck to drive,the second was a m a n fitted with it,sadly it didnt seem to suit the man as well as it did the erf.but it is still the best gearbox i have used over the years,if used correctly.
My first tractor unit had a 13 speed fuller, I loved it once I’d mastered(?) it, played many a game of “name that tune” to start with though!
The worst in my opinion was the EPS on a merc I drove for a couple of years. Hated it. Used to get stuck in 4th after heavy rain, including just after entering the 'Blanc (must’ve been the condensation build up). The only way to clear it was to stop and do the “reset” procedure on it. It never changed quite quick enough either, especially when you were fully freighted going up a climb, you always ended up further down the box than you needed. In fairness it was probably bad driving too!!
My favourite was the ZF 16 speed in my MAN, smooth, quick and easy. Lovely box.
One of the other quirks with the old EPS box was its habit of dropping into neutral on the overrun. Not nice when you’re fully freighted and not expecting it!
After leaving Elliotts heavy haulage and starting at Flowers of York in 1971 my first job was in the warehouse, shunting, sheeting and roping and driving the fork lift. My obvious ambition was to become a lorry driver and I had already served part of my apprentice at Elliotts so I was familiar with Foden 12 speed and 5 speed boxes. At the York depot we had an S21 Foden 6x4 wrecker with a 180 Gardner and the 5 speed box with super low on 1st and reverse. Returning from a breakdown job one day the 2 mechanics informed that they were most disappointed with the Fodens perfomance when it would not pull a partially loaded artic up Leven Bank near Yarm in Cleveland. They were adament that they had used bottom gear but the Foden had been unable to cope with the climb, (even today I won’t hear a bad word said about Fodens, or their gearboxes so I wasn’t convinced) So I climbed into the Foden and selected super low 1st and set off up the garage with a load of revs on but not much speed, I then stopped and selected super low reverse and brought the Foden back to the start positon. The 2 mechanics just looked at each other with their gobs wide open and then asked me where had I got those lower gears from so I proudly showed them. Bloody good gearboxes those Fodens had and you either loved them or hated them and I loved them then and still love them today with my old S20 6x4 tractor !
regards doublereduction.
They were certainly a good box Tony, I passed my test on a 1967 Foden 8 legger with 12 speed at Slater’s Transport. The instructor said to just use the 4 gears in direct during the test or else you will only make a ba**s up of it, ha ha! Sorted all the rest of the cogs out on S50, S39, S80 and 83’s during my years with Tilcon as well as repairing plenty of them!
Hiya i had a new Roadtrain(f reg 1988)well was i excited Yuk i already had a 2800 DAF.I was to be in the yard for instruction (at 9am i got their at 12.30)
on this new fangel twin splitter. Oh quick read on sunvisor and a lesson off irate Daf agent woosh off we went. I told him it was simular to a Foden 12 speed
CAN YOU DRIVE A FODEN he screeched!!!.. yea Gardner/ Rolls and two stroke… why did’nt you say I’ve wasted all morning…You never asked.
I love 12 speed Fodens with the range change on the coloum. But Barbra Castle did’nt. I never took both hands off the steering wheel at once not to change a gear anyway.The S40 and S80 with the 3 position lever on the gearstick was no problem.I suppose a younger driver would think you had ST Vitiasis dance
if they looked at a Foden two stroke/12 gearbox in action coming over Buxton fully loaded.Windrush will tell you yu’ve got to be on the ball turning right
out of Kevin Quarry with a 12 speed.
good old days
John
someone said about us old ones and the old days.Let me say IF i was skint and there was a job going on a 30 year old Bedford KM I would go tramping
before going hungury.The Mandators …Cargos …and Plastic pigs was not really that bad.You could still do Stoke to Belshill and back now a days with a 240
Gardner/ERF its just a lot of new trucks would pass you on the hills.You would’nt have a stupid buzzer defining you as you rolled down hill at 65mph.
In the early 70s it took me 2 1/4 hours from Leek(4.AM)Bosley…Congleton…Holmes chapel JCT18 M6 up to Burton services Nr Kendal with a Gardner
180 Foden at 32 ton gross.I think that was not bad.I bet you can’nt do it in under 1 hour with a 580.
John
.
