The worst synchro box I’ve encountered was in an FH16-610, I was looking forward to a bit of posing as I smoked around in it for a month before I started my job at Mercedes. It was awful, my shoulder was killing me after a couple of days, that lorry was a real let down.
After Mercedes and before Canada I had a turbocompound 500 FH12 with I-shift and it was a far better lorry than the FH16, especially the gearbox 
There was a Scania 3 series range change gearbox with 3rd and 7th in the same slot which I could never get on with because it always seemed to baulk or want a different slot. Another was either Volvo or Scania which required you to twist the section below the knob to change range which I hated.
One of the best set ups of a fuller road ranger box was in the Scammell Samson as it had a V8 D/D two stroke engine which the revs died so fast you could hardly change gear fast enough ( it was the 15 speed fuller which was 5 over 5 and the other 5 were deep reduction for which you stopped to select ) and you never had a stiff shoulder with a constant mesh box as they were so light to use even the Scammell gate change was very light needing minimum effort just good hearing and a easy touch
cheers Johnnie 
[ “robert1952”]
acd1202:
robert1952, the 1626, and indeed the 1924 before it were sold in he UK with synchro boxes as standard. 12 speed in the 1626, and 6 speed standard, 12 speed optional in the 1924. If you had a '26 with the constant-mesh AK6-90, well I can only assume that you worked for some sort of masochist. It wasn’t even one official options list, but it did appear in the handbook suggesting that the constant-mesh was offered in some markets; in which case if you shouted long and hard enough you could probably get it here. But Why?
As has been shown, many of us preferred to learn to time the box correctly and put up with the frack-to-bunt shift, to enduring the relentless battle with sticky, intensely irritating synchro 'boxes of the period. Robert 
[/quote]
I’m not disputing that, my choice would be for a twin-splitter, but that is probably a generation thing between us, but we are talking AK6-90 v S6-90 and there is no contest for me, the constant mesh ZF was a crude uncooperative thing, which in the middle of the day was OK, but bog-eyed or dead-beat, it wasn’t funny; whereas the synchro as long as you didn’t try to rush is, was a good box, nowhere near as stiff and reluctant as the early Ecosplits which followed it.
But this doesn’t explain how you got a constant-mesh gearbox in a UK spec 1626, it just doesn’t exist, or shouldn’t at anyrate.
robert1952:
tonyj105:
Constant mesh 6 speed ZF in this one , ■■■■■■■ 205 , ex atkins . i still have the specially curved spanner for replacing the gearbox mounting bolts that sheared with distressing regularity. oh and there was the exciting time that the starter motor detached itself from the engine, only spotted spotted when i saw the spacer ring heading toward the central reservation of the M6 near corley.
having worked for Ferrymasters where we had a DAF 2200 with a reverse gate 6 speed /splitter ZF , when we picked the Atki, up i tried to drive as per the DAF ,i,e reverse gate, hmm red face all round really.
But she was was my 1st motor and i loved her (until i got my hands on the F86)This is quite revealing information, as I didn’t know that the Borderer could have ZF transmission, other than that I knew the Krupp-cabbed LHD Atki had them. Nice bit of transport history. Robert
It’s not actually a Borderer, it’s a MkII Silver Knight. The options on the Borderer were Fullers (610 & 9509) and David Brown (6 & 8 speed - the latter being a range-change). I believe the ZF had been dropped as an option by then.
marky:
robert1952:
tonyj105:
Constant mesh 6 speed ZF in this one , ■■■■■■■ 205 , ex atkins . i still have the specially curved spanner for replacing the gearbox mounting bolts that sheared with distressing regularity. oh and there was the exciting time that the starter motor detached itself from the engine, only spotted spotted when i saw the spacer ring heading toward the central reservation of the M6 near corley.
having worked for Ferrymasters where we had a DAF 2200 with a reverse gate 6 speed /splitter ZF , when we picked the Atki, up i tried to drive as per the DAF ,i,e reverse gate, hmm red face all round really.
But she was was my 1st motor and i loved her (until i got my hands on the F86)This is quite revealing information, as I didn’t know that the Borderer could have ZF transmission, other than that I knew the Krupp-cabbed LHD Atki had them. Nice bit of transport history. Robert
It’s not actually a Borderer, it’s a MkII Silver Knight. The options on the Borderer were Fullers (610 & 9509) and David Brown (6 & 8 speed - the latter being a range-change). I believe the ZF had been dropped as an option by then.
That’s what I thought; and your confirmation that it was a Silver Knight fits in with the Krupp-cabbed job, which was a version of the Silver Knight I believe. Cheers. Robert 
acd1202:
[ “robert1952”]acd1202:
robert1952, the 1626, and indeed the 1924 before it were sold in he UK with synchro boxes as standard. 12 speed in the 1626, and 6 speed standard, 12 speed optional in the 1924. If you had a '26 with the constant-mesh AK6-90, well I can only assume that you worked for some sort of masochist. It wasn’t even one official options list, but it did appear in the handbook suggesting that the constant-mesh was offered in some markets; in which case if you shouted long and hard enough you could probably get it here. But Why?As has been shown, many of us preferred to learn to time the box correctly and put up with the frack-to-bunt shift, to enduring the relentless battle with sticky, intensely irritating synchro 'boxes of the period. Robert
I’m not disputing that, my choice would be for a twin-splitter, but that is probably a generation thing between us, but we are talking AK6-90 v S6-90 and there is no contest for me, the constant mesh ZF was a crude uncooperative thing, which in the middle of the day was OK, but bog-eyed or dead-beat, it wasn’t funny; whereas the synchro as long as you didn’t try to rush is, was a good box, nowhere near as stiff and reluctant as the early Ecosplits which followed it.
But this doesn’t explain how you got a constant-mesh gearbox in a UK spec 1626, it just doesn’t exist, or shouldn’t at anyrate.
[/quote]
Well, I did put a post about this on the Kent transport thread a while back giving actual registration numbers, to see if anyone remembered driving them, in the hopes that they could shed any light on this oddity. I suppose it’s possible that I ended up with one that had either been re-gearboxed or even re-oriented from LHD but both sound a bit far-fetched. Like so many issues on these threads I expect someone will pop up with an explanation in the end. Cheers. Robert
robert1952:
acd1202:
[ “robert1952”]acd1202:
robert1952, the 1626, and indeed the 1924 before it were sold in he UK with synchro boxes as standard. 12 speed in the 1626, and 6 speed standard, 12 speed optional in the 1924. If you had a '26 with the constant-mesh AK6-90, well I can only assume that you worked for some sort of masochist. It wasn’t even one official options list, but it did appear in the handbook suggesting that the constant-mesh was offered in some markets; in which case if you shouted long and hard enough you could probably get it here. But Why?As has been shown, many of us preferred to learn to time the box correctly and put up with the frack-to-bunt shift, to enduring the relentless battle with sticky, intensely irritating synchro 'boxes of the period. Robert
I’m not disputing that, my choice would be for a twin-splitter, but that is probably a generation thing between us, but we are talking AK6-90 v S6-90 and there is no contest for me, the constant mesh ZF was a crude uncooperative thing, which in the middle of the day was OK, but bog-eyed or dead-beat, it wasn’t funny; whereas the synchro as long as you didn’t try to rush is, was a good box, nowhere near as stiff and reluctant as the early Ecosplits which followed it.
But this doesn’t explain how you got a constant-mesh gearbox in a UK spec 1626, it just doesn’t exist, or shouldn’t at anyrate.
Well, I did put a post about this on the Kent transport thread a while back giving actual registration numbers, to see if anyone remembered driving them, in the hopes that they could shed any light on this oddity. I suppose it’s possible that I ended up with one that had either been re-gearboxed or even re-oriented from LHD but both sound a bit far-fetched. Like so many issues on these threads I expect someone will pop up with an explanation in the end. Cheers. Robert
[/quote]
According to most of the information available from the day the 2800 DKS wasn’t offered with the ZF 12 speed either.However from memory the 2800 which I drove was that version and was fitted with that box and eventually the relevant spec actually then also turned up on here,having been dug out of some French market spec DAF information to confirm the availability of it.It’s my guess that there were some good old school truck buyers in the day who had an idea what was available and/or ( what they thought should be ) available and just specced their orders accordingly on a take it or leave it basis to the sales people as opposed to vice versa.There’s no reason to think that UK suppliers would have turned down a sale on the basis of not offering something here that was available across the channel.As I’ve said personally I think that the ZF 12 speed was the better option than the 13 speed fuller probably would have been at least in that application/installation.
IE the best of all worlds combination of the best advantages of Eaton twin split and the 13 speed fuller. 
carryfast you are correct as I drove a DAF2800 with a ZF 12 speed straight 6 plus splitter this was on a “A” plate it was when I worked for Bill Brennan
cheers Johnnie
Hey, the is a DUTCH technical sheet 2800 not 2805 but in Frensh
the later 2800 economy was only ZF 16 speed, or you had to ask it in special equipment to keep the customer happy, which only Daf did for it customers.
Eric,
Concerning the ZF constant-mesh in Merc 1626s in UK, this appeared in Commercial Motor 20th September 1974:
''Chassis makers rise to the challenge contd 73 MERCEDES-BENZ
Mercedes-Benz (UK) Ltd, Great West Road, Brantford, Middx The 1626S chassis on display is the British version of the new range from Mercedes-Benz announced earlier this year… The German firm was very conscious of the visual image presented by a heavy long-distance truck and hence its new cab was designed to “look small” even though the interior cab dimensions have remained the same.
The tractive unit has a Wheelbase of 3.0m (9 ft 10 in) instead of the 3.5m of the German version. A diesel engine of V8 configuration giving 191kW (256 bhp) is coupled to a ZF six-speed constant-mesh gearbox via a 380 mm (15in) diameter single-dry-plate clutch. The first examples of the new-look cab are likely to be seen on operators’ vehicles in this country early in the New Year.
The mainstay of Mercedes effort in the 32-ton market, the LPS 1418, is continuing unchanged and is on show at Earls Court. This is pdwered by an in-line six-cylinder engine which produces 143kVV (192 bhp) at 2,200rpm.‘’
Hope that helps. I’ll be off-line for several days so if I don’t continue to reply to anything don’t worry I’ll be back! Cheers Robert
