Hi All,
I was wondering if anybody can give me some/any advice, tips and tricks on how to get the best from an EATON TWIN SPLITTER box.
Cheers and thanks in advance.
Littlie Mark.
The Eaton twin-split box gearshift pattern looks just like an old four-speed car gearbox, known as an “H” gate. At the top of the gearstick, there’s a 3-position switch pos I = low, pos II =med and pos III = high. (= 12 normal forward gears.)
Moving off from a standstill…
When you want to move off from rest, you dip the clutch in the normal way, BUT there are two pressures to the clutch pedal. The first is just as you’d expect, but to engage a moving-off gear, you need to press the pedal about 1" extra. This part has a very stiff spring, so you’ll have to almost stand on the pedal. This extra inch is needed to slow the gearbox internals to a speed that allows you to engage the gear you want. You’ll probably hear people call this the “transmission brake.” You only need to do that once each time you select a moving-off gear. The rest of the time, you don’t need the clutch pedal at all.
Gear selection… (splits)
Theoretically, you start with the switch in “low,” select 1st gear, use it, then move the switch to pos II, lift your foot off the throttle slightly, then the gear changes itself. (No clutch!!) The next gearchange is done by moving the switch into pos III, lift your throttle foot slightly, then you get the next gear. So you’ve used 3 gears in the same gearstick position.
Gear selection… (shifting the “stick”)
Your next gearchange needs you to move the switch back to pos I, then engage what you’d call 2nd" in a car. You’re then in 4th gear actually. The next two gears are then changed by the switch and slightly lifting your throttle foot as before. Effectively, you’re using each of the 4 speeds three times in all, giving you a total of 12.
Changing down…
When you’ve got used to it, you’ll find that by lifting your foot slightly, not forgetting the I, II or III, you’ll also be able to down-shift the gearstick without using the clutch pedal at all. You’ll need a little “rev” of the engine when changing down the gearbox, but you’ll get used to it. I predict much crunching of gears whilst you get used to this but please don’t worry too much, 
because we all had to learn.
TIPS: (Non-technical )
It won’t make any difference whether you use the clutch or not, because the twin splitter is a non-syncro gearbox. (That’ll save you from having a tired left leg ) You’ll need to match the road speed to the speed of the gearbox in order to avoid “crunching” the gears. That’s the reason for the little “rev” whilst down-shifting. When reversing, always use pos I, because it actually has three reverse gears 
I hope this helps.
Little Mark
Just written pretty much what DD had said and realised he had beat me to it. 
At first you will think it is the work of the devil 
, but stick with it. Once you get used to it, you will be fine. 
I drove Seddons and ERF’s using an Eaton twin and it is a good box 
I’ll name that tune in 1. 
Ken.
snafu:
Little MarkJust written pretty much what DD had said and realised he had beat me to it.
Hi snafu, I bet we saw this at the same time The reason I beat you to the post was that I simply had to retrieve the above from a PM I’d written which came as a result of my post in the “newbies” about gearboxes.
snafu:
I drove Seddons and ERF’s using an Eaton twin and it is a good box
Agreed. I drove ERFs with that 'box.
There’s nothing like missing a gear in an artic propane tanker in the hilly bits of North Wales to keep you sharp 
Excellent instructions and you just beat me to it - once master one of the best boxes to drive - did many a mile in ERF’s and Fodens with them in. The Fodens I drive for Morrisons on the weekends still have them.
dieseldave:
This extra inch is needed to slow the gearbox internals to a speed that allows you to engage the gear you want. You’ll probably hear people call this the “transmission brake.” quote]Not wishing to be too pernickety dieseldave,but I think it is more commonly termed a “Clutch brake”,so as not to be confused with the parking brake ala
Bedford TK or Land Rover.
snafu:
I drove Seddons and ERF’s using an Eaton twin and it is a good box
Last time somebody said that on here, it caused all sorts of disagreements!
Personally, I have to agree with you - it is a good box.
Hi All,
WOW, Thanks for all the replies, especially Diesel Dave. Mate, that is one comprehensive answer to my post. BUT you make it sound so easy, I must be getting it wrong somewhere because the blasted thing seems to have a mind of it’s own. Going up the box I’ve mastered, but coming down, every stick shift coming from 10 into 9, well I can’t name that tune at all, sounds a bit like that 80’s band that used angle grinders on railway tracks. Sometimes it works like a dream, so I take note of road/engine speed, in the mistaken hope that on the next downshift, if I repeat the noted road/engine speed it’ll work.
NO! WRONG!
However, it will go into 8 easily. Looks like a lot more practice is needed. By the way, in this situation, using the so called clutch/transmission brake only makes matters worse and I end up with no gear at all, going up or down, thus the only way to regain powered forward motion is to slow down almost to a stop and then grab for 6 then a quick stick shift back up to 7 and a flick into 8 then off we go again. Hopefully, all will become right in the next few days.
Dave, look out for an orange tipper in your area struggling up hills and round corners, that will be me! LMAO!
Little Mark.
ps. Tanya, fab link, thanks.
pps. The box in question is fitted to a P reg Leyland DAF 85.
Little tip. When first making downshihfts,once in neutral, let off the accelerator and then slowly start to move the lever towards the gear whilst slowly applying the throttle. Don’t force it, slow and steady pressure, when the revs are right it will take it in for you
revs between 14&17 i think to change down just apply slight pressure to the stick and itll slide in nice and easy
maverick72:
revs between 14&17 i think to change down just apply slight pressure to the stick and itll slide in nice and easy
That looks rather high to me Maverick.
I think it’s more like, knock into neutral at about 5 - 700, slide it into the next lower gear at about 1000 - 1200 ish 
(You know how fussy those twin splitters are ).
About my favourite boxes though.
bestbooties:
dieseldave:
This extra inch is needed to slow the gearbox internals to a speed that allows you to engage the gear you want. You’ll probably hear people call this the “transmission brake.”Not wishing to be too pernickety dieseldave,but I think it is more commonly termed a “Clutch brake”,so as not to be confused with the parking brake ala
Bedford TK or Land Rover.
Hi bestbooties, You’re not pernickety at all mate. What’s right is right after all!!
I thought another of the old hands would be flushed out of the woodwork with that comment.
That’s why I said “you’ll probably hear people call it the transmission brake,” not that I’d call it that of course
It’s one of those things that just happened to get called by the wrong name, which then stuck for all time.
Now I’ve mentioned it, I’ll bet that you’ve heard other people using the same wrong name for it as well.
Little Mark:
Hi All,
WOW, Thanks for all the replies, especially Diesel Dave. Mate, that is one comprehensive answer to my post. BUT you make it sound so easy, I must be getting it wrong somewhere because the blasted thing seems to have a mind of it’s own.
Thanks for the thanks, if you know what I mean It is only easy after you’ve truly mastered it, but please don’t expect that to happen too quickly. It does take some time. I was playing tunes on them until I got the hang of it. I was once on an outbase job for TNT. The whole fleet was ERF, so there wasn’t much choice but to learn.
Little Mark:
Going up the box I’ve mastered, but coming down, every stick shift coming from 10 into 9, well I can’t name that tune at all, sounds a bit like that 80’s band that used angle grinders on railway tracks. Sometimes it works like a dream, so I take note of road/engine speed, in the mistaken hope that on the next downshift, if I repeat the noted road/engine speed it’ll work.
NO! WRONG!
It can seem like that, but are you remembering to move the selector switch as well??
Little Mark:
using the so called clutch/transmission brake only makes matters worse and I end up with no gear at all, going up or down,
I’d suggest that you only use the clutch brake when engaging a gear to move off from standstill.
Simon:
maverick72:
revs between 14&17 i think to change down just apply slight pressure to the stick and itll slide in nice and easyThat looks rather high to me Maverick.
I think it’s more like, knock into neutral at about 5 - 700, slide it into the next lower gear at about 1000 - 1200 ish
About my favourite boxes though.
maverick72’s figure might be right if you were to drop 3 at a time.
(Not using the 3-pos selector.) I just loved that gearbox too…
montana man:
Great tip MM… I’d forgotten to mention that, so fair play to ya!!
just two coments,
good gearbox in its time
but now dated
olde englishe crappe
dieseldave:
maverick72’s figure might be right if you were to drop 3 at a time.
(Not using the 3-pos selector.) I just loved that gearbox too…
Thats a good point Dave, I wasn’t thinking of going from 10th to 7th
Take your brave pills & stay in hi range & whack 'er into crawler when you are going uphill & changing down.Not many people know that.