| Author |
Message |
David & Lorna Schinske (Davidschinske) (206.148.180.120)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 16, 2002 - 10:21 am: | |
We have the original (?) 4 speed manual transmission in our '72 Eagle 05. We would like to put in a 9 or 10 speed manual Roadranger (used). A lot of truckers in our area have recommended this to us. There is a semi-truck graveyard near us that Covenant Transport maintains/contributes to that we may be able to pick up a used transmission at, we don't have the $$ alot of you have. How do we determine which transmission will drop into our bus with out a lot (or any?) reworking? Is there a web site that I can go to? I would have to have to rely on the word of a mechanic who is just looking to make $$ off of us.
Lorna Schinske |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 16, 2002 - 2:29 pm: | |
I do not know if a 10-speed will fit into your Eagle. However, if it can and you really want one, I might suggest the particular model of Roadranger that would work best for you. And..be the most fun.
You might really want the old tried and true Fuller RTO-910. This is an old box dating from the 1960's and was kinda successful in heavy trucks of the period. Rated for 950 pounds of torque, but can handle MUCH more.
How much more? Well, once you are in the high side of the transmission, just about as much as you can give it. In 8th, 9th and 10th gears, 95% of your road running, the trans I was told can handle over 1800 pounds of torque.
The problem this particular box has/had in truck service was that the gears were way too close together. Bad for a heavy truck requiring a low starting gear, but ideal for a coach conversion with a low GVW and high horsepower.
My 1974 Crown Super Coach 40 foot 10 wheeler has this transmission and it is a BLAST to drive. More like shifting a dirt bike than a bus. Broom, broom, broom, snick, snick, snick! You can shift 4-5 times crossing the street! Wow!
The gear sets in this inexpensive and still plentiful box are around; 10th, .82, 9th, 1.00, 8th, 1.26, 7th, 1.59, 6th, 2.00,/// 5th, 2.57, 4th, 3.14, 3th, 3.95, 2nd, 4.98 and 1st, 6.27. Low R, around 6.27, High R, around 2.00 to one.
My Crown has 3.9 drivers and I still start in second gear. Big Cam Cummins. Can only use 10th, the overdrive at around 60 or above. Top speed over 80. 22%, 26% and 28.5% rpm drop. Very cool indeed.
This box shifts easily as a straight 5 speed in the low range, (mine has the X shift pattern) then you preselect the range shift button then go thru the same gear shift pattern only now in the high range. Non sycro but very easy to shift.
Plus, they also made a RT-910 with a direct 10th gear (1.00 to one) and a rare but possibly still available (or buildable) RTOO-910, which had a double overdrive with a .66 to one 10th. Sosss, with only a tranny switch, you can gear your Eagle anyway you want. Good luck. |
Mrbus (205.188.192.39)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 16, 2002 - 5:38 pm: | |
Lorna,
Any of the 9 or 10 speed Fullers will fit into the O-5, with very little modification. May have to change the bell housing, depending on whic housing you currently have, the drive shaft will have to be shortened and rebalanced, but the big factor will be the shift linkage. Your four speed uses two rods, connecting the shift lever to the transmission through a series of bell cranks. This will not work with the "Roadranger". It will be necessary to remove the shift linkage, and replace it with a ball type shift lever and a single control rod. The shift lever and the transmission top cover from an International 4070 cabover is a good choice, but it still involves a gread deal of engineering to make the hookup. Also be aware that when this system is used, the standard shift patern will be upside down and backwards. In other words first gear will be over to the right and toward the dash, rather than over to your leg and back. Learning to drive the new shift pattern is usually not a problem unless someone has spent a lot of years shifting a truck, and has to rearrange their shift without thinking about it. Any of the RT910 series can be converted to direct or overdrive configueration very easily with the transmission out of the vehicle. With the stock gearing in your O-5 the direct would be the better choice unless you are headed out to the "salt flats" and are looking for some kind of top speed record for an O-5.
Here in Minnesota the used RT 910s are available from about $400.00 and up, depending on your bartering skills. Thsy are not a high demand item, so you should be able to negotiate a good price.
Good luck, Gus Haag |
RJ Long (Rjlong) (24.127.74.29)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 16, 2002 - 10:37 pm: | |
Well, David & Lorna, I'm going to play devil's advocate here just a little. . .
Do you REALLY want to go thru seven gears just to get to 35 mph?
Especially when trying to negotiate the world's biggest parking lot during peak traffic (LA, CA)?
Or the San Francisco Bay Area. . .
These are locales where you'll spend a lot of time inching along, which gets real tiring w/ a manual gearbox - BTDT!!!!
An HT754CR Allison is real nice in these situations. . .
Food for thought, anyway.
HTH,
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA |
David & Lorna Schinske (Davidschinske) (206.148.180.50)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 17, 2002 - 8:29 am: | |
What 7 gears? I was told that we would normally take off in something like 3rd on the flats and 2nd on a upward hill. The heaviest traffic that we would run into on a semi-regular basis besides Chattanooga, TN (where the minimun speed limit on I-75 & I-24 seems to be 80-90 mph, and faster when it rains) would be the Atlanta 285 Parking Lot. We live in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and between home 1 and home 2, which I currently run in the Jeep at least one way every week, there are a fair amount of 5-8% grades. We were told the manuals were best for the mountains (ie: gearing down for those delightful 8% grades so the brakes don't burn out).
Lorna |
FAST FRED (65.58.226.227)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 17, 2002 - 9:38 am: | |
Lorna ,
The conversion would ONLY get you up a hill faster IF the replacement has an extra gear in the right spot.
Eg: if you can climb Very easily in third , but not pull it in 4th , a gear between them would get you up the hill a bit quicker.
Same deal in lower gears.Although some truck trannys have an overdrive or two , so that might be worth while for the 90+ cruise.
To get down 8% grades with great regularity it might be better to get a Jake Brake.
FAST FRED |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 17, 2002 - 4:09 pm: | |
Thanks for the input. I do need to clarify some things. Sorry. All of the others answers and comments are correct as far as they go.
My Crown has the RTO-910. I really think it is a cool transmission. However, there are times when I am tired or just darn lazy.
Soosss....I do not use every gear. I skip some. Sometimes I use only 2, 5, 7, 9, and 10th gears.
Other times I just skip every other hole such as...
Two, four, six, eight, nine then ten. The point is that just because you have 10 gears does not mean you have to use all 10 gears. You can cheat.
Nothing is nicer than having a particular gear for every possible road condition. When I bury the tack to 2200 rpm and upshift, it only falls back to around 1750 or so.
In the lower gears when shifted quickly at 2000 or sooss, the tack rebounds back to around 1800. By the time the tack catches up, you are upshifting again.
Where this tranny really pays off is going up hills. You can keep the mill at whatever rpm range you want. Very easy.
I would gear my Eagle very fast, then simply choise the proper gear for the exact road condition. Heck, you may have ten! Enjoy. |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 3:21 pm: | |
Oh, David and Lorna, don't let the locals talk you into some newer model used 9-speed they may have laying around and want to sell you real cheap, plus install.
A 9-speed would certainly work in your Eagle--it may even work very well, but in my humble opinion, the last thing you really want is a deep reduction truck tranny.
The 9-speed is a 13-speed without the splitter. The average available gears (A, B, C models) are just too wide to work really NEAT in a light weight Eagle coach.
Low gear (the granny) you would hardly ever use. Oh, don't get me wrong, it would be darn convenient creeping back and forth while parking; only at normal road speed it would be a waste.
Same thing with about half the low gears. They are just too low for a bus. You would be starting probably in 3rd, which would only give you 6 road gears. The other 3 (or 4) would be wasted.
The 7th to 8th split (37% to 38%) would actually be no different than WHAT YOU HAVE NOW. The RTO or RTOO is the box you want. Makes quite a difference at highway speed--plus MORE FUN! Good luck. |
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