My new tow rig

[macgyvr]

I would think that gears would be easier...

I hope that at 58mph your not slowing down more than 5mph...at what point do you feel like you are going backwards...

mac 'have a great weekend!' gyvr

 

[eflores]

This thread brings the win! We need pictures

 

[FunkRider]

Go with a 9 speed or a 10 speed if you can find one. The 9 speed is nice because it will have a low/low gear and can even be upgraded to a 13 speed with a splitter. Then you can float gears on a non syncro tranny much faster than the medium duty style 5, 6 and 6LL tranies like you have. You will get the same mileage (if not better) and not have to slow down nearly as much on hills because you have a much larger range of gear ratio's to choose from. Instead of staying in 5th going up a hill because you're still moving too fast for 4th you can grab 8th from 9 and maybe not slow down anymore than 8th where as staying in 5th you would slow down and have to eventually shift into 4th and have lost a lot of speed. You can skip gears if you do not need them since the gear spacing is very linear (ie 3 or 400 rpm difference between each gear) so simply math is used to skip a gear or two.

 

[87manche]

I would think that gears would be easier...

I hope that at 58mph your not slowing down more than 5mph...at what point do you feel like you are going backwards...

mac 'have a great weekend!' gyvr

SAE #2 bellhousing makes a trans swap no big deal. It's turning out to be much harder to find gears, everything in the junkyard is 5.57. I think more gears in the tranny would make it drive better as well. The split between 4th and 5th is so great that if I start losing momentum in 5th I have to drop 15 MPH before I can hit 4th, more gears is more options.

It was trouble free for 20 hours of non stop interstate driving. Not bad for a 22 year old uhaul.

87 'living the big rig dream' manche

 

[FunkRider]

SAE #2 bellhousing makes a trans swap no big deal. It's turning out to be much harder to find gears, everything in the junkyard is 5.57. I think more gears in the tranny would make it drive better as well. The split between 4th and 5th is so great that if I start losing momentum in 5th I have to drop 15 MPH before I can hit 4th, more gears is more options.

It was trouble free for 20 hours of non stop interstate driving. Not bad for a 22 year old uhaul.

87 'living the big rig dream' manche

Pretty much a less nerdy way of saying what I did. The only part I'm unsure of is adding a clutch brake so you can get it into gear without having to shut it off because of not having any syncros.

 

[87manche]

Pretty much a less nerdy way of saying what I did. The only part I'm unsure of is adding a clutch brake so you can get it into gear without having to shut it off because of not having any syncros.

schol me on this. First in the spicer gear box is not syncro'd and I
've adjusted. You've got to catch it just right or it grinds.

I'm sorry that I didn't take ay pictures this weekend. We fully rocked out Saturday night, stereo and running lights, overhead door open and the ramp out the back.

 

[Ghost]

I'm sorry that I didn't take ay pictures this weekend. We fully rocked out Saturday night, stereo and running lights, overhead door open and the ramp out the back.

Yes we did!

 

[macgyvr]

I'm sorry that I didn't take ay pictures this weekend. We fully rocked out Saturday night, stereo and running lights, overhead door open and the ramp out the back.

I am fully bummed that you didn't take pics!

Glad its working out and can't wait to see future mods!

mac 'wish I could justify it' gyvr

 

[FunkRider]

schol me on this. First in the spicer gear box is not syncro'd and I
've adjusted. You've got to catch it just right or it grinds.

It should have a single syncro. It may just be worn out. It if it was un-synronized you would not get it in gear without holding the clutch pedal for a 30 seconds holding it against first gear waiting for the grinding to stop. Then again that is my experience with a class 8 transmission rated for many thousands of ft lbs of torque. The internals are very robust and thus heavy. So not only do they spin for a long time because of the weight but if you stop the spinning by jamming it in gear it is very un-pleasant.

If you have trouble getting that medium duty box into gear after sitting in neutral with the clutch pedal out stick it in another gear then to the gear you want without letting up on the clutch pedal. You should be doing this to get into reverse anyway.

 

[FunkRider]

schol me on this. First in the spicer gear box is not syncro'd and I
've adjusted. You've got to catch it just right or it grinds.

It should have a single syncro. It may just be worn out. It if it was un-synronized you would not get it in gear without holding the clutch pedal for a 30 seconds holding it against first gear waiting for the grinding to stop. Then again that is my experience with a class 8 transmission rated for many thousands of ft lbs of torque. The internals are very robust and thus heavy. So not only do they spin for a long time because of the weight but if you stop the spinning by jamming it in gear it is very un-pleasant.

If you have trouble getting that medium duty box into gear after sitting in neutral with the clutch pedal out stick it in another gear then to the gear you want without letting up on the clutch pedal. You should be doing this to get into reverse anyway.

 

[FunkRider]

Also you can make an APU pretty easy to power 12V stuff. Small lawnmower engine and a single wire GM alternator. Hell you can get a larger gas engine and rig up an AC compressor with the alternator. That or a gas powered generator and a 120V window shaker.

If you have a heavy duty truck junkyard near you can grab the 12V refridgerator from a volvo. VNL670's (only one window per side on the sleeper) have one that is about 14 inches wide and VNL780 (780's have two windows, at the of the sleeper and another right below it.) has a much larger unit.

 

[87manche]

I believe that first in my existing transmission has a clutch brake. If you push the pedal ALL the way to the floor first does not grind, if you only go halfway to disengage the clutch the shaft is still spinning and it will notch into gear.

Turns out that OD is not real common in big truck trans, so finding a 7 speed that's not 1:1 like I've already got is a bit of a challenge, at least not without paying 1500 bucks.

I'm open to sugestions as to what I need to be looking for. I thin kI'd rather stick with al gear shifting, no need to complicate things up with air shifters and splitters. It would be nice if th average person could still drive it.

 

[87manche]

I am fully bummed that you didn't take pics!

Glad its working out and can't wait to see future mods!

mac 'wish I could justify it' gyvr

that's ok, you'll be partying in my box sometime I'm sure.

87 'double entendre' manche

 

[RedHeep]

We need the part number of the spicer 7 speed transmission that has overdrive and mates to a SAE #2 bellhousing.

 

[macgyvr]

that's ok, you'll be partying in my box sometime I'm sure.

87 'double entendre' manche

I can't wait to party in your box...

mac 'was it sweaty?' gyvr

 

[87manche]

We need the part number of the spicer 7 speed transmission that has overdrive and mates to a SAE #2 bellhousing.

I have Aber's getting me that information from IH/Navistar, also what clutch bits I would need.

I can't wait to party in your box...

mac 'was it sweaty?' gyvr

not too bad. I think insulation is going to go a long ways. It should be nice for WF with the kerosun in it.

crack a window!

 

[RedHeep]

It should be nice for WF with the kerosun in it.

I would be concerned about an open flame heat source while you were sleeping/wheeling. The oil filled electric heater I borrowed from Cheeseman was nice. You might look into getting something like that for overnight and only run the kerosene when you can keep an eye on it.

Plus, if you run electric heaters, it costs the campground money and not you. They charge enough, you should take advantage of it.

I'd imagine a fire in the back of your box truck would be entertaining, but ultimately not a lot of fun.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

Do you have an RV salvage around u? Get a forced air furnace from a wrecked camper.

 

[macgyvr]

if you want to help me pull it i'll give you the one out of my truck camper...

all electric for me...

mac 'sept?' gyvr

 

[hadfield4wd]

I can't wait to party in your box...

mac 'was it sweaty?' gyvr

Just make sure it's clean first, don't want to get any diseases from a dirty box.