Has anyone seen a 5 speed tranny with reverse all the way to the right and up? Seems high geared so I’m thinking my two speed rear end shifter may be stuck in high. Diving into that this weekend
I am unaware of a 5-speed being offered in that truck in that year. This is a 3/4-ton trunk, correct? It looks like the Canadian models got a 5-speed, at least: "Along the way in the 1952 Canadian Dodge and Fargo heavy trucks a 5 speed transmission was introduced with an option of having 5th gear as overdrive. Teamed up with a 2 speed rear axle, it provided quite a range for hauling heavy payloads, or rolling down the highway empty." I don't recall seeing this in US versions, but my memory is fuzzy.
Gimpyshotrods. It’s a 2 ton truck. I know it doesn’t fit right into the hot rod realm but this is the only site that has answered my questions
Ahh! Now that makes more sense! Yeah, 5-speed and 2-speed rear axle. Do you have this on the dashboard?
Five speeds in these years can be divided into two basic groups… five speed direct and five speed overdrive. The direct being more common and having a lower first gear. The direct is like a four speed with an extra lower gear. The overdrive is like a four speed with an overdrive higher gear. A ball park way of telling with transmission you have is the location of the fifth gear! If it is up it is usually an over drive….down it is a direct. Also some five speed over drives have a very odd shift pattern! Bones
Bones. 5th gear is to the right and down. It seems high geared so I think my rear end might be stuck in high. Can I manipulate the 2 speed vacuum selector without the truck moving?
Man, it's been a long time but Old Fire trucks like Seagraves and even GMC had an odd 5 speed pattern. I know there was an "up and over" in the pattern....been a long time. If you put me in the seat, I could do it. Ahhhh....and double clutching.
Yes and no! The two speed is switched electrical. If it is working you should be able to hear a spinning sound when you change the switch! You can take a battery and jumper cables and put on the two terminals at the shifter. But remove the wires first. The shifter does not actually shift the gears, it “ loads” a spring and that shifts the gears. If the gears are in a bind they will not shift. Two bolts removes the shifter and you can manually shift the rear end. Inside the shifter is a set of points, you can buy at any parts store. They go bad quite often. There is also a shift motor, expensive, but can be bought at auto parts store. Those are the main two items that go wrong with the two speed shifter. Also you probably have a direct five speed. Crap! After typing all that I went back and saw “ vacuum “ ! Shit! That sucks! ( pun intended) I think you still have to remove the vacuum pod to get at the actual shift lever! The lever does not move very far! I was always amazed it could shift moving that short distance! On most rear ends the vacuum and electrical shifters are interchangeable. Bones
I’ve got two of those old GMC overdrive Five speeds! Great transmissions, but they are not synronized. Bones
The two speed rear end, was a little difficult to shift , even for the pro truck drivers, let alone the occasional farmer! So in their wisdom, the manufacturers teamed up to gear the transmission and rear end in such a way that most of the time on the highway you just shifted the main transmission from Forth to fifth and back and forth on small hills! As shown in the second picture. In the first picture is a shift pattern of a very desirable auxiliary four speed transmission. It has the overdrive gear! Some auxiliary transmissions do not have the overdrive, mainly three speed transmissions. Bones
I had a 64 Chevy c60 wrecker. It had a vacuum 2 speed rear. Always shifted and always shifted great. Just play the pedal like the instructions show. You’ll get the hang of it. The truck has to be running and moving to shift it though. Mine had an actual vacuum switch on the shifter. Never seen another one like it. Hose used to get cut and leak all the time.
Met a guy who built a weird diesel powered car, as he was into the hyper milage scene. The engine was in the back and driving the front wheels, so his shift pattern was backwards from normal.
Absolutely not! The truck does not have to be moving to shift! Just no pressure on the gears! It does shift better, moving! Bones
I drove a 50s something two ton dump truck while I was in high school that had the vacuum switch mounted on the dash! It looked factory! Bones
Being a 2-ton medium duty Dodge, I would believe it to be a New Process transmission. As mentioned before, direct drive pattern would be 5th down and OD units are 5th up. Spicer and Clark have reverse left and up, so as you have described (reverse up and right, 5th right and down), it appears you have a NP direct drive 5 speed. Believe this is the patterns for NP540? or 542?:
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