I contact gear vendors. They replied, And stated that it would not work in my truck.

 

yea the big boys you see in road tractors would hold up just fine im not an expert with these but i know enough that i probly wouldnt want one in a newer truck. most of these boxes arent syncroed

 

Next in line would be something like the allison 3000, 4000 overdrive series. I bet even used they won't be cheap!

You could put in a standard trans like the Fuller 6613 made for lighter duty than class 8 semi's. Lots of them used, tested and less than even a gear vendor.

I don't think you mentioned what engine you have.

 

thats verry unuseual!!! they even have divorce mounted units that isnt specifit to any truck. my folks had one in their motorhome and it was awsome it was divorce mounted behinde a 454 chevy and a turbo 400 in a 38 foot wineabago.

did a little tinkering today on the watson and heres my update heres a link to another truck form ......no reason to duplicate posts last post on page 5 is todays progress


watson aux in a 1ton

 

For some reason the link wouldn't work for me. It is a great thread. Maybe this link will: watson aux in a 1ton

 

Howdy,

I have one Gear Vendor unit that i have attached to the back half of a BW1345 and i have the option of getting another low miles good condition unit that was hung between the rear drive lines and replaced the carrier bearing. Is it advisable to put two of these in series? I am also thinking of using a second one between the tranny(Clark285v33) and the transfer case for added 4x4 gearing. Any advice or experience doing this?

I have also been thinking about the idea of using a Spicer 3 speed mostly for the overdrive but also the gear splitting. I have started the usual of trying to find one in the medium duty junk yards around here, no luck yet but i am hopeful because i know the NW is ripe with them sitting around. I have located a Spicer 5831B on craigslist however it is across the country from me and i am not sure it is worth having it shipped to Montana.

I am also not sure about the model number "B" and how useful it would be due to the fact that that first LO gear is far down compared to the other models. What would it have been used in vs the others? I believe i would prefer an "E and C" model respectively. The "E" seems like it would be the most useful for gear splitting the Clark trany's gears, cutting the splits in half. The "A" would cancel out any additional gears created from the LO gear. Is it worth all that much to be able to split evenly and have the gears evenly spaced? Or should i use the Spicer as a "Range Box" prior to starting and use the GV unit to split gears? I am leaning towards the second option and use the LO for off road and farm use. In conjunction with five in the Clark and an overdrive from GV it could be very useful.

Also, what is a fair price for a 5831 in general? One that has been supposedly "rebuilt" vs. one that has for sure been correctly rebuilt(reputable shop)? What about the "5831B" specifically? The seller on craigslist has not set a price and i am not experienced enough to know what to offer for the plain box without any accouterments.

Thanks,

WhitefishBoy64

 

whitefish, I beleive I would stay away from dubleing your gv's. remember that each one is adding torqe to your driveline components. also theres no reason to run a gear vendors between your divorced t-case and the main unless your running an underdrive to give you a crawling gear. where would u want 4x4 OD? not that it cant be done or will hurt but what do you gain? ......just add it behind the t-case, il get off my soap box now.

 

This setup would be the opposite of simple yet...fun. There is nothing that cannot be achieved with enough time and/or money. i say go for it. post some pics please!

 

Howdy,

So... rolling with the punches... spent my spring break digging through piles of parts at local junk yards and i bought two Spicer overdrives that i found in a junk yard near Boise ID. The yard is called B&T Auto Salvage, it is just outside of Caldwell ID. The owner/operator was very knowledgeable and reasonable with prices. I would recommend them to anyone. He is not there to try and price gouge and has lots of "older" rigs that have been spared the crusher. They are a Spicer 7041, a 6231A and a 9xxx (which was FREAKING HUGE). I bought the 7041 and the 6231A for $275 a piece. The 7041 has ratios of 2.31 first, 1.21 second, direct, and .83 OD. The 6231A has ratios of 1.24 first, direct, .86. I believe i will use the 7041 in my build and i am going to give the 6231A to my dad for his 69 F250. I also got the 8 bolt pattern flanges to connect my Clark transmission to the Spicer directly. Is connecting it directly advisable or should i use a short connecting shaft with slips between the two? If i could fix the two together with bracing would that be ok or does there need to be a flexible joint? I also got a shifting linkage off of a Spicer 9xxx series to use with 7041 and two old fashion break handles to use with the 6231A on my dad's. All the shifters/break handles only cost $35.

As of now, the plan is to try and fit the 7041 between my Clark285 tranny and my BW1345 transfer case/Gear Vendor unit. Because i am designing this as i go on my 94 F350, long bed frame i have plenty of room to fool around with. I plan on powering all this with a FE 390 stroked out to 445. Here is a link to my truck build as a whole.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...storation.html

My main question is should i continue with plan and try and fit it between the tranny and transfer case or put it as a replacement carrier bearing behind the transfer case?

And... Also, is there any problem using the 7041 and a GV to get an "doubled" overdrive?

Thanks,

WhitefishBoy64

 

Bolting the transmission together is usually a bad idea. The reaction torque of each gear box is different, as is how much each box naturally flexes in their mounts. A slip joint and a couple u-joints takes care of these issues nicely.

As far as placement of the 7041, do you really need an over / under in 4WD? If not, it is probably easier to put it after the transfer case. This also keeps your front drive shaft from getting so long it needs a carrier bearing.

For double overdrive, simply do the math on the ratios. Is both too much gearing? Also, do you want to put that much complication into your truck? Remember everything you add is one more thing that could cause problems.

 

Oops, double post.

 

I posted this question elsewhere in the truck forum,and got no response,after searching for hours,I kept getting reffered here,I have a dne2( Doug Nash) 2 sp.behind a C-6,and I need to know what type gear oil it takes,I know that it only takes 1 qt. or they will overheat,and the type of gear lube is critical to it operating correctly,but cannot find what exact oil it takes anywhere! Corvette dn's in the 80s took Dextron III,Gear Vendors take a special Mopar or GM manual trans. oil (I have the part #s) and the Dual Range made by US gear (out of bussiness) takes 80-90 gear lube,mine has a pink fluid that looks like tranny fluid...anyone know for sure? Thanks Jack

 

whitefish, good find on the 7041. i looked and looked a couple years ago and couldnt find a one. also, i like your idea of puttin the t-case behind all your gearing. i know to some, it doesnt make sense to have your under and over drive in front, but to me it does. it creates even more usable ratios for both two and four wheel drive, and was the plan for 76 highboy converted to a 6.9 idi that i was gonna buy a couple years back. what engine are you gonna have spinnin all this metal?

 

I've been looking for an alternative to replace the divorced Gear Vendors unit that exploded in my motorhome.

I found a Mitchell gear splitter, but it needed a new input bearing. That would have been no big deal, but it looks like it was run too long without oil after the bearing and seal went. There are filings inside and one gear has play between gear and shaft.

When I contacted Mitchell, she told me that this gearbox is an underdrive. When they were in production, Mitchell sold replacement gears to change the ratio (and repair damage like I found), but they stopped making them about 15 years ago and no parts are available. They made their own gears, so you can't buy gears from Eaton or Spicer. As for running it backwards to make it an overdrive, she said that the designer didn't recommend it. She couldn't remember why (it was a long time ago, after all). Examining this box, I can see that it wouldn't be lubricated running in neutral if it was connected backwards, but there's realy no reason you'd need neutral. I don't know if this is the only problem, but if it is, you'd just have to remember not to use neutral. This is all academic for me because ths box isn't usable anyway, but it might be of interest to someone else.

I may end up going with an exchange GV unit because they seem to be the only game in town now, but I'm still looking at alternatives.

I'd like to stay with a divorced box because if I replace the transmission with one with od, I'll still have to fabricate a hanger bearing and drive shafts. Also, if I ever have to replace the transmission or scrap the motorhome, I'll still have the overdrive for the next project.

When I mention a Brownie to a wrecker, the response is either "a what?" or "I haven't seen one of those in years".

Among the other options I've been thinking about is a 4-speed overdrive transmission, using only direct and od. Any suggestions?

Are there any industrial (as opposed to automotive) gearboxes that might have appropriate ratios ( and size, and cost, and weight, and torque capicity)?

 

it also cannot be run backwards i believe. I am reluctant to install this over-under for should it fail...I cannot obtain most parts for it. My neighbor says that they were a tough and functional option to a 5 or 6 speed truck tranny and if I just shift prudently I will love it for many years. Good luck in your search for a brownie/splitter/aux-box!