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Eaton Fuller Road Ranger 9 speed..... 1947

23K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  47Ford - 1.5Ton 
#1 ·
Got a hit on a local Eaton Fuller Road Ranger 9 speed air shift with bellhousing for cheap..... under 200,000 miles, and has the shift tower on it with the lever just cut off a few inches up.......

Maybe Grigg or Crewcab or anyone for that matter can chime in....

Can I simply put an SAE #2 adapter and SAE #2 flywheel behind a 3.9 or 5.9 and have it work or are the flywheels and adapters transmission specific.. (I dont know how 'standard' the SAE spec is)

~M


EDIT: I know they don't make a 9 speed with overdrive.... but I can change my 4.10 gears in my 14 bolt to 3.73 to get 68 mph top speed at 2500 rpm... which is just fine (if not I can go even lower on the rear end gears)

Thoughts? Right now it looks liked I'd have $900 total with an SAE #2 flywheel, flywheel housing(adapter) and transmission...... thoughts?
 
#2 ·
They indeed do make a 9 speed w/ overdrive..... I'll have to check to see what model # it is....
 
#3 ·
Any 9 speed Roadranger with overdrive is in the 600-900 lb range. (as in big and heavy, not torque capacity)
They do make a small RT-6609A in the 400 lb range, same size and many of the same parts as my 10 speed.
They do not make an RTO (overdrive) version of the small 9 speed.

You'd need an SAE #2 flywheel housing, and any SAE #2 flywheel for an automotive application that takes a normal 14" clutch.
SAE Housing and flywheel are unrelated to transmission, other than you need an automotive flywheel as mentioned.

Grigg
 
#4 ·
If its an RT 6609A for $250 would you jump on it? (It would currently give me a 60 mph top speed at max RPM with a 4.10 rear end..... i could then go down to a 3.43 to get 75 mph out my top end direct. You know what the torque input rating is on these?

As always Grigg, I think you know the most of the roadrangers........
 
#5 ·
Also, how hard are these things to actually shift.... (I know how to drive synchro boxes and I know of double clutching and matching gears (from motorcycle racing etc....)
 
#6 ·
I heard back from the owner.....

its an RTF11609A which I think is too big....

it was in a 1990 GMC White (350 Cummins)

the suck.... :( right?
 
#7 ·
Nothing worthwhile for your truck there..

But when you do run across a decent 6609 for $250 please let me know if you pass on it.
If it's worn out or broken it's not a good deal, but if it's usable it's a fair deal, possibly a great deal depending on condition.
The non overdrive's don't sell for all that much, it's the little OD ones (10 and 13 speeds) that can be expensive and difficult to find at realistic prices.

As far as shifting a Roadranger, if you understand how to shift, match speeds, double clutch whatever you want to call it, then you can figure out a Roadranger in a week or two. If you have very little idea how to shift (a normal synchronized transmission) and just stab it in gear no matter the speed/rpm and pray the synchronizers do the job then a Roadranger will be a challenge.

Grigg
 
#13 ·
#8 ·
Having a hard time Grigg finding an RTO6610, RT6610 or even an RT6609A for any affordable price...... (truck salvage yards..... any thing I'm missing Grigg?) (Under $1500 -1000 is just not doable)

~M
 
#9 ·
Guess I'm going to whatever presents itself sooner... the 9 or 10 speed RT 6609A or RT6610
 
#10 ·
You will probably be better off with an RTO-610 or RTO-6610.
Are you limited by small tires and 3.something axle gears?
Won't the 0.80 OD be needed?
 
#11 ·
32.4" diameter tires...
an RTO610 or 6610 overdrive of .80
4.10 rear end..... say 2000 RPM cruising engine speed (my cummins reds at 2500)
CALC: 59 MPH

32.4" diameter tires...
an RT610 or 6610 direct drive of 1.00
4.10 rear end..... say 2000 RPM cruising engine speed (my cummins reds at 2500)
47MPH



IDEAL:
32.4" diameter tires...
an RTO610 or 6610 overdrive of .80
3.73 rear end..... say 2000 RPM cruising engine speed (my cummins reds at 2500)
65 MPH


Substitite:
32.4" diameter tires...
an RT610 or 6610 direct drive of 1.00
3.43 rear end..... say 2000 RPM cruising engine speed (my cummins reds at 2500)
56MPH
 
#15 · (Edited)
FINE: Looks like I'm looking for an RT6610 or a RT610 Grigg....besides teh 600 ft lbs vs. the 660 ft lbs torque rating.... is there any other 'difference' mechanically between the 2 besides the finer gear cut? Does this cut make one easier to work with then the other.

90% of my driving will be Daily Driver intown/highway....... (lots of 2 shifting, preselect, 3 shifting I would assume)

10% Loaded


edit: Anyone wanna give me a ballpark of what my 4BT and ZF 5 speed with all the accessories, bells, and whistles should list for? ($3500?) I don't even know?
 
#16 ·
I'm not following your logic on picking the non overdrive version?

Also don't understand the comment?
"lots of 2 shifting, preselect, 3 shifting I would assume"
When driving/shifting a Roadranger 10 speed you only shift the range selector once when changing up from 5th gear up to 6th and then range shift again from 6th back down to 5th gear. The range shift is not a splitter, it is not used between every gear.

10% loaded would point me to gearing it to cruise comfortably on the highway empty.
With 10 speeds even if geared on the higher side you have plenty of gears to choose from and it will haul stuff quite well. In fact if you choose an OD transmission and gear for it, then if you haul stuff in direct drive (9th) it only increases the RPM ~20%, or about 500 rpm, which is great to bump the power and comfortably move a load at about the same speed you were doing in OD. It's better not to tow/haul stuff in OD any how.

You'll find 0.80 OD is more pleasant than a ~0.73 (like in an NV4500); with the closer OD ratio you can slip in and out of high gear at the same road speed without out over reving the engine.

After the finer pitched gears there is no other significant differences between the 600 and 660 series Roadrangers.
The gears are constantly in mesh, and the small sliding clutches are the same pitch so there is no difference in driving. Noise is the main thing, and even then it's nothing big. The slightly increased torque capacity probably won't amount to anything for our use in small trucks.

The main advantage to the 6610 is parts will be available for longer than the 610, and they are slightly cheaper. Note that the 510, the predecessor to the 610, is all but extinct as far as replacement parts go.

Grigg
 
#17 · (Edited)
Grigg,

I used to do bluegrass combining at my roomates farm (when I was in college) and I drove big grain tandem axle haulers 13 speed... (don't know if there the same but eventually I got use to it.

When empty I would run this pattern

R 1 3 5
L 2 4 6 (Two shifts in low range.... I would start in 1, shift to 4...hit the pre-select knob to high range

then run gear 7, 9, 10 (never got to 11 or 12.....)
....7 9 11
.. 8 10 12

This is my 200 miles of driving a 'big truck' transmission... no idea what it was.... but it was an old international I think...

2 shifts, preselect into high range, 3 shifts...

Sorry for using my 'special lingo' :rasta:

edit:
 
#19 ·
The 13sp is different from the 9 & 10 spds. You split gears with the 13 and like Grigg said the 9 & 10 you go through the low side then switch to the high side. As for shifting with no syncros, no big deal, once you get the hang of it it is easyer to shift without a clutch and NOT grind than to double clutch. The main thing is not to force, if you get it wrong just be paitent and play with the throttle.
 
#18 ·
The tires on your truck are only 32.4 inches high? They look taller than that. In my Dodge I cruise 74 mph a little under 2000 rpm and that is just about right, I used to have 4.10's and it was 21-2200 rpm and that was really singing. Mine is a 24 valve and goes a little further for RPM's but I would think you'd want around 1800 at 65 mph with that 12 valve.
 
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