To all my new friends with manual transmissions - The most reliable and wonderful vehicle I've ever owned is my current tow vehicle, it cost $640, it has a/c and I bought it from the original owner 9 years ago: 1965 GMC 305V-6 with 4 speed SM420 tranny with grannie gear lo. I also have a wheel spinner so I can drink coffee and shift and kiss my Airedale, Miss Katie Lee. It can pull anything or nothing and always gets 9 mpg. Whenever one of my NEW vehicles dies, I sometimes have to drive the GMC to work in NYC so I don't mind shifting and rather enjoy it. I bought it in Sacramento, Calif with not a speck of rust on it in 1993. Dad delivered it to New Jersey and it now sports basketball sized holes where the add-on saddlebag gas tanks used to rub up against the underbody, along with numerous places in the body that just disappear when you poke them. If it weren't so uncomfortable for anything but commuting into NYC, I'd drive it down to D.C. for the VAC Cherry Blossom event. I am interested in the crew cab so that I can take along family, older parents, friends, motorcycle, bikes, and whatnot on VAC trips. Was going to special order the truck when my ship came in so there isn't a rush on the purchase.... I wasn't expecting such great info and so quickly. Thanks! Lavonne - 1956 Overlander and 1965 GMC rustin' away ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Multiple recipients of VACList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 12:25 AM Subject: [VAC] Re: Towing With A Manual 5Speed Transmission > I drove sticks too but was forced to Auto when first Ford stopped making manual > Aerostars, (back then I towed a pop up, then stopped making them altogether. I > would have prefered a big engine Aerostar with a tow package and five speeds, and > just spring for a new clutch every few years. Instead I moved to an E150 > conversion van. > > Dan Weeks wrote: > > > Well . . . it appears at lease ONE other person on this list likes sticks, > > and knows how to drive them. Should have figured it was you, Gerald! :-) > > > > Dan > > 75 Argosy 26 > > > > > From: "Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 18:27:36 -0600 > > > To: Multiple recipients of VACList <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: [VAC] Re: Towing With A Manual 5Speed Transmission > > > > > > The tow truck that smokes clutches suffers from the factory quest for > > > economy and narrow range transmissions with excessively low rear axle > > > gear ratios. I've seen Ford trucks with that problem for nigh on 40 > > > years. Even farm trucks. > > > > > > ANY engine needs to turn up to produce horsepower. Say 1500 RPM while > > > starting a load. Then the factory axle and first gear set that ground > > > speed too fast, the clutch has to be slipped to get the rig moving. > > > That's inherent in the automatic. The starting torque of the automatic > > > depends on a 3 to 3.5:1 low gear and a 2 to 2.5: 1 ratio in the torque > > > converter. Over all ratios 6 to 8.8:1. Attach that to a 4.10 rear axle > > > and you have an overall ratio of 24 to 35:1. Meaning that 1500 RPM at > > > the engine corresponds to about 1 to 1.5 revolution per second at the > > > axle. Ground speed 8 to 12 feet per second, 5 to 7 mph in round numbers > > > with 30 inch O.D. tires. > > > > > > Getting a 20:1 over all ratio with a manual transmission having a low > > > gear of 4.72 (ford 5 speed heavy duty) means the axle ratio has to be > > > 4.24 > > > > > > Last winter I spent a lot of time looking at a smaller tow rig, F-150 > > > with small V-8 and low gear in the manual transmission only 3.92. I > > > installed 4.10 axle gears. I'm quite happy with the arrangement, there's > > > enough torque in first gear to move my Caravel anywhere I want to move > > > it in first or reverse (though another 50% speed reduction would > > > occasionally be useful and lead to killing the engine less often while > > > trying for precision positioning), and enough torque in 3rd gear to get > > > up any hill in Missouri at 50 MPH. I toyed with going to 4.56 gears but > > > decided I didn't need the additional 1000 pounds starting capacity, > > > besides I could get there by change the rear tires from 29.1" OD to 25" > > > OD with really low profile 16" tires... A set of tires costs about what > > > the gear change did. > > > > > > Bigger loads require a higher rear axle ratio. I don't think the V10 low > > > speed torque will overcome the need for stump pulling torque for > > > starting with the 3.83 gears. With that much engine, I'd lean towards > > > 4.33 or higher. > > > > > > In my F-150, the gas mileage was 16 with the old 3.08 gears, and without > > > Caravel is till 16 with the 4.10 gears, providing I don't win too many > > > times at the stop lights. The Caravel (at 50 mph) dropped the mileage > > > down to about 15. Unhooking the air conditioning compressor raised the > > > unloaded mileage to 17.8. Running unloaded I generally start in second > > > gear because that's the same overall ratio NOW as the prior truck had in > > > second gear and that any truck normally has had starting with a 3 or > > > 3.5: 1 first gear. > > > > > > Be very careful about oversized tires, they can kill off the thrust > > > gained by high axle ratios. > > > > > > My neighbor has a 98 Dodge 3/4 ton 4X4 with a V-10 gas. It gets about 7 > > > mpg empty or loaded (automatic transmission) and with a 32+ foot SOB > > > gets that same 7 whether towing at 50 or 70. I have yet to convince him > > > that his life is much shorter in emergencies at 70 when stopping and > > > control may be a severe problem. > > > > > > Buying a manual transmission truck these days is harder than buying a > > > Lamborghini or new Ford T-bird (sold out in 2 hours I heard). The > > > dealers don't want to touch them (their sales staff probably doesn't > > > know how to drive one to demonstrate it), and claims they can't sell a > > > used one. Several dealers I've visited plain out say, they won't have a > > > used manual transmission vehicle on their lot. If they take it in on > > > trade they will get rid of some other way than selling it on their lot. > > > I bought a '98 F-150 last January that I think had sat of the lot most > > > of a year because the claim was that the owner bought a new truck each > > > year. They were willing to sell it at a fairly decent price because of > > > that time on the lot. I answer the trade in question by pointing out my > > > current truck for trading is 14 years old, and my big truck is 35. (Hmm. > > > Maybe I should have traded them both?). As for transmission I point out > > > that I don't want to pay for the automatic, I don't want to pay for the > > > fuel to run the automatic and I don't want to pay for fixing the > > > automatic. Fixing and automatic is several times the cost of a clutch > > > even in a Ford which may destroy the clutch when the hydraulic clutch > > > cylinder fails and sprays the clutch plate with oil. I'd prefer a > > > mechanical push rod but they don't make 'em that way these days. I'd > > > prefer a NP-435 or Warner T-19 transmission with a 7.3:1 low gear too, > > > but that's not available to fit the modern truck. > > > > > > The stock 5 speed and stock (usually 3.08) gears are NOT suited for > > > towing. The highest ratio axle gears the factory installs are often not > > > very well suited for towing. I went to a hot rod shop that installs > > > gears of any ratio (in police cars too). > > > > > > I'd get bored with an automatic and frustrated when it shifted when I > > > didn't want it to shift. When the day comes that I can't be bothered > > > shifting gears, I probably shouldn't be driving but should have a > > > chauffeur handling the wheel chair anyway. > > > > > > Gerald J. > > > > > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to > > > http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html > > > > > > If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original > > > text from your reply. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to > > http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html > > > > If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original > > text from your reply. > > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to > http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html > > If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original > text from your reply. > > To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original text from your reply.
