10 speed Road Ranger INSTALLED!

[etinhidesert]

No, actually I got a good core from Patrick Young in Fresno. It was missing some of the air plumbing needed for the hi-low shifter, but the gears and sliding clutches looked good. I paid $450 for it and put in about another $500 for new seals, updated bearings, and updated hi-low shift vavles. Patrick told me the tranny came out of an rear engine Gillig. I really have a great time driving around town. Can't wait to finish the outside walls so I can put it on the road at hiway speed for wind noise and leak testing.

Elden in Hesperia

[Jones'n4chrome]

That's a good deal for a 10 speed with new bearings & shift valves. So if it was in a rear engine bus, is the shift pattern backwards?

[Sharkey]

The shift pattern in my Crown was backwards from the factory. If anything, a second backwards pattern would make it normal, no?

[etinhidesert]

Since the tranny was in a rear engine application, yes the shift pattern was backwards. The transmission was not made backwards, just the remote shifter was installed with the 'shifter' end looking backwards. Just had to turn it around to face forward, and "Presto", regular pattern.

Elden in Hesperia

[Elliot]

I read this with great interest. My bus is a Blue Bird with automatic transmission, and I anticipate converting to a stick shift when the day comes that I fry the Allison in the mountains. I put in a quarter century driving 10s, 9s, and 13s, so I'd be comfortable with that.

I figure I can fabricate and adapt the pedal. And there are hydraulic linkages available -- new Volvo 18-wheelers use that. The big question is what it would take to adapt a stick tranny to the little Cummins 5.9. Perhaps the logical way would be to ask a wrecking yard for a tranny that came off a similar engine. Thoughts? Knowledge?

[Mark R. Obtinario]

If your TC2000 is a rear engine it would be very possible to install a Road Ranger.

If your TC2000 is a front engine it is not only going to be difficult to fabricate the clutch linkage but the shifter is going to require a Rube Goldberg arrangement in order to fit around the dog house.

If your TC2000 has a MT series transmission your most probably will never have any problems with it if you keep it from overheating and keep the oil serviced. If your TC2000 has the AT series transmission it will still keeping working quite a while if you don't abuse it.

Personally, I like not having to shift manually, particularly in traffic.

[Elliot]

It is a front engine TC2000. Had to be, because I need a big "draw bridge" (toy hauler door) in the back.

I'm confident I can build linkages and such. And of course, Rube Goldberg is my Hero!
My concern is the bell housing and other flywheel and clutch parts. But now that I think about it, a major truck salvage & mechanical shop like Acme in Stockton, CA, could probably fix me right up.

I do have the MT Allison, but on my last trip I grossed 26.000 pounds, and I do cross mountains. Probably ought to fix the tranny temp gauge!