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How would you like to drive this?

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  • Member since
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  • From: Toronto, Canada
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How would you like to drive this?
Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 10:37 PM

I know I would!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MutB7I-Rf0 

There's a lot of these over there still running and being used. 

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 11:17 PM

54light15
I know I would!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MutB7I-Rf0 

There's a lot of these over there still running and being used. 

No air conditioning, no cruise control and no synchro's on the gearbox.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 5:35 AM

BaltACD
...no synchro's on the gearbox.

Regular Sentinel steam waggons like the DG and S series only have two speeds (and apparently worm-drive differentials!).  If you can't learn enough double-clutching for that, I don't feel sorry for you.

Considering the large flexible torque from these '30s motors, something esoteric like a quad box would be wholly superfluous anyway.

This thing apparently is made out of an ERF chassis with a Sentinel geared-locomotive boiler and engine, cobbled up circa 1990.  When converted it was given a Volvo transmission -- REVERSED as the idea was to use the very large low-speed torque efficiently at higher road speed.  Here is a little about it from 'back when it was made' (scroll down slightly):

https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/topic/5164-steam-on-the-road/page/2/

I have been unable to determine which speeds in the Volvo box might be synchronized, but it may not be particularly important in context... since it is modern, I suspect the meaningful speeds would be, and that the synchronizers work properly when effectively backdriven.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 8:35 AM

Driving that thing would be a GAS!

Parallel parking it might be another matter.  Wink

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Posted by 54light15 on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 8:57 AM

Overmod- Depending on the year of the Volvo gearbox, if any gear would not have synchromesh, it would be first gear and possibly reverse. Non-synchro first gear transmissions generally died out in the early 1960s. 

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 9:35 AM

Well, heaven for me will come if and when I have my right hand on the brass kmob of a traditinal K-type controller.

And yes, I do have a plan for that to happen, but a lot of other good things have to happen first.

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Posted by rixflix on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 2:01 PM

I used to run my Mamod tractor at the public tennis court and I got:

"Where are the batteries?"

And "Mister, mister, it's on fire!"

The boiler later went into a steamboat. Wish I'd photographed both.

Rick

rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Saturday, May 1, 2021 10:16 AM

My hubby years ago drove one years ago that would give a modern new driver fits to no end.  He drove a truck with not just one stick but 3 and I have seen the truck.  It was a 62 Emeryville cabover for his first boss.  He had 3 sticks that he had to shift at times.  Normally he only had to move 2 he says.  He had one for the rear ends that normally stayed in 2nd gear which made the ratio 3.93 he said first was 5.65 and 3rd gear was 3.11 ratios.  The other 2 where his transmissions a 5 speed main and 4 speed secondary transmission.  He had 60 different forward and 12 reverse gears he could play with.  His boss retired that truck 5 years ago after the last driver that could shift it retired and no one else will attempt to even drive it anymore as they have no clue how to drive it.  My hubby is like if I could get my CDL back I would drive that thing in harvest in a second.  

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, May 1, 2021 10:39 AM

That's just a quad box until you start splitting with the rear-axle ratio involved.  If the engine is small and has a limited powerband (which seems likely with those gear arrangements) it's going to be like playing a pipe organ that you have to steer and brake simultaneously.

And that was the fun part of a quadbox: reaching through the wheel to reach the second stick.  The shifting part can be learned pretty easily... up until the time that wheel has to be turning while a double-shift is in process.  Going uphill, double-clutching, on a wet road.  Add in splits to yet another stick, with enough load to justify the practice, and my attention to the road is going to suffer; recover from a missed downshift and it would be largely gone entirely...

... all to do what a better engine with a couple of turbochargers does almost in its sleep.

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