Manual transmission

[magnakansas]

It seems the manual transmission is a rare thing in this skoolie world.I think I am going to end up with a NV5600 in my short bus. Is any body running a 6speed with cummins 12valve ? Am I the last person on earth to drive manual transmissions? __ I feel so alone!

cheers, william

 

[djdalfaro]

The bus I'm bidding on has a 12v mated to a manual as well. I'll know in a week if I get it.

 

[PNW_Steve]

We do see a few buses with manual transmissions but, yes they are somewhat rare.

I asked the transportation manager why they had fallen out of favor. His response was "workers compensation claims". Apparently repetitive motion injuries are a problem with city bus route drivers with manual transmissions.

Most of the 5/6 speed manuals that you will see in school buses will be Fuller or Spicer. In more recent buses the Fuller is the most common.

I have NV5600s in Dodge pickups. I love them in a pickup but would be reluctant to put one in anything but a very short bus.

I have seen a scattering of 6 speed buses for sale here: North Carolina School Bus Surplus System

From what I recall of the ones I checked on, they had around a 6:1 rear gear. That would need to be addressed.

Good luck.

 

[magnakansas]

my plan

The bus I have, but have not seen.... yet. 54 ford. 24' long. expected weight with out people is 12,000 lbs. 245 70-19.5 tires, 3.73 rear gears. 12 valve cummins with about 300 to 350 hp estimated torque 600 ft lbs. andthe NV5600 transmission. I have a f450 chassis to under the bus, that will give me newer parts to source if I have a problem on the road. I dont want to attempt to find parts for a 54 ford while traveling...

 

[PNW_Steve]

Sounds like an ambitious plan!

I look forward to watching your build.

I suspect that at 12k you may be in the realm of reality with the NV5600. In a 26k bus I would not have high hopes for longevity.

Keep us updated on your project.

 

[REDD-SKO]

It seems the manual transmission is a rare thing in this skoolie world.I think I am going to end up with a NV5600 in my short bus. Is any body running a 6speed with cummins 12valve ? Am I the last person on earth to drive manual transmissions? __ I feel so alone!

cheers, william

I've got one...


40 footer, 5.9 Cummins, 5 Speed Fuller, 120kms top speed...love it, like drivin' a truck.

 

[magnakansas]

rpm at 65mph

If I have calculated correctly I will be turning just under 1900 rpm in 6th gear and around 2500 rpm in 5th at 65mph. What are you guys turning at cruise speed, and what is your cruise speed. 5th is 1:1 and 6th about .73 over drive for my intended transmission. If I break it, I am going to use a fuller with over drive, probably the 7 speed. That would be the closest match to the NV and only weighs about 175 lbs pound more.

thanks to all that have answered.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

If I have calculated correctly I will be turning just under 1900 rpm in 6th gear and around 2500 rpm in 5th at 65mph. What are you guys turning at cruise speed, and what is your cruise speed. 5th is 1:1 and 6th about .73 over drive for my intended transmission. If I break it, I am going to use a fuller with over drive, probably the 7 speed. That would be the closest match to the NV and only weighs about 175 lbs pound more.

thanks to all that have answered.

I have a Cummins 8.3. Rev limit is 2200. 4th gear is 1:1, 5th is 0.75:1. 6th, when unlocked, is 0.65:1

Current top speed is around 67 mph in 5th. There are three ways to go faster. One is to stiffen the governor springs because the engine is happy to 3400 rpm. Another way would be to stick a 4.78 (up from 5.38) final drive pinion set in. 3rd way would be to get 6th unlocked.

My preference would be to unlock what I already have. It would be the cheapest option and it would reduce the rpm at, say, 65 mph, for fuel economy while cruising. Next best would be to change the FD, but that is quite expensive.

Cheapest way would be to fix the governor springs and fuel plate, but that would cost fuel ... maybe. Advancing the timing might help with that.

 

[BurlKing]

we've got a manual 5 speed spicer, its so damn smooth and nice. i wouldnt drive a big rig without a manual, the thought of it is just insane. having driven semi's fully loaded and having my cdl and gone through a bunch of hill country, i love manuals.

 

[magnakansas]

i'll take the sixth

My 6th gear should be like your 5th. I don't know if the 5.9 would have enough torque to support more overdrive. I assume you also have more bus to move too. I think I will do well with the 5.9 because of the small size. 24' I will also work on undertray to smooth up under the bus too. Lots of work ahead.

william

 

[plfking]

It seems the manual transmission is a rare thing in this skoolie world.

Maybe not 'rare', but definitely uncommon......took me 18 months of searching to find the 466/Spicer combo I lusted after. Driven a lot of manually-shifted vehicles over the years, from farm equipment to straight trucks, and wanted that same enjoyment in my bus.

Couldn't find one with 3-on-the-tree, though.

 

[Jsneeb]

What are some manual transmissions, Spicer or Fuller, that would bolt up to a 24V cummins 5.9. Currently mated to the 545 and am entertaining ideas of a manual swap in the future.

This website seems to be a good resource.

https://www.vanderhaags.com/Search-...ler&inventorytype=transmission&typesetid=4000

The other hurdle would be some kind of custom linkage since my bus is a flatnose and that puts the transmission about 6 feet behind the driver.

 

[thinkingaboutabus]

manual transmission dt466 sources?

I have missed out on 2. Still looking.I think a short one is best 4 me.Any leads appreciated.

 

[CHEESE_WAGON]

It seems the manual transmission is a rare thing in this skoolie world.

Depends on the bus and vintage. Manuals were quite common until the late 1980s.

 

[klardotsh]

Pardon the necrobump, but this didn't seem worth making a whole new thread about.



My curiosity right now is: does a manual transmission exist in any cutaway skoolie/shuttle? eg. E-450, C4500, etc. Or has anyone retrofit such a thing into such a vehicle?



I'm guessing not, given that apparently even Sprinters very rarely (if ever) have manual transmissions, but dang, it sure would be nice. Minus my outgoing well-worn clutch (heh), I love my manual transmission in my passenger car (a Subaru station wagon).

 

[magnakansas]

Manual trans in a van

I saw a 300 ci. Six with a five speed, about 1990-1995 or so. This is the only full size I have ever seen. Figure very rare bird.

William

 

[s2mikon]

UPS package cars had 5 speed clark transmissions for decades behind 300 cu in Ford 6 cylinders. The lever was bent forward to better place it in the hand.

 

[nikitis]

I'm all about the manual on cars. My Camaro has a rare 6 speed manual. Most were 5 speeds.

But i've never driven a manual on a truck, but I understand how it works. low set of gears, then flip switch on stick, and start over basically and climb to the top. Just not practiced. I don't know if I'd like it on a bus as much as I do on a car. I'd be willing to try it, but not invest money into convert one over yet. But maybe.

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

Pardon the necrobump, but this didn't seem worth making a whole new thread about.



My curiosity right now is: does a manual transmission exist in any cutaway skoolie/shuttle? eg. E-450, C4500, etc. Or has anyone retrofit such a thing into such a vehicle?



I'm guessing not, given that apparently even Sprinters very rarely (if ever) have manual transmissions, but dang, it sure would be nice. Minus my outgoing well-worn clutch (heh), I love my manual transmission in my passenger car (a Subaru station wagon).

It would seem that you could source parts from a pickup with the same engine to make this work. Gearshift would be a bit to far back but a little bending to bring it up to a comfortable spot would work.