On a 1989 zetor 6211 I recently bought I understand gears 4 and 5 are synchronised so unless you double clutch the other gears will grind, when getting used to this they have grinded on me and previously I hadn’t been aware of double clutching so will this harm the gearbox or realistically would it have to be done for many years to cause harm? I find double clutching very hard to work when shifting gears below 4th however it seems to work fine on my Massey 135. Is it just a matter of getting used to double clutching with matching the revs? The clutch pedal is pretty slow on release so lacks that fast spring which makes it slower
Is gear grinding on a non synchro tractor very bad?
- Thread starter Tractorman52
- Start date
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
I've been grinding gears all my life, haven't broken a gearbox yet.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
There was a time when lorries didnt have syncromesh, is there anyone today who could drive one?
you never forget
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Probably not. Most can’t even set off in the yard now without spinning the wheels in the mud due to what seems like auto transmission inability to feather away, rock it a bit or go with the momentum. No diff lock either.
I can remember the days of double declutching as a lad, which combined with the whine of the turbo running up and down, made a lovely sound if you were a diesel enthusiast.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
To me there is no sadder sound than gears crunching. Synchromesh or not, it’s unnecessary and brutal. Sometimes I’ll even double declutch the lambo if changing down rather than force the synchronisers to do the job.
Gear crunchers should be forced to rebuild a gearbox in their own spare time.
Gear crunchers should be forced to rebuild a gearbox in their own spare time.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
You can tell it’s a cold wet morning.
To me there is no sadder sound than gears crunching. Synchromesh or not, it’s unnecessary and brutal. Sometimes I’ll even double declutch the lambo if changing down rather than force the synchronisers to do the job.
Gear crunchers should be forced to rebuild a gearbox in their own spare time.
As a boy (15) I was given a Ford 6700 to drive on carting duties. The farm tracks were good so much of the transport was done in top gear. I was aware of the concept of double clutching, but despite weeks of attempts I could not change down from 8th to 7th (on the move) without huge amounts of grinding. Could it have been done? In the end I just used to force it in. It sounded terrible!
Ask a livestock farmer ,who has one on a scraper , ie old brown or ferg ,dexta etc , Grind the gears ever movement , grate it enough to get into reverse cause you have no brakes ,let clutch out to stop you andboff you go in other direction , you wont do it any harm till you have worn side off the gears and it wont drive or kicks it out of gear , 
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Used to have a 6600 and it was easy, let it slow to about 1500rpm, knock out of gear, with clutch pedal up rev really high and then it would drop in silently.
rob h
Member
- Location
- east yorkshire
We had a 6600 then 7600 could drive them without using the clutch no problem no grating.we also had a mf 565 it Liked to crunch gears even changing up using the clutch
Some non syncro gearboxes are easier to change than others. A 4000 preforce I used as a student was a piece of cake even without a foot throttle. A TW 25 I have occasionally stored I found really difficult to change. I have a 2005 3 speed Thwaites dumper which is a pig to change from 2 to 3 because the step is too large and the thing will roll to a stop on level ground befor you can slip it in, as it were. I could shift an old 3C 11 with a Torque Con between 3 and 4 just by changing the revs but our old Sanderson with a knackered syncro on 4th I have to practically stop.
DeeGee
Member
- Location
- North East Wales
Seem to recall that you could change up and down on the Ford 1000 series 8 speed boxes quite smoothly, and IIRC could sometimes flick up or down silently and easily without even using the clutch?
You just seemed to get the ‘feel’ of the tractor and instinctively knew when the revs and the load were just right for an easy change of gear. But there were also times you just had to double de clutch to avoid horrible noises.
You just seemed to get the ‘feel’ of the tractor and instinctively knew when the revs and the load were just right for an easy change of gear. But there were also times you just had to double de clutch to avoid horrible noises.
Netherfield
Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Some of you lot would fooked with an Eaton twin splitter then, or Seddon Atkinson 200 where the higher gears were away from you not nearest. Leyland 5 and 6 speed truck boxes were a pleasure to use.
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
I think that's what I passed my class 1 in, or something equally as stupid.
I can drive a truck for fun but learning those gears was a struggle for me, and everyone else including the instructor as far as I could tell.
There's not much I can't drive without even using the clutch, once did a 80 mile round trip through Manchester city centre in a Bedford TL with no clutch. It broke just as I set off and wasn't going to handball the load onto a different truck just for the sake of it. As long as they will start in 1st gear you are OK
I just used to flick though the gears quickly on the old Ford 4000, didn't give it time to crunch
. Synchros on 7th and 8th anyway IIRC.- Location
- Lincolnshire
I just used to flick though the gears quickly on the old Ford 4000, didn't give it time to crunch
Dont think so... just very easy to change.
DeeGee
Member
- Location
- North East Wales
Agree, I don’t think there was synchro on any Ford 1000 series gears, nor Fergies of that era.
David Brown mad a splash with their Synchromesh gearboxes in IIRC the mid 1970’s, but as I recall they were very much the exception on mainline tractors of that era.
Netherfield
Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
And DB was only between 2nd and third.