Brownie transmission ? Truckers wanted.

Husker44A

Well-known Member
Ok guys this is a little OT but I'm going to be dragging home a 1948 Diamond T farm truck soon. My plans are a simple mid 80's (85?) 1/2 ton independent front end with power disk brakes and power steering too along with same rear end with a what else ? Chevy 327 and a four speed. BUT I want something different to go along with the pickup four speed or auto. I want to use a brown Lipe (spelling) 3 speed behind the four speed. I might even find a 5.9 non electronic Cummins for the power. I am wanting to be able to shift the brownie without the clutch going down the highway. Am I crazy ? I WANT DIFFERENT. Opinions to you old TRUCKERS that HAVE run or drove trucks with the said trans ?? Thanks guys. There's a car show and auction rod run that's every August and I'd like to join these great people and have some fun with my Diamond T !!! Pictures soon. To keep it tractor related it WILL be pulled from its resting spot with a JD 4840 or a Farmall 560.
 
Where's the pix !! hahaha What engine is in it now ? I think they offered a wide variety of gas & diesels . It's not too hard to learn to shift without the clutch .you'll learn the sweet spot from the sound of the engine ....
 
I don't think you'd be the first person to do this, nor do I see any reason it wouldn't work.
 
Young men will have visions and old men will dream dreams.......

I think this you had a nightmare. Roll over, go back to sleep and Save your money.
 
Not a trucker but an construction electrician.
On contractor that I once worked for, they are no longer in business, had a Chevy boom truck, it had a 3 speed behind a 4 speed.
I didn't drive it much. Was never told how but just here's the keys, go do what ever with it. We mostly set light poles with it, and unloaded heavy equipment. Didn't need a special driver's license back then.

Dusty
 
Had a man up here years ago that was quite an innovater. He had a large on farm elevator and had a fleet of trucks, mostly 800/900 Dodges. He built a couple of Triaxle straight trucks with 24" Boxes and ALL axles driving. If I recall some how the transmissions added up to 21 forward speeds.
 
All the big trucks that I have drove I shifted without the clutch most of the time.
Some times I would use the clutch yust to stay in practice of double-clutching.
 
Just my opinion, it would be a huge waste of time, both building it and trying to drive it. If you want to shift without using the clutch get a manual shift valve body for your automatic.
 
You're not going to plop a 5.9 on a half ton suspension that's for sure. You need something more like a one ton. Why not look for an older 1 1/2 ton 5 speed with the OD gear. neighbor has one in an updated R-190 IH.
 
It has the original engine in it. I think it's a Hercules straight 6. It's going to need some glass, seat, rewired but I'm not looking for a $100k hot rod. I want a ratrod. They way it was done back in the 30's,49's , and 50's. I have a 350 and can get a fresh rebuilt 327 for dirt cheap. Here's the pictures. I will be leaving the flatbed too. Bolting on some wood. That was cut from the timber fire a couple years ago I get it for free too.
a167985.jpg

a167986.jpg
 
You may be crazy but if you think it's a worthwhile endeavor and you don't have any reasonable expectation of hurting anyone doing it, then don't let anyone talk you out of it!

I've always wanted to find an old grain or dump truck with a 3 or 4 speed auxiliary transmission just for the challenge of figuring out how to drive it.
 
I have 4 of those old Aux transmissions laying around the place. 2 are in IH trucks and one in a Ford and one laying loose.
One of the first trucks I drove for a living had a 4X4 transmission set up if you missed a gear you had to start from the bottom and try again
 
Yeah, don't get me wrong, keep the enthusiasm but not the Brownie. They are used to get a real heavy vehicle with a fairly narrow power band up to road speed. It has been a good 15 years since I used one, big GMC tandem with a 427 and a 5X3, but don't you gain like 5 mph with each gear? Loads of shifting if you have to use it a lot. If the truck was unloaded I almost didn't use it. I think the novelty would wear off real quick and you would end up shifting only the main trans anyway. And like Old said, if you get tripped up and get lost there is a good chance you will have to stop to get back on track.
 
One of the procedures to operating a compound setup (dual transmissions) in a smooth manner is not get both trans. out of gear at the same time.
When one masters how to shift without the clutch it isn't much work.
 
I built one of those for a fellow one time years ago. Dodge 900 tandum with a 413 4 bbl. Took the tandums out and put in a 2 speed rear. 5 sp with a 3 speed Aux and 2 speed rear end. 30 forwards and 6 reverses. He used to laugh and say you needed a blueprint to shift it.
 

Since the truck will not be used for hauling heavy loads, the 3 speed auxiallary transmission could be left in high gear most of the time. For normal cruising, just use the 4 speed.

If you do add the brownie, you will want to learn how to use it. There are some youtube videos that show how to drive a twin stick. Occasionally, both trannies have to be shifted at the same time. Complicated? YES! But quite impressive when done right.

I LIKE the concept for a rat-rod.
 
Early 70"s drove tandem dumps.Fords,Chevys,Dodges. All where 5spd mains and 4spd auxilary. Not too dificult once you master them.I learned to shift with my knee on the steering and shifting with both hands no clutch. Usually used 15 fowards loaded and only 6 empty out of the posible 20 What you need to consider is the rear end gear ratio plus both tranny ratio {Final ratio}. It may run 200 mph @ 1500rpm or 55@ 9000 rpm.
 
Nifty looking Diamond T there. Great that you want to keep it from the scrap man.
But you had better put in a one or one and half ton front end under it for safety. Yes it is an interesting expierence shifting a 5 plus 4 speed.
BTDT. That is rite , if you miss a gear change , you probaly will have to come to a complete stop and start over again. been there , done that too! Happy truckin clint
 
Ole clint, I learned to drive truck (Diamond Reo 1978) with a 318 Detroit and and a 5+4 tranny !!!!! My cousin has a 85 KW with 6+5 !!! Now that's awesome!!! So I know how to shift a twin stick. Going to build this truck with a 327 4+3 twin stick rat rod. Going to set as low as possible too. Going to.be a fun build. My youngest boy eats breaths anything with a engine. He can't wait !!!
 
I had a spicer 3 speed auxiliary transmission behind the 5 speed main box on my '76 F-600.. If I held my tongue just right , I could shift without the clutch.. I just wish I had a little more under the hood , as I was constantly shifting with every hill.. The aux. trans. had under-direct- .85 overdrive..
 
When I worked for the excavating company , They also ran a landfill.. When it came time to move the Cat 836-G compactor, a heavy hauler was called in.. He had a new "Pete" with 600 hp.. AND claimed 72 forward speeds........ Lets see , where was I ?? AW nuts !! Gotta start out again from the bottom....
 
I like the idea of a brownie in a rat truck. I've thought about doing the same thing myself. I've driven both gas and diesel powered trucks with brownies. The diesel ones are way easier to shift. The gas engines lose rpms too fast to hit the next gear easily when you are shifting up. Your brownie is just going to be for fun. You won't have to shift it unless you want to.
 
That cab looks to be in good shape! I'm with the others in that I would be looking at 1 ton running gear for a modern front end. You'll want to get some large diameter rubber for those large fenderwells.
 
There were 3 speed brownies in early 60s busses that shifted so easy. We put them in 70s GMC 9500 trucks with 10 speeds. You could shift that brownie easily from 2nd to third and back without the clutch. Way to heavy for a pickup. I had a '48 Chevy 4100 truck with a little 3 speed brownie behind the 4 speed, it had no 2 speed rear axle, would have been perfect for a pickup.

What you need is a overdrive from a 50s-60s chevy, it shifted up be letting off the gas pedal, shifted down by pushing the gas pedal to the floor, almost like an automatic behind a stick....James
 
I'd be willing to part with 2 or them. I have plans for the one in the Ford if I ever get around to it that is. By the way I also own a Diamond-T a 990
E-mail is open
 
Old, id be interested in one brownie trans with shifter and linkages. You can call me at 308_763_1265. Thanks. Im in western nebraska. Shipping might be a problem. I cant find any locally yet.
 
I am in Missouri the Lake of the Ozarks area. Lived up your way many many moons ago. As I said my e-mail is always open
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top