select o matic

bob6940

Member
Can anyone share some info about select o matic transmissions.Never had one and I'm wondering about the general opinion of them. Are they junk, are parts
available, are they worth rebuilding.Any comments are appreciated. Thank you
 
If you are speaking of the Ford Select-O-Speed, transmission, some like myself are fond of them while more won't touch one.

Regarding parts availability, CNH is aggressively abandoning parts support for all vintage Ford tractors, so parts support is poor as it is for Ford 4 speed and 5 speed transmissions.

That said, far more new parts are available for the S-O-S, than are available for vintage Ford 3, 4 and 5 speed transmissions.

Dean
 
Each generation improved on the previous one. The first S-O-S transmissions in the '01 series had issues, and most of those had been worked out when the DDC version came out in the 4 cylinder 2000/4000 series. The later version that was sold with the 1965-1975 2000/3000/4000/5000 series were pretty much bullet proof if they were maintained properly.
 
It is a very good transmission and is reliable.
I have one - a 1966 model so supposedly the last and best of them.
I hate driving it and am getting rid of it soon.
 
Can't disagree, but they are a bit of an acquired taste for some. We had one for many years, and was an enjoyable tractor to run for lots of tasks. Seemed to have a gear for everything, ours seemed pretty smooth on shifting, but I do recall in lesser amounts, the jerk-0-matic as some may describe it. Overall for general purpose, from cutting, raking, baling hay, rotary mower work, snow removal, some tillage, and even a bit of road travel back then, it performed very well. Power steering, one set of remotes, Independent PTO as I recall. We sold them new way back when, our mechanics were trained to work on them, and I remember ones they worked on in the shop. Use care when selecting oil for these, don't ever use the wrong type or specification oil, using the wrong type will cause an S-O-S to fail. Manuals for these are a must have, so is seeing if anyone within reasonable distance works on them, though I think most with good mechanical aptitude could learn these well enough to work on them.
 
Those who refer to the S-O-S as the jerk o matic should consider how it felt shifting a 4 or 5 speed on the go.

The S-O-S was MUCH smoother.

Dean
 
I have two tractors equipped with Select-O-Speed, both 5000 diesels; one is a 1965 and the other a 1967. I use them for haying primarily and they work very well in that application. It is so nice to be able to shift up or down on the fly based on the size of the windrow. There are lots of hard parts such as gears and shafts available. I found the big challenge to be finding gaskets and seals when we went through one last year. I spent hours researching interchanges, looking on eBay and made a friend in the UK who had a pile of parts. I think it can be safely said I had more hours in finding parts than tear down and repair. I also enlisted the help of a very knowledgeable Ford guy who made it all possible.
 
(quoted from post at 22:45:56 03/20/19) Those who refer to the S-O-S as the jerk o matic should consider how it felt shifting a 4 or 5 speed on the go.

The S-O-S was MUCH smoother.

Dean

...

Sorry, should have said on the go and under load.

I didn't think that the 4 or 5 speed were designed to be shifted on the go. I thought that on both of those you are supposed to come to a stop, shift and then start out in the new gear.
 
The shift on the go feature was much touted by Ford and is still mentioned anytime these transmissions are discussed here.
I am not engaged in maximum production farming where where optimum gearing at all times is so desirable.
Examples: When I'm plowing or bush hogging, if I think I could go a little faster - or slower, I can generally wait till I get to the end of the row and grab a different gear for the next round or, I'm going slow enough that stopping to grab another gear isn't going to affect "production" much.
I will however, begrudgingly, add that feature to their plus column.
 
Dean, that was just a term used, and repeated here again to describe something is all. They can and do jerk. I recall that fondly, but it seems with careful use of the inching pedal, not so much.

Currently having a 640 (4spd) and 850 (5 spd) which was used for 14 years around here, neither are synchronized, shift on the go ??? That might just be the problem, they are not meant to be shifted on the go.

I have a 4630 with the 8x8 trans and you can shift that on the go, but I do not, no need to and no need to take chances of abusing a fine tractor.

I ran a '64 4000 S-O-S well over 10 years, we sold and worked on them for our customers when we had a ford dealership. I have and always will think highly of them and would not hesitate to own a mechanically sound one again. This tractor was smooth for the most part and I have run it down the road wide open in 10th gear, I recall all the shifts being smooth, higher gears seemed to kick in just a little harder, but nothing that would snap your neck or anything.
 
On my '73 4000 S-O-S the shift from 5th to 6th is the worst. I wouldn't call it jerky so much as a lurch. It isn't a hard jerk, but it seems to drop into neutral for over half a second and then the higher gear engages and it surges forward. It feels almost like when you stomp on the gas pedal in a car with an automatic and it downshifts and surges forward. Downshifting from 6th to 5th is almost as bad.
 
If someone is looking for an SOS trannys for repair or parts I'm pulling one today and have a couple of more will sell. Email is open.
 
(quoted from post at 05:33:40 03/21/19) If someone is looking for an SOS trannys for repair or parts I'm pulling one today and have a couple of more will sell. Email is open.

Kirk, I already have my spares but I see the cables as being really important to save and keep. Salvage yard workers are likely just cut housing and cable.
 
"Currently having a 640 (4spd) and 850 (5 spd) which was used for 14 years around here, neither are synchronized, shift on the go ??? That might just be the problem, they are not meant to be shifted on the go."

Bingo. Exactly my point.

Shifting while plowing with a S-O-S is possible, usually resulting in a jerk, perhaps a solid one, depending upon the gears involved, but it is possible.

Attempting to quickly shift on the go while plowing with a 4 or 5 speed (synchronized or otherwise) cannot be done without popping the clutch resulting in a monumental jerk.

I'll take the S-O-S in that case.

Dean
 

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