Fuller 9 spds and Mack engines?

I am purchasing a 5 ton with 48 super singles and there is a big gap between gears. I have been reading some of the posts on this topic and it sounds like the fuller 9 spd is the way to go. I am not looking to turn this truck into a rocket ship. I just want to keep the truck in the sweet spot, not lugging the engine and not screaming either. One of my good friends has a trucking company and has been trucking since the 70's. He has tons of extra transmissions, Mack engines and trailers full of trucking parts. He is getting older and is starting to part with some of the parts he has stashed away for decades. He told me has a few fuller 9 spds and some Mack engines that he wants to sell. They have all been stored in a tractor trailer. I may pick up a motor and tranny as back up. What should I look for? I have a multifuel turbo engine with a spicer 5 spd now.

If anyone else is interested, I can talk to my friend for you.

the fuller 9 is speed is a flat trans, the pto for the winch comes off the bottom of the trans, there will routing issues for the winch drive shaft, the front drive goes right along the left side of the spicer, don't think it will clear the fuller, also there only about 9" of space that can be taken out between the spicer and the xcase for a longer trans

If I don't use the fuller what is a better transmission? I would like to keep the rpm down and the power up. My buddy has lots of extra parts. He is selling lots of five spds right now. Maybe some are OD transmissions. What model numbers should I look for?

the fullers are nice, I would keep the multifuel and bold a 9 spd to it and see how you like it first, if you are going with a hydraulic pump you need to use a pto straight to a pump so that drive shaft is not an issue. Make sure you measure everything twice prior to make a commitment to a swap. I have a fuller 15 spd going in my M920.

It depends on what mack engine he's selling, but if you're up to the work, I'd say do the full swap. The multifuel can't even come close to touching a mack for power, torque, and longevity. Quite a few of the old macks had straight 5 speeds in them and would lug all day long with no problems.

why not get a truck with a cummins in it? instead of tearing apart a multifuel 5 ton....

I've always thought a Mack 237 or 300 would be a perfect engine for a 5 ton- dirt simple/reliable/sound great at idle and under load and somewhat small CI so packaging is easier. The old Macks have peak torque around 1200 rpm making them great with 5 & 6spd trans which were quite common with the 70/80's DM/RD/MR trucks. I have some customers with 30,000 hours on origional Mack engines in roll-offs and garbage trucks and thats not an easy life. Plus the old Mack's smoke alot which is a bonus...

Andy

Numerous posts have appeared in the past on this topic and if you throw enough money at it it may eventually work. beware of unengineered transmission swaps: is the input shaft compatable with you clutch? If trans came from a truck with a double disk clutch it will not fit in yours. Don't ask me how i learned these things. If you don't like the way it runs think about learning how to split shift it which yeilds one more gear to fill in gthe gap or get a 923 with an automatic

I am not planning on doing anything right now. But I would put one away for another time or help someone out that needs one now. I am just going to have fun for now!

I'll start off by saying, I love Mack engines when they are running. When things go wrong you better hold on to your pocketbook though. The good thing is that they don't break very often.

I may have missed something but I don't see where you said what engine the 5-ton has in it. If it is a 800 series and already has the Cummins, I don't know as I would swap to a Mack.

My truck has a Multifuel right, which has low hours and will be fine. But My buddy is unloading his prized stash right now. I am sure he would sell me what ever I want cheap! He has them all. I could get a Detroit or a Cummings if I wanted, but I think a Mack would be a straight forward swap. I don't want to mind f#*k it to death, just looking for possible worth while upgrades. Thanks for everyone's help!

Vintage iron said:

I could get a Detroit or a Cummings if I wanted,

Click to expand...

I LOVE Newbs, its Cummins!!

You can put a later model Spicer 5 speed in it and have several ratios to choose from. I believe the critical dimensions are close if not identical on most of the 5000 and 6000 series that were extremely popular in Medium Duty commercial trucks in the 80`s.

When I say ratios I mean "ratio split between gears"

When you say Fuller 9 spd.....there are quite a few versions that all have unique differences. The exact model number will tell you what it is and any rebuilder can decipher, or it`s available on "Eaton`s" website.
RT (roadranger transmission)
O (overdrive) or blank if direct
95 (950 ft. lbs torque max) or 11 (1100#s) or 12.. ior 14 etc.
09 (# of forward gears)
A (ratio split between gears) or B etc.

some of them are "smaller" units, and some aren`t....I`m just saying, consult a rebuilder or do the research on the "Roadranger" (Eaton) website to verify whatever goodies your friend has available.
Don`t take anything I`ve said as gospel, as it`s from my memory (from back when I used to work for a living......in a transmission shop in the 80`s)

Hope this helps.

Hasbeen

The guy selling the Multifuel 5ton with super singles backed out of the deal. It worked out for the best. I bought a M813 with a winch and a 250 Cummins. The Cummins is the balls! It pulls like Ox and purrs like a cat. Plus my buddy has all the parts I would ever need! I am planning on boosting the HP with a turbo and keeping the Spicer. It works fine.

Is that the one I saw on CL for 4500 painted flat black? I tried to get a friend of mine to buy it but he decided to go with a 1 ton pickup instead.

No not that truck. I have seen that truck too. It was originally a M51 dump truck but it is missing the dump bed. That means it is a short wheelbase. I think he has a deuce cargo bed for it. I know he has a **** load of tires. I am planing on picking up a set of 11.00R20 from him.

What's he want for 11.00x20s? I might need some too depending on how long it is before I can afford to supersingle my truck. I got a pile off craigslist a while ago but I am down to 1 spare.

I know I said that a five speed was fine, but that was before I took a 698 mile trip through Ma,CT,NY,PA and back. I wish I had some more gears pulling those big hills and traveling back with a load. I will be adding more gears soon!

Good luck there are many choices out there

Try to find a OLD spicer 8 or 10 speed, a narrow trans, a 4/5 speed with a 2 speed shift on the back, should bolt up, pto should bolt up, should have room to install with out moving the xcase, the front drive shaft will clear, this is what the 5ts should have had as OEM, would fix the HOLLLLLLLLLLLLE between 3rd and 4th, and the lesser hole between 2nd and 3rd. The 5Ts are a great driving truck (even my super heavy 819) except for that Fu_ken hole between 3 and 4 gear.