I'm thniking of adding a Ruxtell accessory to the rear axle of my 22 TT. Can some of you guys who have them relate how easy or difficult are gear changes while rolling?

There are some real good posts of both Forums about shifting, in my experience with them, it is a piece of cake if you have a foot feed (gas pedal), makes it so much easier. I have driven them both ways for many years, and it is just simpler and I think easier on the car, my .02.

I use the standard Ford levers. Shifting the Ruxtell is quite simple. However, the Ruxtell can hang up in "neutral". Once that happens the factory brakes do not work. Now in 15+ years the Ruxtell only found "nuetral" once, but it is an eye opener.

The early Perfecto Axle (forerunner of the Ruckstell) was designed with a neutral. However, this feature was quickly abandoned as you had no brakes when in neutral. None of the later Perfecto's or Ruckstell"s had a neutral. If your Ruckstell has a neutral it is either worn out, has been misassembled, or someone has filed a neutral slot in the shifter clevis. In any case you need to disassemble your Ruckstell and find out what the problem is. Start by buying the Ruckstell Repair Manual from The Model T Ford Club Of America or your favorite parts dealer. They all have them. Next, remove your shifter mechanism from the axle and check the P113 Shift Clevis for a third notch. If you have the later (26-27) shifter, ignore this and proceed to tear down of your axle. Hope this helps. Please feel free to call us at Chaffin's Garage Inc. if you have any questions.

Wrong. You can end up between high and low speed without having a notch, without detectable wear, etc. It can and does happen. It is a mechanical device subject to whims of its own. In 15 years it happened once several years ago. It has not repeated, but it still happened. The car was in my garage, I just put the floor boards back in place, started the car, depressed the reverse pedal and the car did not move.
The point is, get after market rear wheel brakes if you are going to install a Ruxstell. Being without brakes can be a real surprise. One no one needs.

Well, VRay, I'm sure you know lots and lots more about Ruckstell Axles than Glen Chaffin, but I didn't see the "wrong" part of his post. Where exactly did Glen get it wrong? I'm sure he's anxious to learn more about those axles.

Vray - neutral in a ruckstell IS detectable wear.

Vince

I've built up and rebuilt alot of Ruckstell rear axles and they don't just have neutral ! Glen IS the Expert !

As I said, if you have a neutral, your Ruckstell is either worn out (lots of wear), misassembled (you screwed up) or the shifting clevis has a third notch (modified). If all of the parts are in good shape (not badly worn)and the ruckstell has been assembled properly it cannot have a neutral. The manual tells you how to check for proper shifting in your Ruckstell. If you follow that procedure you will never have a neutral. We have seen badly worn gears on the P146 sliding clutch gear and P145 notch plate which can contribute to this problem. However, if the P158 shifter does not hold the P146 in the proper position P146 and P145 will not engage properly and bingo you have neutral. This is exactly what the procedure checks for prior to final assembly of the axle.

Thanks for your input, Gentlemen. I'm going to install the so called "high speed" gears (5 1/6:1) in my TT and have a chance to buy a Ruxtell at a reasonble price so I think I'll go that route. I have a Muncie auxillary transmission which is nice for the overdrive but it's a bear getting that thing from one gear to the next while rolling. Then I'll have fourteen forward speeds, YaHoo!

Sorry, I should have said P145 thrust plate and P147 notch plate in my last post. I was tired and getting ahead of myself. Robert, your TT Truck Ruckstell should easily shift between gears with no grinding of gears. That is the nice thing about a Ruckstell as compared with an old Muncie or Warford. The New Ruckstell manual I mentioned above also covers the Truck Ruckstell. The old manual does not.

Speaking of rolling. You brought up another good point. If some fool has put a neutral in your Ruckstell, never try to tow your car in the neutral position. The Ruckstell design is such that in neutral, the clearance between the two gears on P146 Shifting Clutch Gear and the P145 Thrust Plate and P147 Notch Plate is next to nothing. There is just enough clearance to shift between Ford high gear and Ruckstell low gear. The P158 shifter cannot hold P146 in a precise position, there is considerable play. This means that in the neutral position the leading face of the gears can be grinding against each other if the car is being towed. Ruckstell neutral should only be used in starting the car or shoving it around in the garage, never towing or freewheeling on the road. This is a recipe for disaster.

Had been having transmission problems, could not get neutral, tried to get it out of the barn backwards and load it on the trailer, of course locked up. Try as I might, I never could get my Ruckstell in neutral, tried for some time, I have been to two Rodeos and one County Fair, and thought I could, but never did, finally put it up on homemade rollers, so neutral in a Ruckstell is not that easy, IMHO. My .02.

Finising up installing one on my 22.

Putting on rocky's as well just in case, but finding neutral on a sound unit isnt possible as i understand it.

The machining is very tight, and appears to support that.

Vince

I have purposely put my Ruckstell into neutral by removing the shifter mechanism on the housing and working it with a screwdriver. This was an original axle- I don't know how worn it was but it always worked fine and shifted fine and never got caught in neutral.....but if I could manipulate it manually I think the possibility exists that it could happen as VRay worned. I also personally saw a ruckstell slip into neutral when going down hill and the driver and passenger were both injured. This car had no accessory brakes ........ they really are mandatory if you have a ruckstell. The ruckstell in that car was removed and put in another car and ti never happened again.The second installation did include rocky mountain brakes ..just in case

The sliding spline which shifts from low to high should show no wear. That's a part you should replace if it shows wear. It will tend to work out of gear while driving if it is tapered.

When you shift, be careful to get the engine going faster for a down shift and slower for an up shift. Practice this on level ground until you get the hang of it. When you do shift, give it a quick pop. If you try to shift too slow, you could get caught in neutral.

Always have working auxillary brakes when using a Ruckstell. In fact I would recommend them whether or not you have a auxillary transmission. It is safer in traffic and also when going downhill.
Norm

Thanks again, Guys. Youv'e given me lots of food for thought. Glen, I'll be calling you about one of those manuals.