Foden

[Hugh Jaleak]

This was taken circa 1992 at my workplace of the time. Just make out the Cat 215 I was driving in the distance, behind the 215 her smaller sister a 211. We used to load the Foden and others hired in with waste. Earned her keep, she shifted 1000's of tonnes over her working life with us. Power was Cummins 330, driving through Fuller 9 speed box. 6x4 double drive which proved useful on a wet tip! Trailer was a Wilcox 55yd tipper.

I will never forget getting a ride in her to the tip one day, Pete the driver turned to me as he changed up through the gears, giving his trademark grin he said "She never stops pulling." I had yet to take my HGV at that time, but late 90's gave me chance to drive an 8x4 Foden Roll on/off with Gardner engine and the Fuller box. Beautiful gearbox when you knew how to use it, and some happy memories. The Gardner was a bit slow but did the job. Shame I didnt get a pic of it at the time.

[Jeremy Rowland]

Yes Nick the Fuller nine was a lovely gearbox and the Gardner engines were slow but they were a slogging engine, you could always tell if a British wagon had a Gardner engine because you were always down to twenty mph on a hill
They also had no gaskets on em and used to leak oil like it was going out of fashion, the other mechanics used to say a Gardner powered truck had about five gallons of oil in the sump, a gallon on the floor under the truck and a gallon splashed all down the chassis it was not too far from the truth either.
I never got to drive a Foden but the Sed Atki's had the same Fuller gearbox but the gearchange layout was really cockeyed on the 400 series, 1st gear was where 4th is on a car, straight across forward for 2nd, across to where 1st would be on a car for 3rd then pullback for 4th, flick the switch on the gear knob and go through em again to 8th.

Jeremy

[Julian]

Yes Nick the Fuller nine was a lovely gearbox Jeremy

My 87 ERF E12 has the Fuller 9 speed. I'm still getting used to it. Down changing is easy with double de-clutching working a treat, but I'm still mastering up changes. At first I fully depressed the clutch and found that gearchanges took ages because the input shaft was so slow to slow down, now I just do them clutchless which is far better but there's not much room for errors with timing.

I've just got a driver's manual off the e-bay and I note that it says to partially depress the clutch pedal for up changes..... is this the best way?

Also I note that it says fully depressing the clutch engages the clutch brake, I didn't know it had one Which would explain why it's sometimes slow to get into gear after waiting at traffic lights, I guess the clutch may need adjusting, trouble is I've looked up into the bellhousing through the inspection hole and I can't see how to adjust - the actuation is hydraulic and that obviously self adjusts!

Cheers Julian.

[diggerjones]

yes i have drove erf's. with twin splitter gerbox. with the clutch you are supposed to use the clutch brake when you start off. if you dont use it the truck jumps forward slightly when you put it in gear. hope this helps
cheers dylan

[Hugh Jaleak]

Julian, I read up about using the Fuller 'box, if its any help. Truck and Driver ran an article about 'Crash Boxes' a few years ago, probably still got it but where is another question! It was designed to help those unsure to find their way about the Fuller and Eaton twin split, and at least get out the yard without looking a total berk....

Basically as it has no syncromesh, you have to do the job of the syncro's yourself... (This is from memory so any corrections welcome!) I think there's about 600 rpm between the gears, as you seem ok with downchanges i'll leave you to that, but for upchanges try this. When you hit the top end of the green, (and with the Gardner you needed every ounce of power!), drop the clutch, box in neutral, release clutch, (keep foot OFF power!), drop clutch again, select next gear up, release clutch. I think releasing the clutch 1st time when in neutral is supposed to get the input shaft at the same speed as the engine, (obviously now dropping) and allow you to select the next gear up.

The Foden's were a cable change which were not to everyones liking, but I got on ok with it. Gears were in the normal H pattern Jeremy, with the 9th (or crawler) being forward left if memory serves correct. I think one quirk with the Foden cable change was the gear lever used to 'rotate' rather than the whole lever move across. Also to engage the PTO you had to put it in 3rd, then pull the PTO switch up. (And if you didnt get that right it would nearly stall and did on occasions start running backwards.... Grab any gear quickly and properly stall it then!)

Fantastic box, its a shame the art of driving them is rarely needed now. The Foden RO/RO snapped the timing chain and was mothballed. (The local Truck breakers made a killing out of it.) Sadly never had chance to drive a motor with a Fuller 'box since.

[martyn williams]

I have always likes Fodens,rugged and good looking trucks.
Photo shows Barry Cossletts Foden.My D 4 makes up the classic machine load.
Martyn

[Julian]

Julian, I read up about using the Fuller 'box, if its any help. Truck and Driver ran an article about 'Crash Boxes' a few years ago, probably still got it but where is another question! It was designed to help those unsure to find their way about the Fuller and Eaton twin split, and at least get out the yard without looking a total berk....

Basically as it has no syncromesh, you have to do the job of the syncro's yourself... (This is from memory so any corrections welcome!) I think there's about 600 rpm between the gears, as you seem ok with downchanges i'll leave you to that, but for upchanges try this. When you hit the top end of the green, (and with the Gardner you needed every ounce of power!), drop the clutch, box in neutral, release clutch, (keep foot OFF power!), drop clutch again, select next gear up, release clutch. I think releasing the clutch 1st time when in neutral is supposed to get the input shaft at the same speed as the engine, (obviously now dropping) and allow you to select the next gear up.

The Foden's were a cable change which were not to everyones liking, but I got on ok with it. Gears were in the normal H pattern Jeremy, with the 9th (or crawler) being forward left if memory serves correct. I think one quirk with the Foden cable change was the gear lever used to 'rotate' rather than the whole lever move across. Also to engage the PTO you had to put it in 3rd, then pull the PTO switch up. (And if you didnt get that right it would nearly stall and did on occasions start running backwards.... Grab any gear quickly and properly stall it then!)

Fantastic box, its a shame the art of driving them is rarely needed now. The Fden RO/RO snapped the timing chain and was mothballed. (The local Truck breakers made a killing out of it.) Sadly never had chance to drive a motor with a Fuller 'box since.

Thanks, I'll give it a go when I next have her out, I'm glad it doesn't have the twin splitter box - it'll take me a month of sundays to get the hang of that one given that the truck is not likely to cover 1000 miles in the year!

Also, I'm now pretty certain that the difficulty I sometimes have engaging gear when stationary (due to a little clutch drag that seems worse when the thing's hot) is adjustment. I've just purchased a workshop manual off the e-bay so hopefully it'll show me what to do.

It is a nice gearbox for sure, on the ERF the linkage is done via ball joints and rods so is very direct and the satisfaction from making a smooth gearchange is very good. (must make me a sad sod )

Just changing the subject, does anyone here happen to have any literature that covers the Girling (Lucas) skidcheck system. (for any who are wondering what it is, it is a primitive ABS system that works only on the driven axle to help prevent jackknifing)

Just out of interest, what would have been the best lorry in their day, the Foden or the ERF? I bet there was a lot of rivalry

Cheers Julian.

[Hugh Jaleak]

I hope it helps you Julian. They are lovely, but damned expensive when things need repairing, I was warned by a fitter "the 'box dont like you changing gear without the clutch"...., although im happy to be corrected.

The twin splitter was I think something you either loved or hated. My mate had an ERF with a twin splitter, he loved it. Others called it "the gearbox of a thousand neutrals"....

[Jeremy Rowland]

Yes Nick the Fuller nine was a lovely gearbox Jeremy

My 87 ERF E12 has the Fuller 9 speed. I'm still getting used to it. Down changing is easy with double de-clutching working a treat, but I'm still mastering up changes. At first I fully depressed the clutch and found that gearchanges took ages because the input shaft was so slow to slow down, now I just do them clutchless which is far better but there's not much room for errors with timing.

I've just got a driver's manual off the e-bay and I note that it says to partially depress the clutch pedal for up changes..... is this the best way?

Also I note that it says fully depressing the clutch engages the clutch brake, I didn't know it had one Which would explain why it's sometimes slow to get into gear after waiting at traffic lights, I guess the clutch may need adjusting, trouble is I've looked up into the bellhousing through the inspection hole and I can't see how to adjust - the actuation is hydraulic and that obviously self adjusts!

Cheers Julian.

Julian there is indeed a technique for changing gear with the Fuller gearboxes, and clutchless gear changes are supposed to be easy although I never tried that myself.
There is a clutch brake fitted with the Fuller boxes, there were two types as I remember but they all work the same way basically the clutch brake is two small friction plates about 3-4" dia and they are kept in place on the gearbox input shaft by two splines that run the length of the shaft.
Now the main clutch itself was one of two makes; either a Lipe Rollway or a Dana Spicer but they operate the same way, when you depress the clutch you actually pull the release bearing out from the pressure plate and this contacts with the clutch brake to slow or stop the gearbox input shaft thus aiding your gear change.
As for adjustment there should be a small rectangular panel about 4-5" on the bottom of the bell housing, remove the four pins and drop it off.
There should be about a 1/2" gap between the release bearing and the front of the gearbox (clutch brake) you should also have about an 1/8" free play between the actuation fork and the back of the release bearing.
If its a Lipe clutch adjustment is simple, there is a locking ring on the pressure plate which is on a threaded tube on which the release bearing is held, just tap the locking ring free and turn the threaded tube until the release bearing has the 1/8" free play, there is what looks like another locking ring which is on the release bearing itself this is so you can turn the threaded tube on which the release bearing is held.
Sorry if I've made this sound complex its really a sinch trust me.

Jeremy

[Neversweat]

I used to drive a Spainish Dodge (Barreiros) with a Fuller gearbox - only used the clutch for pulling away or reversing
-its all in the rev's

Steve

Come to think of it drove our AEC the same