Three-stick W900?

Please have a look, and share your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lEYaTvvq4g

I am quite familiar with a Duplex, Triplex, and several variants of the 5X4. I know years ago, some trucks did run three sticks, although I believe the third stick was usually for a 2-speed axle/axles. I can't figure this one out, and I almost suspect it may be a fake, although the sound does match up pretty well. I also suspect that, in this day and age, DOT would never allow that truck to be licensed due to having to take both hands off the wheel so frequently to shift.

I'm not ready to call BS, but I certainly am puzzled. Any thoughts?

Too much work

Yeah, that too for sure.

I think that is a 18 spd with a conversion kit to change from the buttons to leavers. If you watch the one on the left apears to be the splitter or the grey button the center one is the gear shift and the right one is the high/ low range button. No matter what it is it would be fun to play with but would be a pain everyday I would think.

The stick on the far right did strike me as possibly going from the bottom half to the top and back, but if you watch the other two sticks, he almost always shifts them both at the same time, and there does not appear to be any type of conventional shift pattern. All three sticks have extensions threaded on, but I'm wondering if it's possibly made for some type of application beside a truck.

I'll stick with a 13 or an 18, if I ever hold another wheel.

It is a 13 speed, right stick is the high low, left stick is the splitter, center stick is the normal shifter.

Watch the last half of the video after he jakes down through the gears to a stop. When he takes back off he goes through the 4 gears in the normal H pattern without using the low low in a 13, then he moves the high-low on the right and the goes through the upper half splitting every gear. So a 13 spd, if it was a 18 spd I think he would have split all the lower gears just for show in the video.

I don't know why he is moving both levers on a low to high split shift (half a gear) it is usually not needed. But looks like he is double clutching even these split shifts going up. There were a few times when he did not move both levers when in top gear and only moved the splitter.

So for show or does he have a particularly notchy tranny that doesn't like to up split without breaking the torque. All my trucks through the years just lift the throttle while moving the splitter and instant shift.

And looks like a big waste of time and energy just for show.

Yep, I'm seeing it now. He's pulling the main box out of gear when he splits. That's what threw me off.

To sum it up, I quote the above gent:

"And looks like a big waste of time and energy just for show."

At least he won't have to worry with the air stuff freezing in the cold country

Same Billy Big Rigger, same truck with somewhat original shifter. Note the red button -13 speed -and how he pulls the stick out of gear to split. Just a wanna be super trucker. My guess is that the guy is a "tweaker" -note how twitchy his hands are on the wheel, among other things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIw_ZfM26Hw

How much you want to bet he wears a great big honkin' belt buckle?

And a big fancy chain-drive wallet to go with the buckle.

He's definately on something... His motor skills are lacking big time.

Probably has a three-speed hat stashed somewhere too, and calls his truck a K-whopper.

That lever extension business is a little silly, why move your arm a foot and a half to shift gears(instead of four inches)?

hes playing fake big trucker. it looks like a strait 13 and hes going through a lot of extra effort to put on a good show.

mike in idaho said:

That lever extension business is a little silly, why move your arm a foot and a half to shift gears(instead of four inches)?

Click to expand...

Those are really for guys who can't shift, makes it easier just to shove them back into gear. Destroying the gears is easier then actually learning to shift.

Well he seems very proud of his retro set up, however I tell you, if I jumped in a truck and saw that set up, I would jump straight out again and tell em to shove it.
Yeah safety would be an issue.

I learned in 1965 on a 1948 Mack with 5x4 with 12’ bunks and 8’ Stakes. The fellow that instructed me, (my uncle) slapped me silly the first time I took my both hands of the wheel to shift both sticks. His comment was and I remember it to this day, “If you can’t shift with one hand smoothly you got no business behind this blankety blank g*d-d**m wheel. Now start to shift the way I told you or I’ll hit you again!

I have seen many people shift both sticks at the same time, but I never got the hang of it, perhaps it was because every time I even thought of it, my ears started to ring.

I guess I am a throwback, because I find a 5x4 easier than the 18 spd I am using today in my retirement hobby job. I never forget where I am in a 5x4 compared to my 18 spd.

As for the third stick in the video, I heard of a 4x4x4 on a log truck once, I think it was out of Goldbar WA. This was back in the late 60s as I recall. The plan was for real deep reduction. I believe the truck had double reduction rear ends also, but all of that may be just a figment of my memory.

I want to know where the periscope is so he can look out the window over the dash, that seat is way too low for my tastes and comfort….

BTW, I was 14 when I first held that steering wheel in 1965. At 14 you learn quickly do what you are told when you are told.

The compound low sure is nice in a pinch on a 5X4, and as long as they are maintained, you can't beat the reliability. Even so, given a choice, unless I was in the woods out west, I would probably opt for a 13 or 18.

I am ashamed to admit, I go from 1 to 2, and 2 to 3 in the main with both hands. Probably because I never got slapped for it.

The one thing that I really don't care for, in addition to people who let most of the air out of their seats (like this genius) and ride with them almost bottomed out for that 'cool look', is to see a truck with a third or more of the windshield blocked by an external chrome visor.

My buddy took that video he got a lot of video's of that truck too.
It is for sale now and back to a single stick.
http://newbrunswick.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-heavy-equipment-heavy-trucks-1999-KENWORTH-W900L-W0QQAdIdZ441194290QQfeaturedAdZtrue

Kyle