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What you are describing in the orginal post is an electrically shifted two-speed rear end. What you are describing in your second post is a Road Ranger multi-range transmission--a totally different horse.
Most 2-speed rear ends allow you to "split" each gear in half. In theory this allows you to climb hills a little faster. In pratice, the reality is most 2-speed rear ends don't split gears exactly and if you don't know what you are doing you can sometimes shift down when you are wanting to shift up.
Most 2-speed rear ends shift 1st low, 1st hi, 2nd low, 2nd hi, 3rd low, 3rd hi, 4th low, 4th hi. Sometimes, if the transmission is a 5-speed with 5-speed direct drive, 5th low is lower than 4th hi. In 4-speeds and 5-speeds with 5th an overdrive gear you may find 3rd hi is lower than 4th low. The only sure way to find out is to try each gear out, preferrably on a road with no traffic behind you.
In order to shift the 2-speed, all you need to do is move the button up or down. When you lift the throttle, the 2-speed should shift. The only time the clutch needs to be used is when you shift the main transmission.
Once you learn the shift points and at what speed the engine needs to be for the optimum shift, your shifts will become as smooth as an automatic. Until you learn the shift points be prepared for a lot of lurching and crashing of gears.
As IHC Bus man has already said, sometimes the 2-speed will stick in between high and low range. That is why you neve ever, absolutely never ever, positively don't ever down shift a 2-speed going down hill. You will get stuck in between ranges and then you will have your bus freewheeling downhill.
With the electrically shifted 2-speeds, sometimes the seal between the shifter and the rear end will leak allowing gear lube to get into the mechanism. When that happens the shifter becomes very slow or will stop operating completely.
As to not working in the winter, that is true only when the gear lube is really cold. When the gear lube in the rear end is cold it will slow down the shifter to the point it won't want to shift. Once things warm up it should shift without any problems. The problem with most school buses is they never go far enough or fast enough when it is really cold to warm things up enough.
Good luck and happy trails.
Mark O. |
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