How to Drive a Model T with a Ruckstell Axle
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ม.ค. 2021
- #fordmodelt #antiquecars I show how to drive a Model T with a Ruckstell axle. Still photos credit to Lang's Old Car Parts modeltford.com
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When I was a kid, I used to play on my Uncle's junk Model T truck that had a Ruckstell 2-speed axle... I wish I had it now!
When my mother was young, her family had a Model T (I guess). Her older brother usually did the driving of the 5 kids to school. One day I guess he decided to let her drive. She was looking for Ruckstell and drove off the road. I think they walked the rest of the way to school. Thanks for posting this. I heard that story when I was 15, 55 years ago, and just today, just now, I've discovered what she was talking about! 😊
The fact you can get stuck in neutral and lose your service brake with the Ruckstell is scary. The standard emergency brake really isn’t that good. I think another option was Rocky Mountain brakes maybe to solve this issue. I have a standard T and once the brake band didn’t work on this really steep hill and the thing that saved me was using the reverse pedal as a brake. The emergency brake might have slowed me down a bit but I would have stopped by crashing if I hadn’t used the reverse pedal. Nice video and car.
Great video, thank you! Amazing how you can go around tight bends with low rev’s in high gear you would expect the car to stall out. Think it would take some nerve to go hill climbing in one 😁
You explained it perfect!
The Ruckstell is essentially an underdrive unit that lowers the overall ratio of the 2 existing Ford gears and differential. Normal street driving should only need to use Ruckstell low on Ford high as a "second" gear between the Ford low and high.
I have 5 model T's and each one has a Chaffin's Ruckstell kit. Love 'em!
Under normal, flat-land driving, I rarely use anything except FORD low & high. But, in nearby hilly country the Ruckstell shifter gets moved back to Ruckstell High-- when I come to a hill. Back to FORD high at the top unless the hill goes back down then I leave it in Ruckstell high for gearing to slow me down. Rarely, do I have to shift to FORD low on a hill UNLESS I get behind a Model T that does not have a Ruckstell. IF I end up having to use Ruckstell low, then I know that I'm climbing a very steep mother!
In my cars- all have std gearing:
*fun/safe/comfortable driving speed in Ruckstell high is 22-25 mph.
*fun/safe/comfortable driving speed in FORD high is 30-35 mph
I agree completely!!
What is the top speed you would expect using the ruckstell?
@@wheelieblind Top Speed? Not my gig. I live and drive in a rural area. I can't answer your question, I I was interested in speed a SS-396 would have been my hobby.
@@wheelieblind The Ruckstell Axle does not make the car any faster. It simply give the car 2 extra gear choices rather than just low and high. The engine should still never exceed 1500 RPM and depending on the ring and pinion gear in the car it should never go above 35 MPH
Add hydraulic brakes!, needed with or without Ruckstell, the Ford Driveshaft brake is inadequate by every measure (Rocky Mountain Drums is not nearly as good as hydraulic)
We have a 1927Buick, even though we have a 3 speed trans, it would be nice to add something like a Ruckstell in it!
Great video. Lets me know I need to rebuild mine-as it really clunks/bangs into position….
…I didn’t hear any of that with yours.
👍
Ruckstel a gear splitter
Shift in high leave it drive normaly
If you need little more torque/ power the shift to low Ruckstel
If your ruckstel has or gets into neutral you need replace/ rework shift detent for wear
Great! But, where do I plug in my iPhone..?
So when I transfer from low gear to ruckstell, do I let my clutch in neutral or release a little on clutch?
I am a new owner of a 1927 coupe and have been driving with only one quick lesson. I did not know how to use the Ruckstell until you showed me! Thank you! But is there a method to going back to the T’s two gears! How do you go from Ruckstell back to standard without hitting neutral?
So the Ruckstell in high is the standard Ford gears. The most important thing is when down shifting a Ruckstell is to have a plan in place and be aware that it could get stuck in neutral. If going up hill and down shifting you let up on the gas and relax clutch partially and shift down. Its pretty unlikely to catch neutral. When down shifting coming to a stop that is when neutral is an issue. You need to slow down to a slow crawl and then drop it into low. Be prepared if it does catch neutral to use your hand lever/emergency brake to stop.
@MiloFarms you don't shift any 2 speeds rearends on hills
Interesting. How does the Ruckstell actually work?
What is the top speed of the car when the both trans. engaged in high ?
The Ruckstell Axle does not make the car any faster. It simply give the car 2 extra gear choices rather than just low and high. The engine should still never exceed 1500 RPM and depending on the ring and pinion gear in the car it should never go above 35 MPH
@@MiloFarms good answer. I have a T with the standard set up, from your video I can see how the Ruckstell is a big improvement. The guy who sold me mine said you can go a lot faster in the car than you should be going. Not sure I agree with that completely but you certainly don’t want to make it into a speed machine it would be dangerous.
it doesn't change the final drive ratio
The same speed model t top speed is 45mph
Interesting, it's much like an 18 wheeler and its split transmission. LL, LH, HL, HH
Or more common, the 5 & 2 with a 5 speed transmission & a 2 speed Eaton axle. The Eaton axle is just a modern version of the old Ruckstell. Yes, splitting the top 4 gears on the 13spd Roadranger is very similar except that the 2 speed shift is all in the rear of the transmission.
Where's your reverse pedal?
Its there but my knee is blocking the view of it in the camera angle since the reverse pedal sits farther back than the other 2 pedals.
I think i would leave it how ford designed it
why can't you just start out in high low, then shift to ruckstell high, be done
You could start out in low on the transmission and high on the Ruckstell and then go to high on the transmission and leave the Ruckstell in high. That would be the standard Model t gearing if you did not have a Ruckstell. The Model T clutch will not allow starting out without using the low transmission speed first. The 4 normal gears with a Ruckstell are : low ford/low ruckstell low ford/high ruckstell high ford/low ruckstell high ford/high ruckstell.
@@MiloFarms just seems like alot of unnecessary shifting
I think what the question is unless you really need ruckstell low on start, is to use ruckstell high, low pedal, then ruckstell low and pedal high for that mid speed with just 2 shifts. Then if you want to go to ruckstell high, pedal high, you get max speed . It’s a 3 speed for most driving
@@johnwalters878 Yes that is correct. It can be used that way if the low/low is not needed.
Very well explained, great job !