Universal touring six speed transmission.......

[George Andreasen]

I got a call from a Nevada member, trying to get information on a "Universal touring six speed" transmission for a T. That nomenclature is embossed right on the side of the box, but he can't find any information about it at all. He asked me to do some computer research, and although I tried every combination of words you can think of, I just got results regarding a Harley Davidson motorcycle transmission or ads for modern units.

Has anyone ever encountered one of these, designed for a T? I'd really like to help this fella out!

[Ruxstel24]

I got a couple hits from past MTFCA forum posts.
Try "Model T six speed aux trans"...

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1231914641

[Scott_Conger]

And FWIW, the 6 speeds is due to Ford low/high. A 6 speed transmission gives under/direct/overdrive (you will not get 12 speeds despite what it says on the gearbox being 6 speed),

[Wayne Sheldon]

The "Universal" (a brand name, not a description!) and the Rocky Mountain six speeds are very similar, however I don't think much if anything is interchangeable between them. The Universal is notable in that the major case pieces were cast bronze. Universal also built and sold two speed units which were available as either under or over drives along with direct. Both two and three speed units in the Universal as well as the Rocky Mountain "Six Speed" units were available in both T (car) and TT (truck) versions.
They are very nice auxiliary transmissions if in good condition. They shift surprisingly easily compared with other auxiliary transmissions of the time.
The TT units are much more common than the car units. People have modified the truck units to work in T, but that is quite a project.
I have had a couple of them over the years, and liked all of them. I used to joke about the Universal UDO being a progressive shift had TWO neutrals to get stuck in! But truth is, they were so easy to shift, it was never a problem. Although, one time, I did go to downshift for a stop and accidentally shot right through direct into under-drive! Surprised me, but no trouble from it.
Like ANY auxiliary transmission in a T. Have better brakes in case something does go wrong!

[Les Schubert]

I have the “4 speed “ version (low and direct) of this made by “Universal “ in my ‘13 touring. Works well. Not quite as nice to shift as a Ruckstell. It has a FULL neutral, which is nice for crank starting. I have small drum AC brakes and lined parking brakes so I’m OK for stopping

[George Andreasen]

Thanks everyone.........I'll convey all this info to the man.

[Matt in California]

I have the “4 speed “ version (low and direct) of this made by “Universal “ in my ‘13 touring. Works well. Not quite as nice to shift as a Ruckstell. It has a FULL neutral, which is nice for crank starting. I have small drum AC brakes and lined parking brakes so I’m OK for stopping

Les thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds like a good unit! I have the same under-drive unit that you discribe:

To get an idea of the inside. Here is the power transmission parts. First the output side:

The second shaft/gears:

And here is the gear on the driveshaft:

I am thinking of selling it. Maybe I will find someone looking.

Matt

[Angmar]

That is neat, what the heck is something like that worth?

[Wayne Sheldon]

Somewhere between maybe a hundred bucks, and $1500. Condition matters A LOT! TT truck or T car also makes a BIG difference. Then, there is which version you are looking at. Underdrives for trucks are not very desirable because they are too low geared already. But a T car underdrive is popular with the horseless carriage crowd because they can be put into a brass era T and keep the early style rear end. Makes it the best of both worlds, correct early rear and intermediate gear for touring in the hills.
Overdrives are really popular with the speedster crowds. And especially the three speed UDO progressive shift models! Two speed D&O models are popular with the TT bunch because they need all the higher gearing they can get, but that market is a bit limited. Most people touring with TTs go straight to Muncie or Warford (et al).

TT versions can be altered to work in the car chassis, however is costly and seldom done.

Most versions in decent condition are worth between about $300 for TTs to under a thousand for car units.