1952 TO30 Transmission Question

[Mikeshel]

Hello, I just purchased a TO30 I have a question in regards to a lever on the right side of transmission when sitting in the seat. There is a two position lever near the top of the transmission housing. I cant find this lever in the manual. Can anyone identify what it is for. Could it be a dual range selector maybe? Thank you in advance for your help.



This post was edited by Mikeshel on 11/21/2022 at 06:41 am.

 

[Bruce(OR)]

Nice handle to have, maybe.
If you look close enough at the handle you will see it marked HUPP. From the looks of it you have a Hupp combo trans with three ranges, Up
is overdrive, down is standard and then pulling the handle away from the tractor and then up is underdrive.
Before you get wild with that handle, the early Hupps were prone to both hanging up between ranges when shifting and breaking two internal
gears.
Later Hupp's were designed more like the Sherman's of that era and stronger with improved shifter forks internally.
Now the question is, in overdrive how fast is your top speed?
Hupp came in two models, one with an approx 15 MPH top speed and the other about 25 MPH.
If you ever have to remove that unit from the tractor, after removing the front cover with the input shaft, the allen headed screws that
hold it in place are visible with the 25 MPH model and hidden on the 15 MPH model. With the 15 MPH model, you need to turn the rear gear to
align the cutouts in the rear gears with the Allen heads.
if you get sloppy shifting it and it gets stuck, jack up a rear wheel to relieve the stress. Free up the transmissions, foot on clutch, fire
it up and slowly release the clutch. if it dies, your still stuck.
 

[Bruce(OR)]

Oh yes, and prefill prior to installation.
 

[Arvin Haslem]

That looks like the Hupp over/direct/under drive that my TO20 has. In overdrive I can circle a square mile section in 12 minutes.
 

[Mikeshel]

Thank you Bruce, I really appreciate the info. I just picked it up Saturday, do not have it running yet but was going through it and saw it but I have not seen it on any others on the internet. I will update speeds when I get it rolling. You say the earlier models were prone to breakage any ranges of time for the earlier models?
Thanks again
 

[Mikeshel]

Thank you sir, I appreciate your reply
 

[Bruce(OR)]

Had to come back and take a look. I have no idea of what the year was, that changed production. The Hupp was an after market add on that
dealers, or whoever, could install. The wife's '20 is a 1950 model that also came with a Howard transmission. It is the lower range model
and has gotten stuck a few times. If you pull on any immovable object, (tree stump is a good example) you are going to strain that unit. I
took hers apart and found two gears inside nicely cracked all the way through. The way the unit is designed, they were nicely held in place
and still functioning. Source for parts? Buy another Hupp. People who are looking to sell/purchase have long forgotten the history of the
Hupp with potential associated problems and generally price them in line with the Sherman transmission.
That said, the Sherman combo only comes in one designed gear range with a ~25 MPH top speed also.
I hope to find out some day how the ~15 MPH top speed Hupp combo unit compares to the Sherman 'Creeper' transmission.
That creeper trans being a very desirable out of a lot of the aftermarket units I have seen so far.
 

[Bruce(OR)]

At what speed? ~15 or ~25 MPH?
 

[Bruce(OR)]

If you get it stuck on an incline, that becomes more fun because once raising the tractor you have the chance of it's rolling. So when you
shift that Hupp, don't try cutting the corners with a speed shift. Slow and deliberate when picking up underdrive. As for the over drive and
standard, it's straight up and down with minimal concern. Your problem might be the going into underdrive which is quite nice for reverse
gear.
Have fun with your toy.
 

[marloweg]

that leaver is a 3 speed pull leaver half way up and the pull end a way from the trans case and then up now you are in low also anytime you change the ground speed it also changes the speed of the pto
 

[Bruce(OR)]

Yes and sorry to say, but still not capable of properly operating a tiller behind the machine.
To run a tiller, you still need a trans that will slow rear tire speed without lowering PTO RPM
 

[marloweg]

i run tiller on my to-20 in low low and it works fine and we have some da- hard clay after 2 passes then i go to stright gearing and it is a 5 ft. king cutter
 

[Bruce(OR)]

And if the ground has never been tilled previously it never will get tilled up worth a spit without multiple passes.
having previously tilled the dirt, you can get it to work out with a few passes as you are doing.
Fun part is using the Hupp low range combo with a Howard and being able to turn the dirt into silt.
Best hard dirt routine I had was tilling up a horse corral.
I have tried a tiller with straight gearing and it skips along just fine. Low low is the same effect, just slower.
Multiple passes taken unless previously done and the ground is soft enough for the times to begin to dig in.
 

[marloweg]

kind of sad Bruce you must know everything I'm 70 years old on this tractor since 1949 and have killed thousands of acres with it so don't tell me it don't work have a nice day
 

[Bruce(OR)]

Peace be with you and may you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving.