Geoff Weeks

Ah, no Packard "56" style

I might, I'll have to look. Just a std Packard plug. I have an old wiring harness, I'll see what is on it.

There is a reason you don't see the air to air mounted behind the radiator! I'd do whatever it took to get outside air to the tip turbine.

12515 had a lowest ratio of 13.87, but now you are comparing apples to oranges, you loose any O/D so top end is off. Any way you cut it, a 13 has more to offer than a 12 (15). The 13 spds had bigger jumps in low range, where it is less important, and smaller jumps in high range where it really helps. The RT12513 has an U/D splitter The RTO12513 has an O/D splitter, the main box is the same. The RT12515 is direct main the RTO 12515 is an OD main. I will agree that a Cat can handle a slightly bigger jump in ratios but it doesn't loose anything with smaller jumps.

Your losing me, I thought we were talking on hiway and O/D 15's? RTO 12515 has it's lowest starting gear (deep reduction) of 10.93, compare that to a RTO12513 which has 12.5, the 13 has lower starting and closer steps, it has less of an O/D which mean less power lost to heat in the top gears. Front trans is in direct, back box in O/D 13 has between 19 and 15% steps the 15 has between 27 and 30% steps. I know which I would choose! The 15 provides neither lower starting nor closer steps.

An Eaton 15 has 12 usable ratios, and those "extra" two over a 10 speed are lower than the lowest ratio's in a 10 All the other available ratios in "deep reduction" are mirrored in the low range of the trans. A 13 has 13 useable and that is if you don't count "funny gear" (low in high range), with better steps between gears.

I have both 13's and 15 over, I wouldn't have a 15 if I could avoid it. Lots of seat time with both, so I think I can speak from the point of experience

The pale yellow disk in the center of the cartridge often gets hard and breaks apart. So if buying off of ebay or other such source, be very careful that the valve (yellow disk) is intact and pliable. While your waiting for the parts to come, you can add a check valve at the wet tank to keep it from blowing off all the air in the wet tank.

Yes, but you have to take it all apart to get to it. I would also replace the desiccant cartridge at the same time. I be willing to bet the check valve on the top of the cartridge is bad also. The AD-4 is the best, but hardest to service air drier out there in my opinion. It was all I ran and I had air start, never any moisture in the tanks when I would check them.

Should be a Bendix AD-4 by the looks of it. the metal disk with the rubber around the outside is the outlet check.

You shouldn't see any drop in the air tanks when the drier blows off. You have a bad check valve in the drier.

I was refering to shock loads where the wheels may lock intermittently, However, I don't know of many engines that will spin the rear wheels of a truck at 20 mph on pavement either, so I don't think you assumptions are correct.

Short shafts, the higher the critical speed. I was surprised that my stone stock driveline in my K put it well into critical speed range. I come to the table with different experience/application then yours, so what I say may not apply. I find that gearing for "ideal" is not going to be the best in real world applications. What is best on a flat level road with no wind, will be geared too high on rolling terrain, with a cross wind, something much more likely to be the real world situation. I was either loaded to the max or empty, 3.90's were fine empty, but the truck gained .75 to 1 MPG loaded with 4.10's. A whole lot less shifting on slight hills also. I can understand the desire to ditch the 6041, and I would agree, you are now almost double it's rating. Personally, I find the Eaton/RR 15 a useless transmission. The steps are too much and the spread is better covered by a 13, the "15" is a close ratio 12 in reality. ideally (which is not going to happen) I would have tried to find a Eaton 2 spd for the cut-off, that way you have the low speed bottom end when needed and the high speed ration needed. If your going to make a change, map out your needs (low speed at idle through max desired speed) and then look at what is needed to achieve that.

I agree, my rule of thumb was 3.70/3.73 for mid .80's OD on stand up 20" 3.55 would be ok for Low profile 22.5's

Larry, refresh my memory, what rear axle did you put in the B? Memory says it is some form of Rockwell/Meritor, but I don't trust memory anymore.

I think you missed the point. I was saying, regardless of construction, they were putting way more through the box than rated. I was putting over 1400 though a box rated for 1100 for years, in daily use without a problem, no lube pump or oil cooler. Your 100 ft/lbs isn't even on the radar as a problem. All I ran were organic 14" double disk clutches, even when pulling 170K! Both items were still going strong when I retired and sold the trucks. Far more important, is if the driveline is a good match. I am not a fan of gearing up with multiple OD and then gearing down in the back. Too much lost in heat and also you have to make sure you aren't operating the shafts anywhere near critical or cruise is at half true critical.

yes

Only if it puts the AUX in Lo-lo, otherwise it doesn't change much. If he did put in Lo-lo with it turned around I wouldn't bet on any part of the driveline staying together.

And how many souped up 3406, Big Cams and KT19's were running around pulling freight when the biggest transmissions were 1200 ft/Lbs? Rear axles that were geared fast so the high power engines could reach triple digits and still held together with all that torque?

Shock load can kill anything. If you are not an idiot, and I know you're not, then you aren't going to twist a shaft with a little more engine. Your money, your choice, but I wouldn't loose a minute of thought about using that engine with that transmission. One place I worked, one driver broke the shift handle off the 1/2" rod, now he could break an anvil with a rubber hammer. Your not pulling hard 10 or more hours a day, I wouldn't worry too much, You can run SAE 50 that handles heat better than GL.

Just my 2 cents, if the ratios work for you, I keep the triplex that you just went through. You know the condition, and you aren't moving heavy loads where you would be pulling hard in the lowest gears. I've never thought twice about putting 1.5 times or greater the torque rating though the USED transmissions I have had. Yours has new bearing and bushings, you know the condition of the dog clutches. "stronger" I wouldn't consider it worth the time, better match to the engine and rear, might be worth it, depending on how bad a match the triplex is.

With good lining (his is new) and proper adjustment, they do fairly well, not as good as "tru-stop" but can lock the rear wheels, just hard on driveshafts and U joints. if you apply while moving.

To be clear, there are two "air traffic controls". There is regional (for lack of a better term) that coordinates and keeps all traffic in the air above a set altitude a safe distance apart, and then there is the airport "control tower" the coordinates landing and departures and ground traffic on the runways. They set up which runway for each plane to use and space out the traffic landing and taking off. Once cleared for final approach the airport tower has taken responsibility. Their job is not to direct any and all aircraft in the area that may be there but not landing at the airport. They will and did alert the helicopter had ventured into the landing path for the airport. Once a plane has taken off and rises to its assigned altitude from the "ground tower" they are switched to regional's purview. Low flying craft not landing should ask the ground tower for permission to enter the controlled space if for some reason (Life flight, for example) it is required. It would have to be extraordinary, because it would "close the airport" for the duration. Otherwise it must keep clear, the military craft did neither. What and how many staff were in the tower is not what cause the helicopter to fly where it should not have. It is like blaming the red traffic light for not stopping a vehicle from running it.

I'm hearing differently The helicopter was VFR and not the air traffic controller perview, as they were to fly below the altitude of the incoming jets. At less the 400' the helicopter isn't able to be tracked by radar with all the buildings. Airtraffic control warned them as they entered the air space but it was the helicopters responsibility to stay clear as they are flying VFR. Anything flying that low in that airspace is VFR,and that make sense as they must avoid buildings and other obstacles. We'll have to wait and see what the investigation concludes but so far this is squarely the fault of the helicopter.

I've got two truck with that style brake.