gear box south bend 9"

[laddy]

Hey,
I just got this lathe. It is NOT under power. I have it in the back of my 1953 ford pick up. It worked fine under power when I bought it. Now I am trying to change the gears by hand and the left "position" change gear doesn't move. It is on E and won't budge. I have turned the gears by hand to no avail. What am I doing wrong or haven't thought of? Did I get screwed?? Thanks to all in advance. Fred

[SGW]

Hard to tell at this distance, but I suspect your problem is caused by trying to fool around with it while it's in the back of a truck.

There isn't a whole lot that can go wrong -- the mechanism is totally straightforward. I strongly suspect that when you get it properly mounted it will be fine. Even if there is a problem, it's highly unlikely to be fatal.

[quadrod]

when you say it won't budge, do you mean that it won't move down when you pull the knob out or you can't pull the knob out, or you can't slide the tumbler to the left?

[laddy]

It doesn't change from "E" to " d" to "C" etc Thanks for help Fred

[bruto]

They can be pretty balky when standing still. Try a little more wiggling around, and try shifting the other lever around a few different positions to see if it shifts the gears enough for the left lever to engage. Multiple gears must line up before they can engage. It may also benefit from a thorough bath of new oil and some general limbering up with use.

[quadrod]

since you are turning the gears by hand, support the tumbler near the tumbler shaft with your other hand to help it slide on the shaft ( DO NOT DO THIS UNDER POWER )

[garyphansen]

Yes, NEVER under power! However, you will need to turn the belt by hand when you try to shift gears so they will go into mesh. I have owned a South Bend 9" Model A for 30 years and it is a very good lathe, you will be happy with yours. Gary P. Hansen

[laddy]

Thanks to all. Fred