Driving a Bedford Horse Box, trouble selecting 2nd and not reverse?!

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Kezza

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I have just got a lovely old bedford TL horse box with 5 gears. The clutch is somewhat stiff and I'm getting used to it but I appear to have a problem selecting 2nd to pull away as I often select reverse instead as it's right next to it and then I am at risk of reversing into someone, not good! I'm still practising without horses on board but fear I may never progress to being able to take them out if I don't figure this out! I thought about pulling away in 1st but then it's a bit stiff going from 1st to 2nd so not ideal.

I've only driven it 3 times on relatively short journeys so I probably just need to give it a bit longer but wondered if anyone else has one and has this problem so I don't feel so silly!
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My old TK is like this - initially I found if I deliberately selected reverse first then finding second I could judge where second would be, and thereby make sure I wasn't in reverse. Don't know if that makes sense or not!
 
Hi lovey!! Lucky you getting a box! Can't really help with your problem as im probably never gonna have a box, let alone be driving one but i will see you tomorrow night!
 
My Leyland Roadrunner is just the same. When I first got it, I was always going into reverse rather than 2nd. After about a month or so of driving I started to 'feel' the right gear and now I rarely get it wrong.

Also the girl who owned my lorry before only went out in it once a month at most and the clutch was a nightmare to start off with. It was so stiff, my left thigh would be shaking holding it down and would be really sore the day after driving anywhere. After two months of going out every weekend in it, the clutch really loosened up and it's a breeze to drive now.

Marie
 
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My Leyland Roadrunner is just the same. When I first got it, I was always going into reverse rather than 2nd. After about a month or so of driving I started to 'feel' the right gear and now I rarely get it wrong.

Also the girl who owned my lorry before only went out in it once a month at most and the clutch was a nightmare to start off with. It was so stiff, my left thigh would be shaking holding it down and would be really sore the day after driving anywhere. After two months of going out every weekend in it, the clutch really loosened up and it's a breeze to drive now.

Marie

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Mine's been used very frequently before I got it so I don't think the clutch will loosen up unfortunately but I do hope I get used to it as I too have a rather shaky leg when driving it and I also lift up out of the seat as I'm so little!
 
You should not have a problem at all. On mine you slide the gear lever to the left push down and reverse engages.

Sometimes the linkage from the pedal to the gear box can come in to contact with the front base section of the container as it has to be built around the linkage and this prevents one engaging gears easily.

It may be that the clutch requires adjustment or a new clutch needs fitting.
 
[ QUOTE ]
You should not have a problem at all. On mine you slide the gear lever to the left push down and reverse engages.

Sometimes the linkage from the pedal to the gear box can come in to contact with the front base section of the container as it has to be built around the linkage and this prevents one engaging gears easily.

It may be that the clutch requires adjustment or a new clutch needs fitting.

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Yours is not the same as mine then. You do not need to push the lever down to select reverse, it pops in very easily hence me saying I have a problem selecting reverse instead of 2nd, they are so close to each other. I've been driving a long, long time and yet I struggle with this! I also don't think there's a problem with the clutch as getting it in gear is not a problem, it's selecting the right one I have a problem with!
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
You should not have a problem at all. On mine you slide the gear lever to the left push down and reverse engages.

Sometimes the linkage from the pedal to the gear box can come in to contact with the front base section of the container as it has to be built around the linkage and this prevents one engaging gears easily.

It may be that the clutch requires adjustment or a new clutch needs fitting.

[/ QUOTE ]

My TK is not like this - it is not necessary to push the lever down to select reverse, reverse is very close to second and can be easy to select by mistake.
 
Hehe....yep....Bedford gearboxes are a bit 'different' ! We have an old TK floating around out back, and 2nd / reverse are a bit of 'mare
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Practice is the only advice i can offer
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I used to drive an old Bedford that wouldn't go in to reverse at all!! The owner could get it in but she was the only one. I'll never forget we got stuck in someone's driveway turning round on the way to a show one day and we had to ring the owner up at 8 am on a sunday morning and she had to drive over to put it in reverse for us, and it went in first time
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we had been trying for hours with no luck!

How horrible for you tho, to go off backwards when you're expecting to pull away. I'm sure with a bit of practice you'll be fine.
 
We had my Bedford for 4 years and Mum never found finding 2nd gear easy! We had to sell it in the end as it was such a struggle to drive it.
 
Don't feel silly, I have a Bedford TK and have been driving it for the last 18 years and still sometime select reverse instead of 2nd, it just takes practise, you will get there I promise.....
 
My TL is sometimes hard to find the gears in as well, but we have had it 3 months now and I am starting to get used to it! Practice does make perfect have to say, although the only other thing I find with ours is the brakes are SO sharp!! But again, getting used to it slowly. Hope we keep ours years like some of those above! She certainly has 'character'! (and some interesting rattles and loud noises, but then my everyday car is very quiet and smooth so everything sounds very loud in bluebell!!)
 
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My TL is sometimes hard to find the gears in as well, but we have had it 3 months now and I am starting to get used to it! Practice does make perfect have to say, although the only other thing I find with ours is the brakes are SO sharp!! But again, getting used to it slowly. Hope we keep ours years like some of those above! She certainly has 'character'! (and some interesting rattles and loud noises, but then my everyday car is very quiet and smooth so everything sounds very loud in bluebell!!)

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I find my brakes first feel as though they are not really there then when I press them harder the air makes a noise and they bite hard and therefore are quite abrupt! I love my lorry already, she's called "ugly betty". I can't wait to get to grips with her and take the horses out!
 
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