3-on-the-tree

Finally got to drive a 3-on-the-tree. It's been on by bucket list. Its my friends 1951 (corrected, thanks NickD) Ford F1. Completely restored. Only mods are front disc brakes and bluetooth radio (period reproduction). 100 hp flathead V8!

His Dad had this as a project for 30 years. My friend has the means to have it restored for his Dad and this is the result. It is a period correct factory color too!

It's a little scary driving down a back road at 30 mph. This thing leans and is slow to respond. But it was a HOOT!!!!!

Just wait until you drive one that has worn out bushings...

I love three on the tree. I was a Ford loving kid, but my dad had a '64 Chevy with the 230 and three on the tree. My friend drove a 1970 Bronco with the 170 and TOTT. I loved the Bronco, but I liked the way that the Chevy shifted better. Much shorter throws.

Three on the tree is fun to drive. I'd like one in my aresenal one day.

I drove a lot of 3 on a tree in my early years, a 50 Plymouth, 53 Chevy and 64 Plymouth Savoy. The 64 would lock the shifter and you would have to get out and unlock it under the hood. None had power steering or power brakes either.

Ranger50 wrote: Just wait until you drive one that has worn out bushings...

My '74 Dart suffered this. Even in the late '80's (when I had it) replacement bushings were near impossible to come by.

Oh that accompanying slant six.......the memories.....

spitfirebill wrote: I drove a lot of 3 on a tree in my early years, a 50 Plymouth, 53 Chevy and 64 Plymouth Savoy. The 64 would lock the shifter and you would have to get out and unlock it under the hood. None had power steering or power brakes either.

I'm not quite as old, but I drove Tunatruck daily with three on the tree, manual brakes and manual steering (and no radio, heat or AC obviously) for like a year. It was fun.

Never done 3 on the tree, but have driven a 69 Mercedes 230 that is 4 on the tree.

I agree, it's pretty cool.

My 16 year old neice daily driver is a three on the tree, manual steering heat only longbed ford. My brother cant drive it due to the column shift.

Its a good truck. With really bad shift linkage. Essentially theft proof.

And I remember when "four on the floor" was a novelty.

Then four on the dash was fun.

The only three on the tree that I've ever driven was a jumbo sized old Cat forklift. It was actually 12 on the tree. Three travel speeds, high and low range selector and F/R direction lever. It sucked. What was even worse was getting off that machine and onto the customers other old piece of junk Clark forklift that had the hydraulic controls on the tree too.

Ol' Yeller, a 67 Chevy half ton, was 3 on the tree. With a 5 lb weight and a bungee cord to keep it in 3rd. It would lock itself in 3rd occasionally too, requiring you to get under the hood and fiddle with the linkage.

My friend had a 66 Chevy that would also occasionally lock itself in 3rd, or actually 2 gears at once, I think. Anyway, first time it happened, he was moving and had his Macaw parrot with him. He stopped on the side of the road with the parrot sitting on his shoulder, looking at the linkage under the hood. The parrot says "Well, what the hell is wrong with it?"

My first truck (started out with) 3/tree. '79 Chevy C10 longbed, no options escept the gauge pack w/out tachometer. Popeye forearms, indeed.

I've also driven 4-on-the-tree, in a SAAB Sonnett. Never could reliably find reverse in that thing - but it was light enough to just push backwards with my foot out the door.

trucke wrote: Finally got to drive a 3-on-the-tree. It's been on by bucket list. Its my friends 1950 Ford F1. Completely restored. Only mods are front disc brakes and bluetooth radio (period reproduction). 100 hp flathead V8!

I love the fact that he restored it to (at least close to) original, not yet another 350 V8 with an auto.... argh...

I drove a friends 63(?) Chevy II with 3 on the tree (straight 6) years ago. I did have some binding issues and the straight 6 made it drive very "truck like" (all torque no RPM).

When my ford was still 3spd column shift I briefly toyed with the idea of lengthening the levers on the transmission to make a "short shift" kit for it. I mean a lot of race cars go through an awful lot of fabrication to bring the shift lever closer to the steering wheel and you can't get much closer than a column shift.

In the end I decided the overdrive was more important than the novelty of "TOTT".

I did a Lemons race driving a 1956 Ford Victoria with 3-on-the-tree. It was awful, but wonderful at the same time.

This one:

I learned to drive on an old farm truck we had for our 30 acres when I was 13.

1964 Ford three on the tree and manual steering. I figure if I can drive that I can probably drive anything, an so far I'm right.

In reply to trucke:

That's not a '50 F-1, btw. The 1st-generation '48-'50 looked liked this. That's an early 2nd-generation, either '51 or '52, you drove.

Also, the 100hp Flathead, by that era, actually made more than 100hp, it was just the nomenclature stuck from when you had the 85hp, the 100hp and later the 60hp

Had several tree shifters, the one on my old Rambler broke when I was banging 2nd gear hard to impress some guy's daughter in the right seat. Something broke and I slammed my hand into the windshield. Sympathy berk? 'K.

I like 'em.

1962 Standard Vanguard wagon, errr...estate. Basically powered by a Ferguson tractor motor, think old Triumph TR3 stuff.

I took my driving test in a Ranchero with TOTT and a non-synchro 1st. My parallel parking was meh, but I passed with flying colors anyway. Person giving the test was more impressed that I knew how to double-clutch.

Margie

One day I would like to drive one at some point.

Jumper K. Balls wrote: When my ford was still 3spd column shift I briefly toyed with the idea of lengthening the levers on the transmission to make a "short shift" kit for it. I mean a lot of race cars go through an awful lot of fabrication to bring the shift lever closer to the steering wheel and you can't get much closer than a column shift. In the end I decided the overdrive was more important than the novelty of "TOTT".

My Dad's 53 Merc had TOTT and overdrive, so you can have both. Overdrive engages automatically so no shifting into overdrive. Probably not the best choice for a performance application though.

I've only driven one once, but I'm told the important thing is to be gentle on the 1-2 shift, especially if the car is a tired example. They tend to end up in 2 gears at once (locking the rear tires) if you try to slam the stick diagonally.

Ranger50 wrote: Just wait until you drive one that has worn out bushings...

The only example I drove was that way. "Am I in second, or Reverse? Guess I'd better let the clutch out really carefully - it's the only way to find out."