The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline granny gear

I was just wondering if anybody knows the reason why its called granny gear. I heard a couple of explanations but i was just curious if anybody knew what the original reason was.

Because when your in it, your granny can outrun ya.

Kurt

Close enough Kurt. Back in the day hauling as much as you could get in the back end was
not unusual and they would have been burning up clutches starting out a heavy load with
a three speed. Also these engines didn't have a bunch of HP so they got the job done with
gearing, that's why you see the 4.10, 4.57 and 5.12 rear axle gears in the Chevy AD light
trucks. These were very popular on the farm also and I'm sure they were run in first out in
the field much of the time.

Oh, and it's also a nice gear to use while working your way thru the crowd at those big car
shows.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

My guess is that a granny gear allows a slow enough speed at which a granny would feel comfortable driving.

Hear is a bicyclists meaning for a granny gear:

Granny gear n. The lowest gear available on a bike, which only a grandmother would need to use; designed for steep uphill climbing, but extremely easy to pedal in on flat ground."

Apparently, this term is used very frequently in the bicycle world (as it is in the old 4-speed truck transmission world).

ive never seen a granny on a bicycle yet

what does fred think about it since he has to keep on truckin


i actually call it creeper gear. with a two speed rear and in first gear thats all you can do is creep.

Around here, some folks call it Grandpa instead of Granny. It's also a good gear for "ghostriding", though I don't recomend anyone actually do that.

The "ghost" driver helped us a lot during my hay hauling days.


Jerry

I love Granny, or Bull-Low. I've heard both. It's nice for parking, and driving up really steep hills. I also towed a 6500 lb trailer for my friend a number of times with my 1-Ton, and having that low gear to get-'er-rollin' was sure help full. Same thing with 4800 pounds of wood in the back of the truck. It's also nice to take off really slow to enrage BMW driving yuppies who think you are going to slow.

Mr Lang,

You should have a neon sign in back that will blink "granny gear" when ahead of a BMW.

Kurt

Set the idle low and the 1st gear is good for winning the slowest truck race.

I have found it quite useful in carefully/safely pulling a VW Beetle out of of deep ravine (without burning th clutch).

Although somewhat off topic, going slow is what I'm most excited about in my '26 TT truck. It has double under-drive!

I was so pleased that my Panel truck had the big four speed in it. It's a bit of a pain in the neck with the shifter in the way, but someday when I have some kind of sweet old aerodynamic house-trailer, I'll be laughing like a manic!

I like the granny gear because it helps me not kill the truck as often when i let up off the clutch i barely have to give it gas and i start moving forward. Mr.Lang could you explain what double under is exactly ive never heard of it and with half the internet down its hard to find info about it.

My TT has two auxiliary transmissions. So the drive goes from the engine (Ford trans) to a Warford trans, then at the back a Tiger trans, then to the mighty worm drive! So, I can put the truck in Low, Low, Low! I'm hoping to fit a Ruckstell two speed worm drive at the back, before my restoration is done, then I can go into Low, Low, Low, Low! You know, incase I need to plough the back 40 with my truck.

At that rate you'll end up burning a full gas tank dry before you make it out of the garage.

Exactly!