Three on the Tree.... Remember?
 

How many people here are old enough to have driven a three-speed manual transmission with the shifter on the steering column? Back in the 60s, that was the default cheap manual transmission for American cars -- you paid extra for four speeds, if it was available. God, I hated it; the shifting points were all wrong. Always felt like my revs were too high, or not high enough. I'd learned to drive on a VW bug, and even that had four speeds. And then the Japanese came in with four speeds on all their cheap cars. So thank God, I haven't driven a three-on-the-tree since my sister's '70 Ford Maverick.

Anybody out there still driving a car with a transmission like that?

lol, i read "three-on-the-tree" and immediately thought of it religiously, despite being in a motors forum...

guess i'm all wrapped up in the "Passion" thing *shrug*

I have in the past, but it's been almost twenty years. I'd like to give it a whirl again. They were 1st, slug and slug.

My best friend in high school (around '87) had an old Ford F100 with three on the tree. Quite an interesting ride. Haven't seen one in a looong time though

Drove one once. A friend of mine's dad runs a used car lot and back in the 80's he had a Ford truck come through the lot with one. We took it for a spin, just to say we'd driven one.

Man, was that a bitch to drive. My dad told me his first three trucks were like that. Must have sucked.

I have driven three cars with manual, but they were all a "four on the floor". (Well, the Saturn was a 5-speed, but you get the picture)

Re: Three on the Tree.... Remember?
 

Yes. Every day.

Ouch. My dad had a '77 Dodge van with a three on the tree when I was 13. Boy did that suck. I was happy when the engine blew on that and he got rid of it.

I know a guy who used to have a Peugot wagon with a FOUR on the tree. Royal pain, but he says you get used to it.

Never driven one myself though. :s

HEHE sure do...not every day, but enough- 66 barracuda...
lol
MD

lLearned to drive on a '73 F100 with 3 on a tree, manual steering, manual brakes. It came from Ford with bias ply tires. The steering wheel was huge, but you still had to fight to corner it.

75 bronco (parts) has three on the tree that I've always wanted to extract and install on something. It's unlikely that will ever happen. I have operated many shoebox Bronco's (66-77) as most were 'on the tree' from factory. I think they were the nicest manual Bronco's to drive, when in tight and lubricated condition, once they wore down though...man was it aweful...and conversion was most economical, plus the crappy tranny the column operated was well...crappy. Not to mention the fact that those vintage Bronco steering column's aren't worth shit, and replacing the lot, converting to the floor, etc...is time consuming and expensive. End of the line, scrapping the three on the tree set up is your best option.

Buddy's dad in high school used to have a Studebaker Lark Six that we'd roll out of his driveway in the middle of the night and go cruisin in.

I've also driven cushman landscaping buggies...kind of like motorized, ride on, wheel barrells. Strange little vehicles with three on the tree.

Tractors and other farming machines, often still have gears on the column...and other places. Both my Ford and Kubota have three on the tree...

Heck, once they sunset three on tree trannies, they put the automatics in the exact same spot.

It's destined to stick around :)

I've always liked having gear controls on the column, and appreciate the engineering simplicity, and ergonomic efficiency of operating gears very near the plane were your other hand is steering the vehicle. Kinda makes sense to me.

peace,

-bear

Yup, an 81 Chevy C15. I was amazed to see a three-on-the-tree in an 81, but it was there. Not really that much fun to drive.

I drove a 1968 Toyota Land Cruiser once with the three on the tree. Man it was weird. I could've gotten used to it but it was definitely an eye opening expeience.

The first car I was ever gonna buy was an chevelle with a 300 straight six and a 3 on the tree....thank god i didn't buy it.....I couldn't imagine trying to hammer through the gears with that.

HEHEHE. I am only 24 but my first vehicle was a truck. A 71 chevy with a 3 on the tree. I loved it. Tt was a bitch sometimes and stuck between gears. But I also got used to speed shifting. I could slap it down from 1st to 2nd, then slap it up to 3rd like no other. Damn do i miss that truck.

I have two '65 Chevy pickups, BOTH with a three on the tree...one of my trucks is carrying a load of a 400 smallblock behind it and the transmission has been rebuilt twice. When I give people a ride, they seem so amazed that it is on the column. I am used to it, so I don't think anything of it. I am just glad I have two other vehicles for my young personal self. ('67 Camaro RS and 2003 Silverado). I've actually had one of those trucks so long, that it was the vehicle I learned how to drive on. Honestly, I wouldn't trade it for a four speed. I enjoy it way too much!

I used to drive my bosses plymouth wagon that had a three on the tree, and I loved it. Like j8ear said when the linkage was lubed it was fun to drive. I've never driven an early bronco with a three on the tree quite a few that have been converted to a floor shift. My 77 thankfully is an automatic

I drove a 1993 Daihatsu minivan with four on the tree a few years ago. It wasn't in North America and as far as I know, they still make them.


this is sorta what it looked like.
http://homepage.mac.com/dafreds/info/Auto/Daihatsu2.gif

I restored a 53 Chevy Truck with a 3 on the tree, what a bitch to drive