Torque Amplifier What is it?

[Cecil Stults]

Ok first thing. Why is International harvester under "other forums" and not a forum of it's own?

My main question is What is a Torque Amplifier?
What does it do for me? When do I need to use it?
What is it actually changing in the way the tractor is running/pulling?

I have an IH 544 farm tractor. diesel engine.
On the left side of the steering wheel is a large lever that the book calls a Torque amplifier. it is adjusted along with the clutch adjustments according to the manual I have.

I like levers as much as the next guy but I don't know what this on is or does.
It doesn't seem to do anything when I am just driving the tractor with no load.


can anyone enlighten me on the subject?

 

[LD1]

Ok first thing. Why is International harvester under "other forums" and not a forum of it's own?

It isnt under "other forums". Its under "brand specific forums> case-IH". Which is coincidentally where you posted it. So it does have a forum all of its own. It just doesnt have its own "heading".

And honestly, I think TBN has too many forums already. Most us seasoned vets really dont pay attention. We just browse "todays posts" to see all current threads regardless of what forum they are in. The only time we pay attention is when we need to post a thread. And then it can get tricky. For example: If I made a grapple attachment for my kubota and have questions about how to route the hydraulics, what forum should I post in????

Attachments?
Kubota Owning/operating?
Hydraulics?
Build it yourself?
Customization?

See the issue. The forum is set up the way the owner and moderators want it to be. And if you have any suggestions on how to improve it, I am sure they are all ears.

Now on to your TA question.

Quite simply, the TA is an additional gearbox with two speeds and its own clutch. So it effectivly doubles the # of gears your main transmission has. And it can be shifted without the use of the foot clutch. So if you are pulling a load, and you start to bog down, you can shift the TA into low without pusing the main clutch and comming to a halt and have to try restarting again.

It was quite popular in the day at the tractor pulls. Start off in low on the TA, get a head of steam and shift it to high. Near the end when she starts bogging again, go back to low to get every last inch possible.

 

[pjbci]

If your T/A doesnt seem to do anything it may have given the last owner trouble and been locked out. They worked great but on the higher hp tractors they had a tendency to crack the hyd clutch pack housing and be very expensive to repair. The cheap fix in my part of the south was to just bolt up the clutch pack and render the T/A inoperable. This could be why yours doesnt seem to do anything. You should feel the tractor speed up and slow down when you move the lever.

 

[TravisTractor]

they are nice when baling hay on hilly ground

 

[DJ54]

Just don't shift into the low side, when going down hill, expecting it to hold back. They will free wheel in the low side.

 

[pjbci]

Just don't shift into the low side, when going down hill, expecting it to hold back. They will free wheel in the low side.

Torque amplifier does provide engine braking on hills. Your thinking about masseys multi power. Same concept but no downhill engine braking.

 

[RickB]

Torque amplifier does provide engine braking on hills. Your thinking about masseys multi power. Same concept but no downhill engine braking.

The mechanical TA in the OP's 544 will freewheel in TA mode, as all mechanical TA's do. Hydraulic TA's are of a different design and provide engine braking.

 

[art]

The mechanical TA in the OP's 544 will freewheel in TA mode, as all mechanical TA's do. Hydraulic TA's are of a different design and provide engine braking.

That is the main reason for short life of a TA to use it for braking. They were designed for use under pulling load not braking.

 

[RickB]

That is the main reason for short life of a TA to use it for braking. They were designed for use under pulling load not braking.

The real damage to hydraulic TA's is done by SHIFTING to TA mode to slow the tractor.

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

Case had a Case-a-Matic, Ford had a Dual Power, MF had a Multipower, IH had a TA, JD had something like it but I don't know what it was called(test drove a 2840 with it). I don't know if Oliver/White had one. I'd trade them all for a powershift/quadrange style tractor.

 

[RickB]

Case had a Case-a-Matic, Ford had a Dual Power, MF had a Multipower, IH had a TA, JD had something like it but I don't know what it was called(test drove a 2840 with it). I don't know if Oliver/White had one. I'd trade them all for a powershift/quadrange style tractor.

Case-O-Matic is a torque converter drive. Oliver had Hydra Power Drive (2 speed) then Over/Under Hydraul Shift (3 speed). Minneapolis Moline had Amplitorq and Allis Chalmers had Power Director.

 

[allenr]

Case-O-Matic is a torque converter drive. Oliver had Hydra Power Drive (2 speed) then Over/Under Hydraul Shift (3 speed). Minneapolis Moline had Amplitorq and Allis Chalmers had Power Director.

Ford I think had something called "selectamatic" but I don't think that was a splitter, ie a low and high for each gear. I think (hopefully someone will set me right on this) it was 4 gears - perhaps some sort of early powershift?

 

[RickB]

Ford I think had something called "selectamatic" but I don't think that was a splitter, ie a low and high for each gear. I think (hopefully someone will set me right on this) it was 4 gears - perhaps some sort of early powershift?

Select-O-Speed was the first full powershift transmission offered in a farm tractor. 10 forward, 2 reverse.

 

[Grateful11]

Just don't shift into the low side, when going down hill, expecting it to hold back. They will free wheel in the low side.

That depends on the model, a 686 will not hold back going downhill with TA in low. Some of the larger models, not sure where it starts, somewhere around 1086, maybe lower, will hold back going downhill. I read about it over on the Red P.... Forum.

 

[Wnc3]

Ya gotta get that fixed....they are cool.
You know when it's working...hang on!:thumbsup:

 

[Smallplot]

That depends on the model, a 686 will not hold back going downhill with TA in low. Some of the larger models, not sure where it starts, somewhere around 1086, maybe lower, will hold back going downhill. I read about it over on the Red P.... Forum.

We have a 1066 and the TA functions and will hold you back just fine. The only problem is knowing how/when to use it. If not done at the proper time the shifter will stay in limbo thus giving the feeling of not holding the tractor back. It is something you have to develop a feel for and works best moving the shifter slowly and not getting rammy with it. Also have a 706 gas tractor that functions the exact same way - well it did when it was running anyway. Grew up driving these two tractors.

 

[strum456]

Select-O-Speed was the first full powershift transmission offered in a farm tractor. 10 forward, 2 reverse.

Yep, not reall in the same category as a TA. The newer fords had dual power, which was the same idea as ta and all the others.

 

[Grateful11]

We have a 1066 and the TA functions and will hold you back just fine. The only problem is knowing how/when to use it. If not done at the proper time the shifter will stay in limbo thus giving the feeling of not holding the tractor back. It is something you have to develop a feel for and works best moving the shifter slowly and not getting rammy with it. Also have a 706 gas tractor that functions the exact same way - well it did when it was running anyway. Grew up driving these two tractors.

A good discussion on TA's:
IH Cub Cadet Forum: Let's talk Torque Amplifiers

There was a big discussion on which ones would freewheel and which ones wouldn't over at RedPower but I can't find it.

 

[art]

The real damage to hydraulic TA's is done by SHIFTING to TA mode to slow the tractor.

Thats what I thought I was trying to say!

 

[KennyG]

I always thought the TA was a valuable safety feature. Anyone who has ever run out of power with one of the old tractors while pulling a load up hill knows the real meaning of fear when you try to catch a lower gear before the tractor starts rolling backward.