Subject: Aillison PSRU rebuild
From: paul lamar
Date: 8/25/2016, 11:01 PM
To: A10-Me-Earthlink



Planet rebuild kits are readily available from Allison.  I would think Ti or Gama TiAl would be the way to go for the planet carrier. Better fatigue resistance and lighter than the steel. There is one transmission that has a 3.5:1 low gear without being compound. I think it is a MT640.

  Dale Davies

  If you could get some pictures of those parts I would love it.
  Would they sell one planet gear and shaft?

  That would cut the cost as the complete planet carrier is expensive.

  Paul Lamar

  The Allison MT654CR has a 4.17:1 first gear reduction ratio.

  Does max input power play a role here?  The MT640 is rated for a maximum 250 HP and 640 lb-ft.  The MT654CR is rated for 300 HP and 780 lb-ft.  A newer Allison HD4070 is rated for 465 HP and 1465 lb-ft of torque.

  The parts are far more expensive for older transmissions like the 640 and 653/4.  A modern Allison 2000 P1 gear set from a Chevy Silverado (3.51:1) is $320.11 from my local Allison dealer, vs $880.50 for the same set for the older MT653.  From a junkyard, a Chevy Silverado transmission is $100 if you pull it yourself.

  Dave Klingler

  Power is a function of RPM. When designing a gear box torque is the main criteria.

  Those ratios are not representative of the planet carrier alone. They are combined from
  several gear sets. I would need pictures of the parts looking straight down with the
  planet carrier sitting on a bench top or on the floor.


  Paul Lamar

I do not have photos of the parts. Local Allison distributor should be accommodating.  Just do not mention AC use.
The MT654 transmission is a 5 spd that has an extra planetary assembly bolted to the rear of the case that gives the 4.17:1 ratio. That is compound through two planetary assemblies. Not what you want.
Some of the Allison transmissions for the Chevrolet 2500/3500 trucks were designed and I think manufactured by Allison and then turned over to Chevrolet/GMC who then looked after parts,  service and warranty.

These transmissions may be difficult to obtain individual planetary components.
When you move to the Allison transmissions built and sold for medium or heavy duty truck applications they handle the parts themselves. Those you can get individual components. For some of the newer model transmissions they may have 3.5:1 first gear in one planetary to go with taller final drives. Most of the new transmissions also have one or two overdrive ratios.


Dave, have you enquired as to the cost and availability of the HD4070 parts?
The MT 654 has essentially the same parts for the planetarium that give gears 2 to 5 as the components in the MT 640 series transmissions. The higher power ratings are achieved by having an extra pair of clutch plates for more friction area.


New long haul engines are 500 to 600 HP. At 2100RPM they may be 1450 ft lbs,  but where most are geared to run at 1300RPM they will be 450HP and 1800 ft lbs. That is where the higher cost can come in. However if you can buy the planet kits as you can for the older transmissions, the cost would come down. The sun and ring gears are large and heavy and expensive. But if you want bullet proof high HP capability that is what is required. When planet kits can be purchased with the gear and shaft an AL or TiAl Gama planet carrier can be machined to save weight.


The 2000 series from wrecker would be a good deal with the 3.5:1 ratio. That would allow 10,500RPM for takeoff or racing with a 3,000RPM prop speed. I doubt you could hurt the planetary set with 900ftlbs torque.

Dale Davies

When Paul asked whether the gears and shaft were available separately, I figured googling and phoning the Allison dealer were something I could do to help out.  I didn’t ask about the 4000 series, but I did ask about the MT640, 654, 1000 and 2000. The 654 wasn’t in the system, but the salesman did show the 653.

It turns out Allison has a tough time looking up anything without the serial number off an existing transmission. I was going to call the factory and ask more questions, but I needed to go back to work.

Dave Klingler

There are several wholesale transmission parts suppliers in the US. They will sell to you
if you have a business. They also sell Allison spare parts.

Make friends with your local auto transmission repair shop and get them to order
the parts you need. Some have a great selection of used parts in good condition as well.
I paid $100 for the Allison 3:1 planetary I have from an autoTX shop.

Paul Lamar

The Rotary Engine free News Letter. Powered by Linux. If you want off
the list PLEASE let me know and I will remove  you.  ACRE NL web
site. http://www.rotaryeng.net You Tube http://tinyurl.com/beqqxas
Copyright 1998-2016 All world wide rights reserved.