Three on the Tree

[damifino]

My first pickup was a used 1967 Ford with a 'Three on the Tree' column shift. I have fond memories of the column shift whether it be driving my truck or as a passenger in another vehicle. Not quite as sporty as a four on the floor but still very cool to me. Anyone else enjoy a Three on the Tree?

 

[ammoaddict]

Dad had a 69 f100 that I drove some when I first got my license.

 

[PA Dan]

Learned to drive on a 76 Dodge half ton pickup. Three on the tree and no power steeering. Had a 8' bed and a cap on the back. I had to be able to parallel park it well before I was permitted to go for my drivers test. That was a fun truck to drive! Good memories!

 

[timg]

First car, 66 Plymouth Valiant w/225 slant 6 and 3 on the column. Put a floor shifter in it and I thought I was speed racer LOL!! That old engine held together, good times LOL!!!!!!

 

[FederalQ]

LOL, my mother can operate three on the tree but has no clue how to drive 4 on the floor. She can‘t get the K pattern out of her mind...

 

[hacskaroly]

I had 3 on the floor with my 65 Mustang.

 

[Hinerman]

I had a 68ish Chevy 3 on the tree, and a 79ish Chevy 3 on the tree. I wish I still had the 68. It was white, red interior, custom stereo, wooden bed floor, and chrome wheels. It was sweet

 

[Yukon Stihl]

74 Shortbox Chevy inline 6 was my first road legal pickup with a three on the tree
Had a 61 Toyota Land Cruiser with one too one of the first 1000 to arrive in the states

 

[Sloughfoot]

Learned to drive on Dad's 76 F150. That combo of long travel clutch, torqie I6 and high geared 1st gear on a column shift made everything after seem easy.

 

[alfack]

My 66 Bronco had the straight 6 and 3 on the tree. The person I bought it from had converted it to 'on the floor' tho. Learned to drive on my grandpas' old Studebaker stake bed pickup. It had 3 on the tree, non-synchromeshed gears. Quite an adventure driving that down the highway with a heavy load, lol.

 

[Steve]

I've had the pleasure of servicing an all original 53 ford pickup for years at work and an all original 49 Chevy 3100 pickup. Both 3 on the tree. The owners always give me permission to take it for a spin when they bring them in and I always take them up on the offer.

It was funny one day when the 49 came in for some tire work and the tire guy went out and was confused as hell because it wouldn't start with the key. Had never seen a starter pedal. Then when he finally comprehend that he couldn't figure out why it would grind when he tried to take it out of park!! Even after explaining the whole concept it was just too overwhelming for him. No big deal, I drove it in the shop for him. I won't pass that opportunity up! Even if it's just across the parking lot!

 

[stretch5881]

I hated those column shifters. I've got long legs and would knock it out of 3rd.

 

[Bill G]

Learned to drive on Dad's 76 F150. That combo of long travel clutch, torqie I6 and high geared 1st gear on a column shift made everything after seem easy.

You mentioning of a high geared first made me think of a funny story. Years ago when we first got married I drove a truck with a manual. I tried to get my wife to learn to drive it but it had such a high geared first she could not get the hang of it. I barked at her a couple times and she was DONE. From that day forward she refused to try. Flash forward to when our oldest son was getting ready to turn 16. He wanted a big diesel pickup like all the "cool kids" He ended up with a 1997 F350 4 door long bed, 7.3 diesel , 5 speed. It was a total torque monster in it's day. Well one afternoon everything was happening at once and I was a frazzled mess. I had a small concrete pad I had formed up here that was only going to take about 3/4 yard. Of course they will not deliver that small amount. My brother had a larger pour going and I told him to just add 3/4 to it and when the truck finished his I would pour mine. Well that was planned about a week in advance not knowing the exact date. My brother phones one night and says the concrete coming tomorrow afternoon. It was late in the haying season and I had a small piece of hay down quite a distance from my house and it needed baled ahead of the rain. I wanted to bale it in small squares. My wife and I went to work that morning and I left at noon telling her to check in when she got home. I went and raked the hay then came back and poured the concrete. That went fine. I then took off to bale. Now common sense says you pull a rack behind your square baler. The problem is I am alone because two of our sons are at football practice, I am not sure where the other was. My wife is allergic to hay and still at work so no way she is riding the rack although she has helped unload a lot of racks to the elevator. My only choice was to run them out on the ground and come back with the truck and flatbed. Well I get them ran out and run home as we have rain coming. My sons were still at practice but his truck was here because he was driving one of the spare vans at the time. I get the truck and trailer along with my wife and head to the field. I know this is going to be a interesting conversation. We get to the field and get out. My wife says "Billy, just how to expect to do this" I said "well dear you are going to drive and I am going to walk along side picking up the bales." She lets out some not so internet friendly words. I get in the truck and put in in 4 low. I then put it in first and show her that it is just going to crawl. I can literally jump out and back in while it is moving. That was the beauty of having a very, very low geared 1st. It took some coaxing but she agreed and she drove. She did a wonderful job and all the hay got in ahead of the rain, the concrete was done, and all was good. She successfully drove a standard transmission.

 

[Bill G]

As for the topic of 3 on the tree. Dad bought a new F100 in 1968. It had a 6 cyl with a 3 on the tree. Grandpa had a 1964 Chevy Biscayne station wagon with what we thought was a 327 but ended up being a 283. It also had a 3 on the tree. It is still here but the engine and tranny are gone. That was his trapping vehicle after one of our Mexican migrant tomato pickers took his 1950's Dodge truck for a ride off the bridge. My brother had a 1978 F150 with a 302 and three on the tree. He destroyed the shifter and sawzalled a hole in the floor to install a Hurst shifter. The neighbor I used to work for some had a late 1970's Chevy pickup with a 3 on the tree. The funniest experience I remember though was with my buddy. He kept talking about his late 1970's Chevy pickup with a 3 speed on the floor that came from the factory that way. I had never heard of that. I jump in it one day and start chuckling. I said "Travis, this is a 4 speed not a 3 speed". He argues no it is a three speed. Well all he was looking at was the shifter which was marked L, 1, 2, 3, R. I explain it to him and he just says "I start in first, go to second, then to third so it is a three speed.". His logic was a bit off. At the time my Dad had a 1978 F150 4x4 6cyl, 4 speed and it was geared low enough you always started in second but it was still a 4 speed. That truck is still here.

 

[Bill G]

A Facebook pic

 

[damifino]

A Facebook pic

View attachment 431109

So true! Is it even possible to buy a car or truck without power windows nowadays??

 

[Sloughfoot]

So true! Is it even possible to buy a car or truck without power windows nowadays??

Probably not. We have a late model with all the schmancy new tech. Watches for traffic and pedestrians and all that. Hits the brakes if you don't. My daily is a very spartan Toyota we've had for 17 years. The two are night and day to drive. There's no way someone that had only driven the latest greatest stuff could make it half a day town driving the "old" stuff. Bet.

 

[Bill G]

So true! Is it even possible to buy a car or truck without power windows nowadays??

I cannot answer that for 2024 but it does remind me of a funny story. We have a huge auto auction facility about 30 miles away. Years ago they would have about 4 GSA government vehicle auctions per year. At that time they are selling 250 to 300 cars, trucks and vans. They finally realized that was too many and went to smaller sales once a month. Well in about 2000 my father in law went to the GSA sale and bought his wife a late 1990's Dodge minivan. She was pissed because it had manual windows and I believe locks. Well it was showing it's grey hairs and probably around 2005 he went there and bought a 2002 Dodge van. She was even more pissed because once again it had manual windows. In 2006 or 2007. I went there and bought a 2002 Dodge 2500 4x4. It was roll up windows. The next year my wife's 2002 Ford van was showing it's grey hairs so I went back to the auction and bought a Dodge minivan. My mother in law came down with my wife to help shuttle the vehicles home. I will never forget her saying that SOB better not have power windows. She let out a string when I hit the button and down sent the window. Not long after that her husband went to the auction and got her one with power. I loved that 2002 Dodge minivan. It was comfortable to drive but as with all vehicles it was wearing out. I went back to the auction and got my wife a 2010 Dodge van. That thing was a heap of manure. It would get stuck in our semi flat driveway. The stow and go seats were a joke. It was amazing how stripped down the government buys vehicles. They make some ridiculous purchases. I was back at the auction trying to get a one ton truck. Several months in a row they had a slough of 2010-2012 Ford F350 4 doors with 8 foot beds. That was just what I was looking for. The problem is the cheap government ordered all of them with the gutless 5.4 engine. Who the hell puts a 5.4 in a one ton truck?

 

[FergusonTO35]

My one and only three on the tree experience was a 1953 Plymouth that someone brought in for tires when I was a tech. There was so much play in the shift linkage that it was a real question as to whether you would be going forwards or backwards when you released the clutch! From what I understand many of the old European micro cars (Mini, Trabant, etc.) had three or four on the tree.

 

[damifino]

There was so much play in the shift linkage that it was a real question as to whether you would be going forwards or backwards when you released the clutch!

LOL, yeah I think that is part of the experience of a column shift I remember and love.