Thread: Engaging back gear on ML7 Myford

Originally Posted by woodfast

I trying to help a friend who was given a Myford lathe. I did have one of these some years ago can anyone remind me how engage the back gear I thought it was a Allen keyed head bolt that you undone an slid across

On my ML7LB you have to move the lever next to the chuck upwards to engage the bull wheel after you have toggled the small lever in the bull wheel to disconnect the drive between the two concentric shafts !

Cor ! That sounds more complicated than the five seconds it takes to do it.
Anyway HTH.

Originally Posted by woodfast

I trying to help a friend who was given a Myford lathe. I did have one of these some years ago can anyone remind me how engage the back gear I thought it was a Allen keyed head bolt that you undone an slid across

Thats correct on the bull wheel rotate till you locate the allen head bolt can be ARPIA with an allen key which is to long, then lever on the right lift up on my ML7 anyway.

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Thats correct on the bull wheel rotate till you locate the allen head bolt can be ARPIA with an allen key which is to long, then lever on the right lift up on my ML7 anyway.

On mine the bull wheel has a very short lever that rotates a half circle cam in and out of a recess on the driving shaft. The earlier machines may have had an allen socket to move the cam. I find it very convenient to engage the back gear selector when changing the chuck because it locks the drive and therefor the spindle making it easy to unscrew the chuck. You do have to remember to disengage the back gear selector before applying drive. It does make the belt squeal a little if you forget !