Liberty’s Gears 6-Speed Clutchless Equalizer Transmission
By Evan J. Smith
One of the most unique, durable and well-renowned manual transmissions in all of drag racing is Liberty’s Gears 5-Speed Clutchless Equalizer that’s become a common site in Pro Stock and a variety of classes. What makes it unique is the dual-cluster shaft that adds strength and allows consistent performance and amazing reliability.
But while the 5-speed Equalizer is the standard in Pro Stock, the folks at Liberty aren’t sitting around on their gears. Recently, they’ve developed a new 6-Speed Equalizer that gives racers the ability to tighten gear spreads, which results in less rpm drop on gear changes. This allows your engine to remain in the meat of the power curve so it can deliver power output during a pass. Having an extra gear also allows engine builders to focus on tightening up the powerband.
“Our Liberty’s Clutchless Equalizer Transmissions have gone through years of research and development, and we have continued to perfect the ultimate clutchless transmission,” said Nicole Liberty. “Because the Equalizer has two cluster shafts instead of one, the power coming into the transmission is split so that each cluster handles half the load. Since each gear on the mainshaft has twice the number of teeth in action, coupled with six rugged ball bearings to handle all the loads. The end result is higher torque capacity,” she explained.
“Due to the dual-countershaft design of the Equalizer, the rotating assembly is able to be lightened beyond the limits that a single-cluster design transmission is restricted to, making it lighter than most of our competitor’s transmissions. And like with any clutchless unit, the power flow through the Equalizer is never interrupted between gear changes. As you shift to each succeeding gear, the previous gear is overridden and automatically kicks out.”
The new 6-Speed is currently available with a billet aluminum case, but Liberty will offer a magnesium case if demand warrants it. Of interesting note, 6th gear is 1:1 (one-to-one) and all manually shifter units will use this configuration. However, with the use of a Liberty pneumatic shifter, Liberty can make 1-5 an overdrive gear. The reason is that with the pneumatic shifter, the transmission can essentially be shifted “out of order,” where the manual shifter does not permit this. Additionally, Nicole noted this is not a streetable transmission.
“The 6-Speed has been out in the Import market and has benefited racers because many of the engines operate at high rpm and run quarter-mile,” she said. “It also has unlimited ratio options, just like the 5-Speed.”
Features include:
Magnesium Tailhousing (Bushing or Roller Bearing)
30 or 32-Spline Output Shaft
300M Input/Output/Cluster Shafts
5-Lug Engagement
High Gear Removable Face Plate
Higher Efficiency Gear Profiles
Exclusively V.A.R. Material Gears
Pistol Grip Manual Shifter
Optional Microswitch Package $167
Optional Air Shifter $1,015
Optional Liberty’s ECU Electric over Pneumatic Shifter $1,430
Metal Enhancement Processing
Shot Peen, Cryogenic Processing, Surface Enhancement
By Evan J. Smith
One of the most unique, durable and well-renowned manual transmissions in all of drag racing is Liberty’s Gears 5-Speed Clutchless Equalizer that’s become a common site in Pro Stock and a variety of classes. What makes it unique is the dual-cluster shaft that adds strength and allows consistent performance and amazing reliability.
But while the 5-speed Equalizer is the standard in Pro Stock, the folks at Liberty aren’t sitting around on their gears. Recently, they’ve developed a new 6-Speed Equalizer that gives racers the ability to tighten gear spreads, which results in less rpm drop on gear changes. This allows your engine to remain in the meat of the power curve so it can deliver power output during a pass. Having an extra gear also allows engine builders to focus on tightening up the powerband.
“Our Liberty’s Clutchless Equalizer Transmissions have gone through years of research and development, and we have continued to perfect the ultimate clutchless transmission,” said Nicole Liberty. “Because the Equalizer has two cluster shafts instead of one, the power coming into the transmission is split so that each cluster handles half the load. Since each gear on the mainshaft has twice the number of teeth in action, coupled with six rugged ball bearings to handle all the loads. The end result is higher torque capacity,” she explained.
“Due to the dual-countershaft design of the Equalizer, the rotating assembly is able to be lightened beyond the limits that a single-cluster design transmission is restricted to, making it lighter than most of our competitor’s transmissions. And like with any clutchless unit, the power flow through the Equalizer is never interrupted between gear changes. As you shift to each succeeding gear, the previous gear is overridden and automatically kicks out.”
The new 6-Speed is currently available with a billet aluminum case, but Liberty will offer a magnesium case if demand warrants it. Of interesting note, 6th gear is 1:1 (one-to-one) and all manually shifter units will use this configuration. However, with the use of a Liberty pneumatic shifter, Liberty can make 1-5 an overdrive gear. The reason is that with the pneumatic shifter, the transmission can essentially be shifted “out of order,” where the manual shifter does not permit this. Additionally, Nicole noted this is not a streetable transmission.
“The 6-Speed has been out in the Import market and has benefited racers because many of the engines operate at high rpm and run quarter-mile,” she said. “It also has unlimited ratio options, just like the 5-Speed.”
Features include:
Magnesium Tailhousing (Bushing or Roller Bearing)
30 or 32-Spline Output Shaft
300M Input/Output/Cluster Shafts
5-Lug Engagement
High Gear Removable Face Plate
Higher Efficiency Gear Profiles
Exclusively V.A.R. Material Gears
Pistol Grip Manual Shifter
Optional Microswitch Package $167
Optional Air Shifter $1,015
Optional Liberty’s ECU Electric over Pneumatic Shifter $1,430
Metal Enhancement Processing
Shot Peen, Cryogenic Processing, Surface Enhancement
