Honda Foreman Hand Shift Modification

[@Road_Rash]

Excellent! I want to do this for my 1999 Fourtrax 300 because the aftermarket floorboards make it hard to get your foot under the stock shifter... this will completely eliminate the problem, & look cool & custom to boot! I gotta see what kind of round stock I got laying around here...or maybe even rob an existing shifter from an old lawn tractor, or a tiller or something like that & modify it a little...🤔🤔🤔

[@DoNnIeSaNiPaSs]

Honestly I didn’t know about the manual shift option, bought my foreman second hand. Thanks bud!

[@guerillablood18]

Thanks, definitely gave me an idea!! Glad i came across your straight to the point solution 👍🏽👍🏽

[@mikaldodson3759]

Same bike with the same problem. Great idea. Gonna do this as well. Thanks and great vids!!

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Glad it helped

[@bparkinson1234]

Building mine today. My electronic went out. Thanks. Bills cool projects on youtube

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Good luck. Remember - firm, quick shifts work every time.

[@richarber1856]

I have a similar Foreman with the same shifting issues. I've been plowing snow with it and have noticed that once it gets hot after all the (electric) shifting between 1st and reverse ...... it just won't shift at all unless I use a 12mm wrench and do it manually. However, if I I leave to cool down for an hour or so the ES works perfectly again ....... until it gets hot .... again !! I am going to make up one of your levers though .... terrific video btw .... thank you. Question ..... am I likely to be doing any damage to the transmission by shifting gear manually after it gets hot and the ES quits ?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Mine was a similar experience as yours. The ES has the built-in option to manual shift but I believe the intent was to be able to limp the wheeler home. In our case when they prove unreliable and really costly to fix properly we need options. I have been using mine completely manually shifting for several years now. It takes a bit of practice to shift properly - short quick shifts - so you're not hammering the transmission. My opinion is if you are considerate of your machine and aware of the conditions in which you are shifting you shouldn't be harming the transmission. One of the reasons I removed the gearing between the ES motor and the transmission was to limit the drag and the opportunity that I could bind or strain in the shifts. Good luck and use huge doses of common sense and you should be fine.

[@richarber1856]

I greatly appreciate your reply... thanks At first I thought it was an issue with the handle bar shifting buttons ..... a replacement part being $500 or so. I talked to my local small engine go-to-guy and he did some work on the shift-motor and all seemed to be well. When the problem reappeared, we talked again and thought it might be the shift sensor and/or solenoid ..... but now I'm leaning more towards the over-heating possibility .... after all, snow-plowing does involve a great deal of forward and reversing and not much chance is had for any decent air-cooling to happen. I'm still going to make-up one of your manual shifting lever fittings ...... as you say ..... at least I can "limp the wheeler home" if necessary !! Thanks again for your come-back.

[@Reliable1102Intel]

Theres a reason its not made to be installed permanently. Its an ES not an S and its got lower end parts for emergency use only.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I have another video showing you how to remove those parts.

[@Reliable1102Intel]

@@TigerCreekFarm i didnt see it on your page.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Here it is. First mod I did after constant ES failures - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4Cqppilpchloas

[@MrEye4get]

Great idea! How would you shift with the lever on the left when you need your left hand to operate the clutch?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

There is no clutch - a momentary lack of accelerating allows the shift to happen.

[@thomas25082]

That's a brake not a clutch !

[@ssergeant9682]

I have a 2022 Honda Rancher manual shift. it works great for the kids, but I've had issues with my feet and have a hard time shifting. is there some type of lever or modification that I can use to make it easier? trying to lift up on the shifter to go from reverse to neutral or 1st is very difficult for me. I have to shut it off, get off, then manually pull up on the shift lever with my hand. get back on (now it's in neutral) and go from there. my grandson suggested that I can a good leather belt and use that to pull up on it? thinking there might be some type of adapter that would work better? The kids are fine with the way it works. I'm almost 70 and I have issues. I don't want to permanently alter anything. just something I can use when I'm riding it.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

A temporary or rider specific change is what makes this hard. Your grandson's idea (they will always come up with something!) is a pretty simple and direct solution. Another thought along those same lines is a solid rod with a shoe that would fit over the end of the pedal. It would allow for pushing and pulling - and could be slid on when you need it and off when you don't. The other thought is to change the angle of the shift pedal to give you more room and leverage - or lengthening it along the same angle. Good luck!

[@wsfd4321]

Nice mod. Got an ES model myself.....works alright, but would not own another one.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

wsfd4321 we were selling an old vehicle and the fellow offered this as a trade. We took him up on it. Motor is very dependable - electronics are not. Use this thing all of the time around here - ended up being a good trade. Still can’t get over the fact that a 4 wheeler can be worth more than a car 🤦‍♂️

[@michaelhorsford403]

There's a fella thats got a 100 computer bypass but the machine functions like normal with the factory shift buttons says it takes all the bs outta the machine lol im looking at an 06 350 2wd machine im gonna grab cause its crazy cheap & try the bypass

[@Reliable1102Intel]

The bipass kit is available.

[@tp-mh2ji]

Thanks for the video!

[@lakesiderenovationsllc]

What was required to disable the ES function so that the hand shifter overrides it? Thanks.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Garrett Brown simply put, I removed the shift motor. It is not necessary but it helps to eliminate some of the resistance felt with the motor gearing teeth still engaged. Pretty simple job. I demonstrate it here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4Cqppilpchloas

[@PPGDV]

Just pulled the guts and reassembled. At the moment I just used a breaker bar and socket (to test). One: the gears do not display on the screen. Two: now it’s stuck in gear.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

It should still display current gear and not be stuck in gear. By removing the "transfer gearing" all you were doing is eliminating the electric shift motor from being involved in the shifting process. Sounds like something was not reinstalled in the proper position and that the shift indicator is not plugged in.

[@PPGDV]

TigerCreekFarm The only thing that I unplugged was the connection at the frame. I then removed the motor and pulled the three gears. Reinstalled the motor and connected the connection. I even double checked the connection. Not sure how this caused this because, like you said, all I did is remove mechanical parts. I didn’t mess with the electronics.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

CJPrasek05 I know you don’t want to hear this but you need to retrace your steps. Something isn’t installed correctly or you wouldn’t be having any problems. Been there many times with many projects and it’s usually something simple or overlooked.

[@PPGDV]

TigerCreekFarm I will. This time I won’t reinstall the steel skid plate until I know it’s working correctly. Just don’t know how anything is incorrect. It’s straight forward.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

CJPrasek05 it happens. Good luck!

[@normanrose5104]

if you do away with the es/shifting motor guts when you use the foot or hand selector does your gear shift numbers flash on the display?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Norman Rose yep

[@johningram8692]

What size bolt did you use for a locking bolt ?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Something in the range of a 3/16 machine bolt.

[@johningram8692]

Thanks

[@Mixwell1983]

If I got a rancher I would never get anything other than foot shift.. Im not up on ATVs but i remember almost all of them in the mid 90s were foot shift.. Seems like its becoming rare like manual trans vehicles.

[@bucketmouthinc82]

AMEN! That’s why the old 300ex were bulletproof! No electronic crap!

[@devatwell334]

Oh ya man I drive same foreman es manually by foot or hand with that same emergency wrench those man has. It's a old farmers wheeler do what u gotta do dont rely on that electronic crap lol

[@chrisjannakos3683]

Can you make me s as shifting rod like in your video for my Honda, have the same issue you had,

[@TigerCreekFarm]

The hand shifter did not solve my electronic shifting problems - it just made manually shifting easier for me rather than using the foot shifter.

[@davidcoombs2286]

They sell shifters on line for like 20 bucks that just mount up

[@TigerCreekFarm]

I’d spend $20 to buy one like this.

[@Brandon_Jackson]

This is what I was looking for! Thank you! I don’t want to make my own because I don’t own or have access to a welder. Is there any link that I can just order one from?

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Brandon Jackson I ran across a video from these people years ago - before I started having all of my shift problems - and it left that seed planted in my head. hondaesshifter.com

[@Brandon_Jackson]

TigerCreekFarm awesome thank you!!

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Brandon Jackson 👍

[@wyllie4961]

Typically all you have to do is shut the key off and turn it back on and try to shift and it will function again.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Not in my case.

[@thomas25082]

What size motor is this bike

[@TigerCreekFarm]

450

[@billyray6913]

Thank you sir

[@riverratpat259]

Thank you. Thank you thank you.

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Hope it helps.

[@_beach0801]

Thanks.... Good job....

[@TigerCreekFarm]

Thank you.

[@timboadams2923]

Would you make one for me and sell it to me cuz mine is messed up and won't shift I would buy if you can make it for me

[@bucketmouthinc82]

Honda motors run forever but the dumb ass ES models are garbage! I’m converting my 03 Foreman 450 to a foot shift.