Can somebody give me some insightful answers for the following scenarios?
let's say you are fully loaded at 80,000 pounds, 53' trailer for the sake of example:
1) you are fully loaded with 80,000 pounds: what's the take off gear? in truck school we never drove loaded, and we always took off in 4th or 5th.
2) you are taking a freeway offramp at 55 MPH and need to turn right, and you're in 10th gear before hitting the ramp. what gear do you recommend taking this turn at?
3) you are approaching a green light at about 40 MPH in the city. you need to turn right at the green light. what gear should you be in while taking this turn? for that matter, what's a good turning gear?
yeah, it's really basic stuff but i'm getting kind of rusty on this common-sense stuff since i haven't driven for a bit and don't have much experience.
Downshifting and turning with 80k pounds
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by moloko, Mar 2, 2013.
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1.) 2nd or 3rd. Every Truck will be a bit different.
mje Thanks this. -
1) My truck will pull away in 3rd with no trouble on fairly flat ground, 2nd gear if i need to go up a hill, 4th if im going down and can let it roll out.
The speed you should be turning at is entirely dependant on how sharp the ramp or turn is and what you are hauling. I won't take a 90 degree turn any faster than 6th gear and will drop to 5th if im heavy or the load is top heavy like them big paper rolls. If in doubt, slow down.mje Thanks this. -
Clutch coast the beginning of any "city turn", drop a gear (or two) to allow you to "power through" the turn...centrifugal force is what either sends you bumping into the window or keeps you square in your seat.
In a big rig...you are never in a hurry...and you can never make up for "lost time"! Remember...the turtle beat the hare in the race!Keithdabarber, Pmracing, superpet39 and 4 others Thank this. -
I'm going to assume we're talking a 10-speed:
1. If it's a level road, I start in 2nd. If I'm on an incline where I think 2nd would be too much, I'll drop down to 1st.
2. Depending on how tight the turn will be will determine how fast I can take it. If it's one of those where the right lane curves and there's a yield sign, 4th or 5th gear at most. If it's one that will require a complete stop, then 2nd or 3rd after coming to a complete stop.
3. Depends on what the street I'm turning on to looks like, but again, no shame in taking a turn too slow. Probably 2nd or 3rd gear once I approach the intersection.
There is no need to make turns in high gear, especially on city streets where you should be watching for hazards such as cars, light poles, sign posts and people.CondoCruiser, otherhalftw and mje Thank this. -
Well weight depends on what gear. When I'm empty I start in 5-6 loaded max 2 halfway 3rd. Depends on driver and truck. Also take a right or left truck at 40mph u will more then likly be on ur side. Why u think so many ramp roll overs. Drivers wanna take it fast by time they notice its to late
mje Thanks this. -
it's probally best that u take everything slower then some of the seasoned guys and gals learn the basics shift from 1st and work ur way up even empty just to get the feel for things the truck will thank u and as u progress u will learn what u can get away with this is how my first company and it was the owner who trained me if i would of took off at a light in 2nd on a 18 spd with a 100k gross when i first started out my boss probally would killed me litterally. i have since then seen what could happen to the driveline doing such things.
if ur hitting the off ramp at 55 when the speed LIMIT is 55 knowing u have to turn chances are it's probally to late and rolled in the ditch. know what exit u will be getting off at and start slowing down well before empty or loaded ( i have seen many exits that look normal from a distance end up being hairpins or a stack of 4 wheelers on the other end of the ramp.
again slow down and give urself plenty of margin for error most of the time it's not u that u have to worry about it's other people being morons that u have to worry.
one other thing to me gear selections means nothing for driving meaning every truck is different and every company sets there trucks a different way me telling u that u should shift this hill in 5th means nothing because i have an 18spd un neautured truck and chances are u have a 10spd with its sack cut off so my range will vary greatly with ur rangemje Thanks this. -
mje Thanks this.
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I'm not saying you should follow my advice by any means, but I do coast a lot.
When I'm taking an exit ramp, I'll apply my brakes until I get to about 40mph then I will apply the clutch and coast to the end and then when I stop, I'll put it in 2nd gear.
When coming to a light that has turned red, I'll brake until the point where the gear I'm in is too high for the speed, then I'll hit the clutch and coast to a stop. Probably 150 feet is the max I ever need to coast. If the light turns green, I'll just put it in the appropriate gear for the speed I'm going, and be on my way.
I never understood the "the truck is not under control when you're in neutral". I've never NOT been in control of my truck. The only time I ever coast is when I'm slowing down, and I don't need to be in gear for that, I need the brake, not the accelerator. And if I need to switch lanes, ok, well I have a steering wheel for that. But if I'm going to switch lanes, I'll likely put it in gear anyways. Just a habit.
So if I'm missing a big point to all of this, someone please tell me.mje Thanks this. -
like u said though u never really need to coast more then 150 thats understandable but making a turn for a rookie id say thats stretching itwhen i make a turn now this is just me here i down shift to the right gear and power through the turn comming to a stop i'll down shift ever gear especially if im load really it just cuts down on unnecessary brake wear
mje Thanks this.
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