Tips for double clutching?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by operatorIsaac, Mar 4, 2013.

  1. zmpart

    zmpart Light Load Member

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    Nov 27, 2010
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    Just tried to teach my wife double clutching.... not easy to do, most drivers i would think dont double but more just float thru the gears, for me the key i found for her to figure it out is to do it fast, literally in milli second, down the pedal 1/2 way, pull the stick out, down the pedal 1/2 way push the stick in, fast fast fast, the whole process for one gear change should be less than two seconds. good luck
     
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  3. camaro68

    camaro68 Medium Load Member

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    Is double clutching doing the same thing a synchronizer does in a 5 speed manual transmission in a 4 wheeler?
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2013
  4. Rodeoman7

    Rodeoman7 Light Load Member

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    May 27, 2008
    Middle of Nowhere, CO
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    Rookie to rookie learn to double before you start floating.. I've seen rookies destroy transmissions by floating

    Be quick. This isn't like a old 5 speed Mack where you can take your time between gears
     
  5. trucker91

    trucker91 Light Load Member

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    I find it easier to take the slack out of the shifter, tap the clutch it will fall outta gear to neutral tap the clutch again all the while going into the next gear.hope i helped
     
  6. jmontes77029

    jmontes77029 Bobtail Member

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    Jan 9, 2013
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    because you have to wait till rpm drops to about 1000 rpm then you have to clutch to neutral then bump the gas pedal to about 1500 rpm then clutch to gear.
     
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  7. moloko

    moloko Road Train Member

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    seattle, wa
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    i'll explain it like this.

    up-shifting occurs when you're steadily increasing your speed. you rev it up, and eventually the engine stops responding and the engine sounds over-worked. your rpm on a 10 speed might be about 17 at this point. so you tap clutch, neutral, tap clutch, gear up. repeat as necessary until you're cruising down the freeway in 10th gear.

    down-shifting is a very necessary thing to master because your life will depend on it. try stopping on a grade with your air brakes alone and you'll find yourself in break failure and out of control, going off the side of a mountain. the engine breaking effect comes into play here. when you're slowing down, never just use your breaks--air breaks alone cannot stop the 80,000 pound death trap from plowing into 4-wheelers and killing everybody!!

    so when you down shift, your engine is forced to work harder to get the same result. therefore, when you shift down a gear, you will notice that you will lose some speed because your drive shaft can't rotate as quickly.

    upshifting is easy--everytime you get up to 17-18 rpm (on a 10-speed eaton fuller, in this example) you'll notice your engine sounds very high-pitched and you do not accelerate anymore. so you up shift.

    when downshifting, you will take your foot off the accelerator, and/or use the service break a little bit to get your RPM down to about 12--thus lowering your speed.

    to downshift, you:
    clutch in,
    shift into neutral,
    REV IT UP TO ABOUT 15 RPM
    , and, without clutching then slide into the next lowest gear.

    when i downshift, i do NOT clutch in after revving it up. that's how i was taught to do it in school. some might disagree.

    another good way to downshift is :
    clutch in,
    shift into neutral,
    REV IT UP TO ABOUT 19-20 RPM
    Prepare to slide your gear shifter down one gear at 15 RPM. revving it up to about 19-20 gives you a moment to find your gear as the needle is falling to 15. make sure you're sliding into gear at around 15 RPM.

    and experienced truckers will obviously debate me, so please feel free to add your experienced insightful advice.
     
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  8. 379exhd

    379exhd Road Train Member

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    Taking the revs up that high would cause more problems for him imo. Just me not trying to debate but the first suggestion would work well for the driver. Long as his jake is off. As one poster said leave that jake off for a while. When you get more exp with shifting start using it. I have it on 99.9% of the time when im on the highway and dropping gears with the jake on with little exp is going to cause you more headache than what its worth.
     
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  9. moloko

    moloko Road Train Member

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    maybe like 17 or 18 rpm is more like it. i didnt mean to give exact numbers, the general message is to rev it up past 15 so you can prepare to slide it in the next lower gear as the needle is falling past 15--so you 'catch it' at 15 rpm and down shift.
     
  10. JIMROY

    JIMROY Medium Load Member

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    Feb 15, 2013
    ESCONDIDO CALIFORNIA
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    Moloko has it pretty well figured out. The whole purpose of a double clutch is to sync the speeds of your engine rpm's with those of your gears rpm's think of each gear as a step in a stairway. So the top end of 1st is equal to the bottom end of 2nd. The top of 2nd = the bottom end of 3rd. And so on. You can shift with out a clutch , its called floating its just a double clutch shift without touching the clutch. Clutches are made for starting and stopping . After you have changed your own clutch you won't wanna do it again anytime soon......... Learn to rythum shift without using the clutch..........
    When downshifting your making your rpms come up so the bottom end of 3rd equals the top of 2nd and so on..... I personally recommend using the jake to downshift. Kick it into neutral raise your rpm's and slide it into the next lower gear as your rpm's are coming up , it works every time.... Now when its in the next lower gear let off the throttle and let the jake slow you down enuf to make the next downshift. Save your brakes for when you really need them.....

    Remember one thing your shift rhythm is dependent on what kind of engine the horsepower , brand of motor big cam small cam high shift range or low shift range in the engine rpms ie: 13oo to 1500 or 17-19 this changes from motor to motor
    the tranny a 7 , 8, and 9 speed have taller gears than a 10 spd or 13 spd. In a 10 or 13 think of the gears as steps again they are shorter so more steps to climb the stairs... With taller gears = taller steps less gears/steps to climb the stairs.
    Your rear end ratio will also come into play here too high gear rears = fast trucks on flat ground slow on hills...low ration rears = hill climbers i had a truck with 290 cummins and 4:11 rears that could run off and leave a 425 kitty cat with 3:55 rears standing still on a hill but then again with 4:11's on flat ground it was a 68 mile per hour truck lol but it went uphill and down hill real good....
     
  11. Cjh_army

    Cjh_army Medium Load Member

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    Jan 9, 2013
    Hamilton, Montana
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    Granted I am a noob, but for me it was this. When you drive, you have a 400 rpm range in which to make your shift. This is fairly easy when upshifting. Your school will most likely focus on Progressive Shifting, which means that you shift at a lower RPM in the lower gears, and gradually increase engine speed as you advance through the gears. There is plenty of YouTube info on it.

    Basically it is all about rythm, Which comes with practice. You will get the hang of it, and don't be afrait to ask your instructors for advice because that is what they get paid for.

    For a lot of students, the problem with shifting is the Downshift, again, you have a 400 RPM split in which to make this happen, and most students don't add enough throttle while in neutral.

    Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Focus on your rythm, clutch, N, clutch, Gear. You'll get the hang of it.

    It is't rocket science, don't let it get to you. Look at all the truck drivers out there, and while I'm sure everyone will act like they have never had an issue with shifting, every driver on the road has gone through what you will learn. And some of them are most definitley not geniuses. (Myself included, lol.)
     
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