Help I'm in CDL school, (not a mill). I'm using the tranny listed above. I run up to about 19-2200rpm, double clutch and at times the instructor says I'm forcing the gear, ie "banging the gear" I'm clutching fast, C-N-C-gear. Is it the fact that I'm shifting too fast for the clutch? Instructor keeps telling me its like a dance, to finesse, but I must be breaking dancing...lol. No pun intended. The rpms drop off fairly quick so I feel like I'm going OK. But I can say when I get right it feels great. Kinda like when your golfing and make that perfect swing, you can't even feel or hear the ball when you hit it. In downshift shifting, C-N-gas-C-gear, it feels like I'm pulling and using muscle to put it in gear, and/or popping the clutch. Once I lose a gear, I have a devil of a time getting it back in a gear, and that's when I'll rev high and cram it in. I so want to get this down.
Also, in doing these manuevers in heavy city traffic on city streets, lose a gear, then get completley choked, and before I know I'm turning and not even watching my mirrors or anything!! Arrgh! so frustrating. I'm ex military and ex fire department, so I don't rattle under chaotic situations, or even gunfire!! But for the life of me, I can't seem to control myself in the that truck!...LOL
Is this common? Will I get out of this? I've still got another week before my cdl test and then I'll do 10k miles with a trainer before I'm on my own. So far WSE's training has been top notch, I just want to excel, not struggle....Any thoughts?

1900-2000 Rpm? um okay? thats a little much if you ASK ME

Anyways try this, run it up to the rpm your told.. Clutch pull it into neutral and count one thousand shift, on "shift" clutch and put into gear.. Need to be slight pause in between shift and that usually is the correct pause...

If you miss it throttle up a few times with little bumps on the peddle to raise the rpms, slightly be pushing it into gear just enough to feel the gear on the shifter, this way you can feel where the hole is and your able to pop it in..

Hope that helps.. If i was there I could get you shifting in a few minutes.. Bad instructor if he is not throwing ideal at you to help you shift... many ways for them to do that.. above seems to help a few that I was helping...


Yes it is common and you will get passed it... Just keep with it and you will get it...

If you was military you can look at it this way, when you was in basic you was shooting an M16.. for people who never shot an Automatic they was told to pull the trigger and count one thousand then release and pull again..

In no time you'll be shifting like this (er with an mt or light load that is).

[YT="Eaton Fuller 10 Speed Floatin"]usqKwV22W4I[/YT]

Excellent thanks! Yeah that's about the right rpms I'm starting my clutch/neutral. I'll try that counting thing. Instructor has given me some good advice, but it still is coming slower than I'd expect. I wouldn't say my instructor is PO'd at all, I think he sees potential in me and is as frustrated as I when it comes to this...lol. I'm truly having a blast doing this and next week we're really gonna log some serious miles as it is our last week. As of yet, I haven't eased the shifter up to "feel" the gear, I've just been guessing as to its location and going for it...lol. I'll make the adjustments. Thanks again.

Dang that was sweet!!

My shifting sounds more like sasquatch is coming up from the tranny to kick my arse!!!

Just be glad you don't have to learn how to shift one of these! I know I'm glad I didn't have to!

[YT="This is what them old hands always talk about"]-3cFz9wzGPw[/YT]

O..........M...............G What kind of medieval contraption is that?!?!?!?:biggrin_25 55:

If at all possible get rid of the trainer for an hr or two around the yard. Even tho you don't think you rattle under pressure, you are. The pressure to do good in his eyes has you sweating the details and over analyzing the thing.

If they have an off road yard put in for at least an hr to play BY YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

__________________

Yeah we drive the yard alot doing our skills maneuvers, and to be honest in the yard truck I do fine!!! LOL that's the part that sucks, I know I'm trying to hard. Its like when I'd go watch my son play little league when he was a boy. He's try to hard to swing for the fences he'd strike out everytime. But when I was on duty at the FD and he played, he was a star...lol. Too funny, thanks I'll try to embed that into my head before monday....

My instructors said 1500 rpm was the shift point in the lower 5. By the time you're grabbing the gear, the rpm's should have dropped to no less than 1000. If the rpm's drop more, you're shifting too slow. Also probably going too deep with the clutch, I did that a lot at first. In the upper 5 you can add about 100 rpm/gear to the shift point. The 6-7 can go at 1700, for example.

I thought I was doing pretty good, until the instructor drove us home without using the clutch at all.

__________________
He ain't wrong, he's just different, but his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right.