floating

My $.02 here?

When I got the KW, she seemed to prefer to be floated but since July, I have been double-clutching. There are many opinions as to if this is a good practice or not. Some people claim it does NO harm and is easier on the clutch (obviously) and other say the clutch is there for a reason and not just for 'starting' out.

There is a thread on this but for some reason I cant seem to post the link so that it works !?

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/122796-floating-gears.html

 

I have floated gears since the beginning of my driving career. I was lucky enough to have an experienced trainer to show me the ropes. It will probably take you a little bit of practice but you will end up liking up way better! I highly doubt you will drop the transmission in the truck. Use your sense of hearing and touch instead of staring at your tach. Also don't run your rpm's up high, that makes for any kind of shifting a little tougher if you are not used to it. Nice and easy. rooooooooommmmmm neutral 1 - 2 - 3 put in gear. Develop yourself a nice rhythm like that and you will be fine. Don't over rev downshifting either. Besides your a company driver, the hell with downshifting. Good luck man!

 

I prefer floating, in most cases, once you learn, you never go back!

 

I run pretty heavy most of the time, I clutch the low gears up to sixth or seventh and float the last two or three. my reason for this is the torque applied to the drive train. My shifts are smoother with the clutch and I don't get back into the fuel as fast. this takes a lot of strain off the drive train. But that's just me.

 

I used to float for a while, but then I got uncomfortable. So I went back to using the clutch. I guess that it also depends on your comfort level.

 

We used to haul horses commercially and had a custom show 53' show trailer pulled with a freightliner. (picts on my profile) The smoother you drive the less likely the horses will get injuries during transport. I was a pretty good driver before that but when started hauling the horses I really concentrated on the refining of my driving and I could float that thing softer than an automatic cadillac! We had cameras in the trailer so we could watch the horses while we were in route and my goal was to try to always shift without making the horses move. You new guys can practice this in your truck by filling a coffee mug up with water about an 1/8inch from the top. Set it on your dash and go for it. It really does help your driving and will also greatly reduce wear and tear on the tranny and motor. One of the main things to remember while floating is try not to run the rpms up very high. Just nice easy shifting. When you are empty you can also practice by banging gears every second or two. Go through as many gears as you can while trying to keep the truck at a slow speed. Hope that makes sense.

 

Here's my issues. When I gave a new driver a road test I wanted to see it all. I wanted double clutching first then if he or she knew enough I would have them show me other ways of shifting. But floating is the last I want to see. I want to know if you know what gear to be in at any given time. I want to see you skip gears and I never want you to downshift every gear. You'll also have to show me progressive shifting. If you know all that then float all you want.

 

Ok, I'm a newb so I can sound stupid, what's floating?

 

Shifting without using the clutch.