Big Loads - Post Photos Number 2

Those side booms coming from Miami for Precision by chance?

 

Side boom came from factory I think he said. I got a D8 and from Fl but not Miami

 

Con not confirm or deny company for who they are for lol

 

Haha I got ya, yeah word on the street was that there were a bunch of side booms in Florida but with German gauges and stickers and what not being swapped over to English and getting shipped up to this neck of the woods.

 

Somebody played a joke on him and flipped his map upside down.

 

I didn't really know where to ask this- so I'm putting it here.

A few of you mentioned on hills you don't bother shifting. You pick a gear, second or maybe third and climb the hill in that gear.

Do you come to a stop before the hill, then start off in 1st and upshift to the gear you decide to climb in? Or do you hit the grade and downshift to second? In my (limited) experience I feel it's hard on the truck to try to grab a lower gear while losing momentum, often grinding gears to drop 3-4 full gears, lugging the motor and also can't be easy on the drivetrain. Usually the truck I drive will pull in 5 direct (low) by downshifting as I'm climbing, but there's been a couple dirty ones lately I either had to stop completely on the grade to find first and then pull the hill in first, or I got lucky and found second to pull the hill and keep going.
Sorry if that's a long read.

 

As far as I'm concerned just because a truck will pull a hill in a particular gear, say 5thL in your example, doesn't mean it should. I almost always pull a hill at less than full power or in one gear lower. Try it like that just once and see if you don't feel like it gives you more control over things.

 

Looking ahead and anticipating,,,,
Or
Reading the road,,,,,,
In other words you want to shift before you "need" to shift.
And keep the engine in it's power band, not at it's limits.

As @sawmill said, You will definitely have more control, you'll have throttle to "play with" if need be.
Goes for all the time, not just pulling heavy uphill.