Is it bad to skip gears while loaded (13 speed)

Skipping gears don’t hurt nothing at all.

 

The way I always saw it was that a 13 speed was a tool.
Heavy load going uphill, use them all.
Light load or mty going downhill, treat it like a 10 speed.

Personal opinion, not based on any mechanical knowledge whatsoever

 

I don't think it really matters. Just stay in the correct RPM range. I have seen a lot of drivers "lug" an engine. This means having it in too high a gear for the speed of the vehicle. You can do serious damage to most any engine by doing this all the time.

 

Just make sure if you're a new driver operating a 13 or 18 speed that you go through all of the gears when you're empty. LOL

And also make sure that you have a very tall shifter so everybody knows you one of them real truck drivers. LOL

And don't forget the jake brake with them straight pipes every time you have to come to a stop. LOL

 

With the new age higher torque engines you can be a lot more creative with gear selections on the 13’s. That allows you to start rolling from a stop in a higher gear and to skip them or use different combo’s that really couldn’t be done with the older trucks in the past.
The lower torque engines almost always needed all the gears when loaded from 2nd in the low side all the way up to 8od to pull good. I’ve never been able to skip much with my old stuff pulling but sometimes I don’t have to split the bottom 2 in the high side if that makes sense.
Can skip on decel downshifts when not needing the power to stay up because the truck is stopping but if the power needs to stay up to accel its best not to.
This is all my experience with older stuff.

 

I remember the engines of yesteryear had n operating range of 1500 to 2000. Below 1500 they hd no.... power.

Detroit was even higher. 2400 or higher I think.
They called them screaming Detroit's.

 

Yep. Cummins and Cats 2100 rpm all day long. Some brave hot rodders would turn ‘em around 2300-2350 all day long.
Screamin’ Demon’s could turn 2500 all day without hurting them.

 

*Wipes tear, you take me far back with those thoughts.

Indeed we shifted those engines I think around 1800 for torque and up to 2100 to upshift with a little room towards 2300-2400 Redline. The engines we had usually did not "Wake up" until 1400 give or take. We had that one Reo with the 13 double under and that rig goes back, way back. One of the oldest in my memory. We used every gear up and down keeping power to the drives at all times. The double under would give you half a gear without having to downshift physically with the clutch or stick which was a good match to the rolling terrain of Maryland in those days.

Its not terribly fast, you could get up and roll. Maybe 70 all out which was plenty fast considering you had no real schedule other than being regular like clock work in those days.

 

I really wanna know how someone could honestly believe that not split shifting gears could wreck a transmission?