Low gear

There has been a little nudge, push or otherwise contact back in the day.

The dispatch and safety people will have stress related illness now if they found out. he he he. Used the bunk matress too. And they wonder why I need a new matress all a sudden.

 

A truck is engineered to haul 80,000 lbs. Most late model trucks have 430-450 horsepower engines. The transmissions are designed to get that 80,000 from a stop to Highway speed as quickly and efficiently as possible. When you are 18,000 lbs or 34,000 lbs, use the tools the same way does not sound quick and efficient.

A pickup with a heavy trailer can weigh the same as a tractor. It has 4 speeds and an engine less than 1/2 the size of the engine in a class 8 truck. If it can get that moving with 4 gears, I most certainly do not need to use all 13 of mine.

 

Now we know the truth lol, truckers who start off in higher gears are in a hurry....

 

Are you through yet? My 14 is ticking!

 

Depends what you're running and the truck, i drive a 2008 kenworth dump truck with a c15 and 18 speed, truck is a 4 axle truck with 4 axle pup, running at 105,500 pounds, with the amount of torque the truck makes i start out in 1st, if i start in low with that much weight i have to smash it into 1st because the truck loses its speed instantly no matter if its at 1000rpm, 1500rpm or 2000rpm it loses its momentum, sure starting out in 1st is 1% more damage on the clutch but think of it this way, the trucks were designed to be double clutched every shift, i float all my gears so figure 1 second on the clut h vs double clutching 1500 times a day isn't really that bad

 

13 speed. Loaded 30k or better i start out in Lo, my 1st gear is pretty tall

 

depending on the 18 speed, some are spec’d with a “deep reduction” low (like an 8LL or 15) so you may have to split low, or start with the splitter to the dash then pull it back going into first, i don’t remember if it’s the a b or c set but I know it’s backwards on the 13s the (a or b set)

bob tail start in 1, Any other time I use low, and I’ll creep if I’m in a line of traffic instead of hammering 3 gears and slamming the brake pedal or just pulling the brake knob, which is another thing that would irritate me if it was mine

 

In my youth I worked for this particular trucking company for a while.

So me and this other guy take off empty at the same time. I'm right behind him at the light he takes off I can't catch him even a little bit.

Then we got to where we were going I said wow your truck is really pretty fast.

He laughed and said well I pull out in 5th gear.

Myself I pulled out in second.

He kind of surprised me when he said that.

 

This is why companies are going to autos.

 

clutch adjustments cut into my beer drinking time on the weekends.... same with brakes, if it’s day light and I’m not near houses I’ll rip the jake down to a stop and stay off the middle pedal to.

I did a local run for my uncle while my truck was in paint, 6 loads a day with a dump trailer, I touched the clutch starting in his yard, in the pit after I loaded, and at the dump site to back up, then to pull out... I had every light and traffic timed to the point of not needing any pedal but the go go one..... I was ready to blow my brains out on that run