I only THOUGHT I had trouble learning to shift!!!

I started out driving dump trucks in 75 and had to learn on a 5 over 4. trust me that thing was so underpowered that you needed ALL the gears it gave double clutchin a whole new meaning.
i also remember that they had power assisted hydraulic brakes, I remember a few time when my butt was completely off the seat,both feet on the brake peddle and all 175 lbs of me pushing down on the peddle and hoping that thing would stop in time

 

Yep, my first job after moving to Michigan in 1980 was driving a triplex 15speed. Pulled a 32ft dump trailer hauling logs from the elm tree removals (Dutch elm) in the 5 Points area of Detroit

 

the first truck i drove wow 10 seed 4 speed aux 9 and 10 trun around and 3 and4 trund around db overdrive and very fast top speed 122mph and i was 17 teen man was i dum . what to every truck i passed.

 

ummm... yea

 

no your wrong a truck drivers story starts out you aint gonna beleive this $*%$ and the first truck I ran was a 1961 mack 5 an 4

 

one of my dads gravel truck was 5/4--i only played with it a bit--seemed you needed a bit of a belley to hold the steering wheel--then use both hands
when i was a little puppy i drove an r mack with my broinlaw-- a 5 with a 2 speed behind it--basically just a 10 speed--but you needed to put a tarp strap on the 2nd stick when in high,just to take the whine and shake out of it

 

When I was a kid, I was a volunteer firefighter. We had a '61 Mack that pulled an old Air Force 3000 gallon tanker. I used to love riding with the guy who was the primary driver for that rig. He'd hook his left arm through the steering wheel and use his inner arm to keep the wheel straight while shifting both sticks. Man he could make that baby walk and talk.

 

Looks like a nightmare.

 

My Pawpa drove the same way on a farm truck we used during harvest. I could get it from the field to the shop, but don't ask me to do no double shifting. They sure as hell aren't making drivers like these anymore.