floating vs double clutching

Most Flyers fans do - LMAO!

 

I only use the clutch to get started I pull heavy haul and always float gears

 

I float the gears... 18 speed tranny.... I find in the day cab I just can't get comfortable like I was in a sleeper... I find it actually quite to double clutch in this truck for the few times that I have done it... Most of the time I was too slow at the clutch so by the time I released it the truck would rock sorta cause I held it too long.. So I prefer to float... Plus with the amount of traffic I deal with in the City I wouldn't have much of a knee left...

I float the gears uphill, downhill and flats... Heavy , Empty or BT... I am always heavy anywhere from 85,000 to 130,000 lbs... The only gear I screw up on the odd time is going from 4hi to 5lo... For some reason I am either too fast or too slow... So doing that low range high gear to high range low gear is tricky...

Every shift really depends on weight and terrain... I find on hills when I am loaded with 34-40 ton of material I bring my revs up to like 16-17rpm and when flats I shift out at 14-15.... The hills I drop RPMS very fast so if your not quick enough you will loose the shift and have to bump the throttle to get it into the desired gear...

Fun Stuff

 

Like Govt Trucker, I'm heavy all the time as well. 7th gear hates me, whether when in direct or OD when down shifting. It's to the pointe I just drag it down to where I can get into 6th, always easy for me. I've tried floating as well as double clutching. Usually I get it, but if I'm going to grind anything at all, it'll be 7th on the way down. I hate that sound, and all I see are $ signs.

 

They sure teach it in mine. But yes, the primary focus is double clutching.

 

Guys.... back when I was 21 and working as a mechanic in a govt highway repair shop I had just finished wiring in a new resistor in the distributor (remember the old points?) when the foreman's son (a drunk) started the truck in gear and pinned my legs between the front bumper of the truck and the rear bumper of a road grader. Broke both my kneecaps in two and split the bones lengthwise above and below the kneecap in my left leg. Doctors told me I'd be in a wheelchair and crippled before I was 40.

So what?, you say? Well children.... I'm 64 now, have driven all kinds of trucks and equipment for the past 38 years. I use my clutch and always have.... and I walk just fine.

So let's knock off the whiney "Oh the clutch makes my knee hurt" garbage OK? Sounds like a bunch of pre-schoolers crying about a bo-bo to mommy.
By the time you get my age, a sore knee will be the least of your problems.

Jeez... you kids.

 

Hey, I'm right behind ya!!

Just thinking of that accident makes me cringe, glad it all turned out the way it has.

 

Actually, what saved my ask was the fact that I was initially standing on the front bumper and still had my hand on the resistor. When the truck lurched ahead it dropped me off the bumper and my hand jerked the wire loose and killed the engine. Otherwise it would have cut the legs right off.

Oddly enough, it was a couple of hours before it really hurt. By the next day I couldn't walk 2 feet. Did alot of crawling for a couple of weeks.

BTW, I got fired "because I couldn't perform my job". The next winter the same guy (still drunk) fired up one of the diesel-powered snowplows the same way and put it right through the garage wall. Daddy couldn't protect him that time. Some glad it was a gas job he got me with.

 

I like this, I really do. Kinda like shifting hurts my shoulder, and I just cannot shift so I need to drive around in second gear all day, whine, whine, sob, sob!

Besides, isn't exercise good for knees? Several years ago I had an accident and lost the use of my left leg, and had absolutely no use of my left knee. After surgery and rehab my knee was still very weak. Clutch use was awkward as I could not push it down easily and let offs were rookie like, but eventually it built my knee up, it did not tear it down.

 

I remember seeing some demo videos from eaton fuller and he said their transmissions were designed for double clutching. Yes, i had to watch videos on youtube to learn to shift 8, 10 and 13 speeds because my school didnt provide me with that training......well, one hour in a kenworth with a 10 speed, good school though.

Any how, my job wont let me double clutch and i actually prefer it because i think its more mechanically sound and gives a little room for error, where as floating you have to be more precise.

No big deal though, i float just fine and it takes a little learning because there is differences in terrain and loads and those factors change your shifting a bit. I grind a little here and there but i apply enough pressure to feel the light clunking of the gears and i sure as hell dont pull or push hard when I hear that grrrrrrrrrrr sound. I dont always look at the tach because sometimes i'm focused on other more important things when hauling a 150 barrels and a stop sign pops up out of no where when doing 65 mph.....even so, i still never grind abusively.

If you have the luxury of driving the same truck everyday, you should be able to float and never miss, if you arent doing that, then you need to focus more and keep working on it. I work with a bunch of grinders who just dont seem to care.

When i am in a hurry to downshift, I will use the clutch just to get me out of gear without using the gas pedal to do so. I think that is very sound because it relieves torque off the transmission and lets you get out of gear smoothly without having to "accelerate" to get out of gear which i feel is counter productive to slowing the rig down quickly when needed.

......but then again, nothing beats knowing your route and not being in a hurry when you drive. Those things can really help your shifting as well wether you float, double clutch or use a combination of both. I think one or the other or both is fine just as long as its mechanically sound.