going up hill

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by amtrack, Apr 18, 2013.

  1. amtrack

    amtrack Light Load Member

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    Jul 30, 2012
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    What's the best way of going from a complete stop on a grade with a heavy load to going up it without stalling
     
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  3. Lepton1

    Lepton1 Road Train Member

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    Higher rpm's before shifting helps. I've also used the Jake brake to reduce rpm's quicker to catch the next gear when pulling a grade, because part of the problem with stalling is waiting for the rpm's to drop so you can get it in the next gear. Then... practice, practice, practice...
     
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  4. jonboy29

    jonboy29 Light Load Member

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    Home Sweet Home... SW Ont.
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    make sure to use the jake like lepton1 said on lowest setting, it makes grabbin the next gear easier.
     
  5. dude6710

    dude6710 Road Train Member

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    Best way would be trying to not come to a complete stop in the first place.
     
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  6. SemperFiServices

    SemperFiServices Medium Load Member

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    Indianapolis, IN
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    Unless you got a bum tranny like me where you don't have 4th or 8th gear, then sometimes you just gotta ride it out LOL! It don't work too good skipping gears up hill with a load (at least not for me)
     
  7. Pedigreed Bulldog

    Pedigreed Bulldog Road Train Member

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    If you're starting from a stop, use your low gear. Ease the clutch out into the friction zone. When you feel the truck trying to move forward against the brakes, lift your foot off the brake. Ease the clutch out. Accelerate gently. If you are going to shift, make sure you do it smoothly. Don't slam it into gear. You don't HAVE to make a quick shift...just slide it into the next gear and once it is in gear, just ease on the throttle again nice and easy. If you can't accelerate up the hill in that next gear, you shouldn't have made the shift.

    I've never seen any reason to use the jake while upshifting. Turn the silly thing off and concentrate on making your shifts smoothly and gradually easing back into the throttle. Hard, jerky shifts uphill while loaded heavy is a great way to twist a drive shaft.
     
  8. Houndstooth

    Houndstooth Light Load Member

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    Jun 12, 2012
    Phenix City, Al.
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    Agreed with pedigree up there.....turn off the jakes, I should know I'm loadedvwith 29 tons daily and pull hills down here in bama country
     
  9. 04 LowMax

    04 LowMax Medium Load Member

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    Well, amtrak, you have a couple of opposite opinions here. Maybe I can help you to understand the difference. Lepton is right, but so are bulldog and hound. It all depends on the situation you are in, and the abilities of the one behind the wheel. Bulldog has described perfectly the starting off procedure. If you are on a steep hill, timing is crucial. Start to let the brake go too soon, you'll start rolling backward, likely panic, stall the truck, or hit the brake fast and then be rattled. Hold the brake too long, and you then have not only the weight of the unit to overcome, but the brakes as well. Again, a stall is a good possibility. Takes time and practice. Now, as far as shifting goes, if you are in soft ground, or fully loaded going up a steep hill, unless you know how to properly jake shift, resign yourself to climbing that hill, or driving to solid ground, in low gear.In these types of conditions, you have about half a second from when you come out of low, to get that next gear, or you are stopped dead. Jake shifting, as described by Lepton is the only way of making a quick, smooth, shift without grinding or desperately trying to jam into the next gear. It is a procedure learned with time and practice, there is no other way. There are drivers who constantly use the jake to shift. I don't feel that this is necessary, but a personal choice, and if they are good at it (and many are) that's up to them. But for bush driving, mountain grades, soft terrain, yards, gravel pits, or even red lights half way up a hill in a lot of north american cities, 4 or so nice, quick jake shifts will get you going smoothly. Until then, be prepared for long lines of unhappy drivers behind you as you crawl along at 3 or 4 miles per hour. (And yes, I know jakes are usually illegal in the cities, but this application requires only about a 1 sec quick blap each shift, not the head turning rumble, as you jake down for a light. This topic is one of those that everybody has their opinion on, I'm sure you'll get several more. I hope I have helped you out a bit anyway.
     
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  10. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Everyone is thinking, "They're talking about shifting with jake...how do I double clutch that?"
     
  11. 04 LowMax

    04 LowMax Medium Load Member

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    Lol, yeah that don't work so well, huh. Actually, for probably 95% of trucking, doing it like hound and bulldog said, is probably ok. It's those other 5% of the time, as I described above, where you need the extra skill and experience. Mostly off road, off highway, that sort of thing. Where you don't have the luxury of time to make the shift, and driving yourself up a long hill or 5 miles to the pavement on a soft road, or back out of the bush all the way in 1st or 2nd gear, is Not an option. But maybe, for the o/p
    those things don't apply. Only they must decide what needs to work for them.
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2013
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