Tips on down shifting needed

Try 6th gear if you are going at least 10 mph....depending on your load, and terrain, the engine should be able to pull it in that gear. If you are trying to get into 4th gear going 10 mph it will not work, as too much ground speed.

Allow yourself a little more room in front of you, so that you have space to allow a 6th gear shift to work. If you are following too close and have to brake hard, you won't be able to use 6th gear. So try staying back a little further and giving yourself time and space to drop to 6th and still be able to throttle up a bit to see if it will pull ok.

It sounds like your ground speed is too high for 4th gear when you are doing the down shift. So you either need to bump up your rpms to 1500 or higher, or else brake so your ground speed is slower to get into 4th gear. Also, I just touch 4th gear without using the clutch and it will slip in when it matches up with the rpms. Light grinding seems to be an ok way to find the gear....I have ridden with guys with 20 years driving experience and they will have the same problem you do from time to time.

I also use this cheat sheet when deciding what gear to downshift to....just add 1 and 5 = 6, 2 and 5 = 7, etc. Easy to remember and quick to figure in your head. It works well for the high range gears on most 10 speeds.

15 mph = 6th (6th will work all the way down to 10 mph)
25 mph = 7th
35 mph = 8th
45 mph = 9th

 

Not sure what your driving,but maybe try a little faster/longer blip on the throttle just before
you try to go down one.As mentioned above,if your too fast its not gonna go in.
I also find just a little bit of pressure on the clutch pedal will help too sometimes.
The throttle blip was my biggest problem,and once I got that nailed,the rest was just
watching my tach,and making sure I was at 15,or below in the green area.
Try it at slower speeds,then work up your speeds as you get em to go in

 

I still grind once in awhile, its just the nature of the beast. Like said try bumping those rpms a little higher, also each truck is a little different when it comes to that clutch. It took me a couple days to get used to my 2014 freightliner I have now when coming from a 2010 prostar.

Just patience and practice, you will get it down after some time. If it doesnt slip in then dont force it, just figure out what speed your going and figure out which gear you need and give it a nice bump.

 

Are you floating the gears? Just tap the gas a bit and it should pop right in when you match the revs. Some transmissions are just a pain. I never got along with the ten speed in a Pro Star I had a while back I don't even remember what brand that was, it was mated to that crappy MaxxForce engine. That thing was unbearable.

 

If you are floating your gears,try applying light pressure on the gear you want to go into while slowly increasing your RPM's when the engine's RPM's match the tranny's Rpm's she should drop right in,of course you don't want to select a gear that is too low for the speed you are doing.Try watching your speed as you upshift then you should get a good idea as to what gear is good for the speed you are doing in each gear.Basically as you get use to what works best,you will soon become aware of where you need to be just by the feel of what works best and you will be driving your truck and shifting into gears without even thinking about it.

 

In time you will get to know the roadspeed for each gear. It just takes time. Actively practice it while you drive. Try gradually slowing down and downshifting. First, use each gear. Then slow down enough (slowly) and skip a gear. Then, very gradually slow down and skip two. Make sure that you control how quickly you are slowing down (in practice, where it is safe to do so). You'll be an expert in no time. And I find that it is much easier without using the clutch.

 

Oh thanks man. That little adding trick will help me so much, I think. I have to go into the yard later to practice my downshifting. I think that's going g to help immensely,.. Thanks so much.