13 speed??

Bronc had it right in the first place...It's mostly about staying in the torque band.Any trans with over 10 forwards and the right power plant and rearend gears can be made to run like an off schedule freight train thru the flats or big hills.Super10 is my fave for flat country or rolling hills,5x4 for anything that spends a fair share of time off highway or in a bind and a 13,15 or 18 for the big hills.IMHO they shouldn't let these 90 day wonders graduate CDL "school" until they can shift a 5x4 with worn out bushing mounts and a misaligned back box from granny grunt all the way to the ceiling and back to granny while grossing 80,000 up a 6% grade with traffic backed up for 3 yard sticks when they start out.lol

 

Remember, with the 13 speed, do not pre-select the splitter, I personnally like to unload the transmission by bringing the stick into neutral, clicking the splitter button and bringing the stick back into gear. When you pre-select the splitter air preasure is applied to the fork, preasure is applied to the gear until you take your foot off the throttle to shift. You should unload the transmission before clicking the splitter button.
I always use low gear to start moving when I'm loaded, unless the truck will roll forward on it's own. If I'm pulling away from a stop down hill, I let the truck roll and bring the stick into gear. If I'm starting out on level ground or up hill with a load I start out in Low. I worked over a million miles in turnpike doubles, I've seen alot of drivers that refused to use low gear with loads over 146,000 pounds. Tearing out clutches, twisting drive shafts, when they could use low gear, that's what it's there for.
The 13 speed allows the driver to use what he needs, when bobtailing, I'll shift five or six times, with an emply trailer or light load, level ground, I'll drive it like a nine speed, I don't always use all the gears, just what I need, that's what makes the 13 speed such a versatile transmission.

 

Muleskinner I'm with you on the 5x4 I prefer a 6x4 for general driveing but to each is own.

 

I never tried one,I knew a guy with a mega star Pete that ran a 6x4 and offered to let me try it but he was so anal about his truck that he would only let you in with tennis shoes or socks on and I sure didn't want to get my learn on with him sitting shotgun and gritting his teeth so I passed.
Theres a dude that bought a Hoe off of us,I'm thinking he was from around Paris ,Tn by the name of Chaney that was Buds with Bruce from Pittsburgh Power and he had some kind of wild ### setup in his Pete....Like a 15 with a 4 splitter box or something that I'll bet was cool as hell to drive.Him and Bruce ran it out on the Pony express run and he had a trap speed of 127mph with it.He worked it every day too.You can google Charles Chaney,Pittsburgh power and scope the article out.Real nice laid back guy.I wonder if he got passed by any Volvos while he was running it?

 

I'm confused. Eaton tells you to always preselect your splits and to release torque load by stepping on the clutch. Most people here are saying the opposite.

 

I always split while in neutral. The tranny seemed to like it better, too.

 

Am I understanding this correctly? Do you have to be in neutral to split gears. Or do you for instance split 5 to five high without shifting out of 5 at all.