Staying in 9th gear when heavy

Maxxforce is like a vacumn cleaner_______________It SUX.

I had a 270 cummins that pulled better than a 475 Maxforce,also in the shop every month for a week and when I got it back it was worse than before.

 

How heavy are you hauling? I gross out at 136 500lbs everyday. I run my truck in top gear on the highway. Just down shift hills when I have too.

 

I heard the newer engines were made to lug at really low rpm. From what I've seen, if you lug a motor on a long pull, the EGTs blow through the roof and can cook your engine. Downshifting takes the strain off and allows the gears to do more work.

 

Could be a 13, but probably a Maxxforce 11:




Still a low rpm engine. If you can maintain speed in top gear, that's where you should be. You may not be able to instantly accelerate, but you downshift when you need to accelerate. It is a manual transmission -- you will need to change gears.

 

I haul various weights but I've had 56k on a 20.. I still shifted to 10 down shifted a lot with it.