13 spd basic training

,,,Dude, wake up, someone actually asking about a 13'er, by gar, it's been a while. It's a little known fact( in my best Cliff Claven voice, der), the 13 speed "Roadranger" transmission was created in the late 50s, specifically for the 2cycle Detroit, where "splitting" a main gear in half, kept the "needle against the pin". As hp increased, a 13 speed was no longer needed, except for the heaviest of hauls, and a 9/10 speed worked fine. Today, as mentioned, I'd only use the splitter as a last gear. It's really not needed today.

 

I've driven 8, 10, 13, 15, and 18 speeds, and hands down my favorite was the 13 speed. Also ran a Mack Anthem with an M-Drive trans for a few weeks.... I'd rather shift the truck when I know it needs to, than wait on a computer to tell it to.

 

Give me the old Mack 5/6 speed, the lazy persons transmission,,

 

A Mack 5 speed, the transmission you have to learn to float because there is no other way to shift it.

 

I’ve heard about the “cheater gear” but have never tried it.

 

I'm the same way. I don't pay any attention to what the number is. I just shift up or down as needed, and I know when I need to flip the high/low switch. If I'm empty, I do know I start off in 5th and I'll already have the high/low flipped and ready for 6th. That's because I want to make sure I impress any wormins that might be sitting in the ride next to me. Well, as long as Big Maude ain't with me. If she's there, then I start in first, and go through every one. Listen, that's a lot of ham I'm pulling! I need those gears!

Every wormin crazy about a sharp dressed trucker that know how to bang dem gears, my boy!

 

Unless you are trying to shift up while going up a hill, I never used 7th gear, just shifted to 6 to 8, then split the rest going up. When shifting from 8th to 9th, usually bumped the clutch as otherwise it would not shift smoothly.

 

How do you like that monster engine? Does the earth feel flatter or can you step on the pedal and change the rotation of earth?

 

Your starting to aound like me... The number of the gear makes no difference to me, just that its the right gear at that moment. Whats your new truck got under the hood? How many ponies is it pushing?

 

A 13-speed is really handy for keeping the engine right where you want it, especially when you run heavy all the time through rolling hills. Plus, being able to split the top two gears eliminates the dead spot that many 10-speed trucks have at the bottom of 10th gear.