18 gears. WTF Chuck?

The 15spd is just a 10spd with deep reduction. You can't split the gears like a 13. The 18 is just like an 8/13 but you can slit the low side.

 

I run relatively light, 107k pounds ALL THE TIME with a 10 speed. I do hills, mountains and cities. I don't have a problem. Much of it seems to be from the old days when engines weren't as strong. It's alot like how the old guys think manual transfer cases are the only way to go.

Most of the guys I have met with the 13 and 18 speed trannies don't even have overweight permits. Explain that. WTF do they need the transmission for if not bragging rights?

 

i get that all the time they tell me my little trans wont hold up for the weight i pull all i can say is if you run with common sense you wont have any trouble you run like a hotrod be ready to pay. 16913 putting 650 to the ground grossing 130000 with 1322854 miles on trans never had a problem yet.

 

I haul logs and running little back roads and a lot of country hills I love a 13 or 15. I also run a 475 detroit with 4:33 gears.

 

Here ya go ya old farts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrg4K-rZFkU Skip to 2min and 18 sec. It looks like the building is on fire.

 

Right now I'm just a seat warming wheel holding rookie, but I do have the drive and desire to one day become a real truck driver..

That out of the way.

I hate the 9 speed in my company truck. Especially with heavy loads and the fact I spend a lot of time in the hills/mountains of the Western U.S. I greatly dislike being in say... 5th and having the engine bumped up against the limiter, creepin along at 30mph. Knowing that if I go up to 6th the engine is going to dog down and be very unhappy.

On the downhill side, I get annoyed when I'm in a gear that holds me back TOO much (with jakes on), but if I go up one gear I don't get held back enough and have to use the brakes too much.

I find myself wishing on a regular basis that I had at least a 13 speed and thus- more ratios to work with to fine tune what I'm doing when playing in the mountains.

Enjoyed reading this thread. Learned quite a bit about the different transmissions out there from you old crusty guys

 

going uphill and downhill as u discribed, these are area's where 18 speeds are really helpfull, because you have greater controll of the situation, u can pick a gear to travell at a good road speed without haveing to use the brake very much going downhill or labour the engine going uphill. P.S from your comment I think u will probably do well as a truck driver because u have allready worked out this gearbox problem. GOOD LUCK MATE

 

Aussie Dave got it right... running the Rockies and the Sierras is where an 18-speed really pays off, because the driver CAN "fine tune" his or her operation. Pulling and dropping down grades while heavily-loaded is no joke, while "lugging" and "engine overspeed" can ultimately prove to be very expensive. Proper gear selection is all-important on grades like Eisenhower, Donner, Cabbage, etc. When I regularly ran from Dago (San Diego, CA) to "The Big A" (Atlanta, GA), the steepest grade I pulled was right here in Dago County, going up over the mountains and dropping into the desert, or vice versa... I know that 9-speeds sometimes feel woefully deficient when you're tackling a grade while heavily-loaded (10-speeds as well), just deal with it and watch your instrument panel to avoid costly damage to your motor. Can't remember who said it, but 13-speeds are also my favorite out West---they handle the job, whereas 18-speeds seem a bit too much when running on level terrain. That's my $.02 on transmissions... having said this, I hafta share a classic moment while running in "The Hillbilly" (W. VA)---that state is so hilly that you're never in one gear for more than, what, 20 seconds? I was running through there one day with some old hand who made the funniest comment... he said: "If you ironed this ###### state out, it'd be big as Alaska!" I thought that was f_____ hilarious...

 

That's funny as hell. LMAO

 

I used to agree with your way of thinking until I got my MBN C15. I honestly dont know how you could drive an MBN without a 13 or 18 now. Anything below 1400 rpms is lugging the motor and running egt's up. Cat says 1200 rpms is peak torque which may be true but you #### sure dont work an MBN below 1400 in the real world. I work in the 1400-1600 range mostly and you cant do that with a 9 or 10 speed. In short MY motor wont work right with anything less than a 13 speed. Now an ISX on the other hand is perfect for a 10 speed in most applications you can use the full rpm range from 1200 to 1600 on an ISX..