Any advantages 0f a 13 speed?

I pulled grain hopper bottoms and always at 80,000 pounds, and the 13 is good for full loads. As others have said, it gives you a half gear going up hills, whether a small or large hill. And the half gear shifts are really fast when you upshift, as you are just letting off the throttle, flipping the button, and then hit the throttle again. The half gear shifts are designed to be done without using the clutch. I would take a 13 over a 10 speed any day. I have driven 18 spds and 10 spds and the 13 spd is my favorite, as it gives you those half gears on the high range of the tranny which is where you need it cause the engine is working harder on those bigger gears, and the half gears are useful there.

I use the split gears whether I am loaded or not, as it just gets you rolling faster.

 

I have a 13 now,my favorite tranny,use to have an 18, loved it, but never had any load heavy enough to justify the extra expense in purchase.18 is nothing more than a 13 as already stated,but you can split the bottom.

 

I would rather drive the I shift then a 10 speed but 13 over both of those. I never owned a 18 speed but I'm sure I would like it cuz I love the 13

 

The disadvantages of 13s and 18s are drivers who don't know how to work them, and end up tearing up that auxiliary box. As for me, the 18 is my favorite.. if you're doing anything off-road, it's the transmission you want. On the road, dropping to the bottom half of the split on the low side can give you that extra bit of torque you need to get rolling from a standing stop on a slick spot in the road. I'm quite fond of the 13, as well. I prefer the H pattern shifting, and it gives you more gears to work with if you have to drop gears while going up a hill, and it helps prevent you from getting 'stuck' between gears, where the gear you're may be too low, but the next gear up is too high.

 

Drivers almost always disagree. Ask whats the best truck to buy and everyone will have a different answer. Ask about rear ends and you will hear lots of different answers. Ask about engines and someone passing by would think theyre all arguing politics and religion. Ask an owner op about the best transmission and the overwhelming vast majority will agree on the 13. I'd say that the only other thing on a truck that so much of the majority would ever possibly agree on is virgin rubber vs recaps.

 

Mine as well.

 

horse a piece with the cost preference over the life of the tire going to recaps.

 

I much rather have a 13. More fun to drive and easier on the drive drain. One time I had a Columbia with a 13. Don't ask me how but you could play with the splitter and all of a sudden the speedometer would go dead and it would go from being governed at 70 to wide open. Split again and it would return to normal.

 

Advantages of a 13:

Think of the gears as steps like if you had a back pack on and wanted to walk up some stairs. With the 9 speed its like each step is 12 inches. With the 10 speed each step is about 8 inches. With the 13 speed the first 5 steps are 12 inches and the last steps are 12 inches with the option of a 6 inch split step.

I think of the 9 speed as being Papa Bear. The 10 speed is Mama Bear. The 13 speed is Baby Bear.

Think of the stairs again, put 100 pounds of rocks in your back pack and walk up the 9 speed stairs. That's hard work and you have to rev up your heart RPMs to lift up 12 inches each time.

With the 13 you take 5 or 4 (depending if you used LO gear) big steps then took 8 6 inch steps on the second landing which keeps your heart in the sweet spot.

Sweet Spot

With the 9 speed it's difficult to be in one of those what I call 'in between' speeds like 50 miles per hour. You're either lugging below 1100 RPMs in 8(9th) or screaming at 1500+ in 7(8th).

With the 13 speed, 50 miles per hour, thumb it down to 8LO, RPMs are in the sweet spot at 1300.

Turning roll through corners, 9 speed lug in 5th or scream in 4th.
13, 5LO and cruise on through nice and smooth 15, 14, 13,12 miles per hour, gently accelerate never lugs down and when you get RPMs up just thumb it up to 5HI.

I believe these companies have outfitted their trucks with 9 and 10 speeds because of the huge influx of new truck drivers. The training period is very short most new drivers have trouble going around objects let alone learning how to split gears would be too much info too soon.

What is interesting and scary to me is that I heard California frowns on 13 and 18 speeds (maybe super 10's as well, but they are a dying breed anyway). I don't know why because I can set it on 8LO 54 miles per hour on cruise in Cali and sooooo stay out of trouble. 9 speed in mine doesn't do well at 55 miles per hour, has to be 57 minimum in 8 otherwise it lugs. That is bad for the DPF filter as the exhaust gases are not hot enough and the carbons are not burned fully before entering the high dollar filter. I'd rather run along at 1450 RPM running hot and slow and legal.

 

Who says 13 is not a good number? I love that gear box.. Best for running trans-continent routes.