Impatient Non-Trucker Drivers

I didnt stall either, I missed a gear here and there but always recovered. I dont want to talk bad about these student drivers, but not getting into 2nd at a dead stop is sorry.

 

You are thinking about a 15 which is basically a 10 speed with and additional 5 "deep reduction" gears. These are more common for heavy haul work, getting a lot of weight moving from a dead stop, especially pulling heavy equipment out of a pit.

A 13 and 18 are both based on the 9 speed transmission.
A splitter allows you to split the top 4 gears, hence 13.
On an 18, the splitter works with every gear, effectively doubling your basic 9 gears.

Either one gives you more versatility and allows you to keep your revs in the optimal zone.
You actually move the stick less than you would with a 9 or 10.
Imagine this scenario: You're pulling a long hill. Moderate, but you know you will probably be dropping one.
With the splitter you only have a 200-300 RPM split between what I call half-gears, as opposed to 500-600 RPM drop between whole gears.
Rather than wait until you lug down to say 1200 to drop a gear, when you lose a couple hundred, reach down and flip that red switch on top of the shifter, blip the throttle, and there you go.
You haven't lost that much speed yet and you kicked your RPMs up a notch which should get you over the hill.
You can do this throughout the range. Nice in heavy traffic that is speeding up or slowing down just enough to put you in that awkward spot where you are winding or lugging.

I like to use the golf club analogy. Having a 13/18 is like having all the clubs in your bag.
A nine or ten is like leaving every other iron at home sometimes.
Like, hmm, I don't have a seven iron. Do I overhit an 8 or pull back with a 6?

Sorry, I like talking about trucks. Hope that helps.

 

Not a lot of fun, I admit, but after three decades of this, I'm content with my job.
Had plenty of fun and a lot of fond memories.
During what I consider my glory years I was under the illusion that trucking wouldn't be worthwhile without a big, long, fast, shiny, decked out, dripping in chrome, chick magnet large car.
I was so full of myself and would secretly look down on the guys with the slow, cookie cutter, company trucks(like what I drive now, ironically enough) and an automatic was totally gay.

In retrospect, I realize all that is not nearly as important as I thought it was. Just big toys for big boys.
After selling my last truck in '05 I had planned to semi-retire. Within weeks I was jonesing for the road.
And I was amazed to discover that I really didn't care what I drove as long as I was cruising somewhere.
I learned my true love was for the road.

If you check out my album on here, you can see my past trucks.
The red Pete was in OVERDRIVE MAGAZINE twice.

 

I have family in Cloumbus and when I was a kid, I remember going to Pine Mountain and Calloway Gardens.
Forgot all about it until last year when I went through there. That is a ###### hill. Not terribly long, but straight down LOL. 9% I think.

I filled in on a dedicated run last week from Columbia SC to Lexington KY and back.
Did two turns which was four times over this mountain on the NC/TN border on I-26.
These signs are goin north into TN.
Coming back south into NC there are three runaway ramps. It's 6% for nine miles.
It's not real bad. Just have to watch your speed if you're heavy. Fog is the biggest thing at night.
Have to watch running up on somebody in front of you creeping along.

 

So, an 18 is like a 13 just it splits both the high and low end...

That seems annoying.
Just too many #### gears.
13 is perfect for my liking.

 

So, what did it look like before it got out of the body shop?

 

Pine Mountain wasnt that bad I didnt think, besides when I wasnt driving. A 9 mile downgrade is a bit long, but with experience I would think it wouldnt be to bad.

 

Them are hills driver...