Matching gears with speed

Hope you're in an auto, old fella!
Or a primo floater.

Maine wants you double-clutching. 16.5 months at it, it's still what I do, lol. Never really tried to float.... ####, haven't ever even driven a manually transmissed car.

And I go by sound / feel. Speed is only slightly irrelevant.

 

Your poor knee....

 

Yeah we had to dbl clutch in training and our road test. Few days later when I started my first driving job I climbed into the driver's seat with the truck owner on the other side. Before I had time to get to the high side the owner barked "take your foot off that ####ing clutch and don't touch it again!"
Been a floater ever since. Once in a while when I'm pulling out onto a steep road downtown or in low range climbing a steep lane I'll tap the clutch to get it out of gear while shifting.

 

He does not want you to ride the clutch. If you are going to use it use it then get the *&^% off it. It extends the life of that clutch immensely. Relatively speaking.

Floating is good to have, but do try to be consistant and double clutch as much as possible. If it starts to hurt too much in Jersey on one in rush hour or something you can knock it down to 29 mph or so and float while the cars zip by.

 

I know what your saying and your right about riding the clutch. That was 10yrs ago this month.
He tells all new drivers that because they aren't experienced and is trying to give them less to think about when shifting. That old guy only hires new folks fresh out of training willing to work for pennies to gain experience. That unit I was on had something crazy wrong with the trans. Would SCREAM bloody murder when you went to high range. Jake was a push button on the dash lol

 

Scream bloody murder?

Is this a Mack Sleeper truck? Check behind the transmission box to the top rear of the thing above the drive shaft. There should be a pretty Obvious plate about size of a bible. 4 bolts on the corners. Check it for vertical crack. If you got crack on it, your high range will go bye bye soon.

 

No it was a late 90's fld tractor. Not sure what the problem was but they drove it for years like that.

 

Young fellas with single stick trucks. Years ago, 90% of trucks had 2 transmission in them, hell, I drove one at Fort Mac that had 3 trannies. Try your Double Clutching BS with those. And send your Examiners so they can teach us how to double clutch.

 

Believe me, there's no time to double clutch or your might as well stay in 1st hear forever.

This truck had 3 trannies in it. Impossible to double clutch, No time to waste. I was grossing out at 361,000 lbs. in that picture. Fort Mac July 1965.

 

I think you would need a few more axles to carry that kind of weight today though.