Shifting a 10 speed uphill

The most important lesson to take away from trucker training...know when to stop listening and start laughing.

 

Most trucks vary..."How fast rpms "fall off etc.Double clutch is for "seasoned veterans",or people with calfs like a marathon runner.Gets old quick."Goose" throttle out higher to make up for "time wasted on shifting".Some trucks rpms fall "quick".Be Aware of this.If you match speed and rpms,it shouldnt take over to 2 fingers to slide into gear.Youre probably guilty of "clutching to the floor".You only clutch around top of brake pedal.I "Float" .Heavy load starting uphill...Ill run it up to 1700 maybe(if it falls off quick.

 

Since you are in the yard, I am assuming you are empty going up this hill. You can lug the engine when empty in the low range as it will pull the rpms up fairly easily....not so much when loaded.....we’re talking 1,000 rpms once you get it into gear. No need to lug it that hard for such a short distance if loaded, as you wont gain much speed lugging it hard.

The engine retarder is an engine brake, usually with 3 settings for how much braking force to apply. A side effect of the engine brake is it drops the engine rpms about twice as fast as normal, on the high setting. That is one reason why newbies should leave the engine brake off when shifting and double clutching.

But it is also the reason experienced drivers use the engine brake when shifting, going up hill, and float the gears without using the clutch. You can shift in half a second, instead of the full second it takes when double clutching. You need to learn to shift without the clutch first, and then how to use the engine brake to drop the rpms faster.

I rode with a kid that could shift an 18 speed so fast, I could not believe it. ####, he was good. I will never be able to shift that fast.

But I did teach myself how to shift without the clutch with a 10 speed. I was doing local grain hauling from farms to the co-op. A lot of stop signs, and 90 degree turns every few miles. Always loaded to 80k, or more in the fall when the state allowed it, with a little c13 cat.

I went from double clutching, to single clutching, to no clutch shifting. The high range gears are easier to shift, so I started practicing with those gears. Some gears go in easier than others, depending on the truck, so I picked a couple of gears to practice with on the 10 speed. After I was proficient with the high range gears I started practicing on low range gears.

I was driving on gravel roads with no traffic, so I could slow down as far from the turn as I wanted to. It was an ideal place to learn how to float the the gears with no clutch.

Interstate driving doesnt give you the opportunities to practice shifting very much. As you are in 10th the whole time.

 

I hit a hill in SE Tenn, the engine just simply rolled over and slapped the RPM gauge flat against the idle after bucking me in heavy dense fog. THUMP. no go. Find gear please.

Third gear, wound out grinding uphill with 10 yard visibility wondering WHAT in tar-nation is this hill.

Fast forward to sunrise. I find myself staring down a straight 3 mile vertical hill towards Stephens City. I have not been back since and will have to examine google maps.

Ive run mack into Fishertown on PA 56 often off Bedford and Altoona and those are pretty well suited to the mountain work up there in winter ice.

 

Exactly what I was thinking! Then someone said make sure it’s on

 

You may be pushing the clutch too deep. 100% of new shifters push the clutch too deep. It's not like a car where the clutch should be fully up or fully down. In a truck you use just enough clutch to get into or out of gear. You never even push the clutch half-way down unless you are stopped.

 

I have no idea how to double clutch. It is so much easier to learn to float shift, especially in heavy slow moving traffic where you bump into gear and back into neutral instead of wearing your leg out on the clutch. Never feel bad about not double clutching. Most old timers don't even know how to, and their trannies hold up just fine. Glad its working for you

 

I understand