Shifting is a "B" Help needed.

Try this, when you shift grears in low range. You shift up at 1,000 or less RPMs. The reason for this is because you Don't have to worry about matching the gears. So when starting from a stop or at stop light. You will go thru like 5 gear just getting thru the intersection. The engine has enough pulling power to pull the trailer. So you double clutch at 1,000 RPMs or less like 800. You basically don't have worry about matching the gears.

Then when you flip the switch for high rang. Bring the RPMs up to 1,600 RPMs for each gear. Just remember their is generally a 400 RPM step between grears. So if you shift at 1,600, it won't go into the next gear untill the RPMs drop to 1,200. If you shift to fast like in a car the gears grind. You have go slow and wait for the RPMs to drop to 1,200.

Some transmission have 300 RPM step between grears. I think most are still 400 RPM step.

So if you up shift in high rang at 1,600 let the RPMs drop to 1,200 and it should go in gear. Say you miss it or it won't go in gear. 1,200-400 is 800. Let rpm drop to 800 and it should go in gear. I'm just saying if it won't go in gear at 1,200 just relax let the RPMs drop to 800. If your on flat land the engine will pull at 800 RPMs

 

1 all newbies clutch too deep. When you do that you will grind gears even if you have a perfect match of RPMs & road speed.

2 practice the double-clutch rhythm by itself, not using the gear lever. "Press release press release" with both hands on steering wheel & truck shut off.

If you've driven a passenger vehicle with a manual transmission you will bring bad habits to a semi-truck. In a truck you use just enough clutch to slip into/out of gear and no more. In a passenger vehicle ideally the clutch is fully down or fully up and almost no time is spent between up & down.

In the truck you never push clutch beyond halfway except when you are stopped.
EVERY ROOKIE OVER CLUTCHES. EVERY ROOKIE.

 

There are two major problems new drivers have with shifting. The first problem is rpm control. Here's a drill to help gain rpm control. With the truck parking brake set and out of gear, with the engine on, take it up to 1500 rpm's. Listen to the sound of the engine. Pay attention to how LITTLE you need to move the throttle.

Now back it off to 1100 rpm's. Notice how little you need to move the throttle, only millimeters. Listen to the engine, it has a lower pitch.

Go back and forth from 1500 to 1100 rpm's. Once you've nailed those, starting hitting other rpm's, like 1600, 800, 1300, etc. Pay attention to how LITTLE you move the throttle. Pay special attention to the sound or tone of the engine. Once you get a hang of it, you don't have to watch the tachometer.

The second big problem for new drivers is pushing it too hard at the gear. Instead of holding the shifter in the palm of your hand, hold it GENTLY in your fingertips. When you are going for the next gear GENTLY NUDGE IT towards the gear as you move the throttle millimeters. Once you feel the gears matching up, depress the clutch slightly, just a tap. You might even float it into gear before you need to tap the clutch.

Good luck.

 

Also don't try forcing it. Grinding, to me, is largely an act of stubbornness. When the shifter didn't move into position you pushed harder. The problem wasn't insufficient force but incorrect timing. What you're doing grinding gears is killing time, not forcing it into gear. It is stubbornness to cling to the idea you're forcing it into gear rather than just killing time until it will go into gear. When it doesn't go into gear release and retry.

If you really aren't fast enough then the problem isn't the clutch nor the shifter, it's the throttle. What determines how fast you have to shift is how fast you lose so much vehicle speed that you have to return to the gear you came out of, not engine speed. You control the engine speed with the throttle. So use it appropriately. Once that sinks in you'll realize just how long you have to shift.

 

Agreed. Take your time making a shift. Don't be in an all fired hurry to make that shift.

The problem is that for the purposes of the drive test at the DMV they define going more than 80 feet as being out of gear and out of control, so at highway speeds students get anxious and try to execute split second shifts.

In real life I rarely do split second shifts. If I am pulling a smooth bore tanker I EASE back into the throttle, to prevent surge. I have made that a habit for all my driving.

 

The part i will disagree with your instructor on is watching the tach. I will go as far as covering a tach when teaching. Your eyes belong on the road. Trucks tell you when to shift. The power curve levels off, a hair more skinny pedal, then bump, bump. Its fast but not frantic. Hand and foot workingin sync. Tap the pedal as your pulling out of gear, tap it as your pushing into next gear. Fluid smooth and quick. Think of the beat from 7 nation army.

 

you got to shift while singing the adams family song. clutch fuel clutch, etc. when you are doing the fuel part make sure to get rpms up. instead of telling trucker stories after school. go get in the truck and dry run the song