Tips on Shifting 10 Speed

Any good rules of thumb, tips on shifting a 10 speed? This transmission is organized as follows

Upper Left - Reverse
Lower Left - L
Upper middle - First / Fifth
Lower Middle - Second / Sixth
Upper Right - Third / Seventh
Lower Right - Fourth / Eighth

The Shifter also has a Low/High selector in addition to a gear range selector (1st through 4th and 5th through 8th)

When I miss a gear, it can be very difficult to get the truck into any gear unless the truck is stopped, then I start in first gear. This can be nerve racking if this happens on the freeway or in heavy traffic. It seems like as soon as you miss a gear, you forget what gear you were in or were going to, then have zero chance of getting it back into any gear because you get flustered.

 

If you are up shifting and it doesn't go into gear try reving up to 1500 and go back to the original gear you was in.

After shifting into 5th gear try to form the habit of flipping your splitter up.

It is not always going to be possible but when in the higher gears and coming to a stop I try to downshift down to 6th gear before completing the stop.

It also sounds like you might be pushing the clutch in too far. Unless your completely stopped you shouldn't go all the way down with the clutch. Try going about half way and when the gears grind it probably that lack high enough rpms and a common habit is to press the clutch further when in reality your rpms need to be higher.

On flat level ground you should be starting in 2nd gear usually.

When downshifting its best to brake before clutching. Brake just enough til you can hear and feel the engine start to starve usually at 900-1100 rpms. Clutch to neutral, Rev to 1500, clutch to gear.

Don't be quick to give up on it. You'll get the hang of it.

 

Also, you said your starting in first. For whatever reason when I start in first I'm usually going to fast to shift to 4th without skipping 4th and going into 5th.

Try starting in 2nd unless your stopped on incline. 4th and 9th gear always seems to be most finicky gears on 10 spd.

Don't worry so much about grinding the gears but to correct the problem when you do. The problem is usually not having right rpms for the shift, going too fast or slow for the gear, or pressing the clutch too far in and engaging the clutch brake.

 

I looked this up to find the speed per gear.
Learn speed for each gear, then if you miss one, a look at speedometer let’s you know where to go.

 

Sounds like you got an 8LL, 13 or 18 too me?

What color is the high/low splitter on the side?

 

He said he was at a ready mix company so I bet its an 8LL.

 

What kind of truck and what color is the splitter on the side of the shifter? Sounds like an 18 speed

 

That's a 9/13 speed or like above said LL8

 

Probably 8LL if it's in a mixer. Is the splitter blue? Same shift pattern as a 9sp but you have crawler gears also on the low side. Really good off-road trans.