Upgrade & downgrade shifting & braking question?!?!!?

You know I asked my question to because I read a thread a guy just posted earlier today about how he got canned for being with a trainer and not being in the proper gear before descending a hill. Thankfully no damage or accidents and the trainer sounded like he was a bit of a db, but still how embarrassing. You better believe the first time I'm in a company truck by myself or with a trainer (who I hope is forgiving) and I encounter my opportunity to descend a grade I will have that baby in low gear and put what I've learned to the test. Oh and what a fun challenge that will be. And when I safely & successfully get to the bottom I'll feel higher than I was when I started going down (lol). Yup I'm a newbie......what gave it away!!!!!

 

Yeah i saw that one. One easy thing he could have done to avoid that whole situation and being labeled king of the feminine hygiene products would simply have been to talk to his student before getting to the hill, slowing him down which gear to be in, etc.

 

Yeap I blame the trainer. It's his job to Instruct the new driver BEFORE a certain set of skills/knowledge is going to be applied. Like approaching a grade. It takes a certain kind of person to be a good teacher. They need to recognize what kind of person they are instructing. Eveybody learns differently and have strong points and weak ones. Communication,demonstration and practice.

 

If your horse is in good shape just follow an experienced hand heading down the hill. Ask around and with a little luck you'll find a skinner who drives the hill regularly. And by regularly I mean under all weather, road, traffic, etc. conditions. Jakes have been around a long time and are reliable, so don't hesitate to use one. Just don't depend on any one thing such as a Jake, lower gear, or optimal rpm for a descent. And if you're running doubles or triples, make sure that the heavier trailers are up front. Although driver weight is critical on uphill pulls, it's almost as critical on downhills especially on ice and snow. Imagine where you'd be were the trailers (55K on the lead and 13K on the tail) were reversed even on a dry road. There's no shame in asking and there's no shame in GOAL (get out and look).