What gears for grapevine. 10spd

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by FresnoJoe, Aug 21, 2019.

  1. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    Look at best schools get you a license, use your haed apply some common sense you'll be fine.
    No matter the comments ask questions and ignore the BS, You'll be fine.
    There are not many places you can go in the lower 48 and Canada that one of us in here has not been to, So of us as been as far north as you can drive a truck.
    You don't know ask.
     
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  3. otterinthewater

    otterinthewater Road Train Member

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    Your comments are excellent input. Thank you.
     
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  4. shogun

    shogun Road Train Member

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    I’d have them put 3.90-4.11 in there and hammer on it uphill. Did you say it was a 3406B with the bonnets out? 10 speed as in 15 with deep reduction, regular 10, super 10? Either way just keep the rpms up close to 2k.

    On the way down you can turn on the third stage and prop your left foot on the dash.
     
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  5. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    I remember climbing that hill with a big cam cummin's and you walk beside the truck in places.
     
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  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Dowdy's FLD120 in my avatar, the one he graciously allowed me to claim as my assigned tractor had about a 505 hp detriot and a rockwell 9 on the floor manual. Nanny set at 72 which was more than adequate to clear all the 62mph herds out of the way. Take her up to 72 and clear the herd and roll on. She was loaded on that run, swift next to me on the right was doing about 35 Im rolling at 58 and pulling the lagging to downshift if needed somewhere up top.

    I forgot one very important detail about this pass. This is where I scare the newbies ....

    Two words.

    "Santa Ana" meaning cold dry desert winds falling off the high desert east of you for 50 miles plus and particularly on this Grapevine. It acts as a chute to focus the cold falling air and "Flow it" as water does concentrated and FAST from left to right in southbound.

    You would be rolling along fat dumb and happy in a pretty day admiring the silver colored land up top and all of a sudden WHAM! you hit a river of 100 mph air. Shoving you and your loaded trailer straight to the shoulder with your left wheels coming off the pavement.

    Work the problem, hold what you have and do not panic or squeal. Just hold her and leave the power and braking alone. You will either come out of that flowing wind storm and be fine or you will be pushed onto your right side and wheels up. Ruins your day. One or the other.

    DO try to always leave a empty lane next to you so you can if you get hit by the flowing air of the Santa ana you can use what we say at Sea, "Pay off" allowing the truck to crab sideways into the right lane and possibly the shoulder too. You should be out of the flowing river of air before bigger problems impose on you.

    If you did not have anything on the steering wheel and you run into this Santa Ana river of air flowing, you are going to be folded and then slammed towards anyone and everyone on your right side southbound and slammed down to the pavement. tsk tsk tsk.

    However Santa Ana is very easily avoided. You wait for the day time current temperatures to be high east of Grapevine and then roll. DO NOT try to run the 'vine when the eastern desert temps are being reported roughly 20 or 30 degrees colder than the grapevine or seacoast itself. That cold air is going to start flowing like a river in several particular spots.

    I hope I typed this right, It's really important to understand the danger on this one.
     
  7. Dino soar

    Dino soar Road Train Member

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    Myself, I'd be more concerned about Compton than the hill...
     
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  8. starmac

    starmac Road Train Member

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    Going up the hill, or any hill just keep it in a gear that you can accelerate in when you give it more fuel.
     
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  9. Lepton1

    Lepton1 Road Train Member

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    Northbound the speed limit is 35 mph. Southbound the speed limit is 45 mph.

    Edited to add:

    Don't expect other "professional" drivers to obey the speed limit OR to keep a safe following distance. You will see drivers speeding down the hill. You will see drivers clustering up in the right two lanes tailgating each other ("Gee! What could POSSIBLY go wrong!???").

    Stay out of the packs. Slow down or speed up as is necessary to keep away from the self centered mindless ####s.

    CDOT and CHP have been cracking down on truckers speeding down the hill. Don't be anxious to find out what your scratch ticket might get you.

    All this being said, it's ESSENTIAL you know how to upshift or downshift going uphill or downhill. Unless you KNOW how to do that you will find yourself coming downhill on a blind curve behind a super load running at 12 mph. If you don't know how to downshift in a situation like that, then what's your plan? Ride the brakes for the next six miles in neutral so you don't stall?

    Learn to shift.

    Regarding the best gear, choose the gear that you will never have to apply the brakes. It all depends on the weight of the load. If I am light I can take a higher gear. Either way I normally play with Jake settings (low, medium, or high) to control my speed. I almost always NEVER touch my service brakes on a descent.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2019
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  10. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Things must have changed then. I recall running that hill according to horsies and jacobs. Up and over and gone. There were more pressing problems than that.

    I would love to introduce that driver to Cajon Pass near Victoriaville. Once in a while they get a eyeful of that 3 miles drop they understand they dont wanna.
     
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  11. starmac

    starmac Road Train Member

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    It really is a pretty unimpressive hill. I had heard about all my life, and was disappointed when I finally ran over it.
     
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