Will companies train on driving a 13/18 speed?

The shift pattern for a 13 speed or an 18-speed is exactly the same as a 9-speed. If you're used to driving a 10-speed, when upshifting into the high range you'll have to teach yourself to shift into what would be 7th on a 10 speed, the center hole toward the dash.

On a 13 speed, when slowing down to make a turn, the cheater is a great geat to downshift into when the splitter is forward. When the splitter is back it's essentially the same gear as 4th (low range, big hole).

 

I've never torn down a 9/13/18 myself to see how they work but I've heard from mechanics the bearings, or gear or something in there is way small or weaker in first and can grenade with high torque when in used in high range.

Can't say for certain but as annoying as a 13 can be locking out the range via the splitter, I still personally wouldn't use the first hole in high range. If it goes all asplodey and the driver camera sees me lugging 110k lbs through a roundabout in the cheater gear, I'm out of a job because I was too lazy to split down then shift.

 

I did use to run an 8ll dump truck though and when empty I'd start in the cheater gear. But that was the heady days of 10 bucks an hour in an ancient jalopy. At those wages, I ain't giving two ####s and a flying #### about your rolling out of service fine generator you're passing off as a truck.

 

That's the lowest gear in the box which means it's the one that multiplies and transmits the most torque. Therefore I presume that since the gear and its bearings are tough enough to handle the torque on the low side then they should have no problem with the lower amount of torque on the high side.

 

Only reason Fuller never advertised the mystery gear on the 9’s and 13’s was because it was redundant. Same as 4 low and you can’t split it. So to them it was easier to recommend against its use than to explain it.
It’s one of those things that you find out. Just like having two boxes and two stick patterns. Depending on the set and the pattern paired together their were a few redundant gears you just skipped or alternated depending on load and terrain. You know real quick when a redundant gear happens. Lol.

 

I'm pretty sure that's backwards. The lower the gear, the less stress to get the load moving. In the Kenworths I'm running sometimes there is a gauge that shows how much torque the engine is building. In low range I can't get it past 80% before having to shift. Once I get into high range I can get it up to 95%. Lowest gear won't hit 60-70% before it is wound out, even at 110k going up hill.

I've also only seen a drivelines twisted up or u joints shattered from dumping the clutch in higher gears, rather than just in first.

 

You get what I'm saying you just don't realize that you're looking at it from a different perspective. Gears multiply torque. For example, my truck has an 1850 lb-ft engine and a 12.31 low gear (Eaton Fuller 13 speed). At full torque, that gear is transmitting 22,773.5 lb-ft to the yoke on the output shaft. When using the cheater gear with the splitter forward, as I often do when turning while empty, the gear ratio is approximately 3.2 (IIRC) which means that at full torque that gear is transmitting 5,920 lb-ft to the output yoke. If the gear and its bearings can handle 22k lb-ft then they can certainly handle roughly a quarter of that (5.9k lb-ft) with no problem.

 

See I would argue that the output of the trans never sees that much torque because you've geared down so much, the max force of the engine isn't being applied to move that weight. In an 18 speed with a 16 liter engine, you don't even have to apply any throttle to pull off in low up even moderate inclines until you hit 120k+ lbs.

That engine might only be pushing 1000ft/lb of torque at the max getting rolling. In 18th pulling a grade you'll be sending all the torque through the driveline. The bottom few gears rarely even have time for the turbo to even spool up completely before shifting.

I've never personally seen a 13/18 grenade from cheater gear usage and I know a lot of drivers use it. But I can see where an issue would arise if the first hole isn't built up to snuff like the rest of the gearbox. I avoid it because I was told not to use it and I have driver facing cameras. And rule #1. It's always the drivers fault.

 

Cheater gear is great for playing with traffic lights. Since it is the same ratio as 4 low you can go the same speed in the high side and already be in the high side to accelerate when needed as traffic flows through. If that gear can handle that kind of torque i’d think it is a real gear. We crazy guys been doing that for years. Even with them “weak” old 9509’s, 9513’s and 12513’s.