| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Midnight Flyer
Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 1187
Location: Livin' large in the Ozark mountains of western Arkansas
|
| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: Shifting an 18-speed |
|
|
| :D I've always wondered when driving a rig with an 18 speed transmission does the driver have to go through all 18 gears or is he allowed to skip several depending on the load? When I was driving (never drove anything other than a ten speed) I always started out in second or third and went all the way up through ten and never skipped any of them. If a driver has to split and shift all the way up through 18 he's gonna be busy! 8) |
|
| Back to top |
|
Part Time Dweller
Joined: 06 Jan 2007
Posts: 335
Location: Western Chicago Suburb, IL
|
| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Drive it like an 8 speed, unless you need to split. If you have enough HP, start with the splitter in OD in 1st (not low) and go 1-3-4-5-6-7-8. or splitter in direct , 2-4-5-6-7-8- 8od. No need to use them all. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Mackmechanic
Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 44
Location: Spiro, Oklahoma
|
| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Yes, you can skip |
|
| Back to top |
|
marylandkw
Joined: 06 Sep 2005
Posts: 472
Location: Maryland
|
| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
I have noticed significantly improved MPG if you hit at least all of them on the top half. Start at 2nd empty and row thru em'. There is a reason it has 18 holes.
Driving it like an 8speed just burns fuel as you over rev just to grab the next hole or unnecessarily lug it down. If it is a cat for instance, it gives you the opportunity to keep the motor in the sweet spot of like 1200-1400 rpm's
Don't forget, every MPG is $14,000 a year. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Copperhead
Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 96
Location: Kellogg, IA
|
| Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Just like with all trannies, the "lay of the land" and how much weight you are trying to get moving determines what type of shifting you should do. I will usually just shift my 13 as a 9 speed unless starting uphill or I have a lot of weight in the box. I usually will have the splitter on the low side while doing this, which will have me in 12 in the last hole, then kick the splitter to high side when I get rolling good on the highway. If the pull is hard, no doubt, I will go thru all of them. A high percentage of the time, the only split I will do is from 13 to 12 when working into an uphill grade.
A 15 or an 18 is really no different. Shift the 15 like a 10 (which it is without the splits) or an 18 like a 9 (also, which it is without the splits). Where they come into their own is running hills with heavy loads.
The new "auto" 13's and 18's will go thru all the gears. I have no problem with that. I just don't desire shifting every 200 RPM's on a manual unless I have to. Besides, on a downhill takeoff, I will skip shift anyway. Heck, you can even get the Autoshifts to "skip" shift if that is your thing.
Given all of this, most carriers won't spec these types of trannys in company trucks because the trannies are not very forgiving. You screw up shifting/splitting them, then you will find yourself on the side of the road without anything. They can be tempermental at best. There is a real place for them, but the 9's and 10's most company trucks have will take a lot more driver abuse.
I will concede that you might get slightly better fuel mileage keeping the RPM's in the 1200-1400 range as much as you can, but getting into the top hole as quickly as possible then maintaining a reasonable speed to keep it in the 'sweet' spot will do just fine in most cases. The length of time you spend going thru all the gears as opposed to into the highest gear for what you are doing will not benefit you a significant fuel savings. 25 years of driving with nearly a 7 mpg average since 1995 has taught me that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
eplurubus
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Posts: 53
Location: colorado
|
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I have an 18 speed Mack. I do full gear shifts on the low side unless I'm on a hill, and split the gears on the high side when loaded. If unloaded, I usually do full gear shifts on the high side. I guess you can say that I'm skipping gears doing a full gear shift since, technically, I am skipping the gear that would come if I moved the splitter. However, I rarely skip gear HOLES as that would mean I'm actually skipping two or three gears! :shock:
Quote: you might get slightly better fuel mileage keeping the RPM's in the 1200-1400 range
The thing about Macks is they don't like low RPM's. When I bought this truck, I was told by numerous people that Mack engines like to be operated up around the 1600 - 2000 RPM range. :shock: As an OTR driver, I just cannot allow myself to run up the RPMs that high, but I have noticed that the engine (which is an '01 E-Tech 460hp) seems to perform better at the higher RPM instead of the lower RPM, although I keep it in the 1100 - 1600 range when shifting and cruising. The only negative about that, though, is that it tends to get a little hot with the lower RPM's. |
|
| Back to top |
|
BluHeeler
Joined: 25 Dec 2005
Posts: 109
Location: Orygun
|
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 5:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I'm legal to 90,000 and we try to run as close to that as possible. Yesterday my loads were all within 100# of the limit. That was hauling base rock and it means the loader, even with bucket scales will sometimes put you a few hundred over and I climb on top and shovel it off and then go back on the pit scales to check axles and total. Pretty much as eplurubus said, with a heavy load and say climbing out a steep quarry road I may split the bottom half, but generally I only split the top and when it's empty I take full gears and even skip one here and there. Our company bought 23 new 2007 Pete's and they spec'd 13 speeds. I like my older truck because it doesn't have that 2007 emissions thing and my old CAT engine has lots of power. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Phreddo
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 101
Location: Madison, WI
|
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
$&!+, when i'm empty i'll drive my 10 speed like a 5 speed ;)
it caps at 2000 rpm, but if i'm full i hit every hole at 1400 |
|
| Back to top |
|
Walking Eagle
Joined: 02 Jan 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Normaly on the road
|
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Copperhead quit using my baby picture as your Avitar, it upsets my mother, 87 yoa. She dam near ran the truck in the ditch when she saw it :!: :!: |
|
| Back to top |
|
convoykris
Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 10
Location: denver
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I drove at about 85,000 lbs, and had to split. never skipped a single gear. it kept me busy, so i learned to float.
i could skip if i was rolling down hill though, which i didnt skip much cause i wanted to stay in control and always in gear without any slipping or missing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Graymist
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 317
Location: Edmonton AB & Pittsburgh PA
|
| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Have any of you guys tried neutral-shifting while splitting, with your 18-speeds ? |
|
| Back to top |
|
wildkat
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 517
Location: Somewhere on the Alaska Highway, Canada
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
Graymist wrote: Have any of you guys tried neutral-shifting while splitting, with your 18-speeds ?
VERY BAD idea Graymist, you can tear the splitter apart...PRE-SELECT all shifts, both range & splitter. :D :D |
|
| Back to top |
|
Graymist
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 317
Location: Edmonton AB & Pittsburgh PA
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
wildkat wrote: Graymist wrote: Have any of you guys tried neutral-shifting while splitting, with your 18-speeds ?
VERY BAD idea Graymist, you can tear the splitter apart...PRE-SELECT all shifts, both range & splitter. :D :D
Interesting that you should say that, Kat. I, personally, have tried to do it a few times, with an empty single trailer & never with a super b, and ended up grinding the gears horribly, and that was the end.
I was told about this technique by one of our senior guys who does a lot of cycloning in the bush. Apparently, as per him, that's the way all the guys in the bush shift gears, in order to ensure that the gear never slips, once it's shifted into a selected position, especially in winter. |
|
| Back to top |
|
COLT
Joined: 03 Jan 2006
Posts: 576
Location: FT ST JOHN
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Graymist wrote: Have any of you guys tried neutral-shifting while splitting, with your 18-speeds ?
I don't know about tearing up the splitter, but a less experienced driver could find themselves out of gear longer than planed...
Why do people do this Grey ? Pre selecting is fast, I think it's an old way of doing things for older transmisions, or wore out transmisions ?
18 speeds are a must for heavy loads, that's why they exist.
The light duty trucks most everyone on this board drives, wouldn't handle one day with me... :wink:
I get 3 mpg. and I'm only loaded 1/2 the time :shock: |
|
| Back to top |
|
COLT
Joined: 03 Jan 2006
Posts: 576
Location: FT ST JOHN
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
You posted when I was writing,
When the back of the trany gets old they tend to miss the split at the worst times :shock: Been there, done that :oops:
Bush roads are places that a missed shift can be a ride down the hill backwards :shock:
Yah I know, if I had CHAINS on... BLAH BLAH :wink: |
|
| Back to top |
|
| |
