[villiageidiot]

Originally Posted by Chevian

Btw, in regards to your backing issues, take your time and get out of that truck as often as you damn well need to.

Anyone rushing you can go to hell, after you damage some property rushing for the dock guy, your the one who will pay for years not him.


Good luck man, you will be fine. It takes a real man to ask for help.

I am not shy about that at all. I basically go to the same places every week and am getting better and getting a feel for where to cut the wheel and such. My first day at this job, I had to go to my companies Kentucky branch. I had never backed into a dock before, I pulled in and the only way to get in the dock was to back blindside. Plus our trailers have liftgates so you basically have to have it in perfect for their dock plate to sit right. It must have taken me a half hour and 20 trips in and out of the truck. After a while, I had quite an audience watching me, when I finally got in the dock, and the shipping guy told me it was good, I set my brakes, got out of the truck and bowed to the crowd and thanked them for being such a good audience. They laughed and clapped and went back to work. I guess they realized I was being a smartass and I was not bothered by them, they have never gathered to watch me again because I just don't care.

But I am going to have the clutch looked at next week, hopefully, that will solve my problem.

[silvan]

Originally Posted by villiageidiot

I just wanted to ask how the pro's come to a stop light? Do you downshift through the gears?

No. They taught me that in school, but when I took my first company road test, the examiner guy was like "What the hell are you doing? Who taught you to shift like that?"

I've thought about what I do actually do, and I've concluded it's way too complicated to explain. The bottom line is that the one thing that still messes me up, 10 years on, is when something changes. Say I've made up my mind I'm not going to sneak through the light, so I'm aiming to come to a stop in 3rd gear. I'm going 20 mph at the moment, and the light suddenly turns green. What gear is that? What RPM? In that split second, sometimes I mess everything up. I've been known to have to come to a complete stop, even though the light is green now. Fortunately the fourwheelers in back can't see that, so screw them. The worst thing you can do in that situation is panic, and try to jam it into some gear to get rolling immediately. If everything is all messed up, it's all messed up.

In fact it seems that everytime I go to put the truck in a gear it grinds, even in reverse. Is there a trick to putting the truck in gear. I feel like I am tearing up the trans in this truck and the thing doesn't even have 20,000 miles on it.

20,000 miles, it sounds like you or somebody before you grew up in a fourwheeler, and got used to putting the clutch all the way to the floor. Do that once or twice in a big truck at any kind of road speed, and you just obliterated your clutch brake.

If your clutch brake is gone, or just severely out of adjustment, then all you can do is let the gears grind until you slow everything down enough for the gears to mesh. There isn't an elegant way to do this, but it helps if you push the clutch in well in advance, to give everything some time to coast down to a lower speed. It can be the difference between a gentle purring and a gut-wrenching grinding noise. If you have to grind, grind as gently as you can. It can take a long time to get in gear this way. Especially when you're pointing up a steep hill, for some reason. Sometimes you can sit there forever doing the gentle purr, and it will never go into gear until you wince, squint, say a little prayer for your transmission, and put more muscle onto it to grind it harder, until you get the sickening clunk. I don't know what causes that, mechanically. I just know I've been there.

[Kranky]

It can take a long time to get in gear this way. Especially when you're pointing up a steep hill, for some reason.

It's because when the truck is pointing up (or down) a steep hill, gravity causes the clutch discs and center plate to slide on the mainshaft and contact the pressure plate or flywheel. It's just enough extra contact that you won't get a clean release.

[Aligator]

Originally Posted by villiageidiot

Hi all,

I just wanted to ask how the pro's come to a stop light? Do you downshift through the gears?
Not really. If you are going to come to a complete stop there is no need.
Do you just stop and then put the transmission in whatever gear you will be using to go again? I have tried both ways and always grind the gears.
Yup. That's gonna happen for a few more months, too. But you'll get it.
In fact it seems that everytime I go to put the truck in a gear it grinds, even in reverse. Is there a trick to putting the truck in gear. I feel like I am tearing up the trans in this truck and the thing doesn't even have 20,000 miles on it. Nearly every stop light I stop at, I just can't get this thing in gear easily..........
I think that you are either (A) not completely stopped or (B) haven't pushed the cluth tightly to the floor

[/b]

[sodbuster]

Originally Posted by Splitshifter

That's basically how I do it all the time (altough I usually start off in 2nd when empty, and first when loaded to save the clutch).
.

:lol:

Hey spiltshifer I just wonder what trans. and rear gears you have??
unloaded I start off in 4th If I have a slight grade I use 3rd. my 1st is low low low. If I am loaded heavy with sod in the field I use 1st sometmes 2nd. I never give it any throttle just let up on clutch and it's rolling. I have a 10 speed. 4.10 gears and 22.5 tires. C12 435hp. I made a little chart when I first got my truck to help me rember what speed and rpm I need to be in for a certin gear. like 4th gear @ 1500rmp = 8 mph 5th @ 1500= 11 mph and so on. If I get side tract coming to a light and it changes and I coasting or wanting to drop 2 gears I can look at the chart know what gear at that speed and rpm.
after a while you don't need the chart.

If I empty coming to light I down shift just in case the light changes, If I empty and coming to a stop sighn I might drop once depending my speed then brake in gear till the engien starts to lug, then setup to get my take off gear while slowing to a stop.

loaded everthing changes I like using the engine brake but so many towns won't let you use them.

[Kranky]

Originally Posted by sodbuster

:lol:

Hey spiltshifer I just wonder what trans. and rear gears you have??
unloaded I start off in 4th If I have a slight grade I use 3rd. my 1st is low low low. If I am loaded heavy with sod in the field I use 1st sometmes 2nd. I never give it any throttle just let up on clutch and it's rolling. I have a 10 speed. 4.10 gears and 22.5 tires. C12 435hp. I made a little chart when I first got my truck to help me rember what speed and rpm I need to be in for a certin gear. like 4th gear @ 1500rmp = 8 mph 5th @ 1500= 11 mph and so on. If I get side tract coming to a light and it changes and I coasting or wanting to drop 2 gears I can look at the chart know what gear at that speed and rpm.
after a while you don't need the chart.

If I empty coming to light I down shift just in case the light changes, If I empty and coming to a stop sighn I might drop once depending my speed then brake in gear till the engien starts to lug, then setup to get my take off gear while slowing to a stop.

loaded everthing changes I like using the engine brake but so many towns won't let you use them.

Well, first things first:

I wish to clarify something about the quote attributed to me.

My biggest issue is putting the truck in gear at a stop

That quote about having an issue about putting it in gear at a stop was a statement from the original poster in this thread.

And in my reply to that post I said:

As you're coming to a stop, just as the truck is rolling at the right speed to catch 3rd gear at idle speed (the gear you said you start off in), pop it into 3rd gear, then depress the clutch and just keep the clutch depressed until you're ready to go again.

After more than 30 years of driving trucks and working on trucks, I do not have "issues" about getting a transmission in gear. :wink:

Where I work now,we have a fleet of dump trucks and semis, with various rear axle ratios ranging from 3.90 on the fast side to 4.56 on the slow side.

Transmissions are Eaton Fuller 8LL in the dump trucks and Eaton Fuller 18 speed in the semi tractors.

Engines in the dump trucks range from N14 435 Cummins (in the older ones) to Cat C12 & C13 in the more recent dump trucks.

In the Semi tractors, the older ones have the N14 435 Cummins, while the newer ones have C15 Cat engines.

My point is that I'd rather start off in a lower gear and make an extra upshift (or 2), than wear out the clutch prematurely.

Since I work in the shop, I'm the one who has to adjust and or replace clutches which have fallen victim to drivers chronically starting off in too high a gear.

If I empty coming to light I down shift just in case the light changes, If I empty and coming to a stop sighn I might drop once depending my speed then brake in gear till the engien starts to lug, then setup to get my take off gear while slowing to a stop.

loaded everthing changes I like using the engine brake but so many towns won't let you use them.

I always work my way down thru the gears (I'll skip every other one)until I'm at an idle in the lowest gear in hi range, by that time I'm only doing about 10 - 15 MPH.

Then I do as I suggested, take it out of gear, and when the truck is rolling at the right speed for the gear I want to start off in, just pop it in gear and depress the clutch, and I'm ready to go when the light changes ( or theres a break in the cross traffic).

[sodbuster]

Allan If I let go of the clutch pedal (I don't mean pop the clutch) and don't slowly release it and the engine has the torque to start rolling and not lug, I don't see how I could be putting more stress on the clutch that could cause permature ware, if it is not slipping. I do know my clutch need adusting, I have to put the pedal hard on the floor for several seconds to get the clutch brake to slow the input shaft down.