hi i'm michael fox one of the
instructors here CDL college and
commerce city colorado
let's talk ten speeds a ten speed
transmission is just a five speed on top
of another five speed if you've driven a
manual transmission before you're
probably familiar with the EM pattern
associated with shifting through the
gears on the front of the shift handle
is the range selector or splitter which
is used to select the low range gears in
the down position and the high range
gears in the up position the low range
gears are first through fifth and low
reverse and the high range gears are
sixth through tenth and high reverse the
splitter talks to the transmission in
neutral which means pushing the splitter
up or down while you're in gear doesn't
change the gear you're in so if you put
the truck in third gear with the
splitter down and then flip the splitter
up you're still in third gear with the
splitter up in third if you push the
shifter to neutral and then back to
third you're now in eighth gear the
splitter only talks to the transmission
when the shifter is in neutral we'll
talk more about this in a few minutes
when we cover shifting from fifth gear
to sixth gear let's take a look at the
width of the shift pattern you may
assume that it's wider than it is
because the vehicle is so large but as
you can see here this is neutral and
from the right side to the left side is
about seven inches the point at which
the shifter stops is called a hard wall
there's a right hard wall and a left
hard wall the right hard wall gives you
access to fourth and fifth when the
splitter is down and ninth and tenth
when the splitter is up the left hard
wall gives you access to low reverse and
first when the splitter is down and high
reverse and sixth when the splitter is
up you can also locate the soft wall
which is in the middle as you can see
from the right hard wall it's as easy as
pushing the shifter to the left with a
finger
if I want to pull the shifter to the
left hard wall I have to use a little
force because I'm overcoming a spring
that sits between the middle soft wall
and the left hard wall if I ease off the
pressure the spring pushes the shifter
back to the soft wall by the way it's
called a soft wall because we can push
through it finding the soft wall allows
you to access second and third when the
splitter is down and 7th and 8th when
the splitter is up if you can't find the
soft wall when you're shifting on the
road it's probably because you're
nervous nervousness causes some students
to grip the shifter too tightly and
muscle in the shift or makes it
difficult to feel the spring and locate
the soft wall these big trucks require
very little arm strength to shift you'll
expend more energy pushing the stiff
clutch pedal so the three walls and the
spring are built-in tools that will help
you shift if you are too aggressive with
the shifter if you can find the wall
that's associated with your next gear
should be able to find that gear
students are required to double-clutch
every shift which means the clutch has
to be pushed twice every time you shift
in a semi-tractor you need to push the
clutch and move the shifter at the same
time this takes some coordination but
you can practice anywhere try this
exercise in a chair push an imaginary
clutch pedal with your left foot and
move your right hand at the same time
one two one two one two
this exercise will develop your hand
foot coordination and you'll build a
little muscle memory from the repetition
that one two speed is recommended for
every up shift when double-clutching
you'll want to push the clutch in just
two to three inches when you depress the
clutch pedal you should also move the
shifter to neutral at the same time with
the second clutch you'll move the
shifter to gear clutch to neutral
clutch to gear one two clutch clutch
push the clutch pedal and move the
shifter at the same time one two two
short clutches two to three inches you
also have to remember which gear you're
in and the location of your next gear in
the shift pattern use the walls to find
your gears and it'll become second
nature always remember that when you
push the clutch pedal you have to
release the gas pedal the opposite is
also true when you push the gas pedal
release the clutch pedal these two
pedals must be operated independently of
each other
avoid pushing both of these pedals in at
the same time
the only time we push the clutch pedal
to the floor is when the vehicle is
stopped here's why when the vehicle is
stationary the gears on the transmission
are turning to put a stationary truck in
gear we need to stop those turning gears
for a stop truck you must stop the gears
you can stop the gears by pushing the
clutch pedal all the way to the floor
when you push the clutch pedal to the
floor you engage the clutch brake which
stops the gears from turning and allows
you to put the truck in gear by the way
if the vehicle is stopped and you're
having trouble putting the truck into
gear after fully depressing the clutch
pedal release the pedal just a hair it's
just the opposite when the truck is
moving if the vehicle is in motion the
gears have to be turning a moving
vehicle requires moving or spinning
gears the gears will continue spinning
if you avoid pushing the clutch pedal to
the floor this is why we only push the
clutch pedal in two to three inches when
we're shifting keep the clutch pedal
away from the floor when the truck is
moving if you find yourself fully
depressing the clutch you're probably
nervous try pulling over and practicing
too short clutches two to three inches
deep at the 1/2 speed do it 20 to 30
times and hit the road again
consider using a side grip when you
shift because there are some advantages
to gripping the shifter from the side
first of all it's easy to manipulate the
splitter when it's always between your
second and third fingers and you have
your thumb on top of the shifter for
leverage but here's a better reason
shifting from sixth to seventh new
students sometimes accidentally shift to
ninth when they're trying to hit seventh
here's one way to fix that in sixth gear
use the bottom part of your hand to push
the shifter to neutral then allow the
spring to push the shifter to the middle
soft wall then push straight forward to
seventh when the spring pushes the
shifter to the middle you'll feel it in
the palm of your hand with a side grip
practice this a few times in a
stationary truck with the engine idling
and the clutch fully depressed
here's another way to use the walls
shifting from five to six is the longest
shift because you're shifting from one
hard wall to the other here's an
efficient way to make sixth gear since
you're required to double clutch why not
take care of most of the shift with the
first clutch here's what I mean when you
clutch to neutral pull the shifter all
the way over to the left hard wall then
clutch again and pull straight down to
six
grab a truck that isn't rolling and
practices a few times
be sure to pre-select sixth gear when
you're in fifth by pushing the splitter
up the splitter talks to the
transmission when you shift a neutral so
if you're in fifth gear and push the
splitter up you're still in fifth gear
when you shift to neutral the splitter
notifies the transmission that you want
the higher gears and the transmission
then makes those gears available if you
shift to neutral and then pull the
splitter up it may be awkward and
prolong your shift better to get it out
of the way while you're in fifth so that
you can concentrate on the long shift to
sixth one last item about the splitter
if you come to a stop and forget to push
the splitter down before shifting to
your start gear the truck will likely
stall when you try to pull forward
try to remember splitter down whenever
you come to a stop
when you're learning
upshift try shifting early to avoid
becoming frustrated shifting early means
shifting between 1000 and 1500 rpm 10 to
15 is the sweet spot on most trucks a
car with a manual transmission will
allow you to shift at almost any rpm
that's because many cars have
synchronized transmissions truck
transmissions aren't synchronized so
they require specific RPMs here's a good
rule of thumb when you're learning to
shift try shifting the low gears 1
through 5 at 1400 to 1500 rpm and the
high gears 6 through 10 at 1500 to 1600
rpms use that one to speed clutch clutch
clutched a neutral clutched a gear
remember to push the clutch in just 2 to
3 inches when you're shifting 1 2 that's
the speed for up shifting here's what's
happening when you up shift let's assume
you're in 6th gear at 1500 rpms and
you're ready to shift to 7th when you
depress the clutch and move the shifter
to neutral the RPM needle begins to fall
because you're not in gear if it falls
below 1000 before you make your next
gear the truck probably won't go into
gear so what you're really trying to do
is beat the needle to 10 which means
you're trying to make your next gear
before the needle reaches 1000 rpm if
you fail to make your next gear before
the needle falls below 10 you'll have to
kick the needle out into the sweet spot
revving the engine once kicks the needle
up rev the engine by depressing the fuel
pedal using a short quick stem
avoid depressing and holding the pedal
down or you'll push the needle past the
sweet spot if you're having trouble
revving the engine to the correct rpm
try practicing in a stationary truck
with the engine idling the transmission
in neutral and the brakes set depress
and release the fuel pedal quickly and
watch the rpm needle did it rise to 1000
to 1500 if not allow the needle to fall
and then rev the engine again with a
little more force push that needle up to
1300 to 1500 practice revving the engine
until you're consistently hitting the
sweet spot this exercise will help build
muscle memory in your lower right leg
this is an important skill that you'll
use when you downshift because every
downshift requires an engine rev
you
because there's an extra step involved
to downshift the driver needs to rev the
engine while in neutral so the proper
procedure for down shifting is clutch to
neutral rev the engine then clutch the
gear recall up shifting clutch to
neutral
clutch to gear one two down shifting is
clutch to neutral Rev clutch to gear
when you give the truck fuel or rev the
engine kick the RPM needle up to 1300 to
1500 rpm if you're having trouble down
shifting slow down before attempting to
downshift slowing down will quickly
improve your down shifts we recommend
slowing down to 1000 to 1100 rpm 10 to
11 at these rpms you can clutch to
neutral rev the engine then clutch the
gear kick that needle up to the sweet
spot but avoid staring at the gauge
glance at it after revving the engine
take a few seconds to consider what's
happening during a downshift so you've
prepared for the downshift by slowing
down to 10 11 well 10 11 is at the
bottom of the sweet spot so as soon as
you shift to neutral the needle begins
to fall below the sweet spot to put the
truck into the next lower gear you have
to rev the engine to the sweet spot
while in neutral there is no one to
timing associated with downshifting
because of the extra step of revving the
engine also if you don't kick the needle
up high enough the first time the truck
won't go into gear and you have to try
again by revving the engine a little
higher when you're down shifting the
same clutch rule applies avoid pushing
the clutch pedal to the floor when the
truck is in motion or you'll stop the
gears on the transmission from turning
when the truck is in motion the gears
must also be in motion so use two short
clutches just as you do when up shifting
patience / panic
is the key to fixing a missed gear panic
will cause you to grind your gears try
to control that emotional response and
practice this method instead so I'm
going to miss my shift from six to seven
on purpose and then fix it the smart way
after I miss seventh gear all I need to
do is find the soft wall and then place
the shifter at the opening of the gate
to seventh gear you'll feel the gears
turning with just a little bit of
pressure on the shifter then I'll rev
the engine to the sweet spot and the
shifter will fall into gear this method
requires patience and the ability to
locate the wall that is associated with
your gear if you apply too much pressure
to the shifter you'll create a grind
light pressure on the shifter is all you
need show the tester that you can fix a
missed gear without panicking learning
this technique in school will also
impress your employer during your
initial road test in their truck
you
if you push the RPMs above 1,500 you can
still shift and make your next gear but
you'll have to alter the timing of your
shift shifting at the 1/2 speed may not
work depending on how far you push the
RPMs so let's assume that you've pushed
the rpms to 1800 without shifting as
soon as you begin your shift the RPM
needle begins to fall if you try to put
the truck in gear before the needle has
reached the sweet spot the transmission
will grind all you have to do is give
the needle more time to fall into the
sweet spot you can do this by shifting
slightly slower than one to slightly
slower means less than a half a second
so instead of the 1/2 speed try one -
very little difference because the
needle falls rapidly by the way if you
drive a company truck and you
consistently shift at high rpms they
will notify you to stop wasting their
fuel shifting early yields better fuel
mileage you'll be a hero if you shift
early because fuel is a trucking
company's biggest cost let's move on to
low rpm shifting if you shift it low
rpms you can shift the transmission
faster think about shifting every gear
at 1300 rpm as soon as you shift in
neutral the needle starts falling but it
doesn't have very far to fall before
it's out of the sweet spot to beat the
needle 210 you'll have to shift faster
one two clutch clutch
when you're traveling up
if ting push the RPMs past 1500 and
shift at the normal speed
one two think about what's happening
when your shift on a hill as soon as you
clutch to neutral the needle begins to
fall and gravity tries to pull you down
the hill which makes the needle fall
faster by pushing the needle to
seventeen or eighteen hundred you're
giving yourself extra time to shift
because the needle has a greater
distance to drop if you're traveling
down a hill shift early because gravity
speeds up your vehicle when you clutched
a neutral try shifting at 1100 to 1200
rpm when cruising down a hill
when students are learning how to shift
a ten-speed transmission
they tend to miss their gears if it
takes too long to find your next gear
the truck will slow down because you're
in neutral and you're coasting if you're
unsure of which gear to go to because
your speed is decreased check your speed
and do some quick math if you're
traveling at roughly 15 miles per hour
add the two numbers in the number 15 one
plus five and you get sixth gear if your
speed is closer to 25 add the two and
the five and twenty five and you get
seventh gear 35 is eight forty five is
ninth fifty-five five plus five is tenth
year if you happen to be between those
speeds say thirty miles per hour you
have your choice of seventh or eighth
gear because thirty is between 25 and 35
the numbers on your speedometer always
end in five
this happens because your brain assumes
that the shifting process is complete
when you move the shifter into gear your
shift is actually finished when you
release the clutch pedal for the second
time at the end of your double clutch
when shifting you clutch to neutral and
then clutch the gear and as soon as the
shifter hits the gear you release the
clutch pedal well if you release it too
quickly and from too great a depth the
truck will jerk after every shift look
at it this way if you push the clutch
pedal in 8 to 9 inches you'll have to
release the clutch pedal 8 to 9 inches
this causes the truck to jerk at the end
of your shift if you push the clutch
pedal in just 2 to 3 inches during your
double clutch it will greatly improve
the smoothness of your shifting pushing
the clutch pedal in just 2 inches means
you only have to release it 2 inches
that shorter distance keeps the truck
from jerking
this is usually a coordination issue
your brain hasn't yet processed the idea
of pushing the clutch and moving the
shifter at the same time that's okay try
not to become frustrated if you push the
clutch in two times before you try to
shift you'll have a hard time moving
your shifter to neutral the proper way
to double clutch is to depress the
clutch pedal while moving the shifter
your left leg and right hand should move
at the same time to help with your
coordination you can perform the same
time drill and a stationary truck or any
chair
when you're shifting it's best to keep
your hand on the shifter some students
will shift to neutral and then briefly
remove their hand from the shifter
before trying to shift to the next gear
if you remove your hand you'll have to
put it back on the shifter and that will
slow down your shift if you shift to
slow the needle falls below the sweet
spot and you have to rev the engine
control the shifter during the shifting
process but try not to muscle it you
need to locate the hard walls in the
soft wall while you're learning
controlling the shifter while shifting
will help you find your next gear
you'll probably lose points on the
driving part of the CDL skills test if
you keep your hand on the shifter when
you aren't shifting this is a car habit
the tester will expect you to use two
hands for every turn if you have one
hand on the shifter while the vehicle is
turning you must be palming the steering
wheel try to break this habit early in
your training most professional truck
drivers palm the wheel and shift through
their turns just don't do it while
you're in school or during your test
you'll likely be penalized throwing the
shifter around in neutral can be
confusing to students this is another
car habit that doesn't translate to
trucks when you're learning how to shift
you'll want to establish a rhythm or
timing for every shift
if you clutch to neutral and then throw
the shifter around the needle is falling
out of the sweet spot when you miss your
gear you'll have to rev the engine to
find it instead of throwing the shifter
around in neutral find the wall that's
associated with your next gear and then
move the shifter into that gear the
walls provide a path to the gears
you
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