Hey guys im having a little trouble shifting our truck with an 8LL when theres a load on it. I do fine when the trucks empty, but once its loaded its a totally different story. I know you really have to wind the truck up and get it moving but the one part i really have trouble on is when theres a slight hill. I stared out in 2nd then got to 3rd and when i tried to get to 4th the rear end felt like it was hoping so i stopped right away and just started in 1st till i got to the top of the hill. I dont know if i shouldnt of shifted or i let the clutch out too quick or what. When my dad does it he has no problem with it. Like today when we were done and loaded up to leave he drove and there was a good size hill pulling out of this plan and i figured you would have to leave it in like 2nd or 3rd but he got to 5th. If i would of tried shifting on that hill i know i would of messed up and problaby missed the gear. So do you guys have any tips on this tranny for me? Thanks Nate
The problem shifting when going uphill with a load is that the vehicle speed drops off much faster than the engine rpms so matching them becomes more difficult. There are a couple of things you can try. One is to not rev out the engine too high before shifting because it slows down a little quicker if all those heavy engine parts aren't spinning too fast. Second, if you have a manual engine fan switch in the cab, turn it on. The fan does a good job of slowing down the engine rpms. If you have a Jake, you can try shifting with it on as it will really slow down the rpms in a hurry. Just be careful when doing it because you can easily blow a u-joint if you mess up. Hope some to this makes sense to you.
If your Dad did it fine,then it just something your going to have to practice with. Watch Dad do it,and see what hes doing different,and try it yourself.Once you get the rpm drop matched while shifting ,you will be fine.When I used to drive my cousins little single axle semi,I had the same problem splitting gears,he would be able to pull 2 gears higher than me just because he ran it every day,and knew exactly where the sweet spot was to shift it.You do need to run it right the governor usually with a load and hill to grab the next gr quick enough to not fall into a hole in the powerband.
No engine fan switch or Jake. But yeah that makes some sense to me, ill try not to rev it out as much before a shift tomorrow. I just get frustrated when i mess up and i know that plays with my mind and problaby makes me do worse.
I'm going to suggest you not rev the motor so high, so that the revs drop more quickly to catch the next gear. You might not land in the optimum power band, but you'll get the gear and the motor will eventually catch up.
I can get the gear its just the one time i did it, it felt like the truck was going to shake apart. I watched dad do it today and he had no problems at all. Like John said dad is about 2 gears higher than i am. I know it all takes practice.
I hope you have spare drive shaft and/or axle, shifting on a hill loaded when your learning stresses driveline parts
i was shaky with an 8LL too...then my first day to work for the summer (this past monday in the rain) they put me in the Pete 10 wheel dump all day hauling around a Liebherr 621 loader....trial by fire i guess but i was nervous to go out by myself for the first time because i had hardly ever driven it, especially with that kind of load...it takes practice, i had to start from scratch a few times but once you get the hang of it you will be fine...i have been in that truck every day this week...hauling topsoil yesterday and today on some hilly roads and today i didn't miss a single gear when i was clutch shifting (i have been practicing the float shifting too but thats another story)....like everyone else has said just practice, practice, practice....you'll get the hang of it...i did
the higher the gear the higher the rpm for upshifting.
Just give it enough throttle to get her moving and shift. again, again....until she gets up some speed then you can increase the revs. It took me a while to learn coming from a 5 + 4 twin stick! But we all know real trucks have 2 sticks!!!!!