Tips on using a road ranger gear box.

[Whoosha]

Originally Posted by CAMS290

Auto shifts and synchro boxes are for nancy boys !

just got back from Brissy delivering a new 550 Stralis 16speed auto ..
stick ya rotten crash boxes I"m converted lol

As for you nancy boy I geuss the auto is being removed from the yoot then ..
That would explain the long visit to G&Ds then

Practice.. practice .. thats the go Schmidy good luck with it mate there"s a heap of good paying jobs out there to be had ..
Cheers ..Whoosha

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by schmidty

Well i finally got out in the truck yesterday for a couple of hours! Took half an hour and a lot of crunching to get things sorted out. Got going up gears all sorted out no worries, just need to sort out changing down gears. I let the revs come down to about 1000rpm, clutch - neutral - big pump - clutch - crrrrrrrrrrrunch - crrrrrrrrrrunch. I'm getting it in 2/4 changes, but usually still with a bit of a crunch. Got changing up gears pretty much down pat. Usually only a tiny into 1 gear out of the lot. And remembered about firm positive gear changes. If i shifted confidently i nailed every change, if i hesitated or worried i screwed them up. Didnt even bother trying to use the splitter yet. Any easier way to get the hang of down changes?

Go back and read my posts, I have listed in one of the correct way to do it, but it does take practice, you need to watch speedo AND tacho

Originally Posted by schmidty

And if you're coming to a stop at lights and in top gear, how many gears would u usually come back down through?

If you really mean top gear, then you should approach a red light/stop sign in about 6th, then through the clutch as you are just about to stop, it shouldn't shudder being in 6th. Then with the truck stopped and you foot on the clutch (but not all the way to the floor) drop the range change button and then move out of 6th and back to 1st for your move off.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by schmidty

was a bit suprised about how fast the revs did drop. thought the 400 rpm wasn't going to drop so fast. Yeah can see its going to take a lot of practice. Was actually also suprised at how hard it is to get right! You sit next to someone with a lot of experience and watch them and it looks so easy. Also if i miss getting a gear on a down change, how do i get a gear again? A few times i botched down changes and pretty much had to stop to slect a gear again, or a few times i just grabbed the gear i had come out of, then started the process again

Again, if you go back and read my posts, you will note where I pointed out that you should "note" the road speed vs rev range vs gear, by this I mean write it down in BIG writing so you can stick it to the dash of the trauck and you can use it as a guide then. A bit like:

G------R----SP
6th - 1200 - 40

5th - 1200 - 30

4th - 1200 -20

3rd - 1200 - 15

2nd - 1200 - 10

Once you get a bit experienced you can muck around with the rev part and jot the speed at varying speeds.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

There are a lot of variables regarding stopping at lights, it’s always best to try and keep the thing moving, however, this isn’t always possible or practical. You will eventually learn how to read the traffic in a way that will automatically give you the best idea for which gear to grab to suit the speed you’re travelling at.

If you have to jump on the anchors in a big hurry, it’s best to jump on the clutch as well as you’re not trying to pull up the inertia that the engine has created.

Cheers, Danny

Some really good advice here, but until then a quick look at your speedo it will give you a guide (if you decide to try what I have suggested above)

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by Big_Trev

Again, if you go back and read my posts, you will note where I pointed out that you should "note" the road speed vs rev range vs gear, by this I mean write it down in BIG writing so you can stick it to the dash of the trauck and you can use it as a guide then. A bit like:

G------R----SP
6th - 1200 - 40

5th - 1200 - 30

4th - 1200 -20

3rd - 1200 - 15

2nd - 1200 - 10
Once you get a bit experienced you can muck around with the rev part and jot the speed at varying speeds.

Thanks Trev for taking the time to post all of that up. when you said to note down the speed at rpm for different shifts i never even thought to write it down. Will give that a go. Thanks again.

[CAMS290]

Originally Posted by schmidty

Thanks Trev for taking the time to post all of that up. when you said to note down the speed at rpm for different shifts i never even thought to write it down. Will give that a go. Thanks again.

In a while you will be doing it with your eyes shut, all trucks differ at what speeds/revs to down change.
If you are in a 18 speed, i find full gear down changes are easier than splitting down 1/2 gears, even when coming down to a full stop.
Too many cowboys will use all the gears, going up the box and down the box, but most often than not they are tossers.

[schmidty]

And the results!

Went for my HR license today and passed with flying colours. Got 31/32 on the written test and 100% on the drive.

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice on the driving. Made things much easier.
Looking forward to getting out on the road now!
Cheers,

Schmidty

[Mechan1k]

Congratulations mate ... and goes to shows how helpful the professional truck drivers really are out there on the road. So many people on our roads don't realise what the truck drivers have to put up with on our roads.

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Congratulations mate ... and goes to shows how helpful the professional truck drivers really are out there on the road. So many people on our roads don't realise what the truck drivers have to put up with on our roads.

I tell you what, its been such a good experince in itself just getting my license. Gives you a much better appreciation for what people drivng heavy vehicles go through day in day out. Its not as easy as the professional drivers make it seem, and with such a large vehicle comes a lot of responsibility.

During my test, i had about 3 people cut in on me aproaching lights, when it was obvious i was learning as i had the big "driver under instruction" plates on the truck, and i wasn't going much under the speed limit and still had jokers trying to squeeze up inside, had 1 tool go up the bike lane!

The help i got from forum members was great, and made a big difference towards how easily i did the course today.

Oh and Big Trev, I took your advice and wrote down the speeds and revs in each gear in big black texta on at a4 piece of paper and blue tacked it to the dash in the truck i was practicing in. My mate laughed, but it made an instant difference, and made it so much easier to skip gears slowing down and pick the right gear for my road speed. When i get some more experienc i'll chuck it away, but its helpful now.

Cheers,


Ben

[Trevor 57]

No worries Ben, and I bet your mate will have a go at it now, but won't tell you - LOL

Oh and congratulations on passing your test, be safe out there, it isn't easy for drivers these days and lot of shonky empoyers, stick with the big ones.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by schmidty

Got 31/32 on the written test and 100% on the drive.
Schmidty

WRITTEN TEST!!
You mean that you can write legibly?

Whoa! your way too smart to be a Truckie.

I'd suggest you go straight into Driver Training

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

WRITTEN TEST!!
You mean that you can write legibly?

Whoa! your way too smart to be a Truckie.

I'd suggest you go straight into Driver Training

I agree absolutely :

[damo03]

Originally Posted by Big_Trev

The only truck you should jake change on is an old 5 speed Mack going up a hill - full stop!

What is jake changing? I have just read about jake braking (when slowing down). I don't have my HR but want to get it sometime soon, and this thread couldn't come at a better time.

Damo

[LimeGlaze]

Yep I'm with Damo - Jake changing - I only know not to use the jake while the freight is sleeping!!!? I too don't drive trucks - have had a play with light stuff but was thinking about going for a HR lic in the near future.


On a side note - this has been the best non "ford/car" thread I've read on this forum - thoroughly enjoyed it and lots of good info!

[Trevor 57]

A "jake brake" is a term for a Jacobs Brake. It is a system that sits on top of the valves on top of the engine, it opens the exhaust valves on the compression stroke and stops fuel going in, so it effectively enables the piston to operate like a bike pump with your finger over the end. It is trying to force a lot of air through a small hole, the purpose of this is to slow the 'push up' of the piston, therein slowing the engine down through down pressure on the piston, conrod, crank, gearbox, wheels. (simply put). Hence the noise, if you picture the bike pump process, you can understand the noise from the truck engine, it is virtually the same noise, only bigger. LOL

There are a few variants of this type of technology, there is the "C-Brake" which is the Cummins Engine variant, there is a Mack version, which I can't remember the name of. The Europeans (Scania, Volvo) have their own version as well.

There is also an "Exhaust Brake", this is very common on Japanese and Euro trucks, it works by closing off a butterfly valve in the exhaust system, therein slowing down the evacution of exhaust gases, putting back pressure on the pistons, etc, etc, (see above). There is a perception that this type is not as effective as a "Jake Brake", in some cases it isn't, but it operates on a higher rev range is all, the blue area on a Volvo tacho is the 'exhaust brake' range, nornally this takes the engine past the engine governed revs by a couple of hundred revs, safe in the manufacturers eyes obviously.

Jake changing is by having the jake brake turned on, not use the clutch and changing gears, what this does is drop the engine revs VERY fast so that quick gear changes can be done, this practice has become redundant with the new 18 speed boxes in common use, these have close ratios. This practice can also cause some damage to engine and driveline if not done absolutely spot on.

[Hords]

What's the difference between full and split gear?

[NC1183]

Bit of a thread mine there Hords.

On some gearbox's there is a "half gear" in between two gears, so you will have say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, plus Low Low or (bog cog). This helps overcome the massive gap in gears in the top box on some trucks.

[Hords]

What's the different shift technique for the half gear? and what's the top box?

...sorry for the dumb arsed questions.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Hords

What's the difference between full and split gear?

A full gear is what’s known as a compound shift. IE: Moving the stick, so the change in gear is where the sliding “dog” or clutch is moved by the selector fork between two gears on a full floating main shaft.

A half gear is done through the splitter witch is at the back of the box, high and low.

Top box is a term known for high range.

[Hords]

Thanks guys.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Hords

Thanks guys.

I found this handy little YouTube clip showing the inner workings of a Road Ranger. It will give you a pretty good idea of what we’re talking about once you’ve visualised it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUZrNnJ5ScE

[Elks]

Originally Posted by Hords

What's the difference between full and split gear?

Drop past work one afternoon mate and you can experience the joy of turning an 18 speed into a 10 speed in 10 mins. LOL :

[Full Noise]

Here’s another YouTube clip showing Eaton clutches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE0_82YR31I

[CAMS290]

Originally Posted by Elks

Drop past work one afternoon mate and you can experience the joy of turning an 18 speed into a 10 speed in 10 mins. LOL :

Or just order one with a auto shift in it and be done with it, us road ranger blokes are becoming a rarity these days