Manual transmission poll

[RoadKingLarry]

The brakes on those old trucks weren't so great even if everything was working properly.  They really were intended for farm use instead of steep mountain roads.  I had to use 2nd gear all the way up and down the steepest parts (about 8 miles on each side).  If you tried to catch 3rd gear going down, well - you were going to die at the next switchback.


I've only owned three cars in my life and the only one that was a manual was the VW that I married into.

A real truck usually has a lower gear that makes it easy to start on a hill, but you can't go very fast until you can shift.

I'm still not used to these "newer" pickups with five speeds.  I'm not sure that first is even as low as second in my old 4 speed GMC    You can start it on level ground in third with a little finesse. 

A five speed truck/bus you only use 2-5 in normal driving.  First is like low range.

If you are good with a clutch, you can get out of a ditch or slippery spot by starting in the next gear up from what you usually do.  Pull the engine down to just about to die and the wheels don't spin.

My M715 has a GM SM 420 transmission in it I very rarely find a need for 1st gear. In low range and first gear I can crawl faster than the truck will move. But in Low-Low with the front axle engaged and a little weight inthe bed I think I could pull down a mountain.

[280plus]

"Take this gearshift and shove it! I ain't usin' the clutch no more... "

Sorry, that just popped into my head.

[Tallpine]

"There'd be no truck drivers if it wasn't for us trucks"

 

[AmbulanceDriver]

My M715 has a GM SM 420 transmission in it I very rarely find a need for 1st gear. In low range and first gear I can crawl faster than the truck will move. But in Low-Low with the front axle engaged and a little weight inthe bed I think I could pull down a mountain.

One of my first trucks was a '73 Dodge Power Wagon.   4WD, w/ the compound low gear on the tranny as well as the 4hi/4lo split on the transfer case.   One day, just for fun, I shifted into the "granny gear" and 4 low...   At 3500 RPM, I was moving at a dazzlingly fast 5MPH....  If that....   But I could have pulled a house off it's foundation....

[Tallpine]

One of my first trucks was a '73 Dodge Power Wagon.   4WD, w/ the compound low gear on the tranny as well as the 4hi/4lo split on the transfer case.   One day, just for fun, I shifted into the "granny gear" and 4 low...   At 3500 RPM, I was moving at a dazzlingly fast 5MPH....  If that....   But I could have pulled a house off it's foundation....

If you could get the traction 

[charby]

If you could get the traction 

I've seen a few trucks dig themselves a grave when in low lock in river gumbo or gumbo clay.

[Azrael256]

I've seen a few trucks dig themselves a grave when in low lock in river gumbo or gumbo clay.

Hah!  Did that with a D7 once.  Dad. Was. Pissed.

[K Frame]

Got sloppy this morning and ground the gears going from second to third.

I'm sure my neighbors enjoyed my rendition of the Gear Lash Cantata...

Gotta be more careful in the mornings... or use the clutch when I'm not fully awake.

[280plus]

If you can't find em, grind em!

[Tallpine]

If you can't find em, grind em!

The bus that I used to drive (IH 345*5) was previously driven by a woman who got fired IIRC.  Despite fairly low mileage it was never quite right and was sometimes hard to get into some gears even if you double clutched properly.

One day I subbed for another driver (the bus usually stayed with the route) and her bus was just as smooth as silk to shift.  It was exactly the same configuration.

I think that the driver that I replaced must have been forcing the synchros instead of coaxing it into gear 

Those big old manual five speeds may have been "synchronized" 2-5 but they sure worked better if you double clutched and that was how the company trained us and expected us to drive.


One day I was driving another old bus for some reason.  It was really high mileage for a school bus but it was one of my favorites to drive.  I was just doing my thing in town (must have been an event in Anchorage) shifting both up and down to slow at lights, and a kid behind me asked: "mister, doesn't this bus have any brakes?" 

I laughed and said yeah, it had good brakes and I was keeping them that way