Shifting Gears With A Eaton Fuller Road Ranger Gearbox
(Crash Box)
A common mistake new truck drivers make is to over rev the engine on the lower gears 1 to 4.
This makes the drive jerky and uncomfortable.
Lower gears are designed to get the load moving, not to catch up with other road user’s.
The correct way to shift gears is to move progressively through the gears, that is if you move off in first gear bring the revs to 1000rpm before shifting to second,
then bring the revs to 1200rpm before shifting to third gear,
then 1300rpm before shifting to fourth, fifth gear 1500rpm, sixth gear 1600rpm, seventh gear 1700 rpm and so on.
By progressively shifting gears this way you we get to the speed limit fastest. Watch the rev counter in the u tube film and watch how easy the gears are shifted.
The correct use of the clutch is one of the hardest tasks that a new truck driver must master. Years of pushing a car clutch to the floor is a almost impossible habit to break.Once the truck is moving only a quarter to half depression of the clutch is needed to shift gear’s. A common statement often made to me is ” my mate doesn’t use a clutch to change gears”. Yes you can drive the truck without it but if you use the clutch and make a mistake it will reduce the damage to the gearbox.