OT unsigned title

Which brings up a related question. For 17.5 years, I drove cars with automatic transmission. This is what I learned to drive in the first place.

Now that I have this semi tractor with non-synchronized manual transmission, I have great troubles adjusting my brains to operate the transmission.

I am used to just driving, thinking about stuff, and using the gas pedal only.

I am wondering if operating a manual trans is a skill that can actually be learned, given my age of 40 and my past conditioning of driving auto trans.

Is there any hope or not?

i

The instructor said it was a problem with redirecting my driving-wheel steering reflexes. The airplane swerved too fast to think about what to do, the response had to be instinctive, like driving on ice which I did learn fairly well.

a few Mensans had trouble reading, which they said was from difficulty distinguishing right from left. I had a terrible time teaching them how to steer a canoe from the back end. To me it was immediately obvious from the start and I couldn't understand their difficulties well enough to correct them. I think they were mostly left-brained, very articulate but poor at spatial relations.

jsw

I am sure there is hope. There is always hope.

Listen to the engine sounds. They will tell you when to shift up or down. Someday you will even learn to shift without using the clutch. Good skill when you are all alone in the boonies with an inoperable clutch.

Paul

I have to keep an ear tuned to the pitch of the engine, and establish a preset downshift routine for distracting situations like tight corners.

If you think that's hard, consider a dirt bike. Right hand throttle and front brake, left hand clutch, right foot rear brake, left foot the sequential gearshift, with an indicator only for Neutral. When sliding through a corner all four are doing something different. The front brake is on the left on a bicycle which adds to the confusion.

jsw

My mother taught me that, and double-clutching when the synchros fail. I've lost the clutch twice and I'm glad I learned.

jsw

Unless you're a brain dead idiot it isn't hard top learn. BUT If you really want to learn take a driving class for trucks. Usually successful completion of a class also gets you reduced insurance costs and you get real world practice actually driving.

Be advised that you will NOT be "just driving, thinking about stuff, and using the gas pedal only" in a rig. If you do that you may as well plan on crushing a few cars and having lot's of trouble. In a rig you need to pay attention ALL the time. Even a minor slip with 20-30 tons will do a serious amount of damage.

You have learned how to double clutch correct? If not I hope you have lot's of money to repair/replace transmission parts.

The Marine Corps method:

Thanks.

Someone showed me how to do it with my semi tractor. I can do it shifting when accelerating, but now when slowing down.

i

(...)

Indeed there is. Our brains change to accommodate new information.

--Winston

Driving a farm tractor, and in particular ploughing, trains you for right foot = right, left foot = left.

It CAN be learned - even at 40. By some people. Some can NEVER develop the co-ordination required - particularly for a "crash-box".

The clutch is only used for starting and disengaging under load. Barely ever use it for shifting.

And road racing trains you for heel-and-toe double-clutch downshifting while trail-braking at the same time.

I don't recommend that Iggy starts there. I wonder if I can still do it? d8-)

He needs to read and understand the tach first before letting the sound of the engine tell him.

He needs to know X rpm at Y speed in A gear, and X1 RPM at Y speed in B gear, etc so he will match speeds on the shift. Say 2200 in fist gear = 10MPH, and 1200 RPM in second at the same speed. To shift to second he revs the diesel to 2200 RPM, backs off the throttle enough to unload the gears, knocks it out of gear, drops the tach to 1200 and pulls the lever into second. Downshifting he drops the rpm to 1200 in second, unloads the gears with the throttle, pulls it out of gear, brings the tach to 2200 and pulls the lever into first. Eventually he will know what 2200 sounds like. And what 1200 sounds like.

Ooooh...your synchro rings must have had a short life -- or you had a near-perfect sense of relative speeds and timing.

Or you had a crash box with no synchro rings, and even better coordination.

I had a racing, close-ratio crash box in my MG. Once I got it, it was Ok. What I worried about was how much damage I did while learning to do it.

It was much more difficult at road speeds than at racing speeds.

Double clutch?

Until he can shift WITHOUT the clutch he's no trucker - and he can't drive a standard either.

You can register a vehicle but you cannot plate it? Register it in your name, but no valid plate or "sticker"

What do you mean by crash-box?

My bobtail is, as of now, fully registered and plated. I got 26,000 lbs plates for it. The plate is on it. While I do have insurance on other vehicles, I have not purchased insurance for this bobtail, so I do not drive it on public roads. I drive it on my property.

i

Give the guy a chance, He hasn't needed the clutch other than to stop so far...