Shifting without the clutch

[Cummins360]

Hi just a quick question that has been baffeling me:

All the manual transmissions I have ever driven have been fully syncronized and in order to shift you have to depress the clutch pedal.

Now how do guys with non syncronized transmissions in OTR tractors and such shift without the use of the clutch in between shifts???? And how can you avoid useing the clutch in a syncronized transmission???

Thanks, Travis

 

[16919]

you have to find the sweet spot between the gears. from what i unerstand about the nv trannys is that your not supposed to do that because of the nylon bushings. just what i heard.

 

[SHobbs]

Have been floating (clutch less) mine for 182k now with no problems at all. I have heard all the stories as to why you should not do this but, every truck I have owned has been floated with no problems. I had a 3/4 Ford a few years back and floated it for 240k miles and never had a problem except for the throw out bearing going out.



I even float it when towing with zero problems. My transmission shifts fine and as smooth as it always has. I have never seen any metal fragments in the transmission fluid when it's changed as well.

 

[Flinty]

First, the large trucks don't see the rpm that the smaller diesels do, making it easier to find the gears. Second, if you do it for a living, you either got it or you find a new job. Both my Dodge diesel and Chevy gasser have NV4500 transmissions. Start off, wind it up, right when you let off the throttle a little slop will occur in the gears and a very slight steady pressure on the gear shift will slip it out of gear. Quickly move the lever to the next gear and apply a very very slight amount of pressure against the synchro and when the rpm match the ground speed it will slip into gear. RIGHT when it slips into gear match the speed of the engine with your ground speed, this last step is what separates the men from the boys. I shift without my clutch 90% of the time. Clutch lasts longer, and if your good, the trans will too. If your bad, well, you get the picture. Luck.

 

[RobertP]

i have been shifting with out my clutch for a while now just because i know the clutch is on the way out, and i want to know if i need it at one point or another before my new clutch arrives it will be there for me. it is suprisingly easy with the g56 trans.

 

[dberry]

It is much easier to float a big truck than our Rams. I think the hardest part for our trucks is downshifting. It is not a problem in big trucks because the rpms drop alot slower than they do in ours. The transmission does not feel quite right floating in our trucks. Hard to explain, but anyone who has done it in a big truck knows what I am talking about. I try not to do it in my Ram, but would like to know also of any ill effects this may have (maybe from someone in the transmission/clutch industry).



Damon