3rd To 5th - Good Starting Gear Shift Pattern

Hey folks. Thought I'd share a little bit of my own experience with starting gears and shifting patterns. Keep in mind I drive tractors with an Eaton 10 speed. All things considered, if you're starting on a level surface (no decline or incline), I usually start in 3rd gear and then move into 5th. I'm floating the gears, so when I bring it out of 3rd, I pause a bit before dropping it into 5th, so it will slide right in. Most schools and companies will want you to officially use progressive shifting - and this is what you'll need to do to pass your CDL road test, and any company road test for hiring purposes. Most drivers learn to float then. What I'm suggesting is only for when you go solo - keep that in mind.

It doesn't really matter how heavy or light I am, I can always start in third w/o lugging the tractor. Sometimes on a decline, I'll start in 4th. I don't start in 2nd anymore unless I'm on a steep incline and am loaded heavy.

3rd to 5th takes away the amount of gears you gotta go through. It's quick and efficient, especially starting from a traffic light or when a turn is coming up and you want to focus on completing the turn and not going through more gears. It's been my preferred method now. You can pre-select for high range after just one shift, since you go from 5th right into 6th which is high range. You can't rush it though since you're skipping 4th. You'll need to give a little pause between 3rd and 5th.

Hope this gives some of you guys / gals food for thought. I actually picked this up from my last trainer over a month ago and having been doing it every since.

Personally i start in fourth every time. Not that it makes much if a difference. Of course our loads are always so light that being in third is almost never necessary. Good post sir

Personally i start in fourth every time. Not that it makes much if a difference. Of course our loads are always so light that being in third is almost never necessary. Good post sir

Wish I could say that, I'm constantly at 80k gross. 80100 just the other day...

The pieces of crap i went though training with would BARELY start in second. I cannot imagine starting one in 4th. The driver they had take me to the DMV testing site stalled it in the parking lot starting in second, he said if had ha to test in that pile of crap he would fail lol, the sad thing is it was the "best" freightliner the school has.....

Hey folks. Thought I'd share a little bit of my own experience with starting gears and shifting patterns. Keep in mind I drive tractors with an Eaton 10 speed. All things considered, if you're starting on a level surface (no decline or incline), I usually start in 3rd gear and then move into 5th. I'm floating the gears, so when I bring it out of 3rd, I pause a bit before dropping it into 5th, so it will slide right in. Most schools and companies will want you to officially use progressive shifting - and this is what you'll need to do to pass your CDL road test, and any company road test for hiring purposes. Most drivers learn to float then. What I'm suggesting is only for when you go solo - keep that in mind.

It doesn't really matter how heavy or light I am, I can always start in third w/o lugging the tractor. Sometimes on a decline, I'll start in 4th. I don't start in 2nd anymore unless I'm on a steep incline and am loaded heavy.

3rd to 5th takes away the amount of gears you gotta go through. It's quick and efficient, especially starting from a traffic light or when a turn is coming up and you want to focus on completing the turn and not going through more gears. It's been my preferred method now. You can pre-select for high range after just one shift, since you go from 5th right into 6th which is high range. You can't rush it though since you're skipping 4th. You'll need to give a little pause between 3rd and 5th.

Hope this gives some of you guys / gals food for thought. I actually picked this up from my last trainer over a month ago and having been doing it every since.

Now i have been studying a couple of you tube videos,and found a couple for 10 and 13 speed. I do not think i will have a problem up shifting, because it seems easier than down shifting. What i am thinking on the down shifting and is a little tricky,is when your coming back into 4,3,2 from 5 & 6 and have to do that little switch thing on the shifter. I just keep watching over and over,and it finally is beginning to make sense. Same as the double clutching. Time and patience together,and practice. That's what i keep telling myself. Hope this helps some. Good luck to ya!!