Hill Start in Scania with Manual Box (4 over 4)

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi All,

Another newbie question I’m afraid!

Passed my class 2 late last year but wasn’t getting the experience where I was working so have signed on with an agency - bit of a baptism of fire but am getting the experience I wanted (that’s what I keep telling meself!! :smiley: :smiley: )

I had to do a day’s multidrop on Thursday in a 66 plate manual (4 over 4) Scania. The thing that I struggled with was hill starts. There seemed to be some sort of rev limiter fitted that only cut in when the clutch was depressed. I found this so bloody awkward to pull away on hills as you couldn’t give it a bit more revs needed to pull away. Once moving the revs increased as normal which is a bit late by then! I suspect there’s something I’m doing wrong due to lack of experience but I’ve got to go back Tuesday and don’t want another day like I had Thursday if at all possible!

Any tips gratefully received!

2

I havent driven that particular model, but on the earlier 3 pedal "opticruise" Scanias there was a rev limiter fitted to stop clutch damage when moving off. It does feel bizarre as you push down the throttle, and nowt happens. In the short time I drove one it coped with hill starts fine. Make sure youre using a suitably low gear, of course, and given time you`ll get used to it.

3

I’ve been driving an 8 wheeler scania with 4over4 all week .
Give it gas ,lift the clutch and dump the park brake ,don’t try and release the park brake slow Just knock it off and away you go

4

Only driven an older one of those (2001 plate I think), but the park brake takes 1-2 seconds to release so you just release it and drive away as normal. By the time your brakes release you’re on the drive anyway. Also, unless it’s a particularly steep hill or heavy load, you could sit on the footbrake, bite the clutch, release the footbrake then go for the gas. Idle revs should normally hold you steady.

5

iomex:
Only driven an older one of those (2001 plate I think), but the park brake takes 1-2 seconds to release so you just release it and drive away as normal. By the time your brakes release you’re on the drive anyway. Also, unless it’s a particularly steep hill or heavy load, you could sit on the footbrake, bite the clutch, release the footbrake then go for the gas. Idle revs should normally hold you steady.

Heel and toe. Left part of foot (or toe) on brake, right part of foot (or heel) on gas. Just rock the foot from one side to the other. Easier with full size pedals of course.

6

Pull away in 1st (maybe 2nd) by just bringing the clutch up fully before touching the accelerator. It’s not a car!

7

Ares:
Pull away in 1st (maybe 2nd) by just bringing the clutch up fully before touching the accelerator. It’s not a car!

This. At my old place, they had 3 pedal Opticruises with those clutch savers. When reversing off the fuel pump you can count the 3 or so seconds before the clutch was disengaged as you were going backwards. If you had your window down you could hear it too.

8

There’s nothing you’re doing wrong. It won’t rev with the clutch pedal down. Just balance the parking brake and clutch pedal as usual.(allowing for the parking brake delay). When you’re moving give it throttle.It takes some practice but you’ll get it :smiley:

9

Thanks for the response people - very much appreciated!

I’ll stick with it - see what happens Tuesday eh?! :slight_smile:

10

You probably wouldn’t be able to check this but in mine, on a 65 opticrap, this issue showed up after it went in for a service.

They updated both the engine management and also the gearbox software.

Immediately I could tell there was an issue, exactly same issue you had and I virtually couldn’t set off on a hill if any decent weight on.

Never had a problem till these two updates

In end Scania just disabled the clutch saver as the couldn’t pinpoint the issue despite it going in several times to be sorted

I tried all the suggestions and it’s not as if I wasn’t used to the vehicle as I’ve driven it for the last 12 month

It might just be same issue and nothing your doing wrong. It’s annoying and scary trying to stop rolling back no matter what you try!

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11

Hill starts in a wagon as a new driver aren’t a barrel of fun mate, so it’s normal for a bit of squeaky bum.

You will be surprised actually at how few revs are required! Two things required; A cool head, and as already mentioned, bring the clutch right up before releasing the handbrake. DON’T be tempted to rush it :wink: If when you release the handbrake you haven’t quite got the bite, keep the clutch exactly where it is and re apply the handbrake and repeat.

■■■■■■■■ to the lights, if they change they change. Cool and calm is the way fella. If it is a genuine technical issue though, you just have to work around it until the dealer can sort it.

12

Unless you’ve got a big un (ooer missus) like a V8, you’ll always need 1st pulling away with a fully loaded Scanny, this rev limiting thing has been in place for many years, first came across in a Renault G Manager with slapover 4/4, lovely lorry :blush: :smiling_imp: :open_mouth:

First is always low enough to get going with the reduced revs, but if you’re on a really steep hill in the damp with a full load, and you have a 3 axle tractor you might find it advantageous to dump the mid lift air before trying to move off, its the button with the umbrella over the two axles image, in most modern Scanny’s soon as you press that the dash will put up a display showing the weight being tranferred onto the drive axle.

Note, these air dump vales usually work below 20kph, above that on most lorries they don’t work, and as you increase speed soon as you hit 20k’s the air dump should self cancel…note not on square Axors where you could drive round all day with the axle up if you wanted to.

If this is a regular lorry and you do a lot of loaded hill work, its worth learning to flick that switch at 20ks as you decelerate fast on a steepening uphill climb, get used to using it before you need it desperately, because just as in pulling away if the vehicle senses any wheelspin from the drive axle at all it will cut engine power just when you need it, and one thing Scanny 6 pots don’t have is an excess of spare power.

Also for really slippery conditions, it can be handy to switch off traction control (TC) when severe hill climbing (or pulling away in slippery conditions or maneuvering), that will prevent the engine cutting power when it senses wheel slip, but take care cos that TC will stay off once you turn it off, an icon will display on the dash to warn you, so remember to turn TC back on soon as you’ve completed the climb in hand.

Oh ■■■■■■■■, ignore most of that and pick out what’s suitable or amend to 3 axle rigid if you have one, just assumed you was in artic :blush:

13

Once again, thanks to everyone for replying - very, very much appreciated!

Hopefully I’ll have a bit more confidence this coming Tuesday!! :sunglasses: :sunglasses:

14

Any engine with EDC will have an idle away feature, it means that it will pull away from rest without you touching the throttle, the computer will supply enough fuel to prevent stalling.

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