Might be more to do with the fact that the 8 speed was a 26 tonner ■■
He doesnt state what he is driving, other than a rigid, and last time i looked a 26 tonner was a rigid which can be driven on a Class 2 licence
Really ■■ Wow thanks for clearing that up, I really didn’t know - honest.
Be great if you could point out exactly where I said it wasn’t a class two, because I am damned if I can find it.
G
PS: Since it has been mentioned “Comfort Shift” - good or bad ■■ Only ask since TNT have had it chopped it out of our units - seemed to think it was responsible for burning the clutches out, needless to say they were wrong…
Very true, and it’s not always the newbies who need to ask questions or even the older hands giving the advice. A few weeks ago I went into DHL and was given the keys to an Actros, this was the first Merc I’d driven for about 18 years. It had the semi auto box with the stick thingy on a sort of armrest doodah ( you can see I have all the technical terms down no problem ) and I had never seen this box before. I asked the driver who was checking over the Actros parked next to me if he could just run through how it worked with me. ‘No problem,’ he says, and jumped into the passenger seat and gave me the low down on using this type of box. He finished of by saying, “Trust me they are really easy to use, I only passed my test three weeks ago and I have no problems with them.” Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing the job, if you don’t know something ask.
My recently passed his test helper, has now sort of taken me under his wing and every time I see him, he checks everything is OK and I am having no problems. Even to the extent he did a full circuit of the car park in his car, as he was heading home, when he spotted me on Friday just to check if I needed help with anything as I headed toward my unit for the day.
As i was the first to drive our Actros i ended up doing the same for the other more experienced drivers too. They all came and asked me, then when we’d all driven it we kind of shared our experiences a bit.
the DHL MAN TGA LE18.220’s are all 6 speed. Crap things, really heavy gearshift. When you go into reverse whack it in 1st then go into reverse or you’ll be swearing at the thing and graunching the box like hell trying. They are syncromesh though. Mind you the whole truck it like a relic from the 80’s
Not a patch on the merc 6 speeders i’ve driven.
Manual gears ! hmmmm I,ve really gone off manual gears . I,ve had auto globetrotters for about a fortnight, last night i had a manual globetrotter what a chore …
I used to prefer manual but i,m now converted .
paul@midway:
Manual gears ! hmmmm I,ve really gone off manual gears . I,ve had auto globetrotters for about a fortnight, last night i had a manual globetrotter what a chore …
I used to prefer manual but i,m now converted .
I’m of the oldish school of driving and prefer to choose what gear I am in.
The nearest I have got to automatic is a merc powerliner the first of the semi auto boxes, even then you had some control over which gear you went in.
The problem, I think, these days they are making it so easy to drive these vehicles all you have to do really is point it in the right direction.
The real skill is going out of driving, there is very little roping and sheeting. Auto gear boxes and cruise control limited to 90 KPH, what do drivers do these days apart from steering and opening rear doors or curtains and unfastening a few straps.
You haven’t read my sig have you
I,ve done my fair share and been in the game about 10 years . Not as long as some but longer than others . Auto boxes and curtain siders are good for me . I,m just waiting for someone to invent a trailer so all you have to do is press a button in the cab and the curtain unclips and pulls itself . Around about the same time you could do with a self hitching trailer , again useing clever electronic buttons .
paul@midway:
You haven’t read my sig have you
I,ve done my fair share and been in the game about 10 years . Not as long as some but longer than others . Auto boxes and curtain siders are good for me . I,m just waiting for someone to invent a trailer so all you have to do is press a button in the cab and the curtain unclips and pulls itself . Around about the same time you could do with a self hitching trailer , again useing clever electronic buttons .
It wasn’t a go at you personally it was a dig at the way transport as gone and my personal view on proffessional driving today.
paul@midway:
Manual gears ! hmmmm I,ve really gone off manual gears . I,ve had auto globetrotters for about a fortnight, last night i had a manual globetrotter what a chore …
I used to prefer manual but i,m now converted .
I’m of the oldish school of driving and prefer to choose what gear I am in.
The nearest I have got to automatic is a merc powerliner the first of the semi auto boxes, even then you had some control over which gear you went in.
The problem, I think, these days they are making it so easy to drive these vehicles all you have to do really is point it in the right direction.
The real skill is going out of driving, there is very little roping and sheeting. Auto gear boxes and cruise control limited to 90 KPH, what do drivers do these days apart from steering and opening rear doors or curtains and unfastening a few straps.
I think with these autoboxes and other gizmos, is basically yes they make life easier and a novice can drive them with less thought, but they still respond better if you use good driving skills. Like all autoboxes cars or trucks you can let them do all the work or you can over ride them. Most of the time you let it do it sometimes you have to help it out and prempt what it will do, that’s where skill still comes into it.
Traction control is a good example, you can just keep your foot down on mud and let the computer do it’s thing with the brakes and throttle, or you can drive it as you would one without TC, and be gentle with the throttle and clutch. That way you save on brake pads while the TC helps you out.
dennisw1:
When you go into reverse whack it in 1st then go into reverse or you’ll be swearing at the thing and graunching the box like hell trying.
Yes, I remember them being a right git to get into reverse. If it didn’t go in first time, I used to come up on the clutch whilst in neutral; then it would go in as the gears stopped turning, although they did crunch a bit if you weren’t gentle.
Gazzareth:
Since it has been mentioned “Comfort Shift” - good or bad ■■
I’ve no idea about the clutch thing, but from a user’s point of view, it’s my absolute favourite gearbox out of all of the ones I’ve driven. I love it, especially being able to change split by just flicking the lever and pressing the button, and without knocking the cruise control off.
I’ve no idea about the clutch thing, but from a user’s point of view, it’s my absolute favourite gearbox out of all of the ones I’ve driven. I love it, especially being able to change split by just flicking the lever and pressing the button, and without knocking the cruise control off.
The clutch wear was coming from certain drivers wanting to get up to 65mph !!!
paul@midway:
Manual gears ! hmmmm I,ve really gone off manual gears . I,ve had auto globetrotters for about a fortnight, last night i had a manual globetrotter what a chore …
I used to prefer manual but i,m now converted .
I’m of the oldish school of driving and prefer to choose what gear I am in.
The nearest I have got to automatic is a merc powerliner the first of the semi auto boxes, even then you had some control over which gear you went in.
The problem, I think, these days they are making it so easy to drive these vehicles all you have to do really is point it in the right direction.
The real skill is going out of driving, there is very little roping and sheeting. Auto gear boxes and cruise control limited to 90 KPH, what do drivers do these days apart from steering and opening rear doors or curtains and unfastening a few straps.
Greek Says 33YRS 3 Million Miles Knacked Knees Last 4yrs Autos FANTASTIC When are they going to get Auto steer
paul@midway:
You haven’t read my sig have you
I,ve done my fair share and been in the game about 10 years . Not as long as some but longer than others . Auto boxes and curtain siders are good for me . I,m just waiting for someone to invent a trailer so all you have to do is press a button in the cab and the curtain unclips and pulls itself . Around about the same time you could do with a self hitching trailer , again useing clever electronic buttons .
It wasn’t a go at you personally it was a dig at the way transport as gone and my personal view on proffessional driving today.
I know . No offence taken at all …
With 460 and above i shift volvos i have never had to flick into manual and do the changes , however in a 420 with full weight into a hill you do need to do that otherwise the gearbox will waste your momentum and leave you floundering .
Given the choice between an auto MAN or a manual MAN the manual would always get the nod .
While I was at Wisharts we had an Actros on hire for a bit. I was asked to move it and the keys where tossed to me. I went out to the unit, opened the door, and spent 10 minutes looking for the gear-shift , before asking one of the other lads.
I had jumped in, noted that this has got an arm-rest, folded up . I had no idea the gear shift was on the end of the folded up arm-rest.
My mate jumped in, started it up, rocked it back and forward a few times and asked me what the problem was. I said, “where on earth is the gear shift■■?” He just laughed at me, folded up the arm-rest, jumped out and walked away. . I must have noticed something because it only took me another 5 minutes to find the gear-shift.
My “mate” then came back and started to tell me how to use the gear-box on the road, till I explained to him how to use it properly . (ie. how he should stuff it where the sun don’t shine, with the arm-rest still attached).
) and I had never seen this box before. I asked the driver who was checking over the Actros parked next to me if he could just run through how it worked with me. ‘No problem,’ he says, and jumped into the passenger seat and gave me the low down on using this type of box. He finished of by saying, “Trust me they are really easy to use, I only passed my test three weeks ago and I have no problems with them.” Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing the job, if you don’t know something ask.
. I had no idea the gear shift was on the end of the folded up arm-rest.
