clutch pedal with your left foot. To shift gears smoothlyand quietly, you must keep the pedal fully depresseduntil the shift has been completed.You should understand that the clutch provides themeans of applying engine power to the wheels smoothlyand gradually. To be a professional operator, you mustlearn just where the clutch starts to engage, how far thepedal must move to become fully engaged how muchfree play there is in the pedal, and how fast you shouldengage the clutch.Keep your foot off the clutch pedal except whenactually starting, stopping, or shifting gears. Even theslight constant pressure on the clutch pedal causesexcessive wear. For the same reason, when stopped ona hill, never slip your clutch to keep from rollingbackward; instead, use the brakes. Depress the clutchpedal and shift the transmission shift lever into neutralwhile waiting for a long traffic light or when halted forother reasons. Release the clutch after shifting intoneutral.When slowing your vehicle to stop or make a turn,be sure to reduce the vehicle speed to 15 miles per houror less before depressing the clutch pedal. Coasting avehicle at a high rate of speed with the clutch pedaldepressed is dangerous, because control becomes moredifficult and damage to the clutch may occur. This kindof practice is abusive to the vehicle.CLUTCH SHIFTING.— After the prestartoperation has been performed and you have acquaintedyourself with the instruments and controls of thevehicle, warm the engine with the transmission inneutral. Start the vehicle moving with the transmissionin low or first gear by following these steps:1. Depress the clutch pedal and shift into low gear.2. Check the mirrors, check blind spots, and givesignals as required.3. Let the clutch pedal up slowly, pausing at thefriction point or when you feel it taking hold. Again,recheck the mirrors for traffic.4. Release the parking brake and slowly release theclutch pedal, and at the same time, slightly depress theaccelerator.5. When the driving operation is under way,remove your left foot completely from the clutch pedal.DOUBLE-CLUTCH SHIFTING.— Professionaldriving practice in trucks (1 1/2 ton or larger) oftenrequires double clutching to permit proper engagementof the gears and to prevent loss of momentum. To shiftto a lower gear by double clutching, follow these steps:1. Release the pressure from the accelerator as youbegin depressing the clutch pedal.2. When the clutch pedal is fully depressed, movethe gearshift lever to neutral position3. Release the clutch pedal, and at the same time,depress the accelerator to speed up the engine.4. Letup on the accelerator and depress the clutchpedal.5. While the pedal is depressed move the gearshiftlever to the next lower gear.6. Release the clutch pedal, and at the same time,depress the accelerator to maintain engine speed as theload is again connected to the engine by the engagementof the clutch.The procedure is the same for shifting to a highergear speed, except that the engine is NOT acceleratedwhile the transmission is in neutral.CAUTIONWhen you are shifting gears in roughterrain and on hills, never let your vehicle slowdown to a point where the engine begins to laboror jerk before shifting into a lower gear ratio.Always anticipate the need for extra power andshift gears accordingly. When descending ahill, with or without a heavy cargo load, alwaysdrive with your vehicle in gear and the clutchpedal out.NOTE: You may encounter vehicles that may havemore complicated transmissions, such as multigearranges, dual-speed axles, or other special features. Asan operator, read and understand the operator’s manualpertaining to a particular vehicle before attempting tooperate it.AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONThe automatic transmission, like the manualtransmission, is designed to match the load requirementsof the vehicle to the power and speed range of theengine. However, the automatic transmission (fig. 2-6)performs this automatically, depending on the throttleposition, vehicle Speed, and position of the shift controllever. Automatic transmissions are manufactured inmodels that have two, three, four, or more forward2-4
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