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My first car was a 1985 Trans Am with the 305 V8 and 5 speed, not a lot of hp but it did have plenty of torque. It could easily bark the tires in first gear if I let off the clutch too quick. I basically taught myself to drive that car with no help, it only took about a week before I learned how to take off without bucking and squealing the tires.
Try learning on a semi. I had a good grasp of manual shifting, but when you start training on semi's, you get 9-10-13 and even 20 (With 4 speed brownie) gears to play with or destroy....
Been there, done that (not breaking gears, of course)
Nothing to destroy if you already know how to shift a manual transmission. Most of the large dump trucks I drove had an air operated transfer controller on the stick. I didn't even have to move my hand away from the stick's handle to operate the transfer controller (a small pull-knob). When needing to go to the next set of "higher" gears, all I had to do was to pull the transfer controller (clutch disengaged first) with my middle finger. This in turn would transfer the transmission to the next higher gears. Bu first all I had to do was start up-shifting from a lower gear to the highest one in that mode. The next step was to disengage the clutch once more, pull the transfer controller, and again start up shifting to the desired higher gear in the chain. That was a 15-gear transmission, but the lower gears were only used when carrying heavy loads. If the dump truck was empty, then I not always had to use the first set of low gears, just the second and third.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RayinAK
Been there, done that (not breaking gears, of course)
Nothing to destroy if you already know how to shift a manual transmission. Most of the large dump trucks I drove had an air operated transfer controller on the stick. I...
real trucks (and drivers) have 2 (or more) sticks!) (I prefer the air switches since I drive mtns!)
For the most part it just seems like a way for guys to defend 'machismo power' and street racing.
Except anything fast, and I'm talking fast not off the showroom cars won't be having a manual transmission. Most people aren't going to put a Liberty's gears 5 spd or a Lenco in their "street racer", not saying it hasn't been done , I've seen it but it isn't common.
When I drive manual, I can get to the next gas station when someone helps me push start if I have a dead battery.
For auto, either AAA or another driver helps you jump start. No way it can do it by itself.
Well, it seems pretty clear from your own statements that you need someone else's help either way.
Except that now they make battery boosters that you carry in your trunk, so you actually can jump start yourself. But you're not going to push-start yourself unless you're on a hill.
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