Comments By ButtonUp

Hey there. I used to live in Spring. Don't get a lot of winter weather there, do ya? I think it was in '95, maybe '96 that winter it got below freezing and everyone freaked out lol! The traffic signals were hanging down into the intersections, trees were touching the ground from the weight of the ice. I lived there from new years day '95 to about march of '99.

Are you going to school locally, or somewhere there's going to be actual winter weather?

If you've lived there all your life and haven't dealt with snow and the like, you actually might be better off in that you'll be more likely to take it slow and easy, and not have the bravado a lot of drivers have from dealing with winter weather all their lives that ends up leaving them in the ditch, or heaven forbid, killing someone.

just wondering,is there a time limit for using the program on this fantastic site,I`m going to get my permit in 3 months,I want to get all of my endorsements in the same month,so I`m planning on studying all of them for that time period. thank you everyone

I've been driving now 2.5 years and I still get on the training program sometimes, so you shouldn't have a problem.

...which also makes me realize that although I had remembered the basics of UP HIGH / DOWN LOW, I was incorrect in stating you wanted the power to pull uphill and the torque downhill... it's about having enough room to accelerate downhill if you need to whilst NOT being in the high torque range, and being above torque range going uphill.

Also, when I said...

" As for dry roads, it doesn't seem to matter what the rpm's are, you just want to be in a low enough gear. If you are heavy enough you are going to use the brakes."

... this is in regard to NOT using the JAKE brake. Higher RPM does affect the jake brake.

If the oil fields didn't make us have one.. I probably wouldn't use it. Lucky for me I'm never on channel 19. Oil fields do different channels. We just have to have them because a lot of our back roads are barely wide enough for one truck.. got to know when the road is open. Hahahah

That's some real truckin' lol! And sounds like you're going to be doing the winter road version as well. Good luck man! Doubt you need more hair on your chest but sounds like you're gettin' it!

Here's a few things from the winter driving handbook I got in CDL school:

Before going down a grade in winter...

Make sure the power divider (axle lock) is released going downhill. A free rolling wheel that is not receiving power or braking is less likely to slide.

Select a speed and gear that gives you the ability to go slow enough to stay in control and yet have the ability should you need it to let off the brakes or accelerate slightly to pull a sliding trailer back in behind you.

The important question is where are your RPM? Are they high in the range or low in the range? This is what you need to know when you are going down a grade. Once you are at a safe, manageable speed, then you need to think about whether or not you have torque.

You have high torque in the low to mid rpm range, and high horsepower in the high rpm. If you are in the high torque range, you have the ability to PULL, so if the trailer happened to get out of line and you were in high rpm the only thing you could do to speed up and get out in front of the trailer would be to upshift, and you would not want to upshift if your trailer is trying to push you off the road. If you push in the clutch to shift at this point, or brake, you lose the pull on your trailer and can make the trailer skid worse. That is why when going down a grade you keep your RPM in the mid range so you always have the ability to pull when you need it without having to upshift. Be careful not to go too low (below approximately 1000 rpm) in the torque range when going downhill with a heavy load as this could also cause a skid. Some engines have a lower torque range so make sure to look at the manual for the vehicle you are driving.

Going Uphill

In order to understand the proper technique for going up grades on a slick road, you first need to know what causes a drive axle skid. This is the most common type of skid drivers experience when pulling a slick grade. When you understand what CAUSES it, then learning how to PREVENT it will make more sense.

To prevent a drive axle skid you need to stay out of the torque range when going up a grade. To stay out of the torque range, keep RPM high. When going uphill, staying high in the RPM range also helps to keep your engine from overheating by allowing it to draw air through the radiator and cool.

Remember these techniques by thinking UP HIGH and DOWN LOW.

At first it may feel funny pulling a grade at high RPM. However, you are using that extra fuel to prevent an accident. It is a very small price to pay for the benefit.

Ok I won't copy the whole thing. I should mention that different engines have different no load governed rpm's, but the rpm's used in the example showed about 1400 being in the torque range and downshifting before going up the grade to maintain about 1800 rpm.

I hadn't read this since school, so I didn't remember the exact rpm's it mentioned. I usually maintain about 1500-1600 going uphill, so I might have to change that. The main thing is that you want to be in control of your vehicle, whatever that means for the individual driver.

As for dry roads, it doesn't seem to matter what the rpm's are, you just want to be in a low enough gear. If you are heavy enough you are going to use the brakes.

I disagree, you want low rpm going uphill. There's a much greater chance of sliding and/or losing control climbing a mountain with high rpm.

So what you're saying is that at lower rpm's with more torque and less horsepower you're more likely to break loose?

I just want to make sure I am understanding you correctly as it is totally opposite what I have read and was taught in driving school.

I got that backward... It should be So what you're saying is that at lower rpm's with more torque and less horsepower you're less likely to break loose?

I didn't catch it on the preview...

I disagree, you want low rpm going uphill. There's a much greater chance of sliding and/or losing control climbing a mountain with high rpm.

So what you're saying is that at lower rpm's with more torque and less horsepower you're more likely to break loose?

I just want to make sure I am understanding you correctly as it is totally opposite what I have read and was taught in driving school.

I've seen bikes and such strapped to the back of the tractor, but some companies frown on that. As for the passenger seat, my first two trucks did not have a passenger seat.

Walking does wonders for health. Try to walk 20 minutes a day at least.

Generally you want high rpm going uphill (for power in case trailer starts to slide you can pull it), and low rpm downhill (so you have torque to pull forward in case trailer starts to slide). At least that's the way I understand it. Also, I lock the axle's going uphill, unlock going down. It's the way I was taught.

Thanks ButtonUp. Was in Walmart looking for the Cobra. My WM didn't have it, but they had those. I won't waste the money on that. Thanks again!

Well, I was a little overboard with my comments about getting cooked, but it would take more than legal power to get 30 miles.

I have a Cobra 19 I got cheap and use in the truck. If someone steals it I got a drawer full of replacements at home. That being said, the 29 sounds like a good deal. I highly recommend something that has auto noise level/filter, and a mic gain adjustment.