How to Shift a Big Rig
- 1). Step on the clutch and shift the gear lever to neutral in the middle of the setting. Check to see that the lever moves freely from side to side to be sure it's in neutral before starting the truck.
- 2). Set the range selector on top of the shifter knob to the low position. Depress the clutch and shift to "Lo" gear by pulling the lever down and all the way to the left whenever starting from a complete stop with a heavy trailer in tow. Let off the clutch as you depress the accelerator to move forward.
- 3). Depress the clutch and shift up to the neutral position, then push the lever to the right until it's in the middle position and push up to get into first gear. Shift to second by depressing the clutch and pulling the lever straight down. Shift up into neutral, push the lever as far to the right as possible and pull back down to reach third gear. Push the lever straight up to get into fourth gear.
- 4). Change the range selector to the high setting by pushing it forward. Shift the lever to the same upper middle position used for first gear to get into fifth gear. The lever position for first gear becomes fifth gear when the range selector is on the "Hi" setting. Shift straight back down for sixth, then up into neutral, over and down for seventh and straight up for eighth.
- 5). Shift the lever into the upper middle position for first and fifth gear and flip the deep reduction lever, or splitter on the left side of the shifter knob forward into its "Hi" setting position and let off the accelerator. The truck transmission will shift into ninth gear. Shift straight down into the second/sixth gear spot and flip the deep reduction lever toward you to the "Low" position for 10th gear. The position for third and seventh gears becomes 11th gear and the spot for fourth and eighth becomes 12th gear by shifting into those positions and moving the splitter. Set the splitter forward for overdrive in the gear you use for cruising. The higher gears are only necessary for interstates with very high speed limits.
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