Have another question for the group. We are going to visit a friend who lives on top of a mountain. The last half mile to the top is a really steep grade. Don't know the percent it is but it is really steep, but fortunately not very long.
My question to the group is how to operate the transmission. My gut feel is to put the tranny in 3rd gear and get the RPM up around 2100, 2200 some where in that range then as I go up the hill and the RPM drops down to about 1500, manually shift down to 2nd gear trying to keep the RPM up, then as it drops again go down to 1st and hopefully the engine has enought guts to make it to the top.
Would appreciate any comments on how to approach this and take the hill.
Thanks
Gene

Gene: Is there likely to be a traffic problem in that half mile that would prevent you doing the entire stretch in your 1st or second gear to avoid that shift-down?

Far easier on the rig if you simply grunt your way to the top at a steady speed in 1st or second over that half mile stretch than subject your truck and trailer to the high-torque, high RPM shift-downs on a very steep grade. JMHO.

With the Stalick and a 530 you should be able to putt up most hills in 3rd if they are 8% or less. Steeper than that you'd have to go to 2nd which should get you up anything but a cliff. If you are concerned by all means go at it in 2nd.

I liked to use third on steeper stuff, run it up to 2000 RPM and set the cruise. Worked great, kept the engine under the red line, kept my foot off the throttle and the truck was happy. Never saw a hill other than in Branson (20%) where we'd need second other than to slow for curves or washboards, set the cruise for that too and keep your stress levels down, it should work down to 25-7 MPH.

When coming back down do be careful of going too slow, the torque converter will unlock in 1st and the exhaust brake quits working and you can gain a bit of unexpected speed until it all kicks back in. Ours did that at about 8 MPH.

On my way to LA I once had to pull the entire Grapevine in 1st gear because the turbo on my F350 started surging badly and loosing boost! At 25 MPH I got to see a lot of scenery that I'd never noticed before!

14 liters, 1650 ft-lbs of torque, Cummins
18,000 lbs truck, 22,500 40' trailer (40,500 CGVW)

10 gears, tenth is an overdrive (.74).
Western Massachusetts (Mass Turnpike), accelerating in tenth gear up 7% grade (3 miles).
75 mph, oops too fast, back down to 65 mph
No temperature rise, in anything, anywhere.
Engine turning at 1250 RPM (sweet spot, max torque point)
Life is good
8.4 mpg
Life is REALLY GOOD.
Torque is the King, displacement is the Queen, anything else is a court Jester.

hjs