Starting in 2nd

hi vicki
generally starting in second gear can be done providing you have ample power to weight ratio and a very good h/duty clutch
but if you are lacking either it can lead to clutch failure prematurely through being lazy so to speak
if when attemping the above and there is any signs of shudder or vibrations then those are the tell tale signs that it shouldn't be attemped
we all pay in the long run for short cuts in most cases and the inconviences
how you drive can effect every vehicles longivity
cheers barry

Mazcan,
is right on the money. My old troopy with the 6.5l chev diesel I would always take off in 2nd gear without even touching the accelerator. If I had the van on the back I would force myself to take off in first so it would not put to much strain on the clutch or gearbox.

Look at it this way. An unloaded prime mover with a say 15 speed roadranger. Empty you may take off in 8th gear but loaded you maybe down to 3rd gear or lower depending on the ground or terrain.

Easy, easy wins the race with little strain on the gear.

Back to the cricket,
RA. (great catch by the tall lad in the crowd and McKay wasn't out)

So Vicki, what did you get when you searched in "sheesh cranky old men". Bet there was a heap of 'em...lol

If not towing, heavily loaded or starting off on a steep uphill gradient I quite often start my Cruiser going in 2nd. Can't be bothered driving 3 yards and changing gear.
It all depends on having a little empathy with the vehicle.

Cheers
Pop

Just so as you know the effect your post has had.............

Do a Google search for:

Sheesh cranky old men

Your gut feeling is right Vicky, we have lots of issues with trucks at work from people taking off in to high a gear. One clutch fitted recently lasted 9 days. However if you can take off with out touching the accelarotor then it OK in my view.By the way I have only replaced one clutch in my vehicles in the last 30 years.
With cruisers just get them rolling then change.
Cheers Pete

Hi Vicki,

I suppose the manufacturer put a 1st gear in there for a reason!

Cheers,

Tim.

Vicki as others have said - it depends on gearing, torque, load, position. Regularly started in 2nd on my old 4 speed swb diesel Patrol because it could, but I rarely do it in the 5 speed petrol Jackaroo. I do however skip 3rd occasionally, but please don't tell the gear gendarmes.

Ask ya self this question.

Are you starting in second because first gear is too low for the job or are you doing it because you are lazy?

Most of the 3 speed boxes....and that was the norm in passenger vehicles at one time....... had exactly the same first gear ratio as the first gear in the 4 or 5 speed boxes they replaced...but vehicles then had smaller motors and lower final drive ratios.

This whole...first gear in this vehicle is like second in another.....is a popular over statement of the facts, and its mostly not the case.....look at the manuals and work out the ratios and it usually ends up some where inbetween.

Over the years I have driven with lots of people who have bad habits and being too lazy to start off in first gear it right up there with, holding the vehicle on a hill by slipping the clutch and leaving the left foot resting on the clutch and failing to down shift when appropraite, in producing premature wear on vehicle engines and transmissions.

The most wear and stress on the clutch is getting the vehicle rolling.

In heavy vehicles where the vehicle has a lot of power compared to its unladen weight and the gear shifts may be as close as 200 revs appart, and the unladen vehicle may be less than 1/3 of its gross combination mass, starting in other than first is a necessity.....in fact there will be trucks out there that may go weeks without first gear being selected.

Skip changing is also a necessity of driving heavy vehicles, but skip chagnging in passenger car gearboxes puts undue stress on the syncros.....one of the reasons secod gear syncro suffers more tha the others people skip changing un necessarily 4 to 2 .........
Passenger cars, our gears are mostly arround 1000 revs appart and we don't have transmissions that are over designed like they are in heavy vehicles.

Ask ya self, do I have to ride the clutch or apply extra revs to take off in second gear.....in that case you should not be starting there.

In most diesel 4wds, unladen, on the flat no trottle application should be needed to get rolling in 1st gear High range.

A quick shift to second after the vehicle is rolling never hurt anybody and over the life of the vehicle may save you a clutch replacement.....in a warst case you could reduce you clutch life from years to months.

cheers

Sorry if I present, well proven basic, driving theory and basic mechanical concepts...sorry proven facts.

Yes rock ape you are being a silly boy.

There is a great didderence between driving heavy vehicle and pasenger cars or pasenger derived commercials.

Skip changing in heavy vehicle is a necessity, the vehicle design and its purpose make it so.

Passenger cars are designed to be driven thru the gears sequentially,they have gone to great effort to make it easy and efficient to do so...... there is almost no extra effort to driving them thru the gears sequentially, just like there is little or no extra effort required to start off in first gear......99.9% of the time it comes back to lazyness pure and simple.

If you don't or wont understand why these two practices are bad for the clutch or gearbox..sorry I cant hep you.

cheers