I have 207000 on my OEM clutch. I float upshift and downshift mostly, but have never blown any clutch in any PU or road tractor from "dropping the clutch"! Have destroyed a driveshaft from "dumping" on a still start in a Kenworth!

 

Well, measuring mileage on a truck that is float shifted is kind of like measuring tread wear on a spare tire. If the clutch is not being used 90% of the time, I would expect it to last a very long time.

I don't have the talent to properly float gears, so I will continue to exercise my left leg when driving the truck.

In addition, the guy I mentioned above that dropped the clutch at 3000 RPM was towing heavy up a grade and had just went from 4th to 2nd or 1st (didn't say other than he missed a couple of gears) before deciding that dropping the clutch was a good idea.

Can't fix stupid...

 

I can say with confidence, my last 60k mile AC delco clutch was not abused. Never floated but downshifting, let rpms do its thing. The pressure plate spring housings were broke/chipped..etc, thus, finding out when doing a preventative clutch install...o well, now a LUK w/flywheel is goin in...btw, 9 coronas deep andneighbors wife wetting herself from how the home looks with added christmas lights..haha..

 

Don't underestimate your abilities or overestimate the difficulty in float shifting. In the older trucks they wouldn't even go into gear with the clutch in if the revs didn't match the speed for the gear so 1) we had to learn to make them match and 2) it really made using the clutch an unnecessary exercise. Don't be afraid to give it a try and trying in a higher gear would be easier. When you're on on the highway unloaded and ready to put it into high gear just apply a little pressure to the stick so it pops out of gear when you let up on the fuel. Then quickly get it over into place for the next gear and gently hold it there until the revs drop and it will pop right in for you. Now...didn't I make that sound easy? For those of us who do it regularly that is how easy it is. If you apply more pressure than necessary for getting it out of gear there is no harm, it won't budge but if you push too hard to get it into gear most trannys will give you a grind, if you get the grind just pull the stick back and hit the clutch quick and pop it in, you'll be OK and once you get the hang of it you can just pull back and push again with less pressure to get 'er done.

Being able to float shift may well save you a towing bill one day if your clutch goes south on you. Lots of guys talk about bringing them home 'on the starter', referring to the times when we had to stop and started them in gear and moved on.

 

Mark is SO SO right on this. It has happened to me twice, while towing. Once in a 2005 Dodge I owned some years back, and then summer a year ago with my SD. Remeber that clutch thread I posted the summer of 2017? I had to drive about 100 miles pulling my TT on a blown clutch. It was lifesaver that I could float shift and got to the campground no worse for the wear. practice it just like Mark said Sous and you'll have it in no time. You are pretty darn capable....even dummies can float a clutch....like me LOL!!

 

What about starting from a stop without a clutch, what is the procedure for that?

I suppose at idle, the truck could be put into L or 1st similar to how it would go into gear when normal shifting, but I have to ask.

 

Oh yeah, that part. I had to shut my truck off and then start in gear. not ideal, but it seemed the only choice to me. It would not go into gear from a standstill without the clutch.

 

I even had to float gears on a Harley when the clutch cable broke about 40 miles from home.

 

Put it in low gear, depress clutch pedal to active start sensor and start it up, it'll go. They're hardest to get in and out of gear in the lower gears due to the torque that's on them and the ratios involved.

 

Never had to float from a t. Thank god there was no traffic on the freeway that day. After blowing out a slave when dropping the daughter off at school(45 miles away), went to buddys to hit store for new 1. Bled it and on my way. That lasted 3 miles when i got to freeway. Pedal was dead...made it to offramp in elsinore and from there, blew thru all stop signs and stop lights lol...1-2 no problem but from 2-3 made shredded cheese if a block was in the slushbox..all other gears were nuth'n...only time i float is coming to a stop. Rev it up and pop ur into N

 

Drove a Mack with twin stick 5x4 (5 main, 4 aux) for 7 or 8 years. That will teach you to drive! Floated every gear except the split shift (shift both main and aux to get to next ratio). Never cared for the two hand shift some used so I double clutched aux then main to avoid the cursed "double nuthin" (getting both main and aux stuck in neutral)!

 

Well, I had verbal orders for coming back stateside. Found a great truck, bought it, did the family roadtrip in it and put it in storage for a few months until I get there. Found out this week I am going to Sicily for 4 yrs. Sounds great but what about the truck! Storage or italian roads?

I know first world problems.

 

Even if you have written orders in your hand, nothing is certain until you sign in to your new unit at your new duty station. Even then, I have seen people sign in and then be told that unit or base is being eliminated and they would be moved within the next year. One of the worst parts about the military is you go where you are needed, no matter what your ambitions, plans, family or anything else tells you.I would consider yourself lucky that you got a good assignment, or what appears to be a good assignment.

As for the truck in Italy, that is really up to you. I know I had a hard enough time with my 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix on English roads. Although, traveling to Germany and France the roads were different, but a lot of the same if that makes sense. There are plenty of people that do take full sized American vehicles overseas, but I would not be one of those people. In fact, I remember how much of a pain in the *** it was to get parts for American vehicles.

 

Should be able to get parts pretty easy. Flying to the states monthly. I am trying to talk myself into main roads and base as the only driving in it. Sounds great until I do my austin powers imitation in some stonewall lined town!

 

We bought my wife a 1985 Mini Cooper while we were in England. It was the only vehicle we took out into the surrounding areas if we were going off base. Like going down to Cambridge, London or Ipswitch... There is an FTE'r named ShovelheadRob on here that drives a dually F350 in England, but I cannot see how he does it.

No way I would want to drive and drive a Ford Super Duty away from the base or off the "motorways" onto surface roads.

As for parts, you must be aircrew of some sort. If that is the case, consider having to get parts to where you can pick them up in order to return overseas with them. Not sure what your regulations are on traveling with larger parts, but as you know, you will have an APO mailing address, so there is that option as well.

If I were in your situation, I would just get a M series BMW, AMG Mercedes or something similar on the cheap. I remember when I walked out of the Frankfurt airport for the first time as young Airman and saw that all of the cabs were Mercedes, I could not believe it.