Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-05-04
SHIFTING GEARS
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One of the marks Of good driver
is the manner in which he handles the
gear shifting lever. Of course the
design of the clutch and transmits
ion has a great deal to do with easy
gear shifting, but even with these
advantages a certain amount of prac-
tice is necessary in order to shift the
gears deftly, without noise or clash
ing. This clashing is caused by the
outer ends of the gear teeth striking
each other intsead Of meshing, as they
should, with the result that the trans
mission gears are sometimes injured
by constant improper shifting OF
gears.
Clear understanding of what hap
pens in the process of gear sitting
will enable the driver to master the
process in very short time.
The Transmission is made up of
series of gears, mounted on the main
shaft and the countershaft, with the
idler gear mounted on the transmits
ion case. The first speed, second
speed and reverse combinations are
simply three sets of reduction gears
with various ratios, to give the mot
or a greater leverage against the
driving mechanism when required.
High speed is direct, whieh means
that the propeller shaft revolves at
the same rate of speed as the motor
crankshaft. The various gears are
brought into play by moving the gear
sitting lever to the proper positions.
When the clutch pedal is pressed
all the way down the power of the
motor is disconnected from the trans
mission system, which releases the
pressure of the gear teeth against
each other and makes it possible to
shift the gears easily. Also, when
the gear shifting lever is in neutral
position the power is disconnected
from the rear driving mechanism, be-
| cause none of the transmission gears
are in mesh.
The lower end of the gear shifting
lever connects with the gear shifting
forks, which are so arranged as to
push the gears forward and backward
on the square main shaft in order to
make the different gear combinations.
The whole theory of gear shifting
may be summed up in the statement
that the two gears about to be mesh
ed should be revolving slowly and as
nearly as possible at the same rate
Of speed. If one is revolving much
faster than the other it is difficult to
suit without clashing. nj the patent
ed Buick disc clutch, all of the heavy
rotating parts Of the clutch are car
ried by the flywheel and the light
ones by the transmission, so that the
gears slow down very quickly. This
is wonderful aid in shifting gears.
1t is mistake, for the above reas-
ons, to let the car gain too great
speed before sitting no higher COM
bination. The following method will
be found to give good results:
With the throttle closed and the
spark lever about half way down the
quadrant, so that the engine idles
slowly, throw out the clutch and put
the gear shifting lever in first speed
position. Engage the clutch slowly,
at the same time pressing down on
the accelerator pedal gradually. Let
the car attain speed of about four
or fivexmiles an hour and then throw
out the clutch, removing the right
foot entirely from the accelerator
pedal. Push the lever slightly for
ward into neutral position, then clear
to the left and forward into second
speed. Let the clutch in gently as
before and accelerate the speed of the
car to about eight or ten miles an
hour, when the clutch should again be
disengaged, the foot removed from
the acceleartor and the gear shifting
level pulled straight back into high
speed position.
All of these motions should be made
deliberately, without haste. Most
drivers are in too much of a hurry
to make the shift, but smoother shift
ing will result if, after moving the
lever from first or second speed, it is
allowed to remain in neutral for a Sec
ond before pushing it to the higher
speed position. The driver will &C.
quire this knack much quicker if he
will cultivate the habit of not gripping
the shifting lever too firmly. For
example, shifting from second to high
speed is straight backward move
ment. By moving the lever back
ward with the finger tips, the driver
can actually feel when the gears are
rotating at proper speed to mesh per-
fectly. With the lever gripped tight
ly this is not possible.
These rules will apply to all ordi-
nary driving on fairly good and lev
ell roads, where the car does not lose