Dodge B-I-B 1948 Driver Manual page 11

high gear when climbing a long or steep hill. Your truck needs its
gears, and you should use the gears for the purpose for which they
were intended. Even if a steep hill can be climbed in high, it is
usually better to shift to a lower gear while the vehicle still has good
momentum, thereby saving time as well as strain on the engine and
minimizing the inconvenience of stalling.
Before starting down a steep or long grade, it is advisable to
shift to the same gear you would use if driving up the hill. Shift to
the lower gear and engage the clutch at once to hold the vehicle
speed down. Do not allow the vehicle to gain speed after shifting
to a lower gear and then engage the clutch, as such an operation
is almost sure to cause damage to the drive line of the vehicle.
If the truck is equipped with a governor, it cannot be driven
faster than the speed for which the gover;nor is set when on level
roads or when going up any grade. When going down hill, do not
under any circumstances allow the truck to exceed the governed
speed of the engine. Faster speeds will "rev up" the engine beyond
the requirements for which it was designed and built, and is almost
sure to cause damage. Use the brakes intermittently to hold the
speed of the truck within limits.
FACTS ABOUT ECONOMY
Real economy has been engineered and built into your Dodge
truck. Economy, however, varies with different operating and load
conditions which cannot be controlled by the truck manufacturer,
but can be controlled by the driver.
Overload and high speeds are the greatest enemies of economy.
Either of these conditions increase operating and maintenance
costs to the point where they become expensive rather than eCQ-
GROSS WEIGHT
=
WEIGHT OF TRUCK + PAYLOAD
8