Clutch & Gears

The first thing to remember when you first come into contact with the clutch pedal and gear lever is that they both depend upon each other. One without the other and nothing will happen.

Clutch Pedal Location

Of the three pedals, the clutch pedal is the pedal on the far left and is the only pedal your left foot will operate.

In the driving instruction industry we call the accelerator pedal the "gas" pedal, which is positioned on the far right of the three pedals. That leaves the centre pedal, which is the footbrake.

How the Clutch Works
The clutch is basically a means of transferring the power from the engine to the drive wheels via the gear box. That's fine but what does it mean? Well if we look at the diagram we can get a simplified overview of the clutch and how it works.

Looking at the diagram we can see at the front of the vehicle there is an engine. Attached to the engine is a shaft and on the end of the shaft there is a wheel, called a "fly wheel". When the engine is running the fly wheel will spin because the shaft is spinning. Opposite the fly wheel is another wheel called the "clutch plate" and this is attached to another shaft which runs through the gear box to the drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. Both plates are about the size of dinner plate. When the clutch pedal is pressed to the floor the two plates are apart. However, when you select a gear, 1st for example, and bring the clutch pedal up slowly, the two plates come together and when they meet this is known as the biting point. By doing so you have now transferred the power from the engine to the drive wheels via the spinning plates. The secret to good clutch control is to bring the clutch pedal up slowly and this will allow the two plates to come together smoothly. In fact, when you feel the two plates come together, hold the clutch still for a second or two and this will give you a seamless pull away.

GEARS:

As mentioned earlier, the gear lever works in conjunction with the clutch pedal. The function of the gears is to allow you to pull away and then build up your speed, depending upon your road and conditions. Most modern vehicles will have five gears. However, some of the older vehicles will only have four gears. Some cars, now provide vehicles with six or more gears. The picture illustrates a five gear setup. Different makes of vehicles could have a different setup from this but the gears will work in exactly the same way

How the Gears Work
First Gear is the strongest forward gear and is used to get the shear weight of the vehicle moving. Remember you are sitting in a vehicle that could weigh in excess of 1 ton, so you'll need a very strong gear to get that dead weight moving.

Second Gear
Once you've built some speed up move into second gear. Not as strong as first gear but able to move faster.

Third Gear
Very similar to the second gear in that the gear allows the vehicle to travel faster but the gear is not as strong as second gear.

Fourth and Fifth Gears
Fourth and fifth are cruising or economy gears. Once you've reached your desired speed or the maximum speed limit, select one of the cruising gears. As you move up the gears they get weaker but the vehicle will travel faster. The horizontal position for the gear lever is called neutral. There will be no gear selected when the gear lever is in this position.

Safety Tip
Before starting your engine ensure that the handbrake is on and the gear lever is in the neutral position.