Inching Pedal in M series

Hey guys and gals, I have heard mixed reviews on clutch ("inching pedal") use in the new M series grader. Some people say use it, others are saying don't touch it. I was just curious what your thoughts are on it? Some of you older experienced people's

Any help or tips are appreciated. Stay safe

The correct method of using the inching pedal (according to the manual) is only for starting off and stopping. For direction changes while grading you simply shift the control from Froward to Reverse or vice versa and the software takes care of the shift. It's effectively the same idea as the shuttle shift on a backhoe loader.

We had a Cat Operator Instructor on site and were pretty taken aback when he came out with that in regard to our 16Ms. However now our operators use the recommended shifting technique without even thinking about it. It has had no apparent effect on transmission life.

I always wondered about other machines. When we first got our Volvo, I used to stall it all the time when changing direction. The tech told me that while I shouldn't make it a common practice, I can shift into reverse while going full ahead. The computer will shift down until you almost stop, and then change direction. While I have never put his explanation to the test, I do only use the inching pedal for stopping and starting, or for inching.

Nige is correct on this. It is hard to get use to but the 140M I am on shifts horribly when using the inching pedal. I just don't use it at all other than stopping or working close quarters. However you want to keep about the same throttle throughout the shifting process too. I have been just going to neutral, come to a stop and then switch it in Forward when I have the blade positioned for the next pass as well. It seems to work pretty good doing that as well.

I run a 24m this summer..no inching petal in that puppy..whats with that??...lol. In the other m series graders that have the inching petal..I only use it when starting and stopping, but most times I do the same as Radrock explained. When leveling gravel forward and reverse on the fly..yes grandpa..I'm still alive lol

The 24M does not need an inching pedal because it has a torque converter. It's the only grader in the Cat product line that has one. All other graders are direct drive which is why they need an inching (clutch) pedal to get the going and to get it stopped. The 24M can be directionally shifted at anything up to full engine RPM simply by flipping the directional shift control from F->R or vice versa, the converter takes care of the rest.

Regarding the smaller M Series without a converter (everything EXCEPT the 24M then) this is what the Operator Manual says about directional (shuttle) shifting.

To perform a shuttle shift, simply select the opposite direction from the current selection on the transmission control switch . The direction change must be done in one continuous motion, the transmission control switch should not be in the NEUTRAL position for greater than 0.2 seconds. If a shuttle shift is requested while operating in a gear higher than those described in the table above, the transmission controller will automatically downshift to a gear in the range of a shuttle shift.

What the table says is that in 1st speed to 3rd speed directional shifts F->R & R->F can be made at anything up to full engine RPM, in 4th speed the engine speed must be less than 1500RPM. Directional shifting is not recommended in anything above 4th speed, but as per text above the transmission will actually downshift to a gear where a shuttle shift is permitted before performing the shift.

Go ahead and brag about the 24M.... I'd love to get on one of those big boys once before I'm 6 feet under. I have been on a 16G a lot but we have never had anything bigger than that.

Nige, I remember reading that now. (getting forgetful in my age). So me stopping and then shifting into forward from a full stop is not recommended??? It sure works good that way. Mine has a programmable transmission and I set it up for 2nd forward and third in reverse and it shifts terrible in that mode. But if I do it my way it works real well. Now when it is in just 2nd or 3rd it shifts real smooth but I don't really like starting off in 3rd gear.

Radrock said:

Go ahead and brag about the 24M.... I'd love to get on one of those big boys once before I'm 6 feet under. I have been on a 16G a lot but we have never had anything bigger than that.

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You know something? I felt the same way..wanted to get on one of those puppies before I died..lol. Well..I did ....and I was disappointed. Just not what I thought it would be. I can get into more detail about it if you like..

Grader4me said:

You know something? I felt the same way..wanted to get on one of those puppies before I died..lol. Well..I did ....and I was disappointed. Just not what I thought it would be. I can get into more detail about it if you like..

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Well I don't think I would last for sure. I know that they are used mostly for mining work and mostly just blading haul roads. I think I would get very bored doing that in a very short period of time. I enjoy cutting grade, pulling slopes, ditching. One great thing about my job is that I do several different things on different equipment. It keeps it interesting.