A note to the anti-auto crowd

striker · May 14, 2012

Pedigreed Bulldog said: ↑

I think a lot of the "manual gearboxes suck" comments are coming from those who couldn't drive a real truck if their life depended on it. It isn't a "crash box". It is a manual transmission. If your idea of shifting gears is slamming it from one gear to the next, you don't know how to drive. If you constantly grind the gears, again, you don't know how to drive. Shifting can (and should) be completed smoothly and without any grinding. If you know how to drive, you can do it.
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well based on this comment, then every manual shift driver out there needs retrained. In 15 yrs of driving, I've yet to go a single day on the road without hearing some manual shift driver grind a gear, usually slowing or starting from a light.

Pedigreed Bulldog said: ↑

If you're parked on a hill, you can release the brakes, start rolling down the hill, and bump start it.
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ya know, I recall seeing someone who claimed to know what there were doing do this on a hill. IIRC, the insurance bill was over $100K in damage to the vehicles he hit as well as his own before he stopped against an embankement.

Pedigreed Bulldog said: ↑

Adverse conditions is another place manual transmissions shine in comparison to autos. You can put the manual transmission in any gear you choose to start out, whereas the computer will prevent you from attempting to start out in that automatic above a preset gear (usually 3rd).
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I'm curious, how many times in all your years of driving have you started out in 5th gear at 80,000 lbs under any conditions?

Pedigreed Bulldog said: ↑

In the manual transmission, power application to the wheels can be controlled with the clutch. In automatic without a clutch, you have no control over how the power is applied to the wheels. If you are on slick roads and the drives break loose into a power slide, in a manual transmission you can press in on the clutch. Power ceases to be applied to the wheels and they begin to spin freely to find whatever traction might be available. You can also feather the throttle, and because the engine is directly connected to the drives through the transmission, you have a pretty good "feel" for what they are doing. You know with 100% certainty that while you are feathering the throttle trying to maintain/regain control over the slipping vehicle that the transmission will stay in gear. Not so with an automatic.
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Again, spoken truely by someone who has no idea what they are talking about.

striker · May 14, 2012

DrtyDiesel said: ↑

Yeah I don't think this engine has an actual engine brake but more of an exhaust brake. My Detroit in my 10spd man. would slow me down quick even with 40k lbs behind me.

On this Mercedes engine o turn the brake on high and even empty it doesn't do a darn good. Ive been just going down grades without using it at all. I can feel my brakes start to fade though.

Ethan
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I think that is the Mercedes engine, both of our freightshaker manuals have that MB engine and the engine brakes suck, more of a noise maker than anything else.

striker · May 14, 2012

Scania man said: ↑

Yeah I've never driven a truck here with a decent engine brake , they do little more than make noise , countries here like Spain that are so mountainous retarders are the law , you even see them on trailers there,
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That is one thing I will say about my Mack, the engine brake rocks. I can run 7% Genesse, Floyd, Vail and Eisenhower at 78K and have to constantly give it fuel as the engine brake is slowing me too much. Accidently leave it on Hi setting while bobtail and you will become very good friends with the windshield.

striker · May 14, 2012

American-Trucker said: ↑

i donno, you tell me lol. It wouldnt downshift for nothing, even in manual mode. I had to shut the truck off, and pull the fuse for the ecu to unlock it (main fuse on the wireing harness in the battery box). came to a complete stop in 10th gear, clutch in of course

American Trucker
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shift motors are failing

Tazz · May 14, 2012

That's kinda odd Mercedes has a bad Jake. The PACCAR MX is based of Euro design isn't it? Hell my Old truck had one of the better" new jakes" I have driven.

Kinda miss it. The one on this DD is about 1/2 as strong by feel.

Bob The Dinosaur · May 14, 2012

Never did that in fifth even woth that old two stick but this has left a sour taste in my mouth calling some of us uneducated by not like these transmissions i earned my stripes on that old mack, and had to learn the ins and outs on the back roads with a load of smokin hot beef on the back.the autos( especially the scania ) i do like, though i do not relish being called dumb ...

DrtyDiesel · May 14, 2012

striker said: ↑

I think that is the Mercedes engine, both of our freightshaker manuals have that MB engine and the engine brakes suck, more of a noise maker than anything else.
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Yeah the guy who had a truck identical to mine said the MB engines have exhaust brakes, not engine brakes. He said he went through brake pads every couple months because all he hauled was 80k+ loads and the engine itself didn't help any when it came to slowing down until you get to 6th or below that gear.

Ethan

okiedokie · May 14, 2012

Bob The Dinosaur said: ↑

Never did that in fifth even woth that old two stick but this has left a sour taste in my mouth calling some of us uneducated by not like these transmissions i earned my stripes on that old mack, and had to learn the ins and outs on the back roads with a load of smokin hot beef on the back.the autos( especially the scania ) i do like, though i do not relish being called dumb ...
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Ain't no big thing Bob. You've been at it as long as he's been alive.

Scania man · May 14, 2012

This is an excellent thread!!!

Scania man · May 14, 2012

Sportster2000 said: ↑

You can get the Allision 6 speed automatic in an RV rated at 650hp. Just throwing that one out there.

I just got done looking at the I-shift spec sheets online and they all say organic material for the clutch so there is not a torque convertor in it.

Give it another year and Allision Transmission is going to bring out a game changer in the transmission world.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=74713
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You really need a constant mesh gearbox in a freight truck, Alot of the energy is sapped away in a 'true automatic' and that means bigger fuel bills.

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