i had the honor to drive an autoshift truck

Those older allisons with torque converter were heavy, lousy on mileage, and the one we had in a spreader truck just couldn't handle heat. Can't imagine trying to pull Pheonix to Flag in the summer with one.




IHV

That must have been a malfunction. Once placed in manual they should not come out. Now there is a specific button for manual just placing the tranny in a certain gear will not make it manual.


As a side question why do people over rev their motors so much? 1600 on a down hill seems really high to me. Of course I hear those type numbers alot lately.

 

Just wait in a couple months get into a local truck and realize why the motor is bogging down when you get to the stop sign






Stupid stick shift

 

Last April we replaced our tractors with new autos. I did not want one, made sure mine was last to be replaced. Hated it for the first month. Backing and starting out on a hill takes some time to get use to.

Now, I love it! Doing city deliveries is alot better with an auto. I will admit that when I take our tandem-axle tractor(the only daycab left that is a manual 10), I forget to shift alot

 

When I'm trying to hook a low trailer, first I back up and make sure I'm not gonna bash my frame or the rear edge of the 5th wheel on it, then I pull up and kind of "ram" it, stepping on the clutch just before I hit it. I think it's easier on the drive train that way. But you gotta do it with just the right amount of inertia. Too much and you'll slam the hell out of the king pin. Not enough and you gotta pull up and do it again. (However in the latter case I wait and let it air up, and crank the dollies down a bit first.)

 

I've had an auto shift for 7 years now. I got it because, as a company driver, I kept getting runs into, the across LA. Felt like 50 miles of traffic lights. My shoulder and back just couldn't take it, so when I bought a truck to go O/O in, I picked an auto-shift. It worked great, I haven't been to LA since I bought the truck!!

Some basic things that drive me nuts:

It's not an automatic, don't call it that.
If it's got three pedals (throttle, brake and clutch) it's an autoshift.
If it's got two pedals (throttle and brake) it's an ultrashift.

The transmission generation and engine determine if the transmission will upshift from manual or low in order to save the engine. On my 2000 c15 it stays locked in the hold setting at least up to 2400 rpm (and that's 200 higher than governed limit.). If the transmission is upshifting in manual, it's the engine or truck company that decided to program it that way.

If the transmission is getting torqued locked or missing shifts, change the oil!!! Really. After about 300k it becomes a little oxidized and tacky, bad for an autoshifter. So before paying for a wall job (they don't know what's wrong, so they park it and give it back a day later)(if you're lucky) change the freaking oil.

Autoshifters are a little slower to shift (bad), but they almost never ever blow a shift. And if they do, Change The Freaking Oil.

I really like my autoshifter, but I have a hard time getting my head around an ultrashift.

 

Never had one, but the idle thing is set up by your shop. They have the choice of timed idle shutdown, bumping the cruise up, or no shut down. Being a new truck they might not had the laptop hooked up to it yet, so you might mention it to them.

 

With a couple of engineering changes to add life to gears and centrifugal clutch it is the same basic design.

 

I drove one for 2 yrs. You have not had it long enough or are not curious enough to learn how to drive it. Idle had nothing to do with it. That was chosen by your boss take it up with him. Can be changed in ECM. They are a little different to drive. So is an 18 sp vs 10. They are trucks. All are a little different. You are paid to drive so learn them all. Not that different. They are good for creeping in traffic and other times. Hated mine worst on long grades. Would wait too long to downshift and then it had to go into 8th or 7th. No big deal. Flip to manual and paddle it when I knew it needed to shift. Got to widen your comfort zone. Learn them all and you are more likely to always have a job while those that don't sit around blaming new technology for their woes. It's just another truck.

 

I think you need to put it in low when you start down the mountain. I don't have a lot of time in a Auto shift but I seem to remember that with the Ultra- Shift. Starting out from a dead stop low will keep you in 1st, and going downhill it will keep you from up-shifting.