Autoshift for liquid bulk?

Right on...do the auto cause less surge?

 

I wanna say yes cause for training we used a manual and the trainer was telling me that he times his shift to stop the surge but I just drove slow and steady took my time around curves and I never had any issues.. it was pretty smooth but I had company drivers laugh when I told them that my pete 387 was an auto they said it was not a real truck... Whatever that meant.

 

Yea these older truck drivers believe in shifting they own gears...I personally don't have a problem with auto...but I rather a manual

 

I just drove a week with a 10 speed auto-shift, smooth bore tank, WAS NEVER SO HAPPY TO GET OUT OF A TRUCK, IT CANT MAKE UP IT'S MIND WHEN TO SHIFT, KEEPS SHIFTING WITH SURGE MAKING SURGE LAST FOR MILES AND MILES, TAKING OFF FROM A DEAD STOP IS A PAIN, ON A INCLINE IS WORST, GIVE ME A 13 SPEED ANY DAY! THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE IT WORK IS TO PUT THE AUTO IN MANUAL, KIND OF DEFEATS THE PURPOSES I DO BELIEVE!

 

It takes longer than a week to learn the PROPER way to drive a auto. It's not like a car where you just mash the gas and go.

 

Does the auto shidt burn more or less deisel then a manual

 

Bingo!! Too many drives just mash it to the floor and go. Think being able to shift without grinding makes them a driver. Put them in an auto shift and it really shows up. That's one of the main reasons so many operators are going to them. 1st smooth bore I drove did same thing. Took me about 45 minutes to get it under control. All in pedal pressure and feel. Love all these hacks bad mouthing something they don't understand or repeating what a friend of a cousins buddy told his barber. Now there are good and bad autoshift sysems as well. Eaton old with pedal OK. New Eaton{2013 is latest I have tried} Ultrashift sucks. Volvo will shift better then anyone on here in 99% of situation. I spent last couple yrs in 379EH with 550 and 18. Loved it. Got real good with it at all speeds. And after 8 months in Volvo I realize the possibilities of the auto. Rarely over ride the auto and go to manual like Eaton. It will pick and skip shift as needed better than you will ever be able to. Never thought I would feel that way for sure. But is true. The only trouble we have is when they get torn up by the same hacks that floor it at every stop. Safety director has started following some of these guys and they are writing up over 400% more problems then those who slow down to speed up. Few have been canned. Others have slowed down. Started picking better routes and getting tips from other drivers on how to get in and out and on to next load. Parking better to use short lighter hoses instead of dragging heavy 20-25' ones. Getting current tank info before pulling into rack to load. Can often load for each tank at location. No timed drops to slow you down. Lot of other tips. We can all learn from others. Auto not working properly can be frustrating. So can slipping clutch and a thousand other things. Take care of your equipment. Drive like a pro instead of a kid. Be open to new technology. It's coming whether you like it or not. Our company takes driver feedback seriously. And few like Eaton Ultra Shifts anywhere close to Volvo. I Shift. 12 spd. In good drivers hand it makes your day much more relaxing and enjoyable. Saves company money. Do miss running through gears on my 18 sometimes out in rural areas. But then every other Friday pay comes and it isn't missed nearly as much.

 

Transmission doesn't burn any diesel that's the engines job. /sarcasm

But really it all depends. I will say the fuel mileage is a lot more consistent because the shift points are always the same so there's no over revving for downshifts or holding the rpms to high to climb a hill. No missed gears or grinding.

 

Driver has always been biggest factor in mileage. One guy will take off easy, drive smooth, anticipate lights and traffic flow a mile ahead and always get much better mileage then the lead foot who just mats it at every light and gear. Much easier on maintenance as well. Love to time lights right to still roll right by large cars, day cabs, others who just blew by and slammed on brakes. Then here they come again. And do it over and over and over. Once I get on open or at least decent road I too will have it on the floor. But that is a stupid way to drive in and around town and heavy traffic/lights.

 

I have driven 10 spd, 13 spd, 18 spd and auto shift. I have pulled various trailers, and only pulled straight bore tanker with a 10 spd and 18 spd. I have driven my brothers auto pulling hopper trailers.

I am smooth with both the 10 spd and 18 spd, but with the 18 speed the split gears will add surge to a load if you let up on the throttle to fast...I had to learn that. In fact, I would use the clutch to avoid having to let off the throttle to get the split shift done, as that was smoother than letting off the throttle all the way.

The auto shift driving does take a while to learn the shift points. If you pull a tanker with an auto, and you drive it like you would a van trailer you will have more surge... The first time I drove an auto, I thought the truck had died when it shifted up to the next gear....no power for a full second and I had the throttle half way to the floor....I could feel the momentum throwing my body forward as it shifted in the lower gears.....which would mean surge. The way I think you would fix that is to use less throttle and to let up on the throttle the closed you got to the shift point, so when the shift occurs you do not throw yourself and load forward when the auto goes into neutral. And then once the shift is done, you lightly accelerate to the next shift, etc. So I think it is very doable to avoid creating surge when upshifting. On downshifting, I do not see any problem as downshifts were pretty smooth with the auto I drove, as the auto will bump your rpms up higher than you would if you were driving a manual, and it is just a heck of a smooth downshift with an auto. And using the jake with an auto is super easy, as you do not have to match up engine rpms with the trans, as the auto does it for you.

So to repeat, there is a learning curve on the upshifting with an auto and not creating surge, but I think you can learn how to reduce it, or even eliminate it, while keeping it in the auto mode, but you need to be able to know where the shift point is, so you get off the throttle some to avoid creating surge. Downshifting is smooth and easy with the International auto I drove, and no manual down shifting would be needed on this tractor to avoid surge. Just use your brake pedal to control your decrease in speed, along with the jake.