My automatic made it down the Chattanowhere mountain grade

When your doing 111 on the joisey pike you go ahead in time

 

below 2500?

 

there is also a little hill in Oregon called cabbage and another in montana called pipestone

 

Oh those little old little BUMPS in the Earths Surface that cause a lot of TRUCKERS to go

 

I love my automatic for descending grades. IMO its the best thing since sliced bread. Once I learned how it all works, I have zero hesitation in up or down shifting on a hill. We all know its butt pucker time going down a gear with a standard at best, at worst its putting your life on the line every time you do it. But, with an auto (I have a three pedal with pad) its just like shiffting on flat ground. I can work that trans and jake all the way down, and keep the perfect speed nearly at will.

Most of my trips start in Ks and head to either Seattle or Portland. So I have learned most of the mountains of consequence in this country. And I gotta tell ya, very rarely do I need to work the brakes more than once or twice going down the hills. Usually when I have to get on the brakes its to set my self up for a lower gear before reaching a slow turn.

I can drop down Snowqualmie or Cabbage or 4th and never touch my brakes once. I simply alternate the jakes between hi medium and low at 80K.

Probably the coolest thing about the automatics is in an emergency braking situation. My trans has a button labeled "Low" Once set into low mode the trans will continue to grab the next lower gear at a higher RPM that would be nearly impossible to get with a manual. This allows me to forget about the trans, and put two hands on the wheel while focusing on braking and steering. Best case scenario youd get one or two downshifts in a standard transmission. While the auto will have taken you into the low side of the trans already.

 

The LARGE logging trucks that are used on the West Coast have been AUTOMATICS for years , see some of the loads they haul and the all but none exsistent roads they travel.

 

You forgot the lack of backing skill.

 

At least you don't go down Cabbage on the Eastbound side (unless you count Meachum).

Very true!

 

Mounteagle, yeah I know that place , there's a great Chinese buffet with truck parking just down the street from the truck stop.

 

Aw I disagree, so many think that you can just shift into low and tranny be fine...it does down shift but at one hell of a cost to the engine. There is no substitute for a good driver. I drive an auto shift.