Pete 579 with a PACCAR MX-13 OR FREIGHTSHAKER WITH DD15

The Allison's are a true automatic aren't they? That's probably why they are so good. Getting a computer to shift a manual, without any human intuition, is a fool's errand.

 

The 6 speed Allison was a torque converter automatic. I don't know if they ever made any headway in on road class 8 tractors. Their party piece was smooth power delivery which Allison liked to show off on loose gravel or sand. The auto would pull through while the manual would just axle hop and dig itself into a hole.

 

Volvo has done a pretty dang good job of accomplishing it. The iShift in my 2018 VNL has been quite flawless, this coming from a diehard auto hater lol. The only area it struggles very occasionally is slowing to a near stop then accelerating again, i.e. approaching a red light that changes to green. It will take a second or 2 to hunt a gear. But compared to other autos I’ve driven it’s hardly with noting

 

The Allison TC10 is a fully automatic class 8 transmission

 

I drove one of our 579's loaded out of western Ontario a couple months ago. I couldn't stand the fact I didn't feel in control of the truck. I had to look at the dash to see what speed I was going, and what gear I was in, and it shifted far later than I would have, and often picked the wrong gear (it would make stupid jumps, shifting up near 2200 rpm).

You literally push the throttle to the floor, wait till it maxes out, then push the brake to stop. There was no fine throttle control, and I couldn't for the life of me get it to accelerate smoothly (pulling about 95,000 lbs gross; I can run 137,500 lbs in my 379 CAT 550 and not even have the CB mike swing).

They also tend to really like coming to full stops at lights, rather than coasting/jaking down through the gears then accelerating out of it.

As good as the technology gets, it still won't ever overcome the lack of that human element to controlling a truck (i.e. instinct/intuition).

 

I’m guessing that Truck had an Eaton Ultrashift automatic, which is probably the worst auto available right now IMO. The advantage Freightliner/Detroit and Volvo have is the engine and transmission being designed to work directly with each other, essentially as one unit. Eaton has to design a unit to work universally which leaves a lot to be desired.

Programming plays a huge factor in it as well. Unfortunately most companies set these automatic trucks up for maximum fuel mileage at all costs with little regard for how well it will actually pull a load. My Volvo is set up quite the opposite, pulling power with little regard for fuel mileage which is probably why it’s the best driving automatic I’ve had to date.. and I still get good fuel mileage with it.

 

It is but yet it isn't. It is hard to explain. There is a torque converter but yet it has a dual clutch setup in it as well. It is like no other transmission on the market right now.

 

No question. Pete with paccar. Much better truck to drive.

They will however spend about the same amount of time in the shop, but for different things.

 

DD15 and DT12. Proven ultra reliable, when there are problems Billy Bob's towing service garage can fix it, NAPA has almost any part and cheap too.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I have to second the notion that the autoshift eatons leave a lot to be desired. I absolutely love not having to manually shift anymore, and the jakes are way stronger, but the computer in the eaton seems to have no absolutely no concept of how to drive smoothly. Not to mention that it has a terrible way of popping the clutch when backing. It's a gift from God in mountains and traffic, but it is flat out embarrassing to back in at truck stops because I can't help but have a rookie earthquake virtually all the time.