What are your thoughts on automatic vs manual transmissions?

No.

No.

Thank you.

 

I can't say I'm familiar with the mechanicals of the limited number of manuals I've driven other than to know for sure my '88 is not air assist.

If I was to put it back on the road I'd get a clutch pedal extender to solve my problem, as it's a matter of reach not force. I float gears, so it's really just activating the clutch brake that's a problem ie getting the pedal down to the floor when I need to engage it. Just gets to be unnecessarily difficult to live with every day. Especially as a local driver.

 

I've spent about 3 minutes in the seat of an auto. Enough to determine I'm not a huge fan. I mean at the end of the day all that really matters is a nickle's a nickle.

I just found it didn't have the low speed precision you get with a manual. Too jerky engaging the clutch. Even taking off with a tridem Landoll loaded up with equipment it wanted to start out in 2nd or 3rd all the time, then you get the cab and hood shuddering and shaking as everything starts torquing up.

 

Tell me you don't know how to come down a big grade, without telling me you don't know how to come down a big grade.

 

I know how to go down a big grade. If you want to go faster a use less brakes, you can use Descent Mode. You can go down without any help just using the brakes. We use new technology or you can live in the past and go like you have no engine brake and drums.

 

You continue to validate my point.

All the fancy programming in the world doesn't magically allow a truck to go downhill at a higher speed. The maximum safe speed is limited by the ability of the Jakes to hold back the load without brakes. The mere fact that you think Descent Mode allows a faster decent tells me you don't understand this.

While there is a definite Luddite mentality in trucking, especially among older drivers, don't make the mistake of thinking all of us are anti-tech troglodytes.

 

Well said.

 

The fastest and correct way to go downhill would be using the engine brakes plus the regular brakes, if your on dry roads and your using the light steady pressure of 10psi or less. Their are other ways to drive downhill depending on how someone was trained.

The technology doesn't magically let the truck go faster is correct. You can to the same thing the computers are doing manually. Most drivers don't like the idea of dropping a gear or two and raising the RPMs to 2100 or 2200. That's not even how I was trained, and if I still had a manual transmission I would not go downhill at 2100+ RPMs.

I think Detroit claims you can use Descent Mode and it will hold truck at the speed you set if for, up to 8% grade without touching the brakes. That's big improvement vs my older S60 Detroit and manual transmission

 

The last company I worked for hauling Diesel provided us with 18 speed auto - gear boxes the argument being there was less chance of a driver damaging the gear box and therefore would cost less in repairs in the long run which is good reasoning provided the auto transmissions did not also have massive mechanical issues, which is eventually what happened when a driver gets stuck in the middle of the highway because the auto- transmission has packed it in and they are unable to engage the gears this in the point in time when it becomes more evident that a manual transmission would of came in handy. If I had my own truck based on my own experiences with auto gear boxes I'd definitely go with a manual transmission there are far less things to go wrong and it helps me focus more on driving if I have to personally change the gears.

 

Ok, I’ll jump in on a few of these.

With respect, that statement sounded just a tad arrogant.

I read his post and seems he was just going over how his truck handles hills and how to set/use the options on it to safely descend down a hill using the tech available to him.

I believe your reply here is unwarranted… with respect.