MAN Arsetronic

So got the new job I was looking for, start Monday. One small issue is they run a MAN fleet. In all my time limping have only driven one once briefley. If the fleet had been Scania or Renault id have been laughing as those are the units i’ve spent the most time in.

Know MAN have the glorious arsetronic gear box that i have come across in DAF and Iveco forms. As I have got a job that involves driving in rural areas with plenty of hills and bends at 44t I was looking for some tips on getting the best control out of the gearbox and exhaust break setup in the MAN, from those who have experience of it.

Any other tips on the Unit would be appreciated, its a fleet of 440 tgx split between 13 and 67 plates. Not tramping but a couple of nights out a week.

Thanks in advance

Don’t sweat it. Getting used to the arse tonic box is not difficult. Just allow for it to be a bit slow pulling away at start (it’s called ‘relaxing’) and when you are about to reverse, press the ‘air dump’ button (next to the ‘lift axle’ button ). If you find the clutch control to erratic or harsh, select the ‘tortoise’ setting.
The arse tonic box is not as good as the Volvo, but those complaining loudest just don’t know how to use the box.

The advantage of driving the same truck all the time is you get used to it’s “design features” and learn to work with it or work round it, to get the best from it.

Hah, welcome to my world.

Mu suggestion i to learn the ratios and drive it in manual all the time, the only time i don’t is when empty in stop start traffic because manual defaults to 3rd for restart even when empty, nine time out of ten the auto will start empty in 4th or 5th depending on terrain, so very often i’ll let it start empty in auto and soon as moving click over to manual and carry on.
You can pre select 4th or 5th for start gear in manual, but the vehicle might not like it when you do and immediately (well quick for arsetronic) slips back down to 3rd, if it was in auto it would be in 5th and pull away happily, a case of do as i day not as i do.
Block changes maximum of 3 at a time.

Gearchanges are horrid in auto, they are slow, it often (always) chooses the wrong gear at moving junctions and you have to wait for that wrong gear till its had a meeting and sent a memo , so my advice is to start as you mean to go on, in auto you’ll find the gears hold for a second or so without power before upshifting, in manual they are much more positive and you make better progress.
Also you can control the revs better, these engines lug right down and still pull fine at 1000 rpm, i seldom go over 1600 rpm pulling and try to upshift at 1500, however i slip her into 11th at the very start of any long incline before the speed drops.

Assuming you are loaded, unless on a hill 3rd is a perfectly fine start gear, i then generally go 5th 7th and then up single gears (sometimes miss 8th out too depending on terrain), but you’ll find whats best for you.

Interestingly when you’ve got used to the lorry you should find it gives more power when you use manual and make it work, when i get mine back after a couple of days off it won’t pull you out of bed, by the time i’ve driven it for half and hour my way she’s back on song.

Exhaust braking is much better in manual too, you’ll find the rev counter green band shifts up to 2000/2200 rpm for best exhaust braking, you might as well not bother pressing the bloody exhaust button in auto, cos the only time it gives a good change is 9th to 7th when it lurches really badly, the main gears above it hangs on to fat too low revs and looses all exhauster effort.
The exhauster is good if you keep it up in the green band and drops off below that.

Snail mode for maneuvers helps a lot.

We run small wheel mid lifts, i assume the big wheel versions work the same, the air dump works up to 20kph, if you dump the mid lift air and you have a decent air pressure the mid lift will actually raise off the ground even fully loaded, very useful for maneuvers but i also use this a lot for pulling away on wet roads, MAN’s one of the most wheelspin prone motors i’ve driven, even get wheelspin in 11th on wet roads, note the TC doesn’t cut in that quickly you can soon get sideways with one on a straight road, worse on roundabouts, keep an eye on it.
If you have traction trouble even with the mid lift raised remember to switch off ASR as well, OFF ROAD will come up on the dash, TC (ASR) cuts the power brilliantly at maneuvering speeds
On the subject of air pressure the compressor is woeful, just about good enough for a 7.5 tonner, couple of nasty maneuvers can see you running out of air.

Be careful of the steering, especially loaded, its low geared and on rural roads it tends to follow damaged road edges and could easily pull you in the ditch, that’s the only thing in all honesty that i’m going to miss about mine.

If you ever work out how to program the night heater timer you’re in the wrong job and should be working for NASA.

If you have the large headlight units, the lamps are held in with 3 torx bolts (T40), one behind the flip off cover in front of the cab steps, two behind that little flip off panel to the inside of the light units (not all lights are the same, this is how mine are), the two in front come out, the one behind is captive and the lamp units hinge inwards for easy access.
Suggest you take those torx bolts out and grease them every few months, they rust solid after a while to the captive nuts behind, you can still undo them but you’ll need to ponce about with 13/14mm spanners and mole grips behind the bumper to hold the captive nuts, a right ball ache at 4am when a headlight bulb blows.
Bulbs in these units seldom blow, so when you do get one the bloody bolts will be seized solid if you haven’t greased them.

Squirt some spray grease on the door hinges, they seize and wear.
Washer bottle won’t take the flow of a tap, so keep a 4 litre milk bottle or jug about for topping that up.
Oil level is on the menu, it won’t give a reading unless overfull or low and will only say ok most of the time till it gets about 1/4 to 1/3 above minimum when the reading is available, when 4 litres will return it to max.

Enjoy

The newer 67 plates…

Have a much more responsive gearchange. It’s much slicker than previous versions. It’s not perfect, it’ll never be an i-shift but I find I can live with it.

Juddian:
Hah, welcome to my world.

I hear what your saying. The changes are slow, clonky in traffic and seem to have no rythmn whatsoever.

But, MAN designed it, my lot got them in on contract for 2 years apiece so I just let it do it’s godawful changes in auto all the time. I couldn’t care less how many extra brake linnings it gets through because of the utterly uselesss exhuast brake, I don’t care if nearly dies halfway up a hill because it couldn’t make the right gear (providing I’m not in danger of stalling or rolling back, if that’s on the cards I’ll manual shift it out of trouble).

If the manufacturer didn’t give a toss when he made it, my lot didn’t give a toss (or ask us) when they ordered them, why should I give a toss when I drive it?

yourhavingalarf:

Juddian:
Hah, welcome to my world.

I hear what your saying. The changes are slow, clonky in traffic and seem to have no rythmn whatsoever.

But, MAN designed it, my lot got them in on contract for 2 years apiece so I just let it do it’s godawful changes in auto all the time. I couldn’t care less how many extra brake linnings it gets through because of the utterly uselesss exhuast brake, I don’t care if nearly dies halfway up a hill because it couldn’t make the right gear (providing I’m not in danger of stalling or rolling back, if that’s on the cards I’ll manual shift it out of trouble).

If the manufacturer didn’t give a toss when he made it, my lot didn’t give a toss (or ask us) when they ordered them, why should I give a toss when I drive it?

Whilst i have every sympathy with that outlook, and sometimes wish i could be more like it, because you are right in every respect

I can’t, i flatly bloody refuse to be reduced to attending a second rate underspecified steering wheel, i also get a perverse pleasure from beating the poxy computer at smooth fast progress with better fuel consumption to boot.

These MAN’s have got a really slick gearchange.

I drive a different MAN every day, and they really have very few redeeming features.
Gear change is by commitee
Pulling away by appointment only.
Steering via elastic bands.
Exhaust brake is exhausted.
Door hinges made of biscuits tin.
Dies a death on slightest incline.
Aircompressor is on a 40 a day habit.
On-off reverse switch.

And if you are going to do nights out, the interior was designed by a drunk dyslexic blind man.

the nodding donkey:
I drive a different MAN every day, and they really have very few redeeming features.
Gear change is by commitee
Pulling away by appointment only.
Steering via elastic bands.
Exhaust brake is exhausted.
Door hinges made of biscuits tin.
Dies a death on slightest incline.
Aircompressor is on a 40 a day habit.
On-off reverse switch.

I drive them quite often. I find them arguably the fastest unit on the road along with the Daf XF. I quite like them. The cruise/limiter is interesting and quite easy once you get the hang of it.

Biggest bugbear is the silly door handles, which are ok till (on the older ones) some are sole breaks it!

Would prefer an exhaust brake on a stalk a la Daf/Merc/Volvo but other than that. No problems.

MAN units I’ve driven have had one redeeming quality. Awesome cup holders and cubbie holes. A feature lacking in my Scania. I really gotta take a picture of my current truck to show how bad it is I don’t even have space to put my wallet away.
My Scania is very smooth to drive but I’d have a DAF or MAN any day just so I can have my gear within easy reach while driving.

As for driving MAN trucks. Manual is best. Blip the throttle when your coming to a stop otherwise when you pull away it will take ages to change gear. They may not have the best box but they aren’t a bad truck tbh.
Oh, all the new ones have a touch screen with bluetooth, sat nav etc but it depends if your firm has specced it out properly otherwise they wont work.

Juddian:
Hah, welcome to my world.

Mu suggestion i to learn the ratios and drive it in manual all the time, the only time i don’t is when empty in stop start traffic because manual defaults to 3rd for restart even when empty, nine time out of ten the auto will start empty in 4th or 5th depending on terrain, so very often i’ll let it start empty in auto and soon as moving click over to manual and carry on.
You can pre select 4th or 5th for start gear in manual, but the vehicle might not like it when you do and immediately (well quick for arsetronic) slips back down to 3rd, if it was in auto it would be in 5th and pull away happily, a case of do as i day not as i do.
Block changes maximum of 3 at a time.

Gearchanges are horrid in auto, they are slow, it often (always) chooses the wrong gear at moving junctions and you have to wait for that wrong gear till its had a meeting and sent a memo , so my advice is to start as you mean to go on, in auto you’ll find the gears hold for a second or so without power before upshifting, in manual they are much more positive and you make better progress.
Also you can control the revs better, these engines lug right down and still pull fine at 1000 rpm, i seldom go over 1600 rpm pulling and try to upshift at 1500, however i slip her into 11th at the very start of any long incline before the speed drops.

Assuming you are loaded, unless on a hill 3rd is a perfectly fine start gear, i then generally go 5th 7th and then up single gears (sometimes miss 8th out too depending on terrain), but you’ll find whats best for you.

Interestingly when you’ve got used to the lorry you should find it gives more power when you use manual and make it work, when i get mine back after a couple of days off it won’t pull you out of bed, by the time i’ve driven it for half and hour my way she’s back on song.

Exhaust braking is much better in manual too, you’ll find the rev counter green band shifts up to 2000/2200 rpm for best exhaust braking, you might as well not bother pressing the bloody exhaust button in auto, cos the only time it gives a good change is 9th to 7th when it lurches really badly, the main gears above it hangs on to fat too low revs and looses all exhauster effort.
The exhauster is good if you keep it up in the green band and drops off below that.

Snail mode for maneuvers helps a lot.

We run small wheel mid lifts, i assume the big wheel versions work the same, the air dump works up to 20kph, if you dump the mid lift air and you have a decent air pressure the mid lift will actually raise off the ground even fully loaded, very useful for maneuvers but i also use this a lot for pulling away on wet roads, MAN’s one of the most wheelspin prone motors i’ve driven, even get wheelspin in 11th on wet roads, note the TC doesn’t cut in that quickly you can soon get sideways with one on a straight road, worse on roundabouts, keep an eye on it.
If you have traction trouble even with the mid lift raised remember to switch off ASR as well, OFF ROAD will come up on the dash, TC (ASR) cuts the power brilliantly at maneuvering speeds
On the subject of air pressure the compressor is woeful, just about good enough for a 7.5 tonner, couple of nasty maneuvers can see you running out of air.

Be careful of the steering, especially loaded, its low geared and on rural roads it tends to follow damaged road edges and could easily pull you in the ditch, that’s the only thing in all honesty that i’m going to miss about mine.

If you ever work out how to program the night heater timer you’re in the wrong job and should be working for NASA.

If you have the large headlight units, the lamps are held in with 3 torx bolts (T40), one behind the flip off cover in front of the cab steps, two behind that little flip off panel to the inside of the light units (not all lights are the same, this is how mine are), the two in front come out, the one behind is captive and the lamp units hinge inwards for easy access.
Suggest you take those torx bolts out and grease them every few months, they rust solid after a while to the captive nuts behind, you can still undo them but you’ll need to ponce about with 13/14mm spanners and mole grips behind the bumper to hold the captive nuts, a right ball ache at 4am when a headlight bulb blows.
Bulbs in these units seldom blow, so when you do get one the bloody bolts will be seized solid if you haven’t greased them.

Squirt some spray grease on the door hinges, they seize and wear.
Washer bottle won’t take the flow of a tap, so keep a 4 litre milk bottle or jug about for topping that up.
Oil level is on the menu, it won’t give a reading unless overfull or low and will only say ok most of the time till it gets about 1/4 to 1/3 above minimum when the reading is available, when 4 litres will return it to max.

Enjoy

Thanks for the comprehensive response, the time it took you is appreciated.

Doubt I will be allowed to change bulbs as will be working for one of the big 3PL companies, will no doubt find out in the 2 weeks of training I get. Got my fingers crossed I get assigned one of the 67 plates as the 13 plates are looking a bit tired.

the nodding donkey:
Don’t sweat it. Getting used to the arse tonic box is not difficult. Just allow for it to be a bit slow pulling away at start (it’s called ‘relaxing’) and when you are about to reverse, press the ‘air dump’ button (next to the ‘lift axle’ button ). If you find the clutch control to erratic or harsh, select the ‘tortoise’ setting.
The arse tonic box is not as good as the Volvo, but those complaining loudest just don’t know how to use the box.

This confused me a bit on my assesment drive, When reversing I was looking for the tortoise on the selection turn switch. From driving the DAF I learned to always use it. It wasnt there, the option seemed to be for Manual (Man). Guess I will have to spend some time playing with it when not under scrutiny.

calsdad:

the nodding donkey:
Don’t sweat it. Getting used to the arse tonic box is not difficult. Just allow for it to be a bit slow pulling away at start (it’s called ‘relaxing’) and when you are about to reverse, press the ‘air dump’ button (next to the ‘lift axle’ button ). If you find the clutch control to erratic or harsh, select the ‘tortoise’ setting.
The arse tonic box is not as good as the Volvo, but those complaining loudest just don’t know how to use the box.

This confused me a bit on my assesment drive, When reversing I was looking for the tortoise on the selection turn switch. From driving the DAF I learned to always use it. It wasnt there, the option seemed to be for Manual (Man). Guess I will have to spend some time playing with it when not under scrutiny.

There is the extra setting for manoeuvring on the switch like the Daf, but it doesn’t have a tortoise, I think it’s something like AM for Auto Manoeuvre for forward and RM for Reverse manoeuvre, but basically the same position on the switch as it would be in a Daf.
Although that’s for the old gearbox, the new ones with a new gearbox might be different and might not need a manoeuvring setting, I believe they’re now using a Scania box.

muckles:

calsdad:

the nodding donkey:
Don’t sweat it. Getting used to the arse tonic box is not difficult. Just allow for it to be a bit slow pulling away at start (it’s called ‘relaxing’) and when you are about to reverse, press the ‘air dump’ button (next to the ‘lift axle’ button ). If you find the clutch control to erratic or harsh, select the ‘tortoise’ setting.
The arse tonic box is not as good as the Volvo, but those complaining loudest just don’t know how to use the box.

This confused me a bit on my assesment drive, When reversing I was looking for the tortoise on the selection turn switch. From driving the DAF I learned to always use it. It wasnt there, the option seemed to be for Manual (Man). Guess I will have to spend some time playing with it when not under scrutiny.

There is the extra setting for manoeuvring on the switch like the Daf, but it doesn’t have a tortoise, I think it’s something like AM for Auto Manoeuvre for forward and RM for Reverse manoeuvre, but basically the same position on the switch as it would be in a Daf.
Although that’s for the old gearbox, the new ones with a new gearbox might be different and might not need a manoeuvring setting, I believe they’re now using a Scania box.

Was a new one i was driving, 67 plate with 30k km’s. It did reverse steady, and got under the trailer without crashing into the pin. Not something thats easy to do in a Daf or Iveco without putting it into man/tortoise. New ones might have a better box, I’ll investigate deeper if I get one.

calsdad:

muckles:

calsdad:
This confused me a bit on my assesment drive, When reversing I was looking for the tortoise on the selection turn switch. From driving the DAF I learned to always use it. It wasnt there, the option seemed to be for Manual (Man). Guess I will have to spend some time playing with it when not under scrutiny.

There is the extra setting for manoeuvring on the switch like the Daf, but it doesn’t have a tortoise, I think it’s something like AM for Auto Manoeuvre for forward and RM for Reverse manoeuvre, but basically the same position on the switch as it would be in a Daf.
Although that’s for the old gearbox, the new ones with a new gearbox might be different and might not need a manoeuvring setting, I believe they’re now using a Scania box.

Was a new one i was driving, 67 plate with 30k km’s. It did reverse steady, and got under the trailer without crashing into the pin. Not something thats easy to do in a Daf or Iveco without putting it into man/tortoise. New ones might have a better box, I’ll investigate deeper if I get one.

I have driven the old Scania auto (16 plate), and gearshifts weren’t bad, but it was a 730 pulling 24 tonnes, so wasn’t really going to get bogged down on hills if it made a duff change. Actually it didn’t change gear on hills.

Also ZF have brought out a new gearbox, which is in the Iveco and Daf, so that might be better than the As Tronic.

The 67-plates will have the ZF Traxon 'box in them rather than AS-Tronic.

muckles:
The advantage of driving the same truck all the time is you get used to it’s “design features” and learn to work with it or work round it, to get the best from it.

This. Been driving DAF autos almost exclusively for last half decade, don’t even think there’s much wrong with them any more because you just get used to how they work. Only thing that I do have to consciously work around is it not changing down gear on a roundabout until you hit the throttle so it’ll stay in the higher gear it was in when you started slowing down. Ends up with the steering getting quite heavy so a quick blip on the throttle and you’re good to go.

My 1st fav is the DAF…my 2nd is the MAN…big cab lots of room and storage…gearbox can have tantrums, …but i did get used to it, and learned not to beat someone out on a r/about… 2 big side lockers for work wear and straps etc…all in all its brilliant…but its cheap plastics let it down…then again look at the price compared to a Voilvo or Scabnia… …see what i did there.!