I’m curious......

Ha! Knew you couldn’t resist looking [emoji23]
Anyway, I know I’m in the minority in thinking ‘automatic’ gearboxes in trucks are the spawn of the devil.
For that reason when I was asked what new truck I wanted I said I didn’t care as long as it was manual so I got a MAN with 3 pedals and a gearstick.
My curiosity comes from wondering how rare it is so has anybody else got a new or newish truck with a manual box? If so what is it and did you want it or was it forced on you?

In all honesty an autobox will go the same place as a Manual box.I drive what im giving.My current steed in an ishift volvo so cant complain.I also dont get that some driver seem to think you cant get an auto on to tight places i don’t seem to have any bother with it.

The thing i dont get is todays manual gearboxs are light and easy to work with so end of the day it all comes down to what you want to drive with.

I’d take extra ground clearance over a manual box,any day.

From my point of as an owner operater much as I hate pressing the clutch down I’ll be looking for a manual again even if it’s more money initially I feel it won’t be in the long run ,also when a lorry is ready for a clutch or gearbox I’ll know in good time and get in stock ready for when needed rather than being left in neutral somewhere with no warning as to what went wrong or when ect and requiring towing in like some of these autos do .

I just wanted to know if I’m the only ‘nutter’ out there that’s deliberately or otherwise chosen to have a manual gearbox on a new truck. It would seem so but if that’s the case when they were building it did they have to go to a dusty back area of the stores department for the manual specific parts, dust them off, instal them then find somebody in the factory that could remember how to drive it off the assembly line or are they a more popular than that? I just don’t know but out of nothing more than curiosity just wondered.

I`ll stick with the auto every time…takes a lot of stress out of the already stressed job in hand…a bit of a luxury if you ask me.

I requested a manual, no longer an option apparently.

However the new generation of auto gearboxes have been much improved, i’m yet to try the latest ZF autobox but those i speak to rate it highly.

Glad for you that you have a boss who tries to please and retain his staff (wise man that), another small haulier whose drivers i speak to regularly also tries his best to get manuals if the driver due a new lorry requests one, some makes this is no longer possible of course.

Auto all the way, in today’s modern traffic, stopping and starting so much easier, can be a nuisance when turning or pulling out of junctions fully freighted, but then just pop it in manwell till it’s rolling, and also you only have two feet so why confuse your self with 3 pedals. :smiley:

When you drive an ishift you will never want a manual box again.

Unfortunately for me I currently work at a place running MAN’s so auto is rubbish. I suppose our 7.5T lorries are 5 speeds and the old DAF has an Eaton box. The oddest thing we have is similar to this: Lucky for me it only gets driven on/off a trailer as that gearbox is too much ha.

auto for me, no difference in euro but what a gift in british traffic,

Juddian:
I requested a manual, no longer an option apparently.

However the new generation of auto gearboxes have been much improved, i’m yet to try the latest ZF autobox but those i speak to rate it highly.

Glad for you that you have a boss who tries to please and retain his staff (wise man that), another small haulier whose drivers i speak to regularly also tries his best to get manuals if the driver due a new lorry requests one, some makes this is no longer possible of course.

The new TRAXTON does seem to be a good box ,the internals are basically the same as it predecessor ,they just seemed to have done wonders with the software ,and I remember it isn’t air operated ,And in DAF it is a push rather than a pull clutch which should help along with prolonging the life of the release bearing

Auto all day for me. Why make life hard for yourself??

norb:

Juddian:
I requested a manual, no longer an option apparently.

However the new generation of auto gearboxes have been much improved, i’m yet to try the latest ZF autobox but those i speak to rate it highly.

Glad for you that you have a boss who tries to please and retain his staff (wise man that), another small haulier whose drivers i speak to regularly also tries his best to get manuals if the driver due a new lorry requests one, some makes this is no longer possible of course.

The new TRAXTON does seem to be a good box ,the internals are basically the same as it predecessor ,they just seemed to have done wonders with the software ,and I remember it isn’t air operated ,And in DAF it is a push rather than a pull clutch which should help along with prolonging the life of the release bearing

If i get one it will be in a MAN.

However, i have no problem at all with the internals of the previous version, because much as i might hate the bloody thing there is no knocking its reliability.
I came to quite like the previous version in MANs because once you got the hang of manual shifting it was quite ok.

As I do a lot of central London work the Ishift is a godsend. No more achy left leg keeping the clutch pedal o the go!

I’d always choose an auto for tipper or curtainside work, but now I drive a hookloader I’m more inclined to choose a manual 'box. For some reason I think backing onto and hooking up the bin would be easier with a manual.

msgyorkie:
As I do a lot of central London work the Ishift is a godsend. No more achy left leg keeping the clutch pedal o the go!

I do London a bit and really don’t see it as a chore with the manual, in fact, the manual makes it better imo as I’m always in the right gear and I set off from the lights etc immediately.
When on site tricky slow speed manoeuvres are no longer a bouncathon and small corrective shunts aren’t necessarily to be avoided anymore. I hated that selecting D from R and finding I’d not selected N for what felt like a minute first so ended up with nothing whilst the banksman got all exasperated because I wasn’t moving when instructed then had to listen to me blaming the ■■■■■■■ gearbox [emoji23]Now i can select a forward gear while I’m still rolling backwards if I so desire and reverse is selected immediately with never a false neutral. [emoji57]
I know it’s horses for courses and I’m trying in vein to convert you all. I’ve done my bit to try and keep manual gearboxes a thing in trucks but it seems I’m wasting my time as nobody wants them anymore, especially you ishifters.
Maybe I’ve got the last one produced■■? That would be a claim to fame eh? [emoji3]

Muckaway:
I’d always choose an auto for tipper or curtainside work, but now I drive a hookloader I’m more inclined to choose a manual 'box. For some reason I think backing onto and hooking up the bin would be easier with a manual.

Auto must be easier because pto is in all the time ?

I’m not all that bothered on the open road, well apart from bloody newer Daf’s with Arsetronic that is which keep defaulting to bloody eco…is that the most frustrating thing or what :imp: …but in my particular job we have a few maneuvers at regular drops that really show the strengths and weaknesses of autos versus manuals, mainly how the clutch engages and whether in autos in M (maneuvering not manual) mode the clutch locks up, as it does on the latest Scanias during even the harshest pushing, which is a real clutch saver as it doesn’t allow the clutch to disengage at all until you hit the brake pedal or the vehicle stalls (not happened yet)…good bit of protective anti wear engineering that Scania, well done.

Its a case of before you even start the reverse dumping the mid lift air and switching off TC/ASR to ensure any loss of drivewheel traction didn’t cause a power cut leading to clutch release, so meaning having to re-engage the clutch again, and a full head of air before you start helps too.
The delivery i’m referring to is a blind side jack knife up a steep incline off an already uphill reverse from a one way street, fully loaded @ 43+t as you would expect, it puts the vehicles through hell at this drop, we’ve had clutches destroyed there when someone didn’t take the correct aforementioned actions to help the vehicle, there is no option but to get in due to where the silos are located.
One youngish bloke struggled there for over 20 mins with the vehicle losing traction leading to the power being cut and having to restart many times, but to be fair to the bloke when he spoke to me about it he listened and took in the advice on how to make life easier the next time he goes there.
Those lads who go offroad regularly i have no doubt do these and other pre preparations all the time, though obviously you wouldn’t dream of using diff lock at the drop i’ve described.

Even in a manual vehicle or one of the latest autoboxes (i’m yet to try a ZF Traxton), it’s still prudent to dump the mid lift air and turn TC/ASR off anyway to give the vehicle the very best chance of making a reverse in one hit if the going is tough, each unecessary restart takes its toll on the whole drivetrain.

Auto all day for me :wink:

580 Scania manual, wouldn’t be bothered if it was auto as any Scania auto I’ve driven, v8 or not, has been excellent.

I enjoy the manual but it gets tedious in traffic.