Hi
I am currently thinking of purchasing Iveco Trakker with AS tronic gearboxes but I have a few concerns. The trucks will be used in Africa and the driver’s are very careless and the loads exceed 50 tons on 8x4 and terrible roads.
I have never driven one of these trucks with that gearbox but I heard reports that when loaded and the driver floors the accelerator, the truck gearbox will automatically think the truck is empty and try start on a high gear but then will keep reducing gear until it selects 1 gear. I have heard that with the high revs and then the truck in correct gear, it would cause damage to the clutch/axle input shaft or even the crown gear or half shafts. Is there any truth to this. The last thing I want is problems with diffs and axles. I am looking at the AS tronic because I cant keep clutches in the manuals.
I would appricate any advise on this…
Regards
Dec
I’d say if you can’t keep cluthes in the manuals then it’s new drivers you need to be looking for! I have a DAf with the AS Tronic and I do a lot of full weight work to sites and windfarms, I have never had problems with it pulling away in too high a gear but on long pulls up unpaved roads you really have to select manual and select and hold the correct gear otherwise I think you could do some serious damage as the gearbox gets confused. A bad or inexperienced driver would probably leave it in auto and do damage so by the sound of it it’s your drivers more thank the truck? Better off paying higher wages to the right drivers than have bad, low paid drivers wreck them for you!
the truck decides what gear it starts off in by the weight on it, not whether the driver gives it a bootful or not
as Transc said, if you can’t keep clutches in the manuals, that is purely down to driver abuse
it is advisable to select manual if heavy on a long uphill drag anyway, i remember going up Birdlip in a 480XF with ASTronic box, half way up, it spat its dummy out and just chucked it in manual anyway 
if you get a truck with the ASTronic, find out which air tank it is that directly feeds it, and make sure it has a drain valve in it, on the DAF XF 6x2 twin steer, it is the tank just in front of the middle axle on the left hand side, they DON’T come with a drain valve 
are the MAN autos AStronic?
I’d have thought a torque converter auto such as an Allison would be better suited to this type of work, driver would only have to stick in D and thats it.
I could not under any circumstances bring myself to spend a single penny on any automated manual box apart from Volvo, never found the AS Tronic much use heavily loaded unless you drive it manually.
Agree with the comments above about drivers, same as here, pay more which should allow you to pick and choose blokes worth employing.
edited for speeling, worse than usual.
chaversdad:
are the MAN autos AStronic?
yes 
so is there a bung underneath the air tank you can take out and replace with a drain?
chaversdad:
so is there a bung underneath the air tank you can take out and replace with a drain?
if you know, or can find out, which air tank specifically supplies the ASTronic box, check to see if there is a drain plug
the easiest way to find the tank is follow the pipe back from the reducer valve
the reducer valve (in case anyone doesn’t know) is the small cylindrical valve that is bolted to the underside left side of the plate on top of the transmission with ZF ASTronic embossed on it
I really don’t think it will do what you think it will if drivers floor it - you could disable the kickdown switch though as a preventative measure.
Plenty of ten year old units in the UK with the astronic original box in after years of driver abuse.
Alternatively go Volvo but, as I expect you know, you’ll get two Trakkers for the price of one Volvo.
shuttlespanker:
chaversdad:
so is there a bung underneath the air tank you can take out and replace with a drain?if you know, or can find out, which air tank specifically supplies the ASTronic box, check to see if there is a drain plug
the easiest way to find the tank is follow the pipe back from the reducer valve
the reducer valve (in case anyone doesn’t know) is the small cylindrical valve that is bolted to the underside left side of the plate on top of the transmission with ZF ASTronic embossed on it
many thanks, i shall investigate further