ROG:
There are. of course, different methods that would be applied in certain circumstances.
I am glad you put this bit in, Rog. I would hate to think of traversing the Alps or the Rockies on the brakes alone.
As for the choice, I had a T800 autoshifter and it really wasn’t worth it. You had to get to 800 rpm before the clutch would engage and that would make coupling a trailer nasty. Also, the lack of control when on ice or mud made them more trouble than they were worth.
litte enis i have driven the magnum with the auto box it was a 57 plate with the 500 bhp what a tool easy truck to drive i think you like it i did and thats from a die hard scania man its the same with ishift in the volvo great bit of kit
stop start traffic id probably prefer a good auto, same with long distances.
tight spaces or lots of reversing id prefer a manual
my local council has a load of new daf 85 410s all autos, some have fleet spec autos others have the manual override on it which you need. these trucks are on hooklift work though and can be a nightmare to reverse and get onto a box, you are either too far away or you smack the ■■■■ thing off the box.
they have a few iveco trakkers with semi auto boxes and they are way better to use on hooklift work than the daf boxes.
stop start traffic id probably prefer a good auto, same with long distances.
tight spaces or lots of reversing id prefer a manual
my local council has a load of new daf 85 410s all autos, some have fleet spec autos others have the manual override on it which you need. these trucks are on hooklift work though and can be a nightmare to reverse and get onto a box, you are either too far away or you smack the ■■■■ thing off the box.
they have a few iveco trakkers with semi auto boxes and they are way better to use on hooklift work than the daf boxes.
This really comes down to how good the auto box is, I did hear that earlier suto boxes were a bit hit or miss, but I drive a Volvo with Ishift and you have complete control at low speeds. you can gently move it a few inches if required, it just comes down to how gentle you are with the pedal.
bobthedog:
I am glad you put this bit in, Rog. I would hate to think of traversing the Alps or the Rockies on the brakes alone. Shocked
As for the choice, I had a T800 autoshifter and it really wasn’t worth it. You had to get to 800 rpm before the clutch would engage and that would make coupling a trailer nasty. Also, the lack of control when on ice or mud made them more trouble than they were worth.
Give me a Roadranger any day of the week.
You still have engine braking systems and when you are using it the Volvo allows you to select a different gear, even in auto mode, it gives you a display as to what gears are available to you on the info screen in the middle of the instrument console.
Auto systems don’t take away the need of the driver to think about the conditions he/she is driving in, but means understanding the new technology and using it in the correct manner.
I had the displeasure of driving a brand new MAN automatic. One of the biggest class 2’s this firm had.
It was peculiar at first but soon got used to it. Then came the moment which I really needed very fine control of the vehicle - maneovreing around some dreadfully parked cars on a T-junction up a fairly steep incline. It was impossible! In a manual lorry it would have been fine, just giving a little bit of clutch in order for it to creep very slowly along whilst I cleared the cars with about two inches either side. Problem was, I had to come to a stop and when I came to start again (around a tight bend, steep incline) the truck would only lurch forward like a kangaroo or just roll backwards down the hill.
I tried everything sensible to try and control this maniac but it was very difficult. If it was an “auto” in the traditional sense, ie. Constantly engaged gears with a torque converter to feed in the power it would have been controllable This MAN though was basically a manual truck, with the gearstick and clutch controlled by the vehicle. If you put it in drive it wouldn’t do anything, unless you pressed the accellerator about a quarter of the way down, at which point it then engage the clutch and then fairly gently send the power to the wheels. On a level surface, this would be fine, but because I was uphill, it didn’t seem to respond until I gave it a real poke. At this point it would lurch - not ideal when your front bumper is inches from a new Audi!
Speaking to my cousin who’s a fitter at DAF in Luton, he said most companys are going for auto boxes as drivers don’t use the gearbox properly and waste too much fuel. Humbug!
stop start traffic id probably prefer a good auto, same with long distances.
tight spaces or lots of reversing id prefer a manual
my local council has a load of new daf 85 410s all autos, some have fleet spec autos others have the manual override on it which you need. these trucks are on hooklift work though and can be a nightmare to reverse and get onto a box, you are either too far away or you smack the ■■■■ thing off the box.
they have a few iveco trakkers with semi auto boxes and they are way better to use on hooklift work than the daf boxes.
This really comes down to how good the auto box is, I did hear that earlier suto boxes were a bit hit or miss, but I drive a Volvo with Ishift and you have complete control at low speeds. you can gently move it a few inches if required, it just comes down to how gentle you are with the pedal.
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the dafs are all 08 plate models your bouncing about like a dafty when reversing, whats worse is when your on the landfill site if you get stuck ina lil rut it will not get out of it because it just selects the wrong gear and if you dont have the manual override your screwed in a straight line they were a dream.
the had a few volvos which everyone wanted because they were the best motors they had and were manuals 3 over 3, and they went like {zb} of a shovel. still give me a manual before an auto anyday, though if the volvo i shift is that good then i would like to try it.
stop start traffic id probably prefer a good auto, same with long distances.
tight spaces or lots of reversing id prefer a manual
my local council has a load of new daf 85 410s all autos, some have fleet spec autos others have the manual override on it which you need. these trucks are on hooklift work though and can be a nightmare to reverse and get onto a box, you are either too far away or you smack the ■■■■ thing off the box.
they have a few iveco trakkers with semi auto boxes and they are way better to use on hooklift work than the daf boxes.
This really comes down to how good the auto box is, I did hear that earlier suto boxes were a bit hit or miss, but I drive a Volvo with Ishift and you have complete control at low speeds. you can gently move it a few inches if required, it just comes down to how gentle you are with the pedal.
[
the dafs are all 08 plate models your bouncing about like a dafty when reversing, whats worse is when your on the landfill site if you get stuck ina lil rut it will not get out of it because it just selects the wrong gear and if you dont have the manual override your screwed in a straight line they were a dream.
the had a few volvos which everyone wanted because they were the best motors they had and were manuals 3 over 3, and they went like {zb} of a shovel. still give me a manual before an auto anyday, though if the volvo i shift is that good then i would like to try it.
It seems that other manufactuers still need to catch up. Most think that the Ishift is the best out there, it also on the Renaults, but I think stuck of road then you’d still have to use manual override, but at least you get the option not having it is pants. But then when driving round town auto make it so much easier.
