kr79:
But rather than the driver blaming the gearbox for everything knock it in to manual in a tricky situation and use the manual function to hold a gear or drop a gear and like will be much easier
That’s the point.Loads of expensive technology to buy and maintain just to save a bit of effort with left leg and arm at the end of the day.When the driver is being paid to drive the thing anyway.
Loads of expensive technology? Maybe in the early days, was more expensive and maybe troublesome, but my experience is the auto box is no more expensive to maintain, no less reliable and it’s probably cheaper to buy an auto now as it’s the standard spec and the manual is the option.
We have about 20 autos on our firm between 07 and 66 plates all work in a construction environment around London and the south east. We have had one boX fail and that was largely due to the animal driving it at the time and a recon wasn’t massively more expensive than a recon manual.
On the artics for landfill one had the clutch release bearing go after five years the clutch still had a lot of life left but was replaced as the box was out.
I’ve never heard of anyone getting five years out of a clutch on a landfill spec artic of any make with a manual.
They are a good tool to make life easier not extremely expensive to buy over a manual.
A relaxed driver will be a better driver. But a flick of a switch to help it along makes life much easier.
As for fullers the first seven or so years of hgv driving was mainly in fodens Leyland and a few man’s with 9 and 13 speed fullers. Yes I liked them but I certainly wouldn’t want to drive one round London every day again.
I guess it’s a lot down to what you started in. I’ve had both auto trucks and cars as well as manuals but given a choice, manual for me. It gives me something to do when I’m driving… I guess, makes me feel more in control as well as (personal opinion here) a little bit more control over an auto. I’m not a fan of the ‘machines’ taking over, look what happened with Skynet lol.
Given a choice, I would prefer to drive a manual.
I was taught to drive in a manual, most of my driving career has involved driving a manual, with the odd auto thrown in.
The lorry I currently drive and have had from new,will probably see me into retirement.
The only good point I can make about auto the gearbox, is that it makes it easier to roll a ■■■ on locals.
Did I mention, I drive a Merc
mike68:
Would you believe where I work a clutch was fitted to every unit on average once every 15 months, the auto has cured that problem.
Blimey autos to stop clutches being burnt out in just over a year and ABS and radar cruise control to make sure it stops when needed what could possibly go wrong.
mike68:
Would you believe where I work a clutch was fitted to every unit on average once every 15 months, the auto has cured that problem.
Blimey autos to stop clutches being burnt out in just over a year and ABS and radar cruise control to make sure it stops when needed what could possibly go wrong.
Plenty, you wouldn’t believe the ineptitude where I work, it once entertained me, now I find the fact that the majority of the alleged drivers are completely unable to carry out the job to at least a reasonable standard very sad indeed.
In fact the only thing missing from modern trucks is an oversized comedy boxing glove on the end of a large spring which strikes plant pot imbecilic slack jawed dummy in the face when he is about to do something stupid.
I drive a lorry with a 13spd Fuller and because I’m a supertrucker I never ever crunch a gear or get a neutral when I don’t want one, or something like that.
Because I own the thing, I do appreciate the simplicity of it, but I’m not a luddite, I would swap this 13spd for an ishift in a heartbeat.
I’ve just done a run down through the mountains on mostly single carriageway roads and I’m fairly light, so I’ve been giving it large portions and even though it’s instinctive to change up or down the box when speeding up or slowing down, it’s a PITA, I have to time it perfectly to maintain my supertrucker status and when I’m catching a slower lorry on a hill and I’m trying to adjust my closing speed so I can whizz by when the opportunity arises, I also have to concentrate on making sure I’m in the right gear and that any change in make during the passing maneuver is spot on so I don’t lose any speed.
In an ishift all I have to do is leave it on cruise and use the engine brake to knock off cruise and slow me down when necessary, it will sort out all the gear changing for me and when I catch something up, all I need to do is wait until it’s clear and then give it some welly and off I go.
It’s called progress for a good reason! I don’t manually dial a phone anymore, nor change channels on the TV, nor fast forward or rewind tapes and videos, thanks to the Internet I don’t even ponce around with cds or dvds anymore and I don’t throw lumps of coal on the fire to make the house warm, I just push a little button and electronic magic happens, I don’t even have to get out my car to open my garage door either, I have a gadget for that too.
So why the ■■■■ would I want to twirl a gearstick around for up to 13hrs a day when I don’t have to?
Anyone with any experience of iveco autos
Next week I start a new job driving an iveco unit, currently I have a lovely Volvo I shift equipped FH .
Please someone tell me an iveco auto box is better than dafs effort
I had a few Stralis back in 05/06 and I liked them, you need to use the manual function a lot more than with an ishift and they can be a bit jerky when you’re maneuvering.
Mikey D:
Anyone with any experience of iveco autos
Next week I start a new job driving an iveco unit, currently I have a lovely Volvo I shift equipped FH .
Please someone tell me an iveco auto box is better than dafs effort
Same box , whether the programming is any better on the newer models i don’t know, last one i drove was a Stralis, coming to a rest at a junction would see the hill hold release a second or so before the poxy Arsetronic had made its mind up, then the engine and box had a short conflab and a swift vote was taken and if all in agreement you had power.
Mikey D:
Anyone with any experience of iveco autos
Next week I start a new job driving an iveco unit, currently I have a lovely Volvo I shift equipped FH .
Please someone tell me an iveco auto box is better than dafs effort
The gearbox will be the least of your worries in an Iveco . I hope the doors stay on for you and don’t blow away in the wind. Italians make better bolognaise than trucks. Maybe Dolmio made the Iveco in a corner of the sauce plant.
The vague steering is particularly Italian - allows you to switch sides easily whenever it takes your fancy
newmercman:
I drive a lorry with a 13spd Fuller and because I’m a supertrucker I never ever crunch a gear or get a neutral when I don’t want one, or something like that.
You should try using the clutch instead of floating shifts it really does help in that regard.
Cheers for the replies re the iveco box , I guess I’ll get used to the indecisive box of cogs
At least in my new job I’m getting a favourable hourly rate ,&decent overtime rate to make up for it
newmercman:
I drive a lorry with a 13spd Fuller and because I’m a supertrucker I never ever crunch a gear or get a neutral when I don’t want one, or something like that.
You should try using the clutch instead of floating shifts it really does help in that regard.
Using the clutch with a fuller is like asking for a bottle of brown ale with your dinner in a Michelin star restaurant.
My 2 penies worth, doing my tests in both manuals doing that stupid up gear down gear exercise. Artic auto 18/26ton manual.
Man autos are ■■■■ hot imo just the reverse gear can sometimes think your driving forward best put it into manual here,
Iveco ■■■■ hot just like the Mans
Merc Actros ■■■■ hot too
Dafs if you don’t mind waiting 5 minutes for it to find reverse gear your good to go
Renualts not bad either just have the same problem as the dafs, can take a little while finding the gear when swapping from backwards/forward to forward/backwards
Only driven manual scannies so can’t comment on them for automatics, but nothing will beat a good split box 4/6 up and down
Radar19:
I went from a Premium with an I-Shift to a Scania with a 3 pedal Opticruise and the difference is like night and day. The full auto box was amazing to drive whilst this Opticruise can be a pain. I don’t buy that nonsense that a manual gives you more control.
How many times have you driven in proper winter condition or mountainous terrain with both auto and manual? Yes it gives you control, but technologies are advancing and autos from 10-15 years ago are not like most new autos like DT12.
We just yesterday had a new Freightliner with a 565hp Detroit and the DT12 gearbox delivered.
I test drove one and it wasn’t great.
Always starts off in 1st empty or loaded.
Going uphill empty at 110kph, it decided to change down to 11th and rev it’s nuts off for a few seconds then back into 12.
Did the same thing 3 times so I put it in manual and all was well.
I then went and loaded and it seemed a lot better.
Anyhow, got back to the dealer and told him about all this.
Apparently, a company had already bought that truck and the parameters had already been set by the company but if we take one, then the engine & box can be set up totally different, the way we want it.
I’m just waiting for the moose bar to come and be fitted, then it will be on the road.
, whether the programming is any better on the newer models i don’t know, last one i drove was a Stralis, coming to a rest at a junction would see the hill hold release a second or so before the poxy Arsetronic had made its mind up, then the engine and box had a short conflab and a swift vote was taken and if all in agreement you had power.