Big Trucks: Auto or Manual?

[Noriaki]

Big Trucks: Auto or Manual?

Settle an Argument....you have a big truck.
Say a Silverado 2500 or F250 or bigger, with at least 300 ftlbs torque and 300 hp.

Do you want it Auto or Manual?

This is for everything, stump pulling, off roading, hauling heavy trailers...anything you would do with a work truck.

 

[cipher00]

Manual. But then again, I like manuals.

 

[vi edit]

If I am going to be pulling anything, I'll take an auto thank you.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

Auto. I used to work for a trucking company, and let me tell you if I could have an auto, I would take it with out a second thought.

 

[mithrandir2001]

Generally you want an auto for big torque/cargo pulling trucks. Semis use manuals because they have so many gears.

 

[Ladies Man]

depends on how good you are

i'd take manual... more fun for me... keeps me more focused where i drift off with a auto

 

[geno]

Auto. Manuals are for when I wanna have fun, and big trucks are tough to have fun with out on the streets.

 

[Zenmervolt]

<<If I am going to be pulling anything, I'll take an auto thank you.>>

Exactly, you get greater towing capacity with an auto. (If you don't believe me, check the tow specs for identical vehicles, one with auto and the other with manual.) That, and when you have a gross vehicle weight over, say five tons or so, starting on a hill would get to be tricky to say the least.

Zenmervolt

 

[gumbysucks]

Automatic is prefered for towing . Manuals have very low tow ratings,usually 2500 lbs with standard clutches. If your looking into buying check manufacturer specs.

 

[Presence]

I prefer Auto...

 

[LAUST]

You want an Auto when you get a big Truck

Auto drivetrains are also rated far higher due to stronger components

 

[Noriaki]

<< That, and when you have a gross vehicle weight over, say five tons or so, starting on a hill would get to be tricky to say the least. >>

That's a good point, I didn't even think of that...

 

[Igore]

With the applications that you listed definitly manual with heavy duty clutch and trans. oil cooler. Most autos suck. Too many little parts that come flying apart at critical moment. Besides if you buy a truck for that purpose, get the one that is geared lower for more torque. Also get a deasel. Gasoline engines are usually under powered for those applications.

As for the starting on a hill with a heavy load, semi's do it all the time and those loads are way up there.

Ig

\edit\ for very very bad spelling

 

[SilverThief]

Auto. We use the big Chevy 3500's for our service trucks at work, had one manual and no one wanted it cause you couldnt pull crap with it!

 

[Zenmervolt]

<<As for the starting on a hill with a heavy load, semi's do it all the time and those loads are way up there.>>

True, but we're talking about your average driver, not someone who has a CDL. Also, Semis use manual transmissions because it's cost prohibitive (currently) to produce a 21 speed automatic transmission. Also, a heavy-duty automatic with a transmission cooler is no more likely to break than a heavy duty manual, as long as the product is designed with the application in mind you will be fine. Finally, while a standard transmission with a heavy-duty clutch would work, the clutch pedal would be so stiff that it just doesn't seem practical to me unless you need a large amount of gears as a semi does. Note that redline on a semi engine is almost always below 3,000 RPM and the engines idle at about 1,000 RPM, leaving only a 2,000 RPM powerband which explains the need for all those gears.

Zenmervolt

 

[LAUST]

Semi's are manual also due to the size and weight of what it would take to make an Auto with that many gears.

and speaking of all those gears thats why they can make it up a hill, you shift 8 times before you reach 20mph, you take a 5 speed and the ratio is not the same, you'll hop out of the powerband in a 5 speed. as Zemnervolt said they have 21 speeds..


5.....21......5........21... you cathing onto a difference of ratio's here

 

[Jzero]

Towing and hauling? Diesel with auto.



<< As for the starting on a hill with a heavy load, semi's do it all the time and those loads are way up there. >>



Many semis also have something called a clutch brake--push the clutch down far enough and it engages a brake to minimize rollback on hills. You don't start to roll back until you've already started to release the clutch.

 

[Igore]

well, not to rain on anyones parade but weather its an auto or a manual, the trans is still gonna have 5 gears and usually less for an auto. so really it all comes down to this. get a truck this designed for the applications which you have in mind. and get an auto or a manual depending on the driver. which ever you are comfortable with.

Jzero
you can also obtain the same effect ( the clutch brke fround in semi's) in a non-semi vehicle with a manual by depressing the brake with the heel of your foot and the gas with the ball of you foot and the clutch with your left foot. works rather well once you get used to it. and reguardless or load or no, most ppl who drive manual in hilly or god forbid mountainous areas usually do this to some degree. but you are right the semi's have a clutch brake b/c of the load that they are usually carrying...they can't afford to let the truck even start to roll backward.



Ig

 

[Tominator]

<< True, but we're talking about your average driver, not someone who has a CDL. Also, Semis use manual transmissions because it's cost prohibitive (currently) to produce a 21 speed automatic transmission. Also, a heavy-duty automatic with a transmission cooler is no more likely to break than a heavy duty manual, as long as the product is designed with the application in mind you will be fine. Finally, while a standard transmission with a heavy-duty clutch would work, the clutch pedal would be so stiff that it just doesn't seem practical to me unless you need a large amount of gears as a semi does. Note that redline on a semi engine is almost always below 3,000 RPM and the engines idle at about 1,000 RPM, leaving only a 2,000 RPM powerband which explains the need for all those gears. >>



The huge majority of Semis have 9 or 10 speed trannys. The pulling of heavy loads is more dependent on torque that horsepower.

Today's diesels have a very flat torque curve thanks to electronic engine controls. They idle at about 700rpm and most are governed around 1700rpm. The torque curve is flat between 1200 and 1700 rpm so it makes no sense to operate it above or below. In older motors there was a need for more gears to keep the motor at peak torque. Not true anylonger.

Shifting gears has a derogatory effect on mpg. Automatics have not lived up to their promise of better mpg and have a higher maintainence cost than a manual, but they have been improving.

Companies are going to auto trannys more because thay are Driver Friendly than any other reason.

As for Heavy Duty pickups, depending on the exact transmission and it's use, for maximum payload many prefer a standard transmission. They don't have the heat problems many automatics have under maximum load. Until recently those automatics were just beefed up transmissions from large sedans. A serious HD pickup is expected to got a couple hundred thousand miles. The new HD pickups are getting very good transmissions designed for real trucks.

 

[Sluggo]

Given a choice I would pick an automatic, and the first upgrade the truck would have is a quality transmission cooler.

While a manual has a granny gear to use for starting to pull a heavy load, most people neglect to use it properly, instead choosing to slip the clutch to start from a dead stop. Manuals in full size trucks also tend to have a crappy shifting mechanism, coupled with an extremely long throw on the shifter, which results in them being very exhausting to drive for long periods.

An automatic gives you the advantage of torque multipication, when starting from a dead stop, which really helps when pulling a load.