New Acco only with an Allison

What the hell's up - now you can only buy a new ACCO with an Allison, no other options. Very disappointing IMO...

What happened to this iconic aussie truck? All other manufactures seem happy to quote a truck with a non standard box (and have other options to start with anyway) but Iveco are not interested. Dealer even reckoned it was like for like more expensive than a KW. He was pushing the Stralis hard though

..my guess is there will come the day when every truck will have an autoshift......have a look at the kids these days getting their car license....bugger all manuals, or a real idea how to drive them...

...it's no biggy in my eyes...it's just the progression through time...and the way of the world......

I reckon Defective is on the money but I do see where Wedgy is coming from, it is bloody disappointing in my opinion.
An auto big truck is a bit like having a wank; yes I know that I will be ridiculed for saying that but for the last 50 years real trucks had either two gear sticks or one with lots of buttons and shift positions, not a stick with R-N-D at the base of it.
Can you still but a japper with a manual box, or have they gone to slush-a-matic too?

It's not just trucks either. I have had several qualified, experienced truck drivers tell me that they couldn't drive the XP as its column shift manual. Yet these guys handle road Rangers with ease, a lot better than I can.

Yes you guys get it completely, of course. I'd be more understanding of them if it were an AMT, but this is just a full on slush box. Not that I like AMTs either, but at least they're a proper box at heart, it's just that it's a computer doing the changing not yourself.

As has been said just the way the world is going - trying to make the driver redundant by making every conceivable thing computer controlled. It's happening with brakes now too, and with volvo's dynamic steering I reckon soon you won't be able so make a turn if it thinks it's not safe.

So anyway I'm getting a quote from Hi Torque for ripping the slush box out and putting an 18sp in from new... Don't think the boss will go for it but I've done my bit there. Not that I want to support ACCO but it's still an aussie made truck right?

If you look at the market that Iveco sells ACCO's too, basically the garbage truck market, why would they bother putting a Roadranger in?

The Allison is in my opinion heaps better than most of the AMT's, at least it can handle a hill without driver intervention.

Detective is right as well, the not too distant future will see the end of manual transmissions.

G'day IIRC the acco was going to be dropped a few yrs ago but the waste and concrete boys like em so much they managed to keep em being built, and I seem to remember Iveco saying then that they would only build one spec so the two industries had to get together and work out a layout that would suit both of them.


Jon

having drove a older acco with 250hp a 10 speed RR and 2 speed diff out wedgetails part of the world (golden highway) this week ..i can understand where a auto would be OK .. some of the bigger hills a auto could possibly downchange better to keep your speed up .. however on some of the downgrades a auto may not have enough gears to hold the weight back while maintaining a decent road speed ? just my 1c worth

yeah maybe it'd be ok on some of these hills, but the synchro 9sp in our hino's been great and we're just not planning on getting something with an allison.

So maybe most ACCO customers want an allison but it wouldn't hurt to offer it. They only have put one in when it's requested, which means more sales (or it would in our case). It's not like you'd need to change much - no electrical connections, mates fine to the ISL etc..

I think as Hp increases, you must expect manufacturers to look at the easiest method to transmit it, and in my experience a properly setup autocratic is that method.
By far the biggest problem in Aus. is heat and heat also means it's less efficient.
The multi-plate wet clutch packs give excellent service and coupled with a lock up torque convertor, she's a virtual manual.
If it has to be an auto, you'd go with someone like Allison with that proven track record.