Automatic?! Well, there you go...

I think these modern ones would be good on fuel, even the Allisons now have a lock up torque convertor. They are getting smarter, skip shifting and changing down under braking.

Hired a little furniture van recently from Avis only a 3 tonner or something. But it had an automatic in it. All computer controlled. But what amazed me was that every time it changed gears the delay was long and the change was rough. Wasn't good experience.

Even the change into reverse was sudden and rough!

And amazingly when selecting 1st gear for slow moving actually get gear grinding! That was stationary, brake on, no accelerator or anything! Even when in so called sports shift the computer still decided when to change etc.

So over all give me a Manual box any day!

The Ford Transit never put a foot wrong with gearchanges, what sort of truck was that one you had. ?
With the Volvo I shift you could drive it better in hilly country but otherwise better left in auto. Also if you have to a tight turn with a loaded tri axle trailer, hold it in the lower gear otherwise it may change up just as you need grunt to drag the trailer around.

It was an Isuzu.

But the guy at Avis indicated that they had to be auto's else no body would hire them!

Pathetic. It's not rocket science!

Sorry about edit above, JB, I was merrily typing away, posted and somehow modified your post!

Andy, There's nothing goes anywhere near an auto in a truck for offroad conditions, I mean serious trucks not Toorak tractors.
When your cutting a track a foot deep and you want all the torque you can get an auto is the only thing that will give you full torque and keep your revs up, even though you may be dropping speed --- as soon as the revs drop off in a manual you loose all your torque--- and thats where you stay until the winch truck turns up.
Mind you it's pretty hard on the clutch pack, when the oil goes black it's time to bolt another reco. one in.
Tractor manufacturers have realised this for years and offered Power Shift or similar boxes which were great .
Cheers, Murray

Yes, I agree with Murray that an auto is better in deep mud where you cant change gears in a manual. These AMT ( automated manual transmissions) boxes do need to come off the power during shifts but it all happens pretty quickly. As Jarrod found out with his renta truck, the technology still needs a bit of fine tuning.
Anyone in the market for a new truck, should certainly have a test drive of one.

Thanks Murray, it's making a lot more sense now. Have been doing a bit of research myself as well.

Atkipete that is a good way of descriping it! Yes that would be what it was like and automated manual transmission. Was like drive a manual but when changing gears you lift the right foot for ages loose all momentum while you change then drop the clutch (hard) and flatten the right foot again! And no matter how I tried to get it to do it smoother it just wouldn't.

But I do a lot of 4wding (not in a big truck though). My 4wd is manual and when you come up to a slushy area you have to pick the right gear at the start or suffer the tow! Because you cannot change gear fast enough to keep up the momentum. But with a Auto if you need more power you can get it due to the quick almost instant change. (Especially useful when you find out halfway through that it is deeper or harder than expected)

The common problem with auto's in offroad is of going down hill or steep up hill. Down hill of course you could get over run due to the gearbox not being connected to the engine. Which means that you could overheat brakes or anything. And of course on a steep uphill there is a standard practice of recovery if you have trouble which involves stalling the motor and then secure vehicle select reverse then without putting foot on clutch start the car and let idle to bottom also not possible with auto. Many of the competition 4wd's are becoming Auto or at the least sports shift auto setups.

So Auto much better in slush but I still prefer manual!

I had a Allison 4sp in a 11ton Bedford and after two rebuilds and one of them was to have the oil pan changed so it could take 40 lts wait for it engine oil made for cars.

After my hip pocket was a lot lighter i saw the light and put in a 5spd Turner and never look back.