Manual Transmission R.I.P.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I was mainly talking about the old 30's-40's 2-2.5 T trucks used on farms. You had to double clutch them while hauling hay, etc. and even when they were empty.

The 67 GM 2 stroke Diesel 80 very few could shift, a TV Mobile with split axle and 6 speed tranny, double clutch to get in gear then switch the axle. If did not split going down hill to keep the speed down it was game over as there was no air left at the bottom of the hill. Towing a 5th Wheel with a Half Ton pick-me-up is a dream compared to that truck!

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

If we're talking about CARS, then by all means, buy the car with the transmission that best fits your needs--auto, stick, DSG, or whatever else the Big 3, Germany, or Japan comes up with over the next few years. But this thread started off talking about trucks, and it's gotten away from that. Yes, I prefer my vehicles--all of them--to be stick. Better mileage, better control, and more fun. I've never sat in traffic and said, "God, this sucks, I wish I had an auto." I've certainly said stuff like "There wouldn't be any traffic if you'd all just go--away," or something to that effect. But lets stick to what this forum is about--camping, RVs, trucks, trailers, and towing.

Have autos come a long way in their ability to deal with the heat and stress of towing an extra 10K pounds of weight behind them? Yes, they have. But are they as good at towing--especially considering the less effective engine braking they provide--as manuals are? No, they're not. You can tell yourself that autos are just as good as manuals for towing, but repeating a falsehood to yourself over and over a few hundred times does not make it become a fact eventually. Can autos do the job? Yes. But don't tell me they're better for what we do than manuals, and don't take away the option to purchase them from those of us that prefer them, which is how this thread started out.

But you don't need to belittle people who drive 1/2 tons with auto transmissions. Your rage seems to be misplaced. We don't manufacture trucks, we buy them.

Also, my 1/2 ton with a 6 speed auto transmission has a tow/haul mode that provides everything I need while towing including not hunting for gears and engine braking.

[Arefbee]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

But don't tell me they're better for what we do than manuals, and don't take away the option to purchase them from those of us that prefer them, which is how this thread started out.

The thing is, FoMoCo decides based on what will sell relative to the time in designing, developing, building, and supporting a product. If something as complex as a tranny is only counting for 5% of their sales but 9% on the manufacturing costs, it is going to go away.

Since most of the 5% they lose will still buy their product for other reasons, losing 1% to other manufacturers is an acceptable loss for gaining 9% of manufacturing costs.

My statistics are all wild guesses (WAGs) on my part, but I think represent the reason they no longer offer the option.

Henry used to sell cars any color as long as it was black. A company has to stay with the times. I'm certain someone will offer aftermarket "upgrades" to manual tranny for a few years to come.

[jevanb]

I will take my built 6 speed allison 1000 auto behind my 646HP duramax any day, as do all my friends that take their trucks to the track on the weekend, except for 1 buddy who has a zF6 and he is consistently slower then the rest of us and the pressure plate springs are so strong his leg is tired when he get`s to the track or just daily driving. Yes I use this same truck to pull my camper around with. buddy at work has a 99 SD 7.3 with a stick and a slide in camper,just last week he was in the smokies with it and told me how much he would of like a auto

[MtnGuy]

I posted previously in this thread (post #5) that I like my manual shifting and much prefer it over an automatic......I just enjoy shifting gears when I want to, not when some computer thinks it is best. The feel of the clutch and shifting the tranny is just much more enjoyable then just pushing the gas pedal. But, as the missus and I may be looking at a 1 ton truck in the near future to pull a yet undetermined 5th wheel, I am not sure that I would get a manual transmission if it were available. Age and possible injuries are the reason. I have already had 1 knee operation, and may be facing more in the future. A simple sprain from a misstep on a hike during a camping trip could cause problems getting my camper back home again with a manual transmission. I can drive an automatic with 1 foot if need be.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

...don't take away the option to purchase them from those of us that prefer them, which is how this thread started out.

For what it's worth, it's not the folks on this forum taking the option away from you, it's the manufacturer's catering to the majority. I think it's called furnishing what the market wants.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

it's the manufacturer's catering to the majority. I think it's called furnishing what the market wants.

That pretty well sums it up.

I still want 1/2 or 3/4 ton trucks with the front vent windows, as they were great for defrosting..............but I am not so lucky.

I had heard a rumor they were taken out to discourage smoking, but doubt that.

[Arefbee]

Originally Posted by wmtire

That pretty well sums it up.

I still want 1/2 or 3/4 ton trucks with the front vent windows, as they were great for defrosting..............but I am not so lucky.

I was just saying over the weekend how much I missed those. Had them on a '72 Suburban.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by wmtire

That pretty well sums it up. I still want 1/2 or 3/4 ton trucks with the front vent windows, as they were great for defrosting..............but I am not so lucky. I had heard a rumor they were taken out to discourage smoking, but doubt that.

Shoot, I liked them in cars too. Don't think it was to discourage smoking, look at the money they saved by not having the mechanism, extra pc of glass, extra track, etc. I bet they saved $10-$15 per vent.

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by wmtire

I still want 1/2 or 3/4 ton trucks with the front vent windows, as they were great for defrosting..............but I am not so lucky.

I had heard a rumor they were taken out to discourage smoking, but doubt that.

X2 ..fresh air without a bad hair day

[Taranwanderer]

Oh, I get WHY the manufacturers are removing them as an option. A good percentage of people who buy trucks don't tow with them--they're more of a grocery getter/status symbol than a workhorse, and those people certainly don't want manuals. Look at the Lincoln Mark LT--no one buys that to tow with, but they sold a lot of them over the years as overpriced F-150s. So in order to cater to those people, FoMoCo is removing the option to try and sell more trucks. But again, as Mtn Guy stated, I like being able to have my truck shift when I think it needs to, not when a computer tells it to. Shifting has become so ingrained in my brain and in my leg and arms, that I don't even think about it anymore, it just happens. Try to teach that to anyone under 30--they have no idea as a generation, for the most part, how a manual even works, and they're soon going to be the ones with all the buying power.

I'm not belittling anyone--I'm just telling you its better for towing. If you'd rather take the shifting out of your equation, that's what autos are for. Me, I'll keep the shifting in my equation. It just sucks that the equation is going to have to change soon for the masses that don't seem to think shifting your own gears is a desirable or useful thing.

And +1 on the wing windows--those things were awesome, had them on my '79 Jeep Cherokee Chief. I miss that truck...even if it was an auto.