Quote:
Originally Posted by ItalGerBrit
And the knowledge just keeps coming. Cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.
So the traditional automatics are the troublesome ones? I assume those are on the later model trucks?
From the swamp,
Phil
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I think there were some (limited) issues one (?) particular
manumatic
but i don't know if it was the smart-shift (ZF), i-Shift (volvo?) or the auto-shift (??)
I seem to remember the problems that i heard/read about were moisture/electrical connection related and i think you'd have to search pretty hard to find reference-able / pattern failures.....you could always go to a Truck Shop (Freightliner, Volvo etc) and ask the mechanics what (pattern) failures they've seen.
I wouldn't bother asking truck drivers what automatic they like - they hate 'em all and seem to prefer to row their own gears.
Again even if you could get to 60k lbs youre still well under the capacity of what the truck was built to endure.
Ours has the 12 speed Smart Shift (Meritor/ZF) and I love it, its one of the coolest things about the coach - it'll upshift / skip shift (starts in 3rd but can be reprogramed to start in any gear)...and it down shifts - all based on load, throttle (pressure), or engagement of the exhaust brake.
all of the
manumatic can be manually (paddle) shifted up & down - but you give up the ability to skip shift then (at least i do on our Meritor/ZF).
I THINK volvo or someone did a 3 pedal
manumatic (needed the clutch to start off)
in SOME newer truck conversion coaches theyre now using the Allison (traditional torque converter) automatics - everyone i know complains that NONE of the 6 gears in their (pusher) coaches are right....complaining that 1 & 2 are too low and 3 or 4 are too high to start off in...and that 6th isn't tall enough.