Your favourite gear box?
Discussion
It's going to bug me what truck that was now. It was an auto with a clutch that you had to use to start off with and then it would go full auto, think that the gear selector was on the left arm rest. I only used it once to do a crappy Tesco RDC job as a favour about 10 years ago, hated it so much that I can still remember it.
s p a c e m a n said:
It's going to bug me what truck that was now. It was an auto with a clutch that you had to use to start off with and then it would go full auto, think that the gear selector was on the left arm rest. I only used it once to do a crappy Tesco RDC job as a favour about 10 years ago, hated it so much that I can still remember it.
I think it would have been a Scania, they were behind the curve when it came to autos. I ran a tender in 2010 for a fleet of tractors and rigids and rejected them on those very grounds.I like ZF’s traditional auto. Such a smooth gearbox. Doesn’t have the flexibility or pulling power of a manual or automated manual but so smooth and easy (and I like an easy life)
With automated manuals, I prefer Volvo’s I-Shift to anything else but any automated manual is better than an actual manual
Driven all sorts in the past from splitters to 4over4 although mostly straight six speed manuals. They were all Ok but the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run… The 4over4 I haven’t driven much but never got on with it
Haven’t driven with a clutch for at least ten years now and I am actually quite happy about that…
With automated manuals, I prefer Volvo’s I-Shift to anything else but any automated manual is better than an actual manual
Driven all sorts in the past from splitters to 4over4 although mostly straight six speed manuals. They were all Ok but the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run… The 4over4 I haven’t driven much but never got on with it
Haven’t driven with a clutch for at least ten years now and I am actually quite happy about that…
s p a c e m a n said:
Is it the Actros auto than had a clutch pedal that you could flip up under the dash? I borrowed one for a night and spent 15 mins in an empty dark yard in drive with the dashboard saying depress clutch to me whilst I shouted at the f
king thing because there wasn't a clutch pedal 
That would be the 3 pedal opticruise I think . Not in a merc tho king thing because there wasn't a clutch pedal Eaton Twin was a good gearbox, but how good depended on what chassis it was in which engine mated to.
Best fitment i drove was in F90 MAN, that engine was high revving but more importatly it would raise and drop revs faster than near enough any other large engine, typical MAN in fact, plus who i drove for maintained and kept the clutch/gearbox brake in top order.
Hence even though standard shifts without using clutch were rapid (conpared to other engines that didn't drop the revs so fast), you could make the shifts instantaneous by hitting the button at the bottom of the clutch pedal, as fast as you could hit that pedal the box would respond making the damn thing near enough like a scalextric car...a phrase one of my mates used when he tried to keep up with a standard 332 F90 driven solo in his 3 litre Savage, he described it as scalectric liker in that there was literally no let up to the constant acceleration.
That F90 would cruise at a genuine 95, and i'm not talking kph.
My favourite box though was the Foden 12 speed, 4 straight gears on the stick and 3 unequal splits operated by an air shifter on that solid metal casting laughingly described as a dashboard on S39 and previous models and via a standard 3 position lever on the gearstick from S40 onwards.
You used a variable to suit sequence of low med high until you reached 2nd direct when you then forgot low and used M and H in each gear onwards.
Constant mesh box obviously and woe betide you on S39 if you missed a change, if new to the box stop and start again.
There a video of a fully restored 12 speed two stroke 8 wheeler being put through its paces on youtube by S.Maylefication, a joy to watch a pro doing the business with one.
My first lorry an S39, talk about a baptism of fire, but just as younger old uns found with others including the Eaton Twin Split if it was their first proper box (my son was in this category), once you'd mastered one of them nothing that came after bothered you ever again.
Standard 8 speed or 9 if you count crawler Roadranger box was good too, again depended on engine, a well sorted 14 litre Cummins was a joy with that box, 70mph cruise @ 1100rpm.
Many hated the back to front ZF 12 speed splitter as fitted to Daf 2600/2800DKTD, 1st nearsest you, top as far away as possible, but again once you got the hang of it was a good box to use.
Spicer Splitter as found in some Roadtrains was also decent enough once you got the hang.
Never rated Swedish manual gearboxes, and synchromesh has no place in a lorry gearbox, just baulks and makes the job hard.
edit, nearly forgot, rare in this country but some F8 MAN's had a column gearchange, i think it was the 13 speed Fuller, course the instruction sticker/plate was always long gone so you got given the keys and went out and did your best, again once mastered all good, plus it allowed a walk through cab.
Best fitment i drove was in F90 MAN, that engine was high revving but more importatly it would raise and drop revs faster than near enough any other large engine, typical MAN in fact, plus who i drove for maintained and kept the clutch/gearbox brake in top order.
Hence even though standard shifts without using clutch were rapid (conpared to other engines that didn't drop the revs so fast), you could make the shifts instantaneous by hitting the button at the bottom of the clutch pedal, as fast as you could hit that pedal the box would respond making the damn thing near enough like a scalextric car...a phrase one of my mates used when he tried to keep up with a standard 332 F90 driven solo in his 3 litre Savage, he described it as scalectric liker in that there was literally no let up to the constant acceleration.
That F90 would cruise at a genuine 95, and i'm not talking kph.
My favourite box though was the Foden 12 speed, 4 straight gears on the stick and 3 unequal splits operated by an air shifter on that solid metal casting laughingly described as a dashboard on S39 and previous models and via a standard 3 position lever on the gearstick from S40 onwards.
You used a variable to suit sequence of low med high until you reached 2nd direct when you then forgot low and used M and H in each gear onwards.
Constant mesh box obviously and woe betide you on S39 if you missed a change, if new to the box stop and start again.
There a video of a fully restored 12 speed two stroke 8 wheeler being put through its paces on youtube by S.Maylefication, a joy to watch a pro doing the business with one.
My first lorry an S39, talk about a baptism of fire, but just as younger old uns found with others including the Eaton Twin Split if it was their first proper box (my son was in this category), once you'd mastered one of them nothing that came after bothered you ever again.
Standard 8 speed or 9 if you count crawler Roadranger box was good too, again depended on engine, a well sorted 14 litre Cummins was a joy with that box, 70mph cruise @ 1100rpm.
Many hated the back to front ZF 12 speed splitter as fitted to Daf 2600/2800DKTD, 1st nearsest you, top as far away as possible, but again once you got the hang of it was a good box to use.
Spicer Splitter as found in some Roadtrains was also decent enough once you got the hang.
Never rated Swedish manual gearboxes, and synchromesh has no place in a lorry gearbox, just baulks and makes the job hard.
edit, nearly forgot, rare in this country but some F8 MAN's had a column gearchange, i think it was the 13 speed Fuller, course the instruction sticker/plate was always long gone so you got given the keys and went out and did your best, again once mastered all good, plus it allowed a walk through cab.
Edited by Smint on Sunday 13th June 16:34
Edited by Smint on Sunday 13th June 16:36
The 3 pedal Scania Opticruise box wasn't as bad as some make out, using the clutch only from or coming to rest allowed you manual control of maneuvering, much better, where people went wrong was driving the thing in auto.
If you learned the gears and selected MH (MH allowed faster gearchanges than M) and rove it in manual, still clutchless, it was a lovely gearbox, despote detesting Swedish manual boxes their semi autos are very responive to manual iinstruction, and you're always in the right gear at junctions because you selected it, still case with the latest New Gens.
If you learned the gears and selected MH (MH allowed faster gearchanges than M) and rove it in manual, still clutchless, it was a lovely gearbox, despote detesting Swedish manual boxes their semi autos are very responive to manual iinstruction, and you're always in the right gear at junctions because you selected it, still case with the latest New Gens.
Jaguar99 said:
I like ZF’s traditional auto. Such a smooth gearbox. Doesn’t have the flexibility or pulling power of a manual or automated manual but so smooth and easy (and I like an easy life)
With automated manuals, I prefer Volvo’s I-Shift to anything else but any automated manual is better than an actual manual
Driven all sorts in the past from splitters to 4over4 although mostly straight six speed manuals. They were all Ok but the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run… The 4over4 I haven’t driven much but never got on with it
Haven’t driven with a clutch for at least ten years now and I am actually quite happy about that…
You’d wish you had a manual if you had to do any proper off road stuff.getting stuck every day in the winter would soon get boringWith automated manuals, I prefer Volvo’s I-Shift to anything else but any automated manual is better than an actual manual
Driven all sorts in the past from splitters to 4over4 although mostly straight six speed manuals. They were all Ok but the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run… The 4over4 I haven’t driven much but never got on with it
Haven’t driven with a clutch for at least ten years now and I am actually quite happy about that…
and31 said:
Jaguar99 said:
the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run…
Eh???What on earth does this mean?
Edited by and31 on Tuesday 15th June 08:58
Jaguar99 said:
and31 said:
Jaguar99 said:
the splitters i had on a couple of Volvos like to get a bit wound up which meant turning them off after a long fast run…
Eh???What on earth does this mean?
Edited by and31 on Tuesday 15th June 08:58
944 Man said:
That is beyond the pale.
Every stehole that expects people to drive road vehicles (or multi-purpose, they have to spend most of their time on the highway) should have the people responsible beaten and buried out there.
I couldn’t agree more!!Every s
tehole that expects people to drive road vehicles (or multi-purpose, they have to spend most of their time on the highway) should have the people responsible beaten and buried out there.Believe it or not I wasn’t actually stuck in that picture!!-
Luckily we don’t tip in that s
thole anymore-my self and my two colleagues used to dread going there if it was wet!The more modern lorries with traction control make it worse-
Edited by and31 on Tuesday 15th June 22:25
Every lorry i've driven with TC or ASR (in the case of MAN's) the driver has been able to switch off the offending acronym thereby allowing the driver full control withou the vehicle either cutting power or disengaging the clutch or both once it senses drive axle slippage.
Even without venturing off road there's some deliveries i go to that drivers who haven't cancelled tc/asr or transferred the weight off any undriven tag or mid lift axles have destroyed clutches and sometimes failed to get the vehicle into the premises.
Even without venturing off road there's some deliveries i go to that drivers who haven't cancelled tc/asr or transferred the weight off any undriven tag or mid lift axles have destroyed clutches and sometimes failed to get the vehicle into the premises.
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