ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Poll: Manual or Auto??

The stick is more fun but the auto is better for a heavy van or for a company truck that many people drive. In both cases clutches cost too much.

When I worled at the supplier I learned "standard" on an old 1960 Clark Forklift.. not so much the shifting but working the throttle , clutch and brake to move the old heap around...
I prefer standard if I am not on the road long and not in too much traffic or what have you but I prefer automatic for when I am caught in traffic, on the road for long periods or towing.. Automatics are the best for towing in my opinion ( Just be sure its capable of doing so!)
A.D

When I worled at the supplier I learned "standard" on an old 1960 Clark Forklift.. not so much the shifting but working the throttle , clutch and brake to move the old heap around...
I prefer standard if I am not on the road long and not in too much traffic or what have you but I prefer automatic for when I am caught in traffic, on the road for long periods or towing.. Automatics are the best for towing in my opinion ( Just be sure its capable of doing so!)
A.D

Had a standard in the last work van. Hated it. I would have to try and answer the phone, shift, sometimes stear, and even write notes at the same time. Not enough hands.

Also with the stop and go traffic it would get old. Some cars tend to get in a crawing mode. They will just inch along 10 feet, wait 15 seconds, then another 10 feet, etc. It's funny cause sometimes they don't have anywhere to go yet but everyone gets an urge to move up a few feet 1 car at a time.

Tom

When I was young I loved the stick, then when I got older, I prefered the automatic.

Now that I'm even older, I prefer passenger...


Dnk...

"Had a standard in the last work van. Hated it. I would have to try and answer the phone, shift, sometimes stear, and even write notes at the same time. Not enough hands."

try answering the phone, eating a burger, taking down a phone number all while making a left turn with a stick!

It's a good job some of you don't drive in the UK, where it is illegal to use a phone while driving [unless it's a true 'hands free' type]. People have also been successully prosecuted for eating while driving, lighting cigarettes and in one case a lady was fined for eating a chocolate bar while stopped at a red light with the car out of drive and with the parking brake on! With the engine running you are driving. As for writing or reading a map, that's asking for a 12 month driving ban and a massive fine.
The UK has one of the lowest car-accident death rates per HOP in the world, powered by draconian actions against all the causes of accidents, which is the payback.
As to Automatics, I've had several. Fine for big engines, but for small european cars up to 1.5 litres, IMHP, they are hopeless.

Alan

1.5 Liters, that is a snowblower motor.

Kidding aside the death rate here in the US is staggering, about 40,000 people a year killed in traffic accidents.

Some areas have banned cell phone use while driving, however I think it will be long time before they stop us from coffee and food.

Bob

I think a "big gulp" coffee is more dangerous than a cell phone but my beiiest distraction was my Motorola PT (the original "blackerry" type RF device, circa 1986 or so. Typing on that thing damn near got me killed a few times.
I do think it is the height of hypiocracy for a cop to write a ticket for using anything while driving. They have at least 1, usually more like 3 radios, a pylon mounted laptop, a cell phone, a GPS navigation system and a RADAR, all used regularly while they are speeding.

BTW I agree with Alan about a 5 speed on the zippy little cars (my Honda is 2 liters) but the auto makes sense on your truck.

My first experience with a stick-shift was actually my first electrical job. Boss asks me: "Can you go down to the supply house and pick up that load of ridgid?" He points at the 45' long stake-body truck. Seeing as how I'd only learned to drive the previous summer, and learned in an automatic Honda Civic, this was more of a challenge than a question.

Not one to back down, I say "Hell yes." and hop in the cab. The next twenty minutes are sheer terror; screaming down the highway trying like the devil to get out of second gear and it sounds like the trani. is grinding itself to pieces.

I get to the supply house sweating bullets and only get a brief respite before I have to back out of the parking lot (you've never seen anyone back up more slowly than I did) and wheel the truck back to the job.

Amazingly, I didn't kill anyone or anything in the process.

Now, I actually prefer manual transmissions. Mainly because my current car is an automatic, and it sounds like the transmission is dying, and I'll never be able to repair an automatic transmission! If I had a manual, I'd probably only be replacing the clutch.

-John