Hmm… Manual versus Automatic.
To me there are two reasons I prefer a manual: User interface, and reliability/simplicity.
User interface is a personal preference. I’ve been rowing gears since I first learned how to ride dirt bikes and drive our old Farmall Cub. In a truck, I like to mechanically hold a gear if I want to. I’ve been in plenty of automatic trucks that tend to ‘hunt’ gears at various RPM and load/tow conditions. I find it annoying. Even with a hold button, the electronics will still override your decision eventually.
Reliability/simplicity. With modern technology, heavy duty automatics are plenty strong. I spent a decade as an engineer in the heavy truck and commercial bus industries. There is a reason over the road truckers still shift their rigs. On the other side of that, there is a reason city transit buses have automatics (driver fatigue, and trans retarder function for instance). From an engineer’s perspective, the FMEA (failure mode and effect analysis) on a manual versus an automatic is huge. An automatic introduces a significant number of failure modes over a manual due to its complexity and inherent inefficiency. An automatic has a planetary gearset, a set of bands, at least 3 wet clutch packs, hydraulic actuators, a bunch of seals, and a hydraulic pump to run the show. All are complex and relatively delicate, and that’s not even considering the electronic controls. A manual is a dumb box. The major wear items are the clutch and throwout bearing which are external to the box anyway. Seals, bearings, and synchos are in the mix, but are relatively robust.
I liken the automatic versus manual debate to handguns: semi-auto versus revolver. Most semi-autos (like a 1911) are incredibly reliable, but fairly complex (adding failure modes, i.e. possible jams). A revolver is very simple and inherently, near-impossible to jam. But in the end, it comes down to user interface. Even though I prefer a manual trans in my truck, I prefer a 1911 in my hand.
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