Re: RC: Auto vs. manual for towing

["Truman Prevatt, PhD" <truman.prevatt@netsrq.com>]

Most dealers will tell you that an automatic is better designed for towing.  Their argument is the automatic will absorb the motion of the trailer with less long term wear than a manual. I know more than one person that has burned out a clutch and a manual transmission towing. Of course I know more than one person that has smoked an automatic towing - yours truly being one.

The real problem seems that pickups now come with high torque diesel engines in front of transmission that were originally designed for gas engines.  GM probably has solved that problem by going to someone who makes heavy duty automatic transmission to design one for their new HD pickup.

Ford claims that theirs is better than it used to be, but it is still made by Ford and Ford goes out and buys transmissions from real transmission people for their commercial trucks. Do do I believe Ford when the promise that their "new" transmission can really pull as much weight as they say. Hmmmmmm... probably not.

So after a lot of talk with a mechanical engineer friend, I have come the the following conclusion. If you have an automatic, put a oversized (after market) pan on it. Get the biggest you can - say one that holds a couple gallons more transmission fluid. Next put in a temp sensor on the transmission fluid. This is easy since there is already a port there and these sensors are
available at most good after market places. That way you will know when the transmission is running hot and can back off before you boil all the fluid away and cook the transmission.

Standard transmissions can also overheat so it wouldn't hurt to have a sensor on them.

By the way, the Allison in the GM has comes with a huge pan and a temp sensor build in.

So I don't know if automatic or manual is best. The thing I keep thinking about with a standard is one ride I'm going to come up lame 10 hours away from home and not be able to drive a standard. It's happened and will probably happen again. That's why I lean toward the automatic.

Truman


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