Manual or Automatic Transmission?

[JMT]

Well, I see I stirred up a pot. Fortunately I learned something too! Great stuff and confirmed my suspicions; at some point auto begins to have significant advantages. Though, for someone like me, having that immersive experience and challenge with the manual is what I prefer at this stage in life.

 

[Rob5589]

Auto all the way. Torque converters are good:emoji_thumbsup:

I run a manual but am trail running and hunting with mine.

 

[mrblaine]

Doesn't matter which trans, get the one you like. Both rigs can be built to identical levels of capability, it's just a bit cheaper with an auto. Neither has a significant advantage offroad when it comes to outright capability and not once ever have we left a rig on trail because of transmission choice. We've also never towed one out because of that choice.

I prefer an auto but I'll build you a manual rig that will walk all over most any rig you want to put it up against so again, personal preference and a different wallet.

Don't let Jerry get too far out of hand. He knows I have pics of him on trail with Jon Jonsson of Viking Offroad with his manual rig that he was drooling over all day on the trail.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I loved your build of Jon's rig which I was thinking of when I included the below in my initial post...

And not to leave out that there are some exceptionally well built rock crawlers with manual transmissions but it takes significantly deeper axle gearing, transfer case gearing, etc. to even approach the infinitely low ratio effect given by an automatic's torque converter. In other words it takes more $$$ and building effort to get a vehicle with a manual transmission to approach the low-ratio offroad abilities of an automatic.

I'd have you build me one similar to Jon's if I had the $$$ but it'd have an automatic.

This is Jon's beautiful rig the day I was out there watching it work, built by Blaine.

 

[mrblaine]

I loved your build of Jon's rig which I was thinking of when I included the below in my initial post...



I'd have you build me one similar to Jon's if I had the $$$ but it'd have an automatic.

This is Jon's beautiful rig the day I was out there watching it work, built by Blaine.

View attachment 12275
View attachment 12276

And I would happily build you one with an auto. BTW- your trackbar mount is here when you're ready.