knowing little other than what I've been able to absorb in this forum, I liked the idea of the 7 speed transmission - lots of gears to get up, and down, mountainous hills and the legs to travel at speed limit highway speeds - I've had enough experience of driving loaded tandem trucks, and dragging heavily loaded trailers around to understand how valuable gears can be going up or down - I do NOT want an automatic transmission that doesn't lock up, but I would prefer a good automatic over a manual on glare ice hills - more than a few times I've been able to lower my rig down an icy road by judiciously using reverse as a brake so I could keep control of the steering - I once had a job driving ( 1966?) a 1949 B54 Mack with a 20' flat deck carrying timbers that hung out over the back so far that I had to make the front wheels bounce ( by using the gas pedal ) to make the turn from the saw mill onto the highway when the road was icy
- at least the old Mack had a shut off for the front wheel brakes, and two transmissions that could be shifted into a double bull low gear to help on the steepest downhills
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