Tipper Tom
I,m in agreement with what you say, ask, listen and learn ,don,t fight the box adapt to it cos it can,t adapt to you !
We of a certain age wax lyrically about the joys of multispeed Fuller boxes and how we could play tunes on an Eaton Twin Splitter ( sometimes we actually got a melody out of them but they used to protest a bit if you tried for top C ), but in all honesty if you are starting off today it wants to be as simple as possible,so I,d say an auto box fits the bill. And when you’ve settled down a bit ,have a play around with it ,it surprising what you can get out of an auto box when used in conjunction with manual override and engine brake and the other gizmo’s that are there if you bother to read the hand book.
I think most of us started off simple , 4 and 5 speed boxes and then one day maybe you’d get a two speed axle switch to play with and it went on from there.
As for today the auto box is supposed to be the great leveller, every one to a certain degree can take one out and do the day’s work,and IMO that is the main reason they are becoming more and more common, not , necessarily popular , but common
Cheers Bassman
depends on how old you are and where you have worked, the roadranger (no syncrhos) four over four with a splitter and two crawler gears is still the most common box in North America.
Tipper Tom:
I fully expect everyone and his wife to tell me how wonderful Eaton Twin Splitters are and how I’m not a proper driver until I can use one without finding 16 neutrals in 5 minutes, however, I’ve no opinion one way or the other as I have little to no direct experience of them.
I hear that, although the TS was a fine thing, it could also be a complete PITA.
I’m also of the opinion that many of the people that look back on it so fondly, have never actually used one. They are the gearbox equivalent of ‘I was on the waiting list for the Herald of Free Enterprise’
NMM
I think a lot of the twin split box’s popularities or lack of, if you were unfortunate to have a rogue one, was down to the truck manufacturers installation of the box. Some were fitted with a cable linkage ,some a mechanical linkage. IMO the best versions were ERF’s although I was pleasantly surprised how good Iveco’s installation was , at least on the two or three Iveco’s that I have driven fitted with that box.
I must admit that they were a love 'em or hate 'em box and although I wasn’t in the queue for the “Herald of Free Enterprise”, i was in the love 'em camp.
Cheers Bassman
Bassman:
NMM
I think a lot of the twin split box’s popularities or lack of, if you were unfortunate to have a rogue one, was down to the truck manufacturers installation of the box. Some were fitted with a cable linkage ,some a mechanical linkage. IMO the best versions were ERF’s although I was pleasantly surprised how good Iveco’s installation was , at least on the two or three Iveco’s that I have driven fitted with that box.
I must admit that they were a love 'em or hate 'em box and although I wasn’t in the queue for the “Herald of Free Enterprise”, i was in the love 'em camp.
Cheers Bassman
Can’t help but agree with you there Bassman.
I’m a fan too, used them in a variety of lorries, including a Hino, they were a very nice box to use.
I just think that a lot of the ‘fans’ have never actually driven a lorry with a Twin Splitter 
I would say YouTube can be your friend there’s probably many demo videos off a range off boxes. I had an man with a slap shift 4/4 with crawler loved that box was so smooth now a scania 4/4 with a switch once your used to what ever you have you don’t really think about what your doing anyway it just comes.
NMM
I wasn’t aware that Hino’s were fitted with the Twin-Splitter or was it an option.
Never driven a Hino but they seem to have the same love 'em or hate 'em reputation that the Twin-Splitter has, am I right in this assumption?
Cheers Bassman
This was a tractor unit on an F plate, it was ok, a bit cramped in the cab and had terrible brakes, but reliable and reasonably economical.
The tractors all had the TS to my knowledge 
kindle530:
ive got an automatic FH Volvo, at first it was a novelty, but now after 3 or 4 years, i hate it and would do anything to have a manual box again.
My left Elbow is well pleased that I’m on an auto box now, it was giving me a bit off greif after to much manual work. Though I’d been using manuals for the last year, after a couple off years on auto’s, and its surprising how much connected to the motor using a manual makes you feel
Tipper Tom:
I fully expect everyone and his wife to tell me how wonderful Eaton Twin Splitters are and how I’m not a proper driver until I can use one without finding 16 neutrals in 5 minutes, however, I’ve no opinion one way or the other as I have little to no direct experience of them.
Didnt want to dissapoint, Twin Splitter married to an MAN 362 in the steam driven days, it was an awesome truck, would see off my mates F12 any and everytime
sweeper1gg:
Just a question what is the most common gearbox you truckers have come across?
4 over 4 ?
auto?
18 speed ?
Never felt the need tbh but the 8 speed slapstick took some beating.
Not a 4 over 4 as such but ho hum.
sweeper1gg:
I have only just passed my c and c/e as i was made redundant, and i am 41 so just a bit of the unknown for me as my test truck was a daf 4 over 4 drawbar and i aint got work yet as i am waiting for tacho card, so im just a bit worried about getting work and also jumping into a truck i don’t know… hope you chaps understand… 
Don’t worry - there’ll be more than one driver on here who has picked up a truck with an unknown transmission - and taxied to a halt across the first big traffic interchange, after leaving the yard, with a box full of neutrals 
There’s a you tube vid of some guy driving an American rig with a cab full of gear levers - at least you won’t have that sort of thing!
Bassman:
NMM
I think a lot of the twin split box’s popularities or lack of, if you were unfortunate to have a rogue one, was down to the truck manufacturers installation of the box. Some were fitted with a cable linkage ,some a mechanical linkage. IMO the best versions were ERF’s although I was pleasantly surprised how good Iveco’s installation was , at least on the two or three Iveco’s that I have driven fitted with that box.
I must admit that they were a love 'em or hate 'em box and although I wasn’t in the queue for the “Herald of Free Enterprise”, i was in the love 'em camp.
Cheers Bassman
One of the first class one jobs I’d got at the age of 23 was driving a 3year old Foden with the Rolls Royce (Perkins) engine and Eaton Twin Splitter. I’d had my HGV licence only 2 years had driven the usual stuff around that time, mostly Class 2 and 3 Bedfords, Leylands, Fords. I loathed the Eaton gearbox at first but then it all just clicked into place and I absolutely loved it. I drove it for another 3years and was quite disappointed to see the truck go when it was eventually changed for a 112 Scania.
sweeper1gg:
Just a question what is the most common gearbox you truckers have come across?
4 over 4 ?
auto?
18 speed ?
I’d say these days they’re mostly autos I’ve come across.
If it’s been a manual box on Scania and Volvo’s it’s been the 12 speed gearbox, as someone else has said, like the 4 over 4 but with one less gear. The older ones did have a 4 over 4 box except the 143/144 Scania which was a 12 speed box. The Daf XF’s I’ve driven have had the 4 over 4 box too, but they’re all pretty easy to drive