I bet there are a fair few who initially passed there driving test with a manual and now drive with an automatic gearbox. That said, how do YOU descend a steep icy hill, fully loaded with an automatic gearbox?
Easy answer…
Wait for the snowplough.
Whilst my experience with automatic and AMT trucks is limited, I’ve been driving automatic cars for over twenty years. I’ve yet to see any type of auto that the driver can’t restrict the highest gear.
As long as your company bean counters haven’t de specced the manual mode you can select manual. Yes you lack the fine clutch control offered by a manual but we are where we are.
Easy unless the pointy shoes have had it disabled 
Select manual setting and keep knocking it up or down gears also use diff lock
global:
I bet there are a fair few who initially passed there driving test with a manual and now drive with an automatic gearbox. That said, how do YOU descend a steep icy hill, fully loaded with an automatic gearbox?
If you’re trying to make a point that manuals are better than autos in snow and ice I’d just like to point out that snow ploughs are automatic boxes, or at least in my county they are, and they manage to cover Garrowby Hill east of York which is a 1 in 6 just fine.
I think the training should be better for newly qualified drivers on things like this,although it has improved somewhat.
For example,my first job after passing the class one,the diff lock switch was engaged,but not knowing what it was,I took what I thought was the safest option and left the switch alone.I had used the truck for 3 days before someone explained it to me
the maoster:
As long as your company bean counters haven’t de specced the manual mode you can select manual. Yes you lack the fine clutch control offered by a manual but we are where we are.
This ^^^^
Not as a sadly far too high percentage of drivers would be remotely interested in the fineries of vehicle sympathy/control.
As a rule i descend all hills using the approriate gear (manual override) and whatever auxilliary retarding is available, preferably without having to use the brakes at all, in icy conditions that all goes out the window so super slow goes it downhill using brakes gently and smoothly with the vehicle in the right gear to keep it under control but probably only using mild auxilliary ■■■■■■ if at all, the very last thing you’d want is a drive axle lock up even momentarily…hence be wary of having auto-■■■■■■ engaged in full auto mode in such conditions.
As always best practice is to learn all of this, learn and practice to perfect everything about your vehicle in good dry conditions, it wants to be second nature when the smelly stuff hits the fan.
blue estate:
Easy unless the pointy shoes have had it disabled
Select manual setting and keep knocking it up or down gears also use diff lock
I’d use the diff-lock going up an icy hill but never on the descent 
.
Conor:
global:
I bet there are a fair few who initially passed there driving test with a manual and now drive with an automatic gearbox. That said, how do YOU descend a steep icy hill, fully loaded with an automatic gearbox?If you’re trying to make a point that manuals are better than autos in snow and ice I’d just like to point out that snow ploughs are automatic boxes, or at least in my county they are, and they manage to cover Garrowby Hill east of York which is a 1 in 6 just fine.
As opposed to I’ve never driven an automatic truck including gritter/ploughs.Ironically the best of those in the form of the Foden S85 and Magirus Deutz are still in use by private clearance operators up to recently if not today.
While in most cases it’s all a moot point if drivers have only been taught to drive on the brakes to slow gears to go and the no rev/speed matching method and mantra using a synchro box.
Bearing in mind that rev matching not only applies to gear synchronisation but also the clutch faces when engaging the next gear especially downshifts.
Having said that the I shift at least seems to do everything that a competent driver with a constant mesh box would do although it obviously doesn’t have the eyes to see whether it’s approaching a roundabout or exitting it or starting a climb or having finished one.Which I guess explains the manual selection option.
How often do you press the clutch whilst going down an icey hill in a manual?
stevieboy308:
How often do you press the clutch whilst going down an icey hill in a manual?
As many times as you need to break drive I’d say.
the maoster:
stevieboy308:
How often do you press the clutch whilst going down an icey hill in a manual?As many times as you need to break drive I’d say.
I can’t think of a time it’s been locking up going downhill if not using the exhaust brake. You can always plus it up a gear probably just as quick as pressing the clutch
I can’t think of a single time in the last 15 years or so of doing farm work in a hilly part of the country when I’ve thought I wish I was in a manual, yes I’ve been stuck, well actually the 1st few years doing farm work was in manuals, and I got stuck in them too!
I said breaking drive, not changing up a gear. You either know or you don’t. Simple as that.
the maoster:
I said breaking drive, not changing up a gear. You either know or you don’t. Simple as that.
I know what you said FFS, I also know you know that changing up reduces the little bit of engine braking which would be the reason you’d declutch, bang it in neutral just as quick if it’s an issue.
I doubt you’ll need your socks off to count up how many times you’ve done it either
Been away a long time now, but do you still a trailer brake lever?
peterm:
Been away a long time now, but do you still a trailer brake lever?
Not seen one since Scania 110 over 40 years ago, was there one on a 112 i drove over 30+ year ago? can’t rememeber.
Dead Man long gone too, don’t think the secondary brake deletes the drive axle brake any more either, all moot now electric park brakes are the new must have.
In almost all condtions the electronics in the brakes do a better job, the days of slow reactions from ABS equipped trailer brakes in particular have long been ironed out, can’t think of any instance in say the last 20 years that a trailer brake or dead man would have been of any real benefit, save wear on the tractor brakes which ODs on traction work made great use of 
You don’t see jack knife’s starting caused by locked up drive axles any more thank goodness it’s probably too fast cornering and/or not enough drive axle weight that starts the imbalance, in cases where a locking up drive axle started you had to be bloody quick releasing the footbrake and using the alternatives to save the day anyway, and as with many such things if the driver didn’t learn how to use them in good conditions arguably better off not having them at all now, a completely locked up trailer via a panicked application of the trailer brake would probably cause more harm than good as the trailer sliced everything in its path sideways unbeknown to the pilot.
Bit different in Oz where you might have 15 or more trailers axles it would make good sense to have independent braking available for the driver.
Is my memory playing tricks? in years gone by didn’t some tractor units in the US not apply drive axle brakes at all during normal footbrake use at least with a trailer connected? Did the same apply in Oz with US built tractors?
the maoster.
If a driving instructor is teaching someone,he needs to motivate them,tell them they can do it,rather than tell them only certain people are botn with these abilities,otherwise the pupil ends up believing he will never learn,when,in actual fact he could have achieved the outcome with more practice
For me it’s very simple, stop, press the brake, look to left and select 4 high and drive, ok I do drive a Pajero auto 4x4 … and I do use it in winter in Cowra and Thredbo in the snow sometimes. But worst we get here is frost maybe 3/4 times a year.