Handshakers unite!

[Mike Monnier]

http://www.petitiononline.com/71802/petition.html

This is a link to a petition by Christopher Ryan directed to Bob Lutz and crew at GM regarding their decision to eliminate the manual transmission option for HD pickups equipped with either the big block or diesel engine. I admit that I am weird for deliberately wanting a truck that I have to shift for myself. Even if you don't drive a GM vehicle, let them know that some people still like to wield a big stick when they drive. Thanks, Mike M. signature #11

[Peter]

I have a Ford HD series 350 standard shift. I perfer the standard for heavy towing and fuel efficiency and it cost $1000 less. I dont believe there is any such thing as an HD GM. They might call it an HD; buts its an LD in my book. Sounds like the GM execs are pretty LD as well.

[David Scott]

Hey,

Handshakers, I drive Truck for Yellow Transportation and have been driveing professionaly for 25 years. Thats a lot of shifting not that i mind and not that I am for them elliminateing the standard trany but I look at it like my old boss told me when I was a young buck and bought my first G M pickup. He said boy they don't warenty clutches but they do cover that automatic. As far as G M not being an H D I will put my allison and duromax against any Fix Or Repair Daily out there, and you can take your perkins powered ford back and see if they will replace your clutch under warenty.

All In Fun
David

[Mike Monnier]

I didn't post this to start a brand war with us bashing each others particular brand of truck. I could care less if most engine guys drove an Isuzu Pup. I just wanted to get the word out to like minded individuals who prefer to drive a stick. I doubt this will change GM's mind, but I want to spread the word far and wide in an effort to let them know they will lose some loyal customers. 3% of sales doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to knock them off the top rung in total truck sales (Chevy + GMC).

As for the warranty thing, I didn't wear out the clutch in my last truck after nearly 135,000 miles. The warranty was gone long before then.

[Ray Forrer]

Hi Mike & All:

Just remember, used to be if you wanted a diesel pick-up, you'd better know a GOOD mechanic that would drop one in your gas one, NOBODY made one. If one goes with no manual, the others will follow like a bunch of lemings, right over the cliff. BTW, have over 145,000 on my blue oval w/mazda 5od, 300 6. Next one will have auto, just for backing up trailer easer.

Ray

[Ken Majeski]

Well.... An automatic has several downfalls... Number one is Fuel efficiency.... Why do you suppose they need transmission coolers... Simply because there is energy wasted.... With Fuel prices what they are I think we need all the efficiency we can get.

As far as the Duramelt and Allison if you use that Allison Hard it will break or go into limp mode. And im Sure it helped GM"s Bottom line with having to warrenty injectors for 200,000 miles on most LB7's. I simply don't have time to set along the road waiting for my truck to cool down or wait for a wrecker. What about the glow plug Fiasco on the 2006's...??? Don't take a rocket scientist to know that 4.7 volt glow plugs won't last long on a 12 volt system... I currently have 2 deisel trucks and never did have one with Glow Plugs...

The D Max is already into the Third generation when it came out in 2001... I would geuss if they ever did get it Right they will drop it in favor of something new and unpredictable as has been GM's recent tradition...

As far as I am concerened there is ONLY one name in Pickup diesel engines and that starts with C.... And that don't stand for Chev##%$#$%

Don't Worry.... There will be Manual Transmissions for a long time to come and you might just have to buy a Better truck to get one...

Probably one reason for GM dropping the manual is their recent problems with their dual mass flywheel.... Don't ask me why they even thought they needed that...

And Yes, I Used to have GM Vehicles and Liked Them.... Those were the Good Old Days.....

On Edit.... Yes I signed your petition.... # 173

[BDMelon]

i am going to pipe in here, because of the gm slamming going on here,
mike did not make this post to start slamming on a any brand of truck, but from a person of myself who has worked on GM trucks & cars for over 17
years, the reason gm up the warr. on injectors, is because yes then had a concern with 2001 model's but has since then been handle, most of the
problem are the guys that buy a diesel then think the fuel filter can go for 50
miles or more, then this leaves them sitting in limp mode ,which t then the pump pulls so hard it pulls the filter apart then you run debrie through injectors , engine will not go over 1,500 rpm's , or the person who thinks that you can pull 2 dozers on a gooseneck trailer with one, yea the truck is HD truck, but every truck has it limits, we have serveral truck in the construction business & they beat these duramax & allison trucks up , with no concern, but they change the filters when time maintance comes up. & every truck that we have had troulbe with
90% has been owners fault. as for fuel mileage, we have seen both standard & allison recorded same mpg, & both truck do the same job day & day out. FORD has had it concerns on their diesel & still do, dodge has their truck also, i know all about dodge also because are company own dodge store also, they can not keep automatic behind that diesel, but their standard transmission & clutch sett up is #1 in my book. so mike gm still making standard, but most companies & owners perfer the allison, if someone is over heating a allison , someone is doing A NO NO over load, but dodge make the best standard for behind diesel's.
SO with that said, this flaming of GM or any other truck Co. should be , done with. mike its just the public demand % on wanting a stick verse automatic. and as for generation changes for gm (so what) ford still have its
changes & so is dodge, I am not slamming Ford but they have had their problems since they started use the International engine, every one has their
oops, just some companies(no names said) are very slow to get it fixed, and whick one will give it up first(& what your rised up with)
MIKE. GO drive a allison transmission GM it has great hold back power & will
get the job DONE

AT least around here

Brian
bdmelon

[Ken Majeski]

Well.... It's my understanding that the 8.1 and the D max are no longer available with the manual. Just why I don't know?

As far as Bashing GM I'm not brand loyal whatsoever. I buy whatever gets the job done for me. I just stated the facts on the D Max and the Allison. And the 2004.5 and 2005 do have overheating problems in Hot temps and it seems to mostly be the Allison equiped ones due to the extra heat created by the Allison. I can show you overheating threads with Thousands of posts on the Duramelt forums. And GM hasn't got a Fix although I do believe the 2006's are better. There are aftermarket vendors that had made auxillary radiators and oil coolers for them that seem to help a lot.

As far as Ford and IHC the IHC engine has worked well untill the 6.0. And yes some people have had great luck with the 6.0 but others have had nothing but problems.

As far as Dodge and the automatic the older auto ones were rated from 15 to 35 Hp less with the auto. Simply because the Cummins had too much torque for the auto. But as I undersand it the new ones are more durable.

I still believe if the engineers that design these truck had to use them and work on them things would be a Lot Different. I always have been rather reluctant to be a field tester for any brand and like to stick with something that I know works.

[Mike Monnier]

Brian, I understand that I am a minority when it comes to truck preference. I'm just doing my part to spread the word for the fellow who started the petition. I have no plans to drive an Allison as I have a Duramax with a stick sitting in the driveway. I've had this stupid grin on my face for the past two months since I brought it home. I had to wait 5 weeks to get it, but it was definately worth the wait.

[BDMelon]

Mike the guys that have them are happy & most of the ones we have sold traded in their Fords or dodge trucks.
on this power house of a truck, but look out dodge is on the move, we have heard of a up coming release on new dodge truck coming in
future. thats all i can tell you about dodge right know

melon

[Ken Majeski]

Well, here is a link to the recently introduced 2007 3500 Cab and chassis. http://www.turbodieselregister.com/06ntea/

As I understand it the regular 2007 Dodge trucks will still have the 5.9 Cummins and the 48 RE? or a Manual....

The general opinion is that the 6.7 liter and the 6 Speed Auto will trickle down to the 2500 and 3500 in comming years. And notice that they still offer a Handshaker as standard..

Also notice the Particulate Filter on the exhaust..... This will make some of the Hop Up boys unhappy when they get caught cutting it off...

[BDMelon]

ken thats just the begining , stay tune for 2009/10, keep your ears & eyes open. all i can tell you. its going to be fun

[Casemaker]

Originally Posted by BDMelon

look out dodge is on the move, we have heard of a up coming release on new dodge truck coming in
future. thats all i can tell you about dodge right know

melon

I would rather be Stroked (Ford) than Rammed (Dodge) any day !

[B. K. Lahey]

Got a lot to learn about you blokes, I thought you were talking trucks till I checked out the Dodge link, we call them utes down here , this is a truck , and don't tell me it's a tractor, cause it dont pull a plough!!
B K

[BDMelon]

nope, that's a Kenworth with a big ROO catcher on it, in yank country that called a big deer catcher or if some bloke gets in the way mate, car catcher (move them ford diesel's out of the road)lol, i'll get flamed for that comment, ha haaa ha

bd melon

[AndyG]

I wish that I had the kind of money to spend on a truck that it takes to buy one of those fancy diesels. I drive and '82 Chevy with a Cadillac engine (Chevillac). The only petition that GM cares about is their bottom line. If they make the decision to drop the manual shift you can be sure that they researched the effects of the decision. GM has calculated that many of the manual buyers will switch to auto and that they can afford to lose the rest. Having only one trans will greatly reduce GM's production and inventory costs which means they make more money. Making more money isn't a bad thing its is what we all want to do. I fond all of this talk of brand loyalty to be a little amusing. It's been my observation that, in today's market, that one brand is not "better" than another but rather different. Each brand has its attractive features and its draw-backs/problems. They are all quality built and well designed. One thing that I notice about new trucks is that the weight ratings keep increasing but they appear to be of lighter construction when I look at the springs/axles/frames. I wonder if they are as stout as my '82 dually cab-n-chassis. The biggest motor will get you nowhere if the truck is broke in half from the heavy load it was hauling.

[David Scott]

As far as the bloke with the kiddywhipper as I stated in my originsl post I drive a real truck/ tractor and when it comes to that nothing but a Mack will do. As far as overheating with the allison I have Two John Deer "D" s and a gooseneck trailer that have been all over M0., Ill. and Kansas to the pulls and never overheatet even when towing in 100+ degree temps. So if your overheating one your doing something wrong.


David

[Simple_serf]

As someone who will ONLY drive stick (in anything!!!), this kind of thing pisses me off, but then again....what can I say... it's GM...

In all honesty, the ONLY way to get a real truck these days is to buy an old one or build one. There are kits to put the 5.9 Cummins in a Ford. just make sure you get one of the 12 valve units...I have had friends who have had lots of electronic problems with the 24s. Or...even better...one of the OLD true IH engines...have to do some fab work, but at least then you would have a real truck engine/trans combo instead of the crap that is out there...I once saw a truck that had a DT 466 with a 70's Chevy truck body around it.

[Ken Majeski]

Well... this is the one I use for hauling engines to shows.... No Computer on the engine, No Glow Plugs. 5 Speed manual, 4 WD, 12 valve 5.9 turbodiesel. And all it cost me is about the same as a couple sets of Duramax injectors...

[Pacrat]

I bought my 93 W-250 Goat/ Cummins and Auto/overdrive from a local small fleet in 1998 with 266,000 on it. Now has 372,000. The only time the tranny has ever been out of it was to replace the rear crankshaft seal 2 years ago. This thing pulled heavy loads of huge gas compessor crankshafts and heads all the time. Before I bought it and retired it to hauling a camper with occasional tractor hauling. a 5 speed would have been repaired/replaced several times. As would the clutch. The one thing wrong with this set up is the throttle positioning sensor TPS. They are an expensive piece of crap. I havn't been able to find a substitute. O'riellys has the oem one for a lot less than Cummins or Dodge, but it is still way too high. But at least they offer a lifetime warranty. They have warrantied it twice. I have shifted over the road 18 wheelers around 5 million miles. You would be a mighty good salesman if you could sell me a stick shift for personal use.