In 1989, on the way home from the Outlaw Trail ride,
our driver was our crew person, an Australian friend. 1) He had been used
to driving on the other side of the road. 2) We decided to take a scenic
tour of Sedona, AZ pulling a 20' aluminum gooseneck with 4 horses and 3 people
with a Ford diesel and automatic transmission. To shorten the story
considerably, I have never been so terrified in my life. The grade down
into Oak Creek Canyon is very steep, the auto transmission didn't hold the
trailer at all well, and the brakes were beginning to fade. Fortunately,
our driver pulled us through, even though he was driving on the opposite side
from what he was used to. I don't want to try that again. I think
that's when Lud decided to buy only stick shifts from then on.
Truck manufacturers try their best to get
folk to purchase automatic transmissions, especially for pulling
trailers.
The reason is that any idiot can stick his/her
foot in it and pull a goose neck horse trailer with an automatic, but if you
do not drive a manual properly, especially with a diesel, you will rip out the
clutch and/or trannsmission in 5 K miles. Typically, the idiot then
wants the auto maker to fix, and also tells all of his/her friends at the
local bar what bad trucks are made by the company.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
