I am not a big fan of the automatic transmission, and neither am I a very big fan of the only-auto direction the light truck market has taken in the last 10 years. I special ordered my F250 the way you're desiring an F150: with manual hubs, lever-operated transfer case, and manual transmission. Sadly, this configuration is no longer available by FoMoCo in any of their light duty trucks.

With that said, the automatic transmission has come a very long way in the last 10 years, too. I echo what others have added to this thread. The autos are much more complex, they're stronger, and as much as it pains me to say this; the autos are more durable as well. Mind you this is coming from a die-hard handshaker advocate.

I never had any luck with automatics with my truck usage. The GM 700R4, the later 4L60E, the Ford AOD, and the later light duty 5R55E were all 70,000 mile units. None of them made 100,000 miles by our use around the farm, in the mud, and out in the oil fields of South Texas. Expensive to rebuild, as well!

By comparison, the shift on the fly 4wd systems seem to be hit and miss. The new stuff is getting better, just like the automatic transmissions. The early Ford automatic locking hubs used when they still employed the TTB front suspensions until '96 were problematic- some of them were finicky and actually needed the front wheels to rotate a little bit for them to engage and disengage. Now this can be a problem if you're around the ranch and get in a tight spot where you can't move. Your 4wd could be useless. The older GM front axles actually used a heated vacuum solenoid which did give many bowtie boys an embarrassing situation of no 4wd in the cold states.

Even the '04-'08 Ford 4wd front axles had issues with the hub losing vacuum over time and grinding away the hub internals because of a partial loss of vacuum. Remember, this system used a vacuum pulse to disengage the hub (FREE) and if the vacuum pulse was not strong enough, the hub [I think] could get hung in purgatory, in between state between LOCK and FREE which caused a number of later model F150 owners 4wd trouble. I'm not sure how the '09+ trucks are. You don't hear of any 4wd problems, but then again these trucks and their seals and rubbers are still pretty new.

I guess I'm taking the long way around to saying that you don't have much choice anymore, especially if you're buying a half ton truck. You're gonna get an automatic transmission and a push button 4wd transfer case.

The good news is that the automatics have come a long way, for the better I might add. The bad news is that you're losing some of that control for specific applications like 2wd LOW RANGE, which is extremely useful at times.




Here's to some good conversation

Peace

 

70,000 - 100,000 wow. To me that is way out of what I consider reasonable. When I buy a car or truck I expect 15 years and 250,000 miles. While I don't put my truck through farm work it seems like an F250 type truck should do much better then that for 35000 dollars. My toyotas and subarus in relatively light duty have all gone over 200,000 with only a water pump and a few other light repairs.

To be fair, a T100 is not an F150 or F250. It would not take really heavy duty. Seems like an F150 should run on the highway for years and years. I only need the 4WD to go 2 miles to the highway during big snow storms. As for towing I only tow a drift boat and trailer which is about 500 pounds total.

As for my 25 percent grade driveway. I live in the mountains of UT. My home is around 8000 feet and built on a mountain slope. The steep part of the driveway is about 50 feet lnog. My truck in 4WD, locked goes half way up the driveway and then starts to slid back down with all the wheels spinning. The Subarus have better weight distribution and go up that driveway when it's snow covered like it's july. We often get 25 feet of snow. First snow is Sept and the last is in June.

Big thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. The information has been very good and valuable. This a great forum with knowledgeable people. Looks like I may have to move into the 20th century and adapt. Yuk, I hate giving in. I have been shifting cars and trucks for 45 years. Every time I get in an auto trans car I stomp the floor looking for a clutch when I come to a stop sigh. Spinal reflex

L

 

I will agree on the manual hubs, it would be nice to have both auto and a selectable manual that disengages the auto function.

BUT - well manuals have been dead for some time now. Modern automatics have proven to be eaisier on the drivelines, as well as returning equal, if not superior fuel mileage. Even the big class 7 and 8 trucks are moving in at least a auto shift direction, if not full auto.

Even any serious rock crawler off road has gone auto. There is simply more and better control.

I have a six speed allison in my 1970 C600 - and it does everything a manual would in the truck, but MUCH better, and with less wear and tear on me! I mean like after all when I get done moving four loads and 60k - I can still walk!

Why wear your shoulder out shifting? Why wear your ankle and knee joints out clutching? I have a 4" scar on my right shoulder from too many years of shifting balky medium duty manual transmissions. My left knee and ankle are forever sore, and the few times I have to shift a manual of someones elses, I am sore for DAYS!

Why anyone would waste there physical well being performing a meaninless task better suited to a automoton I can't fathom.

But each to their own.

Thanks to ford when alll Manuals are gone with the single exception of sports cars.

My opinion! David