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Time for a change?
Page 23
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Past attempts to introduce semi-automatic transmissions for trucks have failed miserably, yet they are nearly universal on urban buses, whose operating conditions are often considerably more arduous. The announcement of Ford's ESTA system, appraised in this issue, must renew speculation, however, that the truck situation may be due for a change. One of the UK's major transmission makers estimates that Ford may have spent as much as El m on ESTA's four-year development programme — an investment that clearly cannot be amortized solely in the 250-300 Ford bus chassis produced each year for domestic use.
Only in on-road trucks is there the volume to justify the use of such advanced electronics, and Ford men have admitted that ESTA's launch was originally planned on artics. The advantages of semi-automatics on trucks seemed to be twofold: driver attraction and operating economy. Attracting and retaining drivers was the guiding force in bus operation, and with the prospect of continuing driver shortage in road haulage this could be an important factor. As to economy, while conventional torque converter automatics use more fuel than their manual counterparts, the EST A system significantly avoids this.
Another aspect, common to all automatics, is the potential saving in replacement costs. One transmission maker says that clutch failure can happen any time after 25,000 miles and replacement can cost well over £200 including down-time losses. By contrast, pneumocy clic boxes in buses go at least 100,000 miles without trouble these days.
So is the day of semi-automatics on trucks nearly here? Well, it certainly seems more likely — with ESTA, with the provision for automatic operation built into Turner's new synchro range and with the Scania interest in auto and semi-auto boxes recently recorded in CM.