Learned stick today

Nick167 · Aug 11, 2015

Taught myself to drive stick today had to move some wood and used my neighbors dump and ur was in the old 78 dodge power wagon the only other thing I've drive that's stick is my tractors I kinda like you down shift anymore into second it only has 67000 miles on it the picture is a few days old from a wood cutting bee I still need to put pictures on of

old · Aug 11, 2015

I learned stick the hard way on a motorcycle. You learned fast or ate handle bars. LOL If I have my choice I will only drive something wit ha stick shift and I think all cars and trucks etc should have stick shift since it does in fact save gas

T.R.K. · Aug 11, 2015

O.K. . . .

How many cars did you run off the road with that load?

Pete in MD · Aug 11, 2015

What's the reason for loading the logs in the dump trailer the way they are?

Nick167 · Aug 11, 2015

We were just hauling them up from the woods that way we weren't on public roads I only had wood inside of it today none sticking out

pete 23 · Aug 11, 2015

I like driving a standard transmission car. Makes me feel I am more in control of the vehicle. I tried to explain to my son I law, how his (slush bucket) actually works but it was in vain. I know stick is not for everyone and pretty much a thing of the past but I just prefer them for most things, but not all things.

NoNewParts · Aug 11, 2015

careful Nick...
once you get it down pat, you'll wonder why automatics were invented......musta been for those fat ol lazy fellers, or goils or somethin

just funnin...but I do remember driving my first auto....stopped at a stop sign....engine running....in gear....HOW is this possible!?!?

Russ from MN · Aug 11, 2015

I have said it before, the reason there are so few sticks now is it's harder to talk or text with a cell phone with a stick shift!

markct · Aug 11, 2015

In trucks it only saves gas with a very careful driver and even then it is very minimal if any. Allison automatics shift very well and are very reliable, road rangers are too but clutches do need replacement and adjustments over time. A auto in a truck is a whole different machine than a pickup transmission.

RBoots · Aug 11, 2015

I had a bit of a hard time driving my wife's auto
car when I first met her, ALWAYS had a stick.
She wasn't super impressed when I mashed on
the brakes looking for the clutch at a stop sign
lol.

Ross

old · Aug 11, 2015

Well you have to talk a whole lot more on that one. I have 1.9 Million mile on my driving record and most are on stick shift things and that includes both in the U.S.A. and other counties I'll stick to stick shift. Yes I have tried the big rig autos you can keep them

ShadetreeRet · Aug 11, 2015

I learned to drive on the farm in a forty Ford Pickup, took my drivers test in a 38 Chrysler with three in the floor, (yep, you heard right), always preferred a stick and when four speeds came out I loved "rowing through the gears". But the last 20 or so years has made a great difference in repair costs. I realize that everything is more expensive now than it was in 2003, but when I retired the price of an overhaul kit for an automatic was only a fraction of what it would cost to rebuild a stick shift transmission, especially if you had to replace many gears. However, now that my knees balk at bending much and holding a clutch in, I find it more practical to drive an automatic.

unc · Aug 12, 2015

(quoted from post at 18:30:34 08/11/15) Taught myself to drive stick today had to move some wood and used my neighbors dump and ur was in the old 78 dodge power wagon the only other thing I've drive that's stick is my tractors I kinda like you down shift anymore into second it only has 67000 miles on it the picture is a few days old from a wood cutting bee I still need to put pictures on of

We both loved our manual transmission vehicles, both light and medium duty. After Bonnie had a complex knee replacement, we switched to a Jeep with the CVT trans and four wheel drive. Yeehaw! We don't miss the clutch near as much as we thought we would. Some of the new stuff works pretty well.

mj · Aug 12, 2015

(quoted from post at 21:14:27 08/11/15) In trucks it only saves gas with a very careful driver and even then it is very minimal if any. Allison automatics shift very well and are very reliable, road rangers are too but clutches do need replacement and adjustments over time. A auto in a truck is a whole different machine than a pickup transmission.

When hauling loads in the mountains I'll take a 'stick' every time, especially with a Jake. With a manual it's a direct connection from the crankshaft to the road - better control and not as much power loss - they don't call autos 'slush boxes' for nothing BUT they do keep the engine at the 'right' spot in the power band - no more 'foot-in-the-pump' losses from rookie drivers. 8)

markct · Aug 12, 2015

I agree with a good driver nothing wrong with standard in a truck, being a mechanic for a trucking fleet I can tell you that those who can operate a standard transmission well are getting to be a minority nowadays, infact there are some who hold a class a cdl and can't drive standard! As for being a direct connection to hold back with the Jake, most modern truck automatics do exactly that, not like the early Allison ones that freewheeled downhill, they downshift and lock up converter so there is just as solid of a link between engine and wheels as a standard. Not saying anything wrong with standard and a good driver, but overall from a fleet standpoint there are a lot of favorable things about a modern automatic.

JRSutton · Aug 12, 2015

Old - I learned an even harder way.

My girlfriend's father had to teach me so I could use his spare car to take his daughter out.

He didn't particularly care for me to begin with - him being a teacher, his daughter being a pure as the driven snow straight A+ student, and me being... well... me.

My car had died and being in high school, a replacement was a long way away.

I'll never forget the combination of awkwardness, pressure, and shear frustration. But I learned.

There's a whole lot more to that story once I learned to drive that car, but this is neither the time nor place!

Blackhole49 · Aug 12, 2015

A motorcycle was the easiest stick I ever drove. Even my boy's who had a hard time learning a manual in a car or jeep, could hope on the motorcycle and ride with no problems.

fixerupper · Aug 12, 2015

Learning to drive with a clutch should be mandatory and this might sound contradictory to the rest of my story here. In fact, come to think of it, when I took driver's ed we started out driving with a 54 Chevy with a stick shift and we had to master that before we drove the new driver's ed car with the automatic. We farm boys didn't have any trouble but most of the girls did their share of jerky launches. My first attempt at a stick shift was in my dad's 49 International pickup when I was maybe ten years old or a little older. Did OK with the clutch except I put it in reverse instead of low so I took off backward for a few feet with dad running after me. LOL Then I got it in low and everything went smooth.

I don't see the big deal about wanting to drive a stick. Last time I bought a pickup I requested an automatic. I'm tired of shifting gears, I've shifted gears for all of 50 years and now it's time to be able to just mash the pedal and go.

When I was growing up the first automatic in our family was a new 62 Chevy with powerglide. Mom was a polio survivor and her right leg didn't work well so the automatic was a blessing for her.

sotxbill · Aug 12, 2015

Only 1.9% of all cars sold today are manual transmission. Most of them are sports cars. (yesterdays home page)

And with dsg transmissions, a computer shifts a manual transmission for you, and they are used in some "over the road" trucks now.

old · Aug 12, 2015

As I said I'll stick with a stick shift. I have on the place 2 twin stick trucks and talk about having to know how to shift they will either make you or brake you

Fatjay · Aug 12, 2015

Dunno why they made the automatic, but sitting in traffic for 2 hours a day 5 days a week and you'll be glad you have it.

But driving stick should be on the drivers test. I grew up with it and knowing how to drive both is a skill everyone should have.

JML755 · Aug 12, 2015

When my oldest daughter turned 16, I bought a '94 Ranger w/ 5 spd. I showed her how to drive it, she started crying as she jerked down the driveway and said she couldn't do it. I parked it in front of the house and said "there's your car". Few days later after itching to go places, I saw her pull away in it.

When she left for Law School, I sold it and then got a '02 Chevy p/u with 5 spd for her younger sisters to learn on. Guess what? They both prefer sticks now. One of them has a newer Cruze with a 5 spd. Another benefit: Kept their friends from borrowing their car as none knew how to drive it.

Learned stick today

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