F550 Auto or 6spd?

[J hall]

I found a 2002 F550 with a diesel and automatic trans. I wish it had the 6spd, but it doesn't... Not being a fan of automatics, I am looking for some input.
Thanks,
Jeff

[ShieldArc]

I think 1 auto tranny should outlast 2 clutches....

[alha]

Do you have any idea who previously owned it, how it was used, and if it was properly maintained (by a fleet shop, for example or a private individual)? How many miles, what does the tranny fluid look/smell like? Autos can last longer, but are way more $ to fix when something goes wrong.

[DDA52]

I am not a big fan of Ford autos in a pulling enviroment. They do not do what they say they will do. If you do any pulling, stay with a 6sp....it will be cheaper in the long run. I pull all the time. My Ford auto trannies were lasting about 60K miles...so far, I have 80K miles on my current clutch....Dodge of course.

[RadMan]

Hopefully the truck is big enough to warrant an allison, if so you'll be ok, like Alha said pull the dipstick.

[J hall]

170,000 road miles. Company maintained, full service records.
E4OD trans
My 93 Ford had 160,000 miles on the original clutch

[RadMan]

170,000 road miles. Company maintained, full service records.
E4OD trans
My 93 Ford had 160,000 miles on the original clutch

Any transmission work in the records?

So Jeff, you are not the guy sitting at a red light with his foot on the pedal for 5 minutes.he he he

[admweld]

stick only 4 me now when heavy haulin

Not to bum anyone out here but i hatem!!! I had a 96psd 350UB W/ E40D It cooked 3 times the truck was loaded heavy at 13,500 on a 11k gvw truck so i traded it in on my f-550 got a 6spd stick on dads reccomendation him being a rebuilder of trans 30+ yrs..My 99 350/PU has 4R100 AT it has 115k on truck i just removed the trans for the third time last night it was leaking again converter failure again this will be #3 since 99 last was 20k ago stripped entire trans front to rear dad said nothing burnt,broken or worn just conveter failure.bought one today for 175.00 this truck is bone stock no mods i,m afraid if i went chip it would cause more troubles than good also i do plow w/ my trucks but still no excuse for these troubles imo.It,s your call jhall good luck.

[millermania]

Go with the manual. The only auto I'd trust is the GM Allison on the Duramax.

[Coalsmoke]

Don't know nothing about the ford autos, but as far as clutches go, 140,000miles on stock dodge clutch with Cummins behind it, towing regularly.

[Portable Welder]

I have a 1999 F-550 with 135,000 on it, I'm on my 3rd clutch the average cost for the dealer to fix it has been around $ 1100 The first one went out at 60,000 the second at 80,000 and my third is still fine at 135,000.
The clutch disc was fine, it was the 3 springs in the center that would break on me, My truck weighs out at 16,680 Lbs. I now pull a trailer on a fairly regular basis with my tractor and road plates which weigh an extra 12,000 Lbs. which equals about 29,000 Lbs. The last clutch has been holding up fine.
I'm hoping for positive feed back on the auto matics, it sure would be nice verses shifting all the time.
My personell truck is a 1997 F-350 diesel crew cab, it has 112,000 miles on it and I use that to pull my tractor and dump trailer also. It has an automatic and I am yet to have trans problems with it. However I do notice that when I am hauling a heavy load after about the first 10 miles it hits 3rd gear awfull hard. Hope this helps.

[Ray C.]

Go with the manual. The only auto I'd trust is the GM Allison on the Duramax.

I totally agree.

[wrench3047]

The best transmission for someone depends mainly on the operator. Overall a heavy duty manual transmission is best if driven properly. As far as automatics go Allison I think is the top of the list with the all hydraulic models. Their electronic models are still good but lower on the list. All Army equiptment has a automatic in it now cause it took too long to teach some one to shift manually properly. Most clutchs on duece and a halfs would last less than 20k.

In your personal vehical can you get a clutch to 100k or more than manual would probably be good choice. If the work truck has an Allison auto if you keep the cooler and fluid clean that would be a good choice too.

[ShieldArc]

Go talk to a top notch automatic trans rebuilder, he should be able to answer all your questions.

[J hall]

Thanks,
I decided to pass on this one. I was looking for real life experiances with the automatic, and I got enough to tell me what I already thought I knew.
I have had 3 fords with well over 100k on the clutch, and one that so far has70k.
I think I will leave the automatics for someone else.
Jeff