"Push Button" Transmissions Losing Popularity?

[x635 4,066]

It seems the more new deliveries I photograph, the more I notice a "lever style" transmission shifter (as pictured below).

For a long while, the "Push Button" transmission shifter was the standard, and seen in most apparatus.

I don't know if there's a technical or manufacturer reason behind this, but the lever style I would prefer myself as it gives you a more tacticle feel when swtiching gears.

[Guest]

I Don't Know if there is a reason, but i still prefer standard transmissions.

[firemoose827 324]

I like the "Lever Style" better myself. You dont need to look at the console to switch gears, you know where they are.

As far as manual or standard transmissions are concerned in the fire dept I rather have manual. I can drive standard transmissions but I have trouble with the double clutch...and at 3AM when youre trying to get to a worker with entrapment, its easier for those of us who dont drive standards everyday to just jump in and throw it in drive. I know the standards last longer and dont require as much maintenance as the manuals but its just easier to drive, and you would get more drivers qualified. In my dept we have a few professional drivers who do it for a living and they are the ones who pretty much specced all of our trucks with standards. Its easy for them, but not for the rest of us. Needless to say we have very FEW qualified drivers. Just my opinion, so please, all of you die hard drivers out there dont jump on me!!

Moose

[Oswegowind 17]

Okay, I am confused. I have a honda civic with manual (aka standard) transmission. The other available transmission as I know it, is "automatic". Standard/manual you have to clutch or in trucks, double clutch, and shift as opposed to automatics that just do it internally based on engine speed and need. Unless I have missed something...I prefer manual transmissions, because I think they are more fun to drive, but when it comes to emergency vehicles, they should be automatics with a shift override on fire apparatus with pumps/ladders so that you can bring the engine to the needed rpm's during pumping or aerial operations.

[steve shryock 0]

This was a big topic when making the specs for our new engine. What we were able to find out was that the lever does the same thing as the push button transmission, in that it's electronic and does not have any hard linkage to the tranny. It is a preference and the guts of the lever style & push button style are the same, only a different cover.

[antiquefirelt 994]

This was a big topic when making the specs for our new engine. What we were able to find out was that the lever does the same thing as the push button transmission, in that it's electronic and does not have any hard linkage to the tranny. It is a preference and the guts of the lever style & push button style are the same, only a different cover.

Exactly. No difference in how they work, basically just what the dept. prefers. Some members cannot get used to the push buttons so they offer the lever, but it's the same electronics shifting the gears.

[Capejake72 8]

i found the push botton style transmissions rather confusing, as they has so many "modes" rather than just shifting the transmission into whichever gear was needed and going, all of our truck (DOF) are automatic, with the shifter style automatics, and we are encouraged to shift the transmissions into each gear (esp on the dozer transports)

[Stewie 1]

I drive trucks all day with both types of gear shifts. The only reason I prefer the handle shifter is because if you are driving down the road and something happens, it is a lot easier to grab a hand and pull down then to find a button make sure it is the right one and then press the button two or three times. It just gives me a little more sense of control over the vehicle that I am driving.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Our new pumper has the lever style and also has a mode button. When the truck is placed in drive it only used up to four gears, when the mode button is pushed, then the fifth gear is enabled which is only used on the highway. We usually drive in "4" or "3" depending where the call is in town. Plus its nice to be able to shift down to "2" or 1" when we need to.