I actually think the manual is better in traffic. I could inch along at idle & change gears to stay with traffic - 1 mph in fist, 5 mph in 2nd, 10 mph in 3rd, etc. In an auto your blipping the throttle & getting the engine up to 2000 rpm if your inching along up a hill.

 

Just tellin you the facts he collected. This is my first auto. I think the 48RE weak link is overstated. I have no way of knowing, but even the vaunted Allison had a greater failure rate. By the way, my brother in law ia a Ford man with a 2000 7.3 L Powerstroke. This all began as a bet between Tim Holt and himself.

 

Tim Holt is a true transmission guru. He is very well known around the country for his trans. expertise and if he feels the 48re is a solid trans. you can bet the farm he knows what he's talking about.
Joe

 

Ratings are one thing but actually doing it and living to tell about it is a whole different deal. I see lots of auto tranny trucks (usually GMs) on the passes in the summer time with the guy standing out using the cell while the family waits in the RV for the tow rig. I've stopped and offered assistance more than once and it's the same stories every time 'Tranny got hot, engine de-rated' or 'Tranny got hot and its' guts out'. I think you can get by with an auto on flat ground but the grades kill 'em. My 2˘.

 

IIRC, the NV5600 weighs 200 lbs. more than the auto so the overall total weight of the truck is more. This reduces the amount that can be hauled or towed. The same reason 2wd's can move more than 4x4's. The NV must weigh more than the G56, so the difference should be less since it replaced the NV.

 

If i was hauling everyday i would deffinatly have a manual. I was looking for a manual but ended up with what I got through a family friend.

 

Yup....I was going to buy a 2006 with the manual.