Technology | Winter 2009
Transmission boosts hiring options.
By Scott Garvey
The current labour shortage means farmers may have a tough time finding employees with farm equipment experience. So machinery that's as simple as possible to operate can pay dividends at hiring time.
It's the same story if you're trying to find experienced drivers for tandem-axle trucks. Fortunately, a lot of new and used trucks are now hitting the market with auto transmissions, which makes them much simpler to operate. For exactly that reason, the Allison 6-speed automatic and the 10-speed Roadranger Ultra-Shift are currently the two most sought-after transmission options in used trucks.
A tandem truck equipped with either transmission simplifies things considerably for inexperienced drivers. And automatic transmissions have definitely caught the attention of grain producers.
Darwyne Rewerts, who operates Hillridge Farms near Cut Knife, SK, is one producer who opted for an Ultra-Shift in his recently-purchased tandem truck. He says auto transmission was an important consideration. “Even if you have a hired man, half of them can't shift gears,” he says.
According to Bert Downton, general manager at Frontier Peterbilt in Regina, most producers share Rewerts' concerns. “More and more farmers are coming in and asking for (automatics),” he says. “(The farm truck) is more of a family truck than a one-driver truck. Farmers want a truck that anyone can drive.”
Precise shifting control with the Allison and the Ultra-Shift transmissions means fewer shocks to the drive train and better fuel efficiency, particularly with an inexperienced driver at the wheel. And that in turn can prevent costly damage caused by driver error.
But ease of operation does come with a higher price tag. Expect an extra $10,000 to $15,000 on the purchase price of a new medium-duty truck. Even on a used model, one of these transmissions can boost resale value by $7,000.
