opinions on best tranmission for off road , stick or auto?

[Will]

I think an auto is far superior. An auto never disconnects the engine from the tranny. With a manual you get 5 gear choices and are slipping the clutch when you are needing an in-between choice--which is a dry, uncooled device. An auto has an infinitely variable gear between each gear in the torque converter. You don't notice it very much, but trust me. My other house has a 28% grade driveway on a narrow road with a shark turn up it so you can't build up speed for it. You turn in there with a 10,000# trailer on a 6,000# truck and then head up the driveway froma near stop. The truck doesn't want to go and then you can feel the converter pitch change and like magic you are suddenly rushing up the drive.

My offroad truck is a manual. I bought a C5 years ago but never bothered to install it. So I guess that tells the story. Just depends on what you like. In my next build the C5 will be going in. But the 5-speed is good enough until then.

 

[Tb8983]

In my eyes a 5speed I do mud rocks and sand and they way I look at it a clutch is cheaper then a auto transmission

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Just keep the auto cool and you don't have a problem. The only way to keep a clutch cool is not to use it.

Dad has a tractor with a torque converter (Case-O-Matic Case 800) in place of a clutch with a standard 8 speed tranny, and we have another one with the same tranny but a normal clutch (Case 830 Dual-Range). It is amazing what the one with the TQ will do that the standard clutch with a bigger engine won't think about. It is like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest between the two of them.