Amish Transmission Engineer Joins the Forum

[Rope-Pusher]

Hi! Until recently, I worked as an engineer in the Amish transmission department of a Detroit-based automobile manufacturer for almost 25 years. In that time, I learned a thing or two about Amish transmissions, clutches for Amish transmissions, shift linkage for Amish transmissions, etc. Since I left the company, I've been going through withdrawal symptoms. Shifting my daily drive is the only thing that has kept me from getting the DTs. Maybe reading these forums and submitting my own humble opinions will make things feel right again.

[Evicatos]

Welcome!

Isn't an Amish transmission usually referred to as a "harness" though?

[RITmusic2k]

Welcome! What brand/breed are you driving/riding these days?

[Rope-Pusher]

I'm currently driving a Jeep Liberty w/3.7L & 6-speed MT. I needed something that could pull the gear trailer for Boy scout outings 12 months of the year. The places we go get snowy and muddy quite often, hence the need for 4WD. I got one of the last of it's kind - no more Liberty MTs for the North American market.

[RITmusic2k]

Very cool! Are you the Troop's Scoutmaster?

[vedran]

welcome to the forum!

great to have you here

[AHTOXA]

Welcome, we are always glad when new members join.

[theholycow]

I knew that the Amish use tractors and trucks and such, but I didn't know that manufacturers made products specifically for them. How is a transmission from a detroit auto manufacturer made different for the Amish market?

[Rope-Pusher]

For "The Great Unwashed", transmissions known as "Slushboxes" are designed such that if one had a horse-shoe driveway, the transmission could be built with the "Manual Lever" (how dare they call it that) permanently affixed in the "Drive" position. It is when these people actually try to shift their transmissions that the trouble begins. Think about it. An Amish transmission driver moves the gearshift lever to a particular position and begins to engage the clutch. Suppose the vehicle starts driving in the non-intended direction. The Amish transmission driver reacts by disengaging the clutch, reselecting the gear and trying again. Those drivers who are members of "The Great Unwashed", upon confronting a vehicle that is moving in a non-intended direction, are frequently known to press harder on the accelerator pedal, as if that would help the situation. Now, you don't have to be of the Amish faith, nor shun electricity, if you would drive a vehicle equipped with one of these Amish transmissions, but you must be ready, willing and able to accept responsibility for your own actions when it comes to shifting gears. Even the government of the United States of America agrees with me on this point. There are no federally mandated features in vehicles equipped with Amish transmissions that would prevent their drivers from removing the keys and walking away from the vehicle while the transmission is shifted into Neutral. The same cannot be said for vehicles equipped with Slushboxes, where the transmission cannot be shifted out of "Park" without a key in the ignition switch and the brake pedal being depressed. Nor may the key be removed from the ignition switch without the transmission being placed in the "Park" position. It must be that this government assumes drivers of vehicles with Slushbox transmissions to be less responsible for their actions.

[theholycow]

So, Amish-market transmissions are made without safety interlocks? Presumably to save money? I did not know the market was large enough for that to save money, I would think the economy of scale would make it still cheaper to use a general purpose mass-produced unit.

Interesting stuff!

[Rope-Pusher]

I think you are missing the point. Automakers make Amish transmissions available so that "Slushboxes" can be sold as an option. It's a profit thing. It's even more of a profit thing than you might think, but that's where you'd be wrong. In North America, because of economies of scale, it is cheaper to build a vehicle with a "Slushbox" than with an Amish transmission. The automakers would increase profits just by that substitution alone, not to mention the additional profit made by charging extra for the less expensive transmission. In cases where there is no Amish transmission availability, the price of the basic vehicle must include a "Slushbox" at no extra charge.

An excellent lesson in this type of economic analysis can be found in Steve Martin's Move "The Jerk". Watch the part where his boss explains the economics of weight guessing at the carnival.

Now go out and feel good about yourself, knowing that you were smart enough to see through the rouse and purchase a vehicle with one of those special Amish transmissions for less than the price of one equipped with a less-desirable Slushbox.

[Rope-Pusher]

RITmusic2k - No, I am not a Scoutmasher, just an assistant in charge of outing logistics. This duty seems to fit the nature of an engineer better. You know, Scouting would be much more fun without all those boys!

[theholycow]

Oh. You're using the word "Amish" to describe manual transmissions. I was taking you seriously, I thought you were making automatic transmissions without safety interlocks for Amish-market farm trucks...

[padauk_dust]

Welcome to the forums!
Enjoyed the insight.

[4onthefloor]

Oh. You're using the word "Amish" to describe manual transmissions. I was taking you seriously, I thought you were making automatic transmissions without safety interlocks for Amish-market farm trucks...

You're not alone.......I'm as confused as ever.........erm...........yeah.....I'm still confused.