F IRING ORDER

The manual gearbox

his issue of Four Wheeler

Tcontains a fun story about the 2022 Centerforce Adventure Run, which is a multi-day off-road foray into the Arizona backcountry for 4x4s with manual transmissions (mostly).

I think it’s safe to say that manual transmissions have played a big part in our wheeling past whether we drive a manual-equipped 4x4 now or not. My history with a manual gearbox began when the young me learned how to clutch and row gears in an old six-cylinder-powered Ford F-250 farm truck. Even though the shifter travel was super long and sloppy, and the clutch feel was funky, I eventually figured it out. The young me was surprised that it took a bit of learning. I guess I figured it would be easy after riding motorcycles since a young age, you know, manual shift there, too, but it was surprisingly different. After learning on the F-250, I found myself piloting manual gearbox-equipped vehicles like a ’76 AMC Pacer (don’t judge me), ’77 Toyota Corolla SR5, ’77 Datsun 280Z, ’77 Pontiac Trans Am, ’84 Jeep Cherokee XJ, and ’90 Geo Tracker among others. To me, driving a manual-shift vehicle just made sense. I liked the simplicity compared to an automatic transmission and the manual-equipped vehicles were almost always less expensive than the automatic-equipped machines. In late 1996, I bought a brand-new ’97 Jeep Wrangler Sport with a five-speed manual. That Jeep was my daily as well as my trail rig and I never regretted getting the manual.

My wife, a farmer’s daughter, learned to drive a manual gearbox-equipped vehicle at a young age and prefers them to this day. All three of our kids learned how to drive on a manual gearbox-equipped 4x4. Our kids agree that learning to drive in a manual-equipped vehicle is more challenging than learning to drive on an automatic-equipped vehicle, but each is grateful they mastered the skill.

The manual transmission is alive and well here at Four Wheeler and most of the editorial staff owns and drives at least one manual gearbox-equipped 4x4. Some examples: Sean Holman’s ’20 Wrangler and ’42 Ford GPW (Project Odd Ford); Verne Simons’ Ultimate Adventure Long Range Jeep (UALRJ), ’74 CJ-5, ’46 CJ-2A, ’70 Suburban (Project Dino), ’49 CJ-3A, and ’98 Dodge Ram 4x4 2500; Christian Hazel’s ’89 Wrangler (Project Why-J), ’53 flattie (The Hazel Flattie), and ’71 CJ-6 (UACJ6D). Jered Korfhage drove an ’02 Wrangler equipped with a manual until the Jeep got hit by a drunk driver and was totaled. He had to settle for an automatic-equipped Wrangler JK since he needed a vehicle immediately and that’s what was on the lot. He still prefers a manual gearbox and will tell you how much he misses a manual gearbox if you ask him.

A spirited debate often ensues when the topic of driving manual gearbox-equipped 4x4s offroad comes up. Some wheelers are vocal about the advantages while others have much to say about the disadvantages. Nonetheless, whether you call ’em manual transmissions, stick shifts, or manual gearboxes, the campfire would be a less exciting place if we didn’t get to discuss stuff like clutch pedals, shift patterns, clutch slaves, and pressure plates.

Did you learn to drive on a manual-gearbox vehicle? Have you owned a stick-shift 4x4? Do you currently wheel a manual-shift 4x4? Or do you prefer an automatic? Drop an email to the address below and share your thoughts!

■ Above: A manual gearbox was behind the 2.5L I-4 powerhouse in my ’84 XJ. Below: This was the manual gearboxequipped ’90 Geo Tracker our kids learned to drive in. I also plowed snow for many years with this little SUV.

–KEN BRUBAKER

F O U R W H E E L E R . C O M

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