My truck has a towing transmission (SM465) with a low "granny" gear in the tradition 1st gear position. I never use that gear unless I'm hauling felled tree tru

My truck has a towing transmission (SM465) with a low "granny" gear in the tradition 1st gear position. I never use that gear unless I'm hauling felled tree trunks around the property or something like that; it's needed to get the truck moving under such a load. I've heard that rock crawler types like to put that tranny in old Jeeps for precise control during four wheeling, and I can believe it. In that gear, I've crawled up a hill with a moderate load in the bed, with my foot off the accelerator. Mostly though, I just enjoy the nearly zero maintenance (check fluids regularly of course, change clutch every 10 years or so) that a manual provides on an older vehicle. On newer vehicles like my Crown Victoria or my wife's Nissan Versa, the automatic just makes more sense. It's just as dependable as a manual, and only slightly more frequent maintenance (60k mile service intervals on both cars).