Allison 3000 series
A true automatic with a torque converter, and the standard in refuse, mixer, utility and anything that stops hundreds of times a shift. The converter multiplies torque from a standstill in a way no clutch can.
Torque rating
1250-1450
pound-feet at the input
Weight
720 lb
80 lb over the lightest, which is payload
Shifting
Actuated
software decides the gear
Maker
Allison
What it does to fuel
Worse than an automated manual on the highway, because a torque converter has slip losses a clutch does not. On a stop-start route it can be better, because it never mis-shifts and never rides a clutch.
What this type is
A true automatic with a fluid coupling. Smooth, forgiving and heavy, which is why it lives in refuse, mixer and city work where there are hundreds of stops a day and nobody wants a clutch.
Known issues
Fluid and filter neglect above all. An Allison that has had its fluid changed on schedule outlasts the truck.
Verdict
Correct for vocational and city work and the wrong choice for linehaul. Judge it by the route, not by the badge.
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