Manual or automatic tranny in a 4WD?

I have had both in newer jeep wranglers - preferred the auto, much easier to hill climb with 2 pedals than 3.

I don't really go looking for trails to tear up. Off roading I do is pretty much whatever it takes to take care of a few things on my land or at the camp. I need decent clearance, good tires, and four wheel drive. I prefer an automatic for off roading - especially if it involves towing.

The newer Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe have hill start assist and hill descent control. I think Jeep's Grand Cherokee and most Land Cruisers have that as well. It seems to eliminate the drawback of an automatic for most practical off road stituations - especially with a trailer in tow.

20 years ago I'd have said that a manual transmission, manual lockers, and manual transfer cases were ideal. Today the newer systems, newer automatics are just as good and just as reliable....and the new electronic aids give you plenty of control over what the car is doing. My Silverado can also start off in 2nd gear with the automatic if I'm worried about breaking traction, I'm almost certain that the Fords and Toyotas do that as well.

I don't see as much of an advantage of a manual anymore these days.

Being able to hold a gear is great. Shifting while trying to spin the tires in the mud is not. Some autos will hold a gear, but a lot of them shift regardless what you do to the stick. If you know what you're doing with a manual in the mud, it is fine. I choose manual because I don't go through long mud holes that require more than one gear

" My old CJ5 had an 8 speed manual". No that didn't happen from the factory and I don't know of any aftermarket ever made for this application. Another questionable "tranny"

i got a gm350/700r4/dana 300 ready for whatever you need to throw at it/it in.

700r4 has OD which wasn't available in the th300 or th400. it's a beast of a transmission and even beastier because i put high output/input shafts in it. i also added SYE to the dana 300 and a clock ring. could be yours for whatever you're building!