3.42 or 3.73, What is your opinion???

[KRichau]

I am going to test drive some new 09's this weekend. Both pickups are Mega Cab duallys with the G56 transmission. One has 3. 42's and the other has 3. 73's. I farm and ranch on the side from my regular job, so I pull anything from a small sled trailer to a 32ft goosneck loaded with hay. I was wondering if anyone has any heavy towing experience with the 3. 42's because that is the direction I'm leaning as of now.

 

[HBarlow]

Either ratio will be too high for frequent heavy towing. Each will stress the clutch when launching the load and will require a downshift on most grades when towing heavy. For frequent heavy towing I would recommend you reconsider and select a 4. 10 ratio. The only sacrifice will be the comfortable and quiet low rpm highway cruise when unloaded that 3. 42 gears will provide. The fuel economy trade-off will be minor.

My first Dodge-Cummins was an '01 HO six speed with 3. 54:1 rear end. I owned and pulled an 8,000 lb. Airstream travel trailer at the time and it worked great for that load. Later, when I grew tired of the Airstream/Avion aluminum travel trailers and bought a used Travel Supreme fifth wheel weighing 14,500 lbs. loaded I didn't appreciate the high rear end gears as much. Starting the load stressed the clutch and I had to downshift on lots of grades.

You'll also be forced to downshift or lug the engine at highway towing speeds with the 3. 42 ratio. Our 6. 7 Cummins engines are most efficient at 1900 to 2100 rpm. 3. 42 gears will require a towing speed of 70 mph or greater to get into the power band. Towing in top gear at engine speeds below 1600 rpm will definitely be lugging the engine.

3. 42 gears will put a lot of stress on the clutch starting the load moving when you are pulling a load of hay.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I agree with Harvey. 4. 10 is the correct choice, and 3. 73 would be a non-ideal compromise. Definitely stay away from 3. 42 for your application.

 

[tkerrigan]

If you want to use the 3. 42, just don't use 6th when towing heavy, 5th being a direct gear is better anyway. Use 1st gear when starting a heavy load. If it is 4WD, you can go really slow through the field using low range. If you plan on going to taller tires later, you may want to adjust up to 3. 73 or 4. 11 depending on how tall they are.

 

[sabersix]

Due to the final gearing of the manual transmission, the 4. 10 gears are not a factory option. His choices are 3. 42 (standard) or 3. 73(option). I believe the 3. 73 will be the better heavy towing option.

 

[MMiller]

Where are you located? The mountains, Nebraska flatlands, Missouri hills? I can't see being scared of the 3. 42's, myself. With the horse and torque of the new trucks, it will be able to haul what you need. My old first gen tows upwards of 30,000 gross, pulls hay out of hayfields, loads of cows out of pastures, and lugs pulling trucks out of infields. It chases cows, horses, and deer. All with 3. 55's, 265 tires, and for quite a while it had 33" tires. All with a getrag, and about 240 RWHP, and 600 ft lbs of torque. Many times I went across Iowa at 28,000# in OD, cruise on at 72 mph, and run with KW's, Pete's, and Freightshakers up the many hills. 10-12MPG loaded. Not any different then what the hotshotter is getting with his new 6. 7 loaded up.



Now, if you tell me you are in the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and such, then the 3. 73's would be better. Or maybe Illinios where the speed limit for trucks and trailers is 55 mph.



Whatever you get just use low range when starting loads off the beaten path, and 1st when hooked to the trailer on the street.



Michael

 

[KRichau]

Location--West Central North Dakota

I am located about 90 miles northwest of Bismarck, ND, and the new pickup would probably not stray too far from home. I currently have a 96 three quarter ton with the 3. 54's and five speed manual with 200,000 miles on it. I regularly tow heavy loads with it and have had no problems yet. The previous owner repaired 5th gear once, and that was about the extent of the major repairs.



Mathematically, super low in a new pickup with 3. 42's is a slower speed than the pickup I'm driving right now. The new pickups have 135 more hp and one more transmission gear from factory than my old 96 does. I figured that might help out with the higher speed rear end. Most of my towing would probably be done in Direct Drive, and empty driving in OD for mileage sakes.



Thanks for the comments, please feel free to post more while I am still deciding which route to take.

 

[MMiller]

If you are happy with the gearing of your 96, and have done the math on the new truck ratios, I don't see how you would be disappointed in the 3. 42's. I myself don't like turning extra RPM's down the road. Many times I'm looking for another gear in my truck, just to keep the engine turning slower, and less noise in the cab.



Have you driven a truck with each ratio in it? Is it possible for you dealership to let you drive a truck with 3. 73's for a day? It reads like you will keep the truck for a long time, so getting one you are happy with will allow you to keep it longer.



Michael

 

[LHarper]

3:73 gear ratio is hard to beat. If your hauling/towing heavy loads most of the time, I have found the 4:10 ratio is best. All around gear, 3:73.

 

[juicedcummins]

342's all the way unless you are married to a trailer @ least 50% of the time or live in rough country.

 

[Coalsmoke]

Well KR, when you drive them you'll see just how close the shifts are on the 3. 73. I went with the 3. 42 and would have no problems putting 10,000lbs behind the truck through some of the wildest mountains a person has seen here. There's a lot to be said for driver skill and a little bit of patience and common sense, some guys HAVE to be somewhere 10% faster then the rest of the group and will burn up a truck, trans, brakes, etc in the doing so and then say the truck was to blame

 

[Cattletrkr]

I've had 4. 10's in all my trucks (3), but this one is the first auto. After the first one I told myself never again, but I got 'em on the second one anyway. 3. 73's are the best option for combination driving. 3. 42's would be fine, but I agree with Harvey, that's a lot of unnecessary stress on the driveline when you're loaded.

If you're patient and don't need to fly, 3. 42's would be my choice. Just don't expect to have as much power as you think you do when pulling that 32 footer full of hay.

 

[DPKetchum]

3:42s are not a work gear. Nor are 3:55s. The words TOW HEAVY and 3:42 don't go together. They are a haul pinestraw and grocery gear. There is a reason that 4:10s are a OPTION. I've owned both and I get amused at the I towed a million lbs all over with 3:55s. Well the trucks I had even with mods didn't pull 10k worth a darn. Didn't really pull 8k worth a toot eaither. Yea they pulled it but it was miserable uinless you were in Florida. 3:73 are a ok compromise. If I was getting a new truck and needed it for pulling it would be the 6 speed AUTO and 4. 10s.

 

[Coalsmoke]

3:42s are not a work gear. Nor are 3:55s. The words TOW HEAVY and 3:42 don't go together. They are a haul pinestraw and grocery gear. There is a reason that 4:10s are a OPTION. I've owned both and I get amused at the I towed a million lbs all over with 3:55s. Well the trucks I had even with mods didn't pull 10k worth a darn. Didn't really pull 8k worth a toot eaither. Yea they pulled it but it was miserable uinless you were in Florida. 3:73 are a ok compromise. If I was getting a new truck and needed it for pulling it would be the 6 speed AUTO and 4. 10s.

Are you on drugs????? I'm not trying to offend anyone, but you can get a Kenworth T660 with 3. 36s, you can get a Freightshaker Cascadia with 3. 42s, a Pete 379 with 3. 25s, and I know you can get Volvos in the 3. 42, maybe lower. These are heavy haul highway trucks. The 6. 7 has a very large power band and the new G56 does a great job of making the most of it. A bit of driving skill doesn't hurt either

 

[MMiller]

Are you on drugs????? I'm not trying to offend anyone, but you can get a Kenworth T660 with 3. 36s, you can get a Freightshaker Cascadia with 3. 42s, a Pete 379 with 3. 25s, and I know you can get Volvos in the 3. 42, maybe lower. These are heavy haul highway trucks. The 6. 7 has a very large power band and the new G56 does a great job of making the most of it. A bit of driving skill doesn't hurt either

Don't worry, he has had that opinion for a long time. Apparently there is something wrong with my truck and 3. 55's or maybe the scales in Iowa are set differently then they are in his world.



Has the options changed on the new trucks, as I thought there were no 4. 10's with a manual trans? On the Dodge webcite, you can't pick a 4. 10 and get a manual transmission. I don't know why anybody is even bringing 4. 10s into this discussion. We are talking about a G56, and 3. 42 and 3. 73's.

 

[DPKetchum]

Well I'll stick to my other statement. 3. 55s/3. 42s gears and the words TOW HEAVY don't go together. Maybe we should DEFINE TOW HEAVY? Plus 3. 55s stunk for pulling any kind of weight. Its a fact. Don't fill less experienced with incorrect info. For pulling a very light weight camper and the kids I'm sure they are great. Chrysler engineers wanted them dropped way back in the Dana days. I have HAD big rigs pull into my place with tall gears. They hardly could get out and going again. Had a husband wife team bring loads in here with their over the road rig complain about how hard it was on their clutch/truck to get up and going leaving here and return with another truck the next day with a lower gear for pulling up and off. I'll say it again there is a reason for OTHER ratios being a option. I've been shopping 09 1500s. To get to a 10k tow rating(11,300 with Ford) its with 6 speed autos(all except Chrysler)and 3. 92 ratio . Not 3. 29 or 3. 54,3. 55s whatever. If towing HEAVY any amount of time buy the equipment designed and rated to tow HEAVY. 3. 42 is not that gear. Now did I mention 4. 10s in this post? Heck the manufacturers have a CHART to go by,Don't take my or anyone else's OPINION follow the guidelines that are set down by the manufacture. Those guidelines are not opinions but thought out facts/specs.

 

[IBarr]

0. 74:1 OD ratio for the 6 speed stick x 3. 42 = 2. 53
0. 62:1 OD ratio for 68RFE 6 speed auto x 4. 10 = 2. 54

So, with a 6 speed stick and 3. 42s, you have almost the same final drive ratio as a guy with an auto and a 4. 10 rear. I say get the 3. 42s unless you are into racing up hills with a load.

My 2002 truck had 3. 55s, and it pulled 9000# just fine in OD with a 47RE.

 

[DPKetchum]

Is that final o/d with the newer version of the G56 or the older version. The final drive was changed in them. It was that the final drive and 3. 73 was equivalent to the auto final drive and 4. 10s not 3. 42

 

[MAllen1]

I have noticed that with 99 with my 3. 54's is that it does good until I get over 10k. I would guess that the 3. 73 would do good up to say 15k, anything over that and I would see if I couldn't get a 4. 10.

 

[DPKetchum]

Are you talking weight? I've towed 8k if that with a 2002 with 3. 55 and if you lost any speed going up hills on the interstate it was all you could do to maintain 60 mph or so. Neighbor of mine bought that truck new and wanted to pull a four horse aluminum gooseneck. The trailer dealer told him that the 2002 with 3. 55s would NOT pull a four horse with horses worth a darn. Heck it didn't pull a 3 horse with horses worth a darn. He kept it 30k and traded it on a 03 6 speed 3. 73 truck and it pulled the 3 horses loaded just fine. But that 02 sure didn't. It was a chore to tow with. He know has a 05 dually with auto 3. 73. We have pulled same loads with his and mine. He says mine tows MUCH better then his. He don't like that with the 3. 73 and auto that he has to stay over 70mph for it to pull good and that in hilly,curvy roads it either lugs or downshifts and screams at below 70 mph. Mine you can maintain 65 to 70 mph with relative ease. Maybe we have a different sense of ease of towing. Falling off a incline like a rock and floor boarding it to get up the next one and IF anything slows you down your floored to maintain 60 mph is NOT my definition of towing easily and comfortably. Thats how his 02 pulled as did any I owned with 3. 55/3. 54 gears.