2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission HO, six-speed and 4.10`s for towing?

[nunya]

Was wandering how many out there are towing 9,000lbs. with a HO 6speed with 4. 10s. I`m curious to hear on how in does on top end? Thinkin about tradin ????? Thanks for the info

 

[Pit Bull]

I don't know from personal experience (see sig) but based on everything I have read you could not do any better than the set-up you have described.

 

[J.R. Adkins]

nunya,

Contact Strokethis24v for info.







J. R.

 

[Ram4Sam]

Don't need em'...

Nun, My 5er weighs in around 9000 lbs and with the six speed, you don't need the 4. 10's. We just spent ten days driving the high Sierras and I spent alot of time in 5th and 6th gear. The 3. 54's are a great match with that weight and the six speed.



Sam

 

[J.R. Adkins]

Fellas he has the auto now.

 

[emarsh]

Towed a 4000# kubota tractor today with my 2000# car hauler. My 6 speed and 4. 10's did quite well, even the rental man said the tractor was no match for my truck (the mighty cummins)!

 

[sheldon]

With the camper and the woodie on the trailer I was grossing over 16,000 pounds and had no problems with the 3. 55 gears. I did not go into 6th gear unless I was going at least 60 mph. This setup returned 12. 5 mpg and kept up with traffic except the real steep hills.

 

[rubberneck]

My trailer weighs a legit 13000, 32 ft alpenlite with 3 slides, 100gallons of water etc etc. So i gross out at about 20-21k by the time i get all the wifes junk in the truck and trailer. I have 3. 54's with 33 inch bfg's , i wouldnt get 4. 10s with the six speed unless i was going to put 35 inch tires on it. Automatic, definitely 4. 10s, but the six speed, i would hate to have the 4. 10 wile driving empty. With all six holes, i just cant see needing them unless you towed all the time. If all you do is tow, the 4. 10s would put you at a little nicer rpm range if you are going to travel the speed limit like i always do when towing but empty would be brutal on those long stretches of lonely highway IMHO

 

[NVR FNSH]

I tow a 36ft 5th wheel with a 'standard' CTD w/Van Aaken/6spd/4. 10s & 315 tires. I gross 21,300lbs and I couldn't imagine trying to pull this load with 3. 54s Unloaded the 4. 10s are a drag but with the trailer hooked up they're the only way to go IMO.



Brian

 

[rubberneck]

Thats kind of what i figured, if i put 35's on (315's) The rpms at 60-62 mph in 6th gear would be way to low. If i go 35's 4. 10s would probably be in my future. nvrfnsh, what rpms you at at 60 mph with the 4. 10s and 315's??

 

[RustyJC]

We pull a 13,500 lb 5ver and hit the road at 21,180 GCW. The HO/6-speed/4. 10 3500 has a 21,500 lb GCWR - the same package with 3. 54's has a 20,000 GCWR. Towing as heavy as we do in the Texas Hill Country, I'm glad we went with the 4. 10's.



Rusty

 

[klenger]

I have a HO 6 speed with 4. 10's and pull a 10K 5er. I really like the 4. 10's for towing. I can stay in 6th gear all the time unless I'm climbing real mountains. The axle choice has as much to do with how much you drive empty as it does with what you are towing. Since I rarely drive on the out-or-town freeways empty, the 4. 10's work well for me all the time, and they don't affect milage as much as many think it does.



I've heard a lot of members with 3. 54's say that they would never get 4. 10's, but rarely heard someone with 4. 10's say that they wish they had 3. 54's instead.



I am curious for members who pull loads of 10K or more in hilly terrain, what gear do you normally tow in and at what speed? I really am looking for responses to this, so let me know. It seems to me that if you want to keep your speed around 65 MPH, you are either at 2500 RPM in 5th, or 1800 in 6th. With the 4. 10's, I can tow at 2200 RPM at 65 MPH, which works great.

 

[CJ Lagos]

I've got the 6-Speed and 4. 10's. I agree, I don't hear people with 4. 10's saying they wish they had 3. 55, only 3. 55 wish they had 4. 10 when the want to pull harder.



CJ

 

[Rcpilotlv]

I had a auto one time and for towing real heavy with that I would get the 4. 10s. With the sixspeed I have the 3. 54s. With this transmission I dont think it really matters 3. 54s or 4. 10s. With the flick of the wrist you can be in the right gear at all times. Manuals tow good period. Drive both.

 

[NVR FNSH]

rubberneck,

2000rpm is 66mph according to my GPS. On I-5 thru the San Joaquin Valley I tow in 6th gear and never down shift unless traffic is a problem.



Towing Hwy 1 from Lincoln City, Oregon to Santa Rosa, CA I think I never had to down shift below 5th due to the grade only due to too many curves



I pulled Hwy 70 above Oroville, CA in 4th in 100F ambient temp - I think that grade is 6-7%.



Last New Year's I pulled Towne Pass into Death Valley (heading east) in 3rd gear - it's a loooooong 9% pull.



Brian

 

[Steve M]

I guess I'm the odd ball. I had a '95 auto/3. 54. It was pretty sluggish with it's 160hp/400 lbft of torque pulling our travel trailer but it was quiet. I traded it for a '98 12v 5spd/4. 10. It ran 2500rpm at 70mph. It pulled great but I didn't have the option of dropping the rpm on the flats. After 89k miles of that noise, I traded for another auto/3. 54. With 235hp/460 lbft of torque, it does fine. If I want the same~ gear ratio that I had with the 5spd/4. 10 in 5th, I lock out O/D. 2500rpm is 65mph. You can't do that with 4. 10s. RPM would be way too high. Just my humble opinion after owning and towing with both.

 

[nunya]

Thanks to all of you who have responded! This is the place to find it out! Have the auto 3:54`s now and tow in Colorado and all of the west, doesn`t do bad at all but there is more... ... . just curious about the combo in question... ... . gonna drive it on the open road MT then I`ll decide... ... Thanks gang for the info... . I`ll let you know soon. My truck is at the dealer gettin a lift pump installed now , and perhaps a 44 also???????

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I have a 5 speed with 4. 10's. Haul an 8,500 lb 35 ft TT along with about 1200 lbs of motorcycles in the bed regularly. I hate the 4. 10's, wish I had 3. 55's. If you guys know anyone with 3. 55's in a 4wd with a limited slip that wants to swap let me know, I'll do it in a hearbeat. Remember - just because you have a 6 speed doesn't mean it HAS to be in 6th all the time. 1st gear is REALLY low in our trucks and you'll never have a problem getting a load rolling in 1st. With the 6sp and 3. 55's if you had a load that 6th put you too low then just downshift into 5th and you'd be at basically the same rpm as the 4. 10's in 6th. When you're driving around unloaded you can cruise in 6th with low revs. JMHO

 

[nunya]

Thanks guys! Made up my mind today... ... bought a 02 with the 3:54`s. Dealer had to get one comin my way... . be here on Tues. so I have time to take the goodies off the 00 and get ready to transfer the stuff over! Any body lookin for a deal on a EZ for the 00 auto? Let me know! This is a good reason to be a TDR man and keep cummin!!!!!!

 

[klenger]

IMHO, the six speed vs the 5 speed has no effect on axle ratio selection. The top tow gears are about the same ratios on either transmission. The 6 speed fills the gaps between 2-3 and 3-4 in the 5 speeds. You still need to select the proper axle ratio for best RPM at cruse speed.



http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/axle/5sp_vs_6sp.htm



I think a big factor is the terrain you tow in. For me, it was in Colorado, which is high altitude, and VERY BIG hills (30 miles from bottom to top). In the low altitude flat lands, it might not matter as much.