Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Towing with 3.54 gears

[Howard Durand]

I have been thinking that a set of 4. 10 gears would be nice for towing but still like the 3. 54's for everyday driving.



My question is, have any of you used the US Gear underdrive and, if so, what do you think of them?

I think their underdrive unit gives about a 20% reduction. If my calculations are correct that woud produce a change equal to having 4. 81 gears.

I would think that could make hill climbing pretty nice.



Any comments?

 

[SRadke]

Were there issues with the US gear unit and exhaust brakes or was that the Gear Vendor?



-Scott

 

[RHARVEY]

The problem is with the Gear Vendor! I called and talked to the rep at US Gear about this issue and he told me that the US Gear transmission does not have a problem when used with a exhaust brake. .



Rick

 

[Howard Durand]

I think there were some issues with the US Gear products several years ago. I think that Gear Vendors have had some problems too. That is one of the reasons I posted this thread.



The underdrive would be as close to a two speed rear axle as I can get and would sure help in keeping the engine operating in the upper rpm range.

It certainly would help increase the towing capacity of the truck.

Just replacing the 3. 54's with 4. 10 gears raises the towing capacity of my truck 3500#.



My first Dodge CTD was a 1992 with 4. 10 gears and I had no problem towing our 30' trailer.

When we bought the 94 I was looking for 4. 10 gears but settled for this one assuming most of our driving would be with the truck unloaded and I would get better fuel economy with the 3. 54's.

Looking back at my fuel records, I see very little change in fuel consumption. In fact, the 94 has done worse than the 92.



At any rate, I am looking for some input on the auxiliary transmissions to see if one would be worth having.

 

[BV]

My Step Dad put a Gear Vendors in his 92 with 3. 54's 4th over is almost the same as 5th only. He has noticed a decrease in MPG but I think that is becuase now he doesn't use 5th at all - He was told not to tow in 5th.



The last couple of times I have ridden with him, the gear vendor seems clunkier/noisier then just a straight transmission.



The brochure says you can not use an exhaust brake due to the clutch system they use.

 

[SEmerson]

I can't amagine haveing 4. 10 Both of my 3500's have 3. 55s. They pull great. Just add more power if you pull poorly. A freind of mine has a ctd with 4. 10's. He hates them and can't wait to trade them to someone for some 3. 55's.

 

[SRadke]

I can't amagine haveing 4. 10 Both of my 3500's have 3. 55s. They pull great. Just add more power if you pull poorly. A freind of mine has a ctd with 4. 10's. He hates them and can't wait to trade the to someone for some 3. 55's.

Yep, I had 3:55's in my old truck with 33" tires. Now I've got 3:73 and recently ordered 35" tires just to raise the ratios. You don't always need lower gears, just more power



-Scott

 

[Howard Durand]

Maybe if my old 47RH was smart enough to work with a "smart controller" towing would be different.

As it is, it loves to flop into OD at about 40 mph then lock up the TC which finds me with an engine turning about 1200 rpm and trying to gain speed.

With "Mo Power", I can do that if the truck is empty but if I am towing, it is bad.



I recently worked my TPS over and was able to get 1. 2 volts at idle which raised the OD shift point to around 55 mph under normal acceleration.

It still shifts early under light throttle.

My towing problems arise when traveling on 2 lane roads with varying traffic situations.

I either have to leave the OD off or the TC unlocked to prevent bad situations.

I think the underdrive would give me some good options for this type of towing.



By the way, you should see how much "modification" it takes to get 1. 2 volts out of a TPS.

If good old DC would have put a re-programmable PCM in my truck, I think a lot of my troubles could have been avoided.

 

[SRehberg]

I've had two '96 2500 CTD, one with the 3. 54 gears and one with 4. 10 gears. I pull a 27ft. Alpenlite (8800lbs). The one with the 3. 54 gears was bone stock and automatic. It did o. k. getting the load moving, but nothing to write home about, but acceptable. Unloaded it would get consistently 23-24mpg. The truck I have now, still bone stock, automatic, and 4. 10 gears, makes the pull a LOT easier. It doesn't have the straining issue getting the load moving and seems to pull it easier. The trade off unloaded,(4. 10) is a mileage drop to a solid 19mpg. RPM with 3. 54 gears at 65mph was 1750. Same mph with 4. 10's is around 2200rpm. Which do I like best? My personal preference for my use, is the 4. 10's. If I usually ran solo or just bed cargo, even a slide in camper, I would go with the 3. 54. I wonder if the 3. 73/3. 91 ratios might be a good compromise?

 

[hsmith]

Have been using the Gear Vendors for over 100k now. Did lose one unit when the rear seal leaked and did know until it was too late. They have a great exchange policy for a reman unit. Service is great and prompt. The overdrive is great for splitting on the up shift. I tow too much, and the extra gear is very helpful. I would never tow in 5th, but 4th over is a strong gear. With the exhaust brake, one needs to be careful not to gear down with the GV in service. I eliminated this possibility with the GV switch. I used the extra terminal on the switch to control the ground for the exhaust brake relay. This way, both can never be activated at the same time.

Hope this is of some help for you. Until I can replace with the 5600, I will keep the GV in service.

Also helps when you need to smoke a rice burner or ps.

 

[jimk]

I have a gearvendor and when I install a 6 speed in the 95 that has a 4x4 Would the gearvendor be of any value. I dont care if if wont pay for it self only would it be easer to pull my trailers. It wouldnot cost a lot of money to buy a spool piece to install it to the gear vendor to the hd241. Has any one ever used a gear vendor with a 6 speed and 3. 54 gears Thanks Jim

 

[hsmith]

My feeling is I would prefer the GV aux no matter what the transmission is. Not sure what the difference in ratios is on the 5600 compared with the 4500. The 5600 is a much stronger unit with no od gear weakness as compared to the 4500.

 

[jimk]

Thanks as I picked up my gear vendor today an it has been overhauled. I can buy a spool piece for less that 500 to make it work with the HD241 trasfer case. Thanks for the advice Jim