What Trany to pick...

[OFD547]

I have a 99' with auto and am going to buy a new rig next year. I am contempating getting a manual six speed but am wondering if I will need it. I will only be hauling a fithwheel 4 to 5 times a year. How dose the exhaust barkes work on the autos vs. manual? what is the failure rates on the two types? Mine has 65,000 with no probs for now... Any info from everyone outhtere who has driven/towed with both.



Thanks

Chris

 

[Tagalong]

Think long and hard about which transmission!

Well Chris,

as you see by my sig. I have the AT. I really wanted the AT but learned all about the inherent problems of pulling with the AT (from the TDR) after I got the truck home. When I'm towing I wish I had the stick! But I do like the AT for everyday. However, with the 4:10s I'm learning how to shift from 3rd to OD like a pro! Forget the E-brake with the AT... unless you want to Bomb your transmission! If your towing heavy go stick, put an E-brake on it and enjoy... of course you won't get the really neat cup holder With the stick you can enjoy the 3:54 rear end and great fuel mileage! If you do go AT watch the GCVWR, the AT drops the combined weight 4K pounds, even with the camper spring package. Course if you're towing an RV under 10K you may not have any problem. But by all means get a transmission temp gauge with AT. And by the way, if you don't Bomb the engine the AT might just do the job for you! So you see the AT certainly has its limitations

Good luck,

Dave

 

[RAMalama]

Yep, Tagalong nailed it!

Like he said if the majority of your driving is towing, get the stick. If it's a daily driver with only occasional RVing, get the auto.



Me? My belief is "You can never have too much truck"... !



When I tow, it's real heavy. The six speed is simply magic. Had a 95 CTD with the 5sp towing the same load so as far as the two manuals go, there's no comparison. Remember, the six spd only solves a problem if you tow heavy. Other wise you might be solving a problem you don't have.



Also, if you end up going with the six spd. I hope you like shifting! With my 4:10 rear end, each gear goes by real quick but I'm not going anywhere! I'm sure bombed ETH/DEE owners will agree. It's kinda hard to hot-rod around 'cause you're always shifting!!!



Love my truck though! It does what my 95 could do only with even less effort. In 95, I didn't think that was possible!!!

 

[JSoloman]

I towed with the auto first, for about 5 years. I bought the CTD w/ the 6spd last year and it was the best buy I made. Lots of mountainous area and I just feel like I have alot more control. Haven't gotten the ebrake yet, but its next.

 

[OFD547]

Thanks from everyone so far....

OK... . so will the 3:54 pull just fine... The trailer im getting is 12,000 GVWR and Dry Hitch is 1600lb. So who knows... again im only towing 4 to 5 trips a year. But I defenitly want to Bomb IT! and I sure dont mind shifting hahah ( I say that now ) Keep the input coming. . thanks!!!!!

 

[DAWG-1]

Stick

Get the stick and then you wont have a sloppy transmission to fix from the start.

 

[Morphious]

Get the stick, you will thank yourself in the long run. I have put 100k+ on my dog, in the last 2 years, mostly empty, but also end up hauling up to 20k+ trailers here and there for the farm. The stick makes all the difference in the world. There are times when I want an auto (rush hour traffic), but then I pull a trailer or have a heavy load and I enjoy the benifit of stick too much.



Morph.

 

[hammersley]

You'll need a 3500 to tow 12000, I assume you are using a 4wd. I'd go with the auto and assume right away you're going to spend an extra $2000 and get the VB/TC from Bill K and then bomb away. Chock that up to the price. The easy starting on a steep grade can't be beat with an auto. Manuals have there place, but if you do a lot of town driving - well they are a pain. And it takes a lot more practice to drag with a manual - a lot more. The cupholder is a real bummer as well. And if you put someone in the middle - unless she's pretty, the knees are a problem.

 

[BK]

I have a '99, 2500 CTD 3. 56 with an AT.

My buddy "had" a Ch&vy dually, but after driving my dodge he went shopping for a Dodge. He bought a 3500 HO with the 6speed, 4. 10. He tows a 10K lb 5th wheel. I tow a 6K travel trailer. (dry wieghts)

If you looking to max out the GCVW of the truck and towing abilities, the 4. 10LS, HO w/ 6speed is real sweet, I thought the transmission was very smooth. Running empty, you can skip a gears, and with all that torque, the clutch is nearly useless...



I've driven my buddies truck, and it's great. The 6 speed is real smooth. The power is great. With the 6 speed, the 4. 10 vs the 3. 56 isnt a real issue. The Ls they offer with the 4. 10 is a nice reason to get the 4. 10.



He put the dodge aftermarket J-Brake in... I helped turn some wrenches and snapped pixs. . not a hard jop, and again it works well.

http://www.tdr4x4.com/rigs/bo3500/jb/



We went camping up state NY and with our difference in trailer weights and setups, we kept up with each other, and on the longest of step grades, I admit I lost steam a bit before he did, even though he tows a heavier trailer... that 6 speed and HO lets you find a sweet spot easier than the AT.



We camped at the top of one mountain. One the way up, his 6 speed had an easier time of it with the twist and turns up the steep grade than my auto did. And on the way home, down the hill, he had more control with the Jbrake and MT than I did with the AT... I rode the brakes a heck of lot more than he did. I could find a nice speed of about 25mph in second that provided some braking. . but the AT isnt built for that, so I've read. Plus 25mph was too fast for some U turns coming down the mountain.



If you towing on flat open space and dont need to push the GCVW, you'll probably be fine with the AT, but here with the mountains... I wish I had the HO and 6speed.



Best of luck with making a choice. But after driving and towing with both, I know what I would do today... .

Didn't have such a choice when I got mine.

It's not that I don't like or enjoy my truck... It's all relative, not many folks and pass others while towing, 75mph (+), on the upstate NY long grades.

Or pass a pain in the a$$ jetta at 95mph on the flats while towing. .



But his '01 HO 6speed is real nice.



Bob

 

[MidwestMotorman]

town driving

I love the 5 spd for town driving. Nothing better blowing the doors off the guy next to you at a stop light. Besides, hearing the exhaust whine caused by the turbo is neat, even neater between shifts.



Your best bet is to find a buddy with a stick and drive it, or test drive one from a dealership. The dealership I bought mine from let me test drive it for a week. It was another week before the paperwork was final, so I had it for two weeks before I actually owned it.



I am glad I went with the stick, and my wife likes to shift gears as well, so we made the right choice. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[JBritton]

The Auto. went out in my 3500 at 28,000mi. I pull 8500lbs ( car and car trailer) and the motor is bone stock. The local five star dealer said the transmission was "just plain worn out. " Get the stick!

 

[Ramboy]

Before making your decision, drive someone's truck with a DTT TC & VB and see what a real auto is like.

 

[RustyJC]

Ratings for ETH/DEE QC 4x2 3500 with 3. 54 rear axle -



GCVWR - 20,000 lbs

Trailer tow rating - 13,200 lbs



Ratings for ETH/DEE QC 4x2 3500 with 4. 10 rear axle -



GCVWR - 21,500 lbs

Trailer tow rating - 14,700 lbs



Since our truck is used almost exclusively to tow our 5th wheel, and since we want to be "legal" and not exceed the manufacturer's ratings, we went with the 4. 10 rear axle.



By the way, the "trailer tow rating" is for a base model vehicle carrying only a 150 lb driver. You have to subtract the weight of any/all options, passengers, cargo, additional driver weight, etc. from the trailer tow rating, so it disappears pretty quickly!



Like others have said, with the 4. 10's, you're really rowing gears in town, even starting in 2nd! 60 MPH = 2,000 RPM in 6th - great for towing, but that Cummins is turning almost 2,400 RPM at 70 MPH unloaded, so I'm thinking about a U. S. Gear 20% overdrive already!



Rusty



P. S. - Our previous 3500 was a V-10/automatic. That's why we went with the ETH/DEE.

 

[BK]

Owning an AT allready, I have my eye and wallet on getting the DTT mods... after warrenty. . and when I get the bucks up.



Now knowing how Dodge service has been treating us customers.....







So why spend the extra money, time and possibility of having your warrenty voided, when you can buy such performance with the 6speedMT / HO , stock, with out such headaches...



??

 

[DShelton]

New member here . am enjoyng the posts. I have a 98 quad cab 24 valve enjine with 3-54 rear end all stock. Tow a fifth wheel, about eight thousand pounds. Just came back from a two thousand mile tow and truck did quite well. what does anyone say about towing in od while on flat road? Also would like to know if anyone has had after market aux transmission installed like Gear Vendors. Also what about banks products which enhance power and torque? Thanks

 

[Todd T]

I would go with a five speed

wait a minute, I did.



1. the ETH's dont except bombing as well,(High EGT's)their clutch doesnt hold as much as the 5 speed, you said you were going to bomb anyway, you will make up that 15 hp on the first one.



2. they cost LESS, than a 6 speed.



3. you have to change the fluid in the 6 every 40 thou. and they are not cheap (synthetic oil)



4. the "2nd-3rd hole" everyone talks about on the 5's, is a joke, unless you leave it stock.



5. you said you were going to bomb, so that rules out the auto, unless you include $3000 in your budget to get it up to par.



6 speeds are problematic also. do a search for "My 5 speed went out" and see how many you get back then do one for the six speeds, Hee Hee.

 

[Devildog]

Well, it tuff to drink, shift and steer at the same time! Been there done that! I have an AT with DTT stuff installed, pushing around 450 HP and it's the best truck I ever owned! As you can see everybody has their "rathers" Go with your gut feelings and you wont be sorry.

 

[Steve M]

I've had a '95 auto/3. 54 with 160hp and 400lb/ft of torque. It towed our flat faced travel trailer 70mph with no problems. It was quiet with the lower rpms and got decent mpgs. We traded for a '98 club cab with 5spd and 4. 10. It towed the same travel trailer with better throttle response as the rpm and boost were up all the time (2500 at 70mph) but it was noisy. It wasn't relaxing at all to hear high rpm all day long. We bought a 5th wheel travel trailer and that had me keeping an eye out for a long bed to replace the '98 short bed. It was replaced with a '01 auto/3. 54. Back is the quiet low rpm highway cruising and with 235hp/460lb ft of torque, it has plenty of power to two our 5th wheel and the improvements to the auto over the '95 are a welcome addition. I've read on this website of an auto with over 300,000 on it used for towing. I'm hoping mine will be as reliable. My '95 didn't give any trouble at all. The '98 5spd cost me $260 for a master cylinder/ slave cylinder kit that I installed myself in an hour. The clutch would chatter when it got hot after a long highway tow. That was annoying. It would also chatter and cause spring wrap-up while backing my rig into the yard or into a campsite. Very annoying. So we're back to an auto and happy. Before you decide, check the two rating of each. You might need to opt for the 6spd to be within the tow rating.

Yeah, sometimes I miss the sound of the turbo when I used to shift but I missed the quiet of the auto/3. 54 combo more.

 

[Big A]

Had a '99 auto with 3:55s towed 27ft 5th with 13 ft slide, and 21ft ski boat behind that. transmission handled it fine. Very scary going downhill. I think the auto setup will do just fine, if left stock. Once you start upgrading the power, you will shorten the life. Wtih just the EZ, I could slip the T/C when towing. I traded my '99 for a 01 5spd, and I'm in love. I test drove a 6spd too, and decided the 5spd would be a better choice,but hey! to each their own.

Big A

 

[chuck3]

Auto

Unless you really love shifting, and only towing 4 to 5 times a year doesnt sound like you need the 6 speed. I tow with and love my auto, I got tired of shifting, my last 5 trucks were sticks and this auto is a nice relief. I did test drive the 01 HO 3500 and have to say if I was retired and towing the majority of the time this would be my first choice. Good Luck and go test drive.