6 speed transmission

[gparker]

My New truck has a new 6 speed transmission thst seems to have all of the features of the allison. Haven't towed with it yet. I will give a report when I do. Anyone else with this new tranny?

[GoMopar440]

What truck do you have? You mentioned Allison, so is it a GM?

My 2001 Dodge Ram has a 6 speed and it tows great. I've never really needed to use the granny-low first gear though. The torque from the Cummins might have a little to do with that...

[tedh1031]

I just purchased a 2008 Dodge 2500 with a 6 speed automatic. Hope to leave in 2 weeks for Arizona towing a 34 ft airstream. Had only 130 miles on it. Also has a exhaust brake installed. Will find out how that works when I get in the hills.

[RBolton]

This new transmission is built by Aisin. Aisin is about 60% owned by Toyota I think. You'll have great control. It has tow/haul mode as well as the ability to select gears with an "auto-stick" feature. Along with the exhaust brake you should be able to find a combination for just about any situation. It compares favorably to the Allison.

GoMopar440, I'm guessing your '01 has a six speed manual. Since the introduction of this Aisin automatic a lot of Dodge/Cummins owners have switched from manuals.

Tedh1031, let us know how you get along.

Roger

[blacksheep]

The Aisin is only available on the cab and chassis models, the pickups get a brand new Chrysler 6 spd auto, two different transmissions.

Godspeed,
Trent

[RBolton]

Blacksheep is right, sorry. I get confused and I sell the dang things. The 2500 uses the 68RFE (or something like that) Chrysler trans. The 4500s and 5500 get the Aisin. Still with the shift controls and the exhaust brake, I think you'll like it.

Roger

[GoMopar440]

RBolton you are correct. My '01 Ram 2500 4x4 CTD is a HO model truck that has the NV6500 6spd manual trans and 4 wheel disk brakes. It makes for an excellent tow rig that doesn't care what you pull behind it. I've been half way across the US a couple times with it, mostly pulling loaded car trailers. Even when heavilly loaded down, the truck's got power to spare. That's the main reason I still drive the thing like a 5 spd (2nd through 6th). If I'm not towing I even can skip the odd numbered gears and just go from 2 to 4 to 6.

I wish Dodge had an Auto trans (any # of speeds) that was as strong as this 6 spd Manual when I bought my truck. Ask anyone who owns one, what the weak link on a CTD Dodge is when you drive it hard or start modifying it, and most will tell you the auto trans.

Hopefully the Dodge auto trannys have been getting better over the past few years. I haven't been in the market for a new truck ever since I got this one so I haven't been following the trends as much lately. That Aisin auto trans conversion sounds very interesting...

[Royce]

I have the NV4500 5 speed in my Jeep and it is bullet proof. Just wish it had one more gear as the distance between 4th and 5th is a little long. If the NV6500 is anything like the 45 it is a great tranny.

[slowmover]

I also have the NV-5600 in my 305/555 (hp/tq) Dodge.

Spent some time a year or so back with another ex-truck driver and we discussed his changes from a medium duty truck back down to a one-ton Dodge. He's gone with the auto six-speed and feels like it will work out for the "hot shot" driving he's doing in the oil field biz. Some other drivers have reported to him their similar feelings about the non-chassis cab trucks with the new auto. (For what it's worth, no one I know of uses anything but a Dodge for commercial work. The reliability, long life and traditionally better fuel economy make the Cummins a no-brainer; farmer, rancher or hot shot).

If I were buying a new one, I'd go with the auto, but only because my wife so dislikes using a manual in a vehicle this size.

[GoMopar440]

Ooops... That was a typo in my last post. I meant to say NV5600