The Getrag seems to have some issues, makes a pretty good racket in all the gears so i assume the input bearing is gone. I am wondering if the NV 4500 is a good alternative to the Getrag? Does the NV4500 have any issues that need dealt with? Or am I better off to rebuild the Getrag?

 

Thanks for posting this issue. I'm going to follow postings here to learn what alternatives are available for the Dodge Cummins besides the Getrag standard shift transmission.

 

the only bad thing that i can say about the nv 4500 i 5 gear falls off after about 100,000!!!!!! with a new nut and 5th gear(and the new nut installed properly!) shouldn't have any problems.......I have seen the t.s.b. nut and gear package come loose before thow.

 

Six States Distribution have a kit that comes with tranny and all part to adap the nv4500 in replace of the Getrag with out haveing to replace the drive shafts.

theres many ether that have dun there own conversion for cheeper to!

I havent done the conversion cus my Getrag deside to act better after the synthetic, over filled and a new clutch( Pilot bearing was the cause of my rattle.....input shaft was still tight....luck-o-lee!

 

can the nut problem on the 4500 be fixed? Also is the 4500 better or worse than the Getrag

 

It used to be that it was cheaper to convert to a nv4500 because parts to rebuild a getrag were next to impossible to find and they cost an arm and a leg. However recently parts are cheaper and much easier to obtain. So now generally it is cheaper and easier to just rebuild the getrag. If they are rebuilt right and are overfilled by 1quart with quality oil they will last a long time. Member "Frostie" is running over 600hp through one.

The 5th gear nut can be fixed for good with a fully splined main shaft from "quad4x4", there are also a number of other fixes out there.

If I had a choice and money didn't matter i'd take a nv5600, next nv4500, next i'll keep my getrag cause it'll be cheaper to rebuild than to convert.

 

As long as it out of, or is for a diesel it a lot stonger!!!

It's what dodge replace the getrag with, and used it tell the 6spd can into play!

 

apwatson is right as long as they are rebuilt right and you over fill them by 1-1-1/5 quarts of good oil they will last a long time. The one thing they dont like is if you lug them and put the power to them down low especially when towing. I am not on my original Getrag this is my second one I replaced the first one at 150,000 miles. The reason it went out was lack of lubrication I didnt know to overfill it by 1- 1-1/2 quarts. I currently have 230,000 miles on my pickup and this one is doing fine.

There is also the question of what do you have planned for your pickup? If you plan on going to a dual disk clutch at some point then a NV4500 might be a better choice. You can put a 1-3/8 imput shaft in them. Witht he Getrag you are stuck with 1-1/4. There is a couple of places that make dual disk clutches for the 1-1/4 shaft but at that point you might as well go with the bigger shaft and a NV 4500.

Frostie-600hp??

Stomp

 

Sorry that is you Stomp, not Frostie. I was confused.

 

Hey its no big deal I just saw that and wanted to make sure that no one was trying to break my numbers.

I havent heard from KTA lately so I have to imagine he is up to no good. KTA(not on this site) is another guy that has a first gen with over 600hp and he still runs a Getrag.

Right now my numbers are down, but I have a few things in the works.

Stomp

 

Even Geno (Geno's Garage) says that it's a well known fact the the Getrag is a weak point. My truck had three Getrag's before I put in the NV 4500 with a fully splined 5th gear mainshaft. It's a stouter trans.I'm going to get flammed for this...

 

If I were going to the trouble/expense of replacing the Getrag with something else, it would be a RoadRanger 9 Over with deep reduction, or possibly a 13-speed.

Either can be had for less dollars than a second-hand 5-speed; and, engine adaptors for Fullers are available.

 

Get used to double clutching though, no sychros....

 

Mark, real truck drivers never use the clutch. I drive a 10 speed all day and only touch the clutch to get moving. I'd hate having one in my Dodge, though. The powerband is so wide that you don't need half the gears - which is why they come with a 5 speed.

On a 4x4 that would not be an easy swap, and you'd need a body lift on any of the trucks to clear the trans.

On the plus side, you'd never have clutch or trans problems.

 

Good points. I don't use my clutch half the time on my Dodge. My '41 Military has no syncros (crash box) and I can drive it without grinding (often) but you have to think about it a lot more than a nice synchromesh trans. I wouldn't like a crash box on my Dodge because it would wear me out! The only good news is you can bang shift a straight cut gear crash box!