5 or 6 speed??
 

I'm lookin at gettin a cummins....i've been drivin a stroker with a 6 spd. I am tryin to make a decision between a 5 or 6 speed but i was just wondering what ya'lls thought about yer trannys that ya had. I have quite a few cattle so i'll be pullin quite frequently. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!

I have a 5 speed. Too much of a spread between gears for towing. I wish now I got a 6 speed.
If your on flat ground the 5 speed would good. If you have rolling hills like I do, go for a 6 speed.

I've got a 5-speed and haul an average load on it when I do haul. Just today we had a 20-foot trailer with 4 round bales on it. My roads are the gravel/thin layer of asphalt they like to put down on country roads. Lots of hills and curves and I didnt have any problems with the shift pattern of the 5-speed.

i have a 5 speed also, i haul cattle quite frequently, usually up to 12,000 plus the 24 ft trailer. i have no complaints with the gear spread and we have some decent hills here in the ozarks

I have the 6 speed in mine, then again i also have 4:10 gears so hauling just about anything isnt even close to being a problem.. they are both built fairly well i believe.. Honestly I never drove a CTD with a 5er so I cant say. But I think you will like the 6er.... Good luck!

I like my 6er. Drove a 5spd, just lugs a little to much for me. I pull a 24' G-neck... never had a problem

I have the 6 speed in mine and i have a 32 foot cattle trailer and when i have it loaded its a load and i wouldnt settle for anything less than the 6 speed. Just my opinion because i never drove the 5 speed but have friends that have them and wish they had a 6 speed..god luck to ya

I think it all depends on what you plan on doing with the truck. If you plan on pulling heavy all the time in hilly terrain then I would probably go with a 6-speed. But if you just plan on driving it and plan on doing alot of city driving, then I would recommend a 5-speed. I love my 5-speed. I myself don't care much for a 6-speed. Just my opinion though.

I think a 6 speed means you have an HO engine with it. Thats a plus. Looking at FSM, it has better gearing for switching. Final gear ratio is essentially the same in 5 or 6th gear. I'd say, get a six speed if you have a choice; if the price is right, don't let the 5 speed stop you.
-P

At this point in time I really hate 6 speeds. Of course that all comes from spending thousands on one to replace my 5 speed and only having to have it rebuilt after less then 8 miles and its been at the shop being rebuilt for over a month now. Its one "upgrade" i feel was a down grade and wish i never did. The trucks have plenty of power to push the 5 gear spread.

The 5 speed with 3.55's is better overall and will pull well, but the 3rd to 4th shift gap is 1000 RPM and sometimes you just can't make the shift all that comfortably on a grade. You end up rev'ing high in 3rd and then lugging in 4th until you can get more speed. The 4th to 5th gap is 500 RPM and seems pretty good as all the gaps on the 6 speed would be.

Don't the later 6 speeds also come standard with 4.10's?

Jim

I guess I will stop wishing that I had a six speed in mine, then [duhhh]
I don't tow (so far) so this is a non-issue for me but my perfectionist self was wishing inside for a six speed.

-P

look up the 5th gear nut problem with the search feature. the nut retaining the 5th gear on the shaft is known to back off and you loose 5th gear, no damage, just have to dissassemble the trans to fix it right.

the nv5600 is almost indestructible.

I don't know about that. There seems to be quite a few threads as of late on 5600s cratering. Expensive to fix, and you need some specialized tools to do it. 4500's are cheaper, and you can do yourself. I wish I had a 6-speed until I drove one last week. I'll keep my 5-speed. Shifted better (thats even with bad synchros, dual disc clutch and short shifter) than the 6, and is just nicer for everyday. I don't need that extra gear to get to 1:1. If I were to tow anything, I might have a different opinion, but i don't.

I love my 5 speed, but I do not tow very much at all.....only once in about a year since I bought it. Get about 21-24.5 mpg as well. I got one of the good ones.