What year did they start offering the 6-spd???


K.

 

they started in 1998

 

Is one better suited than the other? I'm going to look at a '02 3/4-ton that the ad on autotrader.com says it's a 5-spd.

The main purpose of the truck would be for pulling my cars up and down the east coast for our Buick events, but... I don't want my friends that own Duramax's & Powerstroke's having any upper-hand on me either. So I want to modify it as much as possible w/o losing any reliability for the long haul.


TIA,

Keith

 

well they say the 6 speed is rated to withstand nearly 20% more torque than the 5 speed. 1st and high gear are the same ratios for both the NV4500 & 5600. Reverse gear is lower in the 5600 then most 4500's. The direct gear for the 5600 is 5th, in the 4500 it's 4th. From a drivability standpoint, the difference between the two transmissions is the close ratio spacing of the 5600 doing in five gears what the 4500 does in four. Close shift ratios is a great asset for hauling and towing but a bit of a liability for daily city driving. The 6th gear is mounted on the front of the mainshaft instead of the back like the NV4500. And the NV5600 does not have the problem of the mainshaft nut backing off.

thus being said, i like the 6 speed better because i tow alot. (dad has the 5 speed)

 

Is your Dad's truck modified close to what yours is? If so do you see a mpg difference between the two?

Something tells me I'll find the 6-spd in more 1-ton trucks than in the 3/4-ton?!?!?!?!

 

Is the NV5600 as reliable as the NV4500? I have checked dismantle yards and a number of them are re-man.

I'm also looking at converting to the 6 sp for towing purpose.

 

nope, hes just got 60hp injectors and a edge ez. no where close to mine. my comp hits alot harder than his ez. the mpg difference will be in the gears. 4:10's or 3:55's. dads got 410's and ive got the 355's. ive gotten 20 and dad's best was 16.

first4age,

i JUST got done rebuilding my 6 speed. Like as i-just-got-back-from-the-shop-dirt-is-still-under-my-finger-nails. It might just been my luck or my hp or my dd clutch but i tore the stop clutches outta that dude.

 

BTW blackdieselo2 they started offering the 6spd in 01 as an HO only upgrade

 

99 model first introduced it, but never caught on until 01.

The 6 speed has a nicer ratio for towing, but outside of the 5th gear problems the 5 speed is a better made unit.

 

I guess I Learn something new everytime i get on this forum

Thanks
Jake

 

nope, sorry. they started them in 1998

 

Was it for the 98 model year or 99, either way it doesn't matter. The 6-speed was avaiable before 01, but there was no HO option and the input shaft is the same size as the NV4500, 1 1/4".

I will say that having a 2000 w/a 6 speed it is alot nicer towing with it. I can't compare it too the 5 speed unit because I've never had the chance to run one. But most people that drive my truck have trouble at first because the pattern is closer than they are used to with a 5 speed. 2nd to 5th shifts, stuff like that.

 

If you do alot of heavy towing the 6 speed is a must, but for all other applications the 5 speed is easier and in alot of ways more useable than the 6 speed. If your just pulling a single car and trailer this is not a heavy load until you are taking off from a dead stop pointed straight up the mountain.

 

Well, maybe '98 calendar year, but it wasn't until MY 1999.

The 6-speed is pretty rare on a 1999, and even more so on a 2000. The temporarily halted production until they could beef it up a little bit (bigger input shaft).

The vast majority of 6-speeds are 2001 and later.

 

http://dodgeram.org/tech/transmission/NV5600/mt_11.htm

Quote:

The NV5600 Transmission (Fig 1) will be available as an option in January on 1999 2500 and 3500 series Dodge Ram pickups with the Cummins 24-valve turbo diesel engine only. The NV5600 can be used in 2WD and 4WD applications.

So I correct myself. It wasn't available in Calendar year 1999 either. No 6-speeds made before 1 Jan 1999.