I do agree with superlatives on this. I think there is some misunderstanding going on here. Let me see if I can explain this correctly this time.

The stock truck has the POTENTIAL to damage the stock 48RE. That doesn't mean the first time you mat the pedal it's going to slip and then blow up. It means the amount of power and weight of the truck can surpasses what the tranny can handle. That's where a responsible driver comes in and knows that there is no good to come from pushing the thing to its limits, cause something will fail eventually.

Lets say the tranny is designed and rated to be able to handle 100 units, in stock form. If the truck has the ability to put out 250 units, then there is potential for the trans to be put in a situation where it is operating beyond that which it was designed to withstand, hence damage can, and most likely will occur.

Now, just because the possibility is there, that doesn't mean its inevitable. If that were the case, there would have been a recall. They wouldn't put a truck on the market with a tranny that will fail under normal circumstances.

My friend Scott drives like a normal responsible adult and respects his truck and he has had no problems (knock wood). I on the other hand, do not drive like anything remotely resembling a responsible adult, and I have had 5 tranny rebuilds!

How can anyone say the stock truck cant damage that tranny? You can tow a train with one of these trucks and I guarantee the tranny wont hold up to that. Right there is an example of the POTENTIAL for tranny damage. Not many people would try it for fear of tranny damage and that is how you avoid tranny damage... Me..... I would tow that train till my tranny fell out!

 

Ohhhhh how I would love to swap the AT for a MT.....uuuuuummmmmm MT! You know what, its going in the shop on the 11th for a new tranny.. I wonder if the savings of buying a MT as opposed to a AT would cover the cost of the swap.....

 

Ive done some research here on DTR, and some members have done the AT to MT switch, Mostly its been going from a 47re to a NV4500. I have read posts that the swap on our trucks is slightly more difficult. It can be done, but you have to figure out how to tell the ECM that you now have a MT. But I agree it would be great to swap in a NV5600 or a G5600

 

well i was embarassed at the boat ramp this weekend by my stock tranny! i unplugged the light plug to back into the water ( trying to save my lights) the brakes locked up on the trailer and i was unable to move the thing at all ! put it in 4lo and still barely got it to move, its about 12k lbs on the trailer but i would have liked some wheel spin , i know if it was a MT the wheels would have been roasting!

 

Well, if the truck wasnt moving, and it wasn't spinning, that engine problems bud....Which is slightly bothersome when you consider the 4:10's you have....between the Cummins and those gears, you should have either moved up the ramp, or shot the ramp into the water..(which would be way cooler) makes no sense to me. Here is the way I see it. I assume you matted the go pedal, right? Assuming you did, there was no tire spin, no clutch slip and nothing broke? That situation actually makes it look like your tranny is tough as heck. Where did all that energy go, that's what Im interested in. Every time one of those coffee can sized pistons slammed down, it was producing energy, which went to your TC and so on...if nothing moved, where did the energy go?

 

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Bfluri.....I see in your profile that your occupation is "Test Engineer"
I guess that holds true when you're not working too

Yes the stock 48re can be destroyed by this Beast of an engine.....and DC knows it. I fulltime RV and tow heavy all the time, this tranny has done OK but I know it's the weak link If my knees weren't my weak link I would have opted for a MT but such is life so in the mean time I drive it like I stole it until warranty runs out or tranny explodes....then upgrade time

 

Someone in this thread stated, He couldn't wait to get the hub conversion where he could use 2LO to back his trailer, I'm not a expert or anything so I don't know if this would work and if it did some or most might not want to do this based on they wouldn't have 4 wheel drive anymore.... so heres a thought, by dropping the front drive shaft first off you would pick up some milage for sure, and you could have 2 LO.

I'm going to drop mine this weekend. my .02

 

2 low,just curious,since most Fords have lockable hubs ,do they have that option?

 

There is a company called Full Pull Towing selling an electronic box/switch to basically fool your electrically operated transfer case from locking the front drive shaft when you shift into 4Low. I contacted them and they only have these available for GM, Ford, and 94-01 Dodge Rams w/ electrically operated transfer cases. I dont believe this would work on a manually operated transfer case. Oh well.
http://www.fullpulltowing.com/index.html

 

The hub conversion kit gives you manual locking (old style) hubs, you do not lose 4 wheel drive, but you do have to get out of the truck to lock the hubs in and engage the front axle. Dropping the front drive shaft will strip you of your 4 wheel drive, but at the same time the front axle assembly (u-joints, axle shafts, differential gears) is still spinning going down the road, so the MPG benefit will be little to none. The hub conversion unlocks the axle shafts from the wheels in the hub, so nothing in the front axle is moving at all, allowing for some MPG improvement and less wear and tear on the front end.

 

the only thing that i can think is that because the wheels werent moving that the computer de-fueled the motor even when i put juice to level 5 i got 1 big puff of black smoke then nothing, maybe if i had a built tranny or locked up TC it would have done something