I've been reading a lot of compliments on the new auto 6 speed tranny. I am currently looking to move to a 3rd Gen but have been afraid of the auto for towing 20K to 26K. Those that have the 6 speed auto and tow very heavy, what are your opinions -vs- manual? Should I still stay away from the auto or does it perform well with heavy loads?

 

I love the new auto in every way. But I'm not towing near that weight. For that weight, I think the auto will work but I'd recommend always the manual.

Manual will definitely be cheaper to work on if you are seriously towing that heavy of weights.

Mike

 

Mine works great, and I have not heard 1 negative think about the 68RFE. What problems are people having with the new auto? 20-26K is a lot of weight for a 1 ton you may want to look at the C&C they have the MD 6 speed auto and higher tow ratings.

 

Thanks for the input. I don't tow that heavy very often and generally only a few hundred miles when I do. That weight is killing my current tranny. I have to move equipment to and from my job sites. The equipment weighs 14K each and I use a 37' 20k flatbed gooseneck trailer. I think the trailer is around 7K. Some months I will have to do this multiple times and other months not at all.

I would really prefer an auto but I don't want to harm it with that weight. The only reason I am even considering it is due to the positve reports on the new 6 speed auto and how every one seems to love it.

 

Get the 4.10 gears if you are getting the auto. A G56 clutch gonna last about 60,000 miles if you are lucky with the 3.73 gears pulling that weight. The Nv5600 stock clutches were stronger from what I have read.

 

I have put South Bend clutches in 2 07's one with 32K and one with 26K miles so I will be going with the auto. Factory warranty is only 12K on the clutch. The auto is all covered for 5year / 100K miles.

 

But do you think that they will still warrant that auto tranny if you were to tell them that you were pulling nearly twice the weight rated on the truck? Would you even be honest with them enough to tell them?

A 3500 is rated at around 16K...loading up with 26K plus on a stock tranny is just asking for slipping and eventually, failure. That's why there are beefy aftermarket parts out there...you NOT telling them that you are "overworking" your truck by pulling that heavy as being a cause of transmission failure is like me ruining my torque converter or shearing my stock shafts, taking all my power adders off the truck, taking it in and acting like it was stock when the stock tranny failed to try and get them to fix the problems that I knew were a possibility when I altered my truck to put out about 150hp/350tq more than it had stock...

Just my two cents..

 

I did not know the 68rfe trans was also covered under the 5/100k warranty. I thought it was only the engine.

Are you sure?

 

I do know that the 6 speed Asian (sp?) auto in the C&C's has a 180,000 mile warranty. I thought the 68ref only had a 3/36 warranty unless you bought a 7/100 extended warranty.

 

That is what the dealer told me yesterday.

 

don't be so sure about that
replaced clutch at 65k $1200(SB SINGLE DISK)
just got estimate to rebuild g56 $4,340 at 91k

 

Sounds like a C&C is in order like a 4500/5500 I'd stay with the auto then also.

 

Well I was wrong. I just signed for my Inferno Red 08 6.7, auto, 2500, 4x4, QC, SB today and the 5/100K is for the internally oiled parts on the engine only (you know the parts that never brake). The trans and so on is not covered you have to get the extended warranty for that. It cost me $2400 for 4/100K on it but covers trans, A/C, Alt, steering, and every thing like that ( the parts that always brake). I was also told that the 5/100K on the motor that comes free dose not cover overheating. You pay more that ever now and get less. I was not able to get it yesterday because they were installing the B&W turn over ball. Well I get there today and the guy doing the install drilled the hole 2" to far back. They said they would pull a bed off of a new one on the lot and install it but I am having them weld the piece back in and re drill it and put a spray in bed liner at no charge to me. The bad thing is that they said that what ever I did it was going to come out of the guys check. The way I look at it I got a free liner but had to leave it there for 2 days more. I realy feal bad for the guy. I bet a bed would cost 3-4 months pay for him mabe more.

$oC@L They were both stock. One halls a 6800lbs bumper pull every day and the other halls a 9500 every day. It was my brother and brother in law both have had 6speeds pulling the same load. The 9500 was pulled by a 03 6spd 3500 for 148K then traded for a 05 6spd 3500 for 98K and then traded for a 07 6spd 3500 made it 32K and had to have a clutch. the other went 130k with a 01 HO 6spd 3500 then 26K with the 07 3500 before clutch. The new Duel mass flywheel set up is not doing to good there are guys going threw them all over the place around here pulling just the same as they did before. Both trucks were taken in with the trailer from time to time and never had a prob with the dealer. They did hall more from time to time but nothing that they did not do with the others just the same.

Also I am not scared to tell the dealer that I use my trucks for real work not just to drive around like a car. If it can not pull the same load that my 76 3/4 Chevy with a 350, 4spd, and 4.10 and 200K on it could then I need to sell it.

 

Who gave you that estimate? Any idea if they work on 5600's?

 

You can buy a G56 from Original Mopar Parts.com for $3600.To heck with fixing a old unit with that kind of est.