I am on my second clutch at 48k and this one is slipping when towing my 8k lb horse trailer on hills. I need to replace it but I do not know what to get. I am not chipped but I would like to be.

I am a vibration analyst for helicopters so I am concerned about getting rid of the DMF. I am uncertain I can maintain stock reliability in terms of longevity if I were to go with a SMF. The aluminum case will not like the vibrations the engine produces. Therefore I plan to keep the DMF unless there is an alternative to the DMF that will dampen vibrations. Please me let me know if something is available.

Here is what I want.

1. A clutch that will hold up to the power with the Smarty on level 3
2. Stock like pedal pressure and performance
3. A clutch that will work with the DMF
4. Smooth operating and not grabby
5. Reliability is a must!

Thanks for your input

 

I would first be curious why you are going thru clutches so fast.

My dad has an 06 with 60K on it and regularly tows 8-10K thru Idaho/Montana and has no slippage at all.

 

The first clutch broke at 28k. It was a pressure plate failure. Dodge replaced the clutch with a crappy rebuilt clutch. It has never been right since but it did not start slipping until the warranty was out completly.

 

Gotcha..

 

I would get a SouthBend OFE and a Fluidamper! You'll be happy with that setup i think, i'm sure other people have this setup and will chime in!

 

You are correct - the Cummins generates a harsh harmonic environment.

Eliminating the DMF will expose the transmission case, bearings & gears to work hardening, fretting, etc. during low-RPM operation - but replacing the OEM harmonic balancer with a FluiDampr will mitigate the bad vibes.

 

I'll say it again, 1: DITCH THE POS (IMHO) DMF ---- 2: GET A QUALITY SMF CLUTCH ----- 3: INSTALL FLUIDAMPR AT SAME TIME

You said you don't want grabby clutch, so maybe a Con OFE? Don't get a Dual Disk, you don't need it anyway. I drove a buddies truck that had a Southbend CON OFE, it's been awhile, but I remember telling him I wouldn't have known it wasn't stock.

4: Live Happy with your new clutch.

Mike, do you think the OFE would be a good choice, you would know better than me. Oh, Mike, Jason did a 3rd gear 4WD launch and broke mainshaft in his NV5600. And he has been trying to get me to go to the Track-I don't think so.

Good Luck HelicoDR

 

Yeah Nelson - don't think he needs a dual-disk... and they grab pretty hard (not sure I like the way my 3250 DD makes the 37"s break lose in 4th).


p.s. you'll do fine at the track - just don't let Jason drive!

 

To go slightly off topic is the fluid damper needed on NV5600 trucks?

 

Thanks for the info. Where can I get more info on the fluid damper?

 

Peter told me he'd put them on all the CTD's.

 

Interesting..

Too bad they are $$$

 

I contacted the company that makes the damper. They could not give me too much info on it. He said I should call Peter and ask him about it.

 

Very strange, my 06 has 110,000 on it (stock everything) and has never slipped even grossing over 30K.

Must be the Smarty'sslipping them.

 

How hard is it to install the fluid damper and how much are they?