Ram 3500- 68RFE or Aisin, help me build!

[chilliwak]

I have a '14 with 68RFE as my personal truck, and a '16 5500 with Aisin at work. I like them both. When I bought my personal truck I took the "extra" money from the Aisin and put it into extended bumper to bumper warranty. There are a lot of sensors and electronics in the new diesels, and I'm not interested in paying to fix them any time soon.

I haul a 9'6" Northern Lite camper and flat tow a CJ7 behind. The 68 is more than enough trans for this. The Aisin does shift firmer and has a lower first gear. If I were towing 10,000+ on a regular basis, I'd go Aisin. For what you (and I) do for recreation, the 68 is plenty of transmission.

sweet looking rig you have there Redthies...:drool:

 

[redthies]

sweet looking rig you have there Redthies...:drool:

Thanks Allan!

 

[Mlachica]

So I'm still trying to decide on what to do...

theres a good chance I may purchase a used 2013+ 3500. They're around but I can't be as picky. Looks like I can save over 10 grand buying certified pre owned. I see examples with less than 30k miles and about $40k. Not many but they're there. That's a lot of money I can put towards traveling as opposed to material goods.

is there an easy way to tell which transmission it has? Vin code or sticker? Is there a used ram buyers guide floating around?

 

[Dalko43]

So I'm still trying to decide on what to do...

theres a good chance I may purchase a used 2013+ 3500. They're around but I can't be as picky. Looks like I can save over 10 grand buying certified pre owned. I see examples with less than 30k miles and about $40k. Not many but they're there. That's a lot of money I can put towards traveling as opposed to material goods.

is there an easy way to tell which transmission it has? Vin code or sticker? Is there a used ram buyers guide floating around?

I'm not aware of an easy way to distinguish between AISIN and non-AISIN vehicles. You can type AISIN into the key word filter on auto trader, but I'm fairly certain that a lot of dealers don't even know which transmission it has and so don't list it (they just list "auto").

 

[js9234]

If the dipstick is on the drivers side, it's an Aisin. You can get them new for $40K. I've seen them as low as $34K at Dennis Dillon. One of the largest Ram places in the U.S. and have the cheapest prices pretty much anywhere.

So I'm still trying to decide on what to do...

theres a good chance I may purchase a used 2013+ 3500. They're around but I can't be as picky. Looks like I can save over 10 grand buying certified pre owned. I see examples with less than 30k miles and about $40k. Not many but they're there. That's a lot of money I can put towards traveling as opposed to material goods.

is there an easy way to tell which transmission it has? Vin code or sticker? Is there a used ram buyers guide floating around?

 

[Darwin]

If you are going to forego the dual alternators for "reliability/simplicity sake" why get all the fancy bells and whistles upgrade from the tradesman? I guess coming from a 20 year old mechanically driven cummins it's hard to make sense of that, especially if you are planning to go 'remote' and have a camper. With the dual alternators you could be charging your batteries at almost 120 amps an hour! To me that would be a huge plus over fancy factory radios, heated seats, leather, etc. Also, for 40k you could likely find a brand new tradesman instead of a preowned vehicle. I would go new in that instance.

 

[Mlachica]

If the dipstick is on the drivers side, it's an Aisin. You can get them new for $40K. I've seen them as low as $34K at Dennis Dillon. One of the largest Ram places in the U.S. and have the cheapest prices pretty much anywhere.

Ah, good tip on the dipstick. Hopefully the seller can figure that out. Based off the feedback either transmission will serve me well. So aisin or not isn't a deal breaker, but it would be ideal.

ive been working with Dennis Dillon dodge. I'd like to have the comforts the big horn trim level offers, but new is pretty speedy. I've been playing around with configurations a little. I'm thinking to get a new crew cab diesel/aisin I would have to get a very un optioned tradesman, even from Dennis Dillon.

 

[chet6.7]

Dup post deleted.

 

[chet6.7]

The dip stick has been mentioned,I read on CF that you can also enter the VIN on Ram's site and get the window sticker.
This may work.

http://researchmaniacs.com/VIN-Number-Lookup/WindowSticker/Dodge.html

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/247162-Window-Sticker

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2...replacement-msrp-window-sticker-labels-2.html

 

[js9234]

Also, since you plan on going to 37's, I would definitely re-gear to 4:10 or lower. The 68RFE is a good transmission. I've owned a few and never had a problem. Aisin's are good as well but also have a fluid change interval of 30K which may or may not matter to you. The 68RFE is 100K I believe. You can also tune the 68 and not the Aisin yet. If money didn't matter I would probably choose the Aisin based on the lower 1st and 2nd gears. Can't go wrong either way. What lift are you planning to use to go to 37's?

Ah, good tip on the dipstick. Hopefully the seller can figure that out. Based off the feedback either transmission will serve me well. So aisin or not isn't a deal breaker, but it would be ideal.

ive been working with Dennis Dillon dodge. I'd like to have the comforts the big horn trim level offers, but new is pretty speedy. I've been playing around with configurations a little. I'm thinking to get a new crew cab diesel/aisin I would have to get a very un optioned tradesman, even from Dennis Dillon.

 

[Mlachica]

If you are going to forego the dual alternators for "reliability/simplicity sake" why get all the fancy bells and whistles upgrade from the tradesman? I guess coming from a 20 year old mechanically driven cummins it's hard to make sense of that, especially if you are planning to go 'remote' and have a camper. With the dual alternators you could be charging your batteries at almost 120 amps an hour! To me that would be a huge plus over fancy factory radios, heated seats, leather, etc. Also, for 40k you could likely find a brand new tradesman instead of a preowned vehicle. I would go new in that instance.

I know what you mean. The way I see it, the extra bells and whistles make long drives comfortable, which is the purpose of this rig. Even if the bells and whistles failed, it wouldn't be disabling the vehicle, but my pretty little hands might have to hold a cold steering wheel. :wavey:

I'm not familiar with working on the cummins specifically but having a second alternator may make it more difficult to work on, space wise. I'm not sure if there's a difference in difficulty changing the belt if I had one or two alternators, this is just thinking out loud. I'm not opposed to dual alternators, but it's not a deal breaker either way for me. No matter how you look at it we can't avoid technology with any new car.

And I'm definitely looking into a new tradesman. I'm still open to ideas and I'm not going to rush into any purchase. :ylsmoke:

 

[Mlachica]

Also, since you plan on going to 37's, I would definitely re-gear to 4:10 or lower. The 68RFE is a good transmission. I've owned a few and never had a problem. Aisin's are good as well but also have a fluid change interval of 30K which may or may not matter to you. The 68RFE is 100K I believe. You can also tune the 68 and not the Aisin yet. If money didn't matter I would probably choose the Aisin based on the lower 1st and 2nd gears. Can't go wrong either way. What lift are you planning to use to go to 37's?

Yes, it looks like a regear will be in my future, as well as lockers since I'm in there. I don't like the shorter change interval with the Aisin but it's something I can live with. From all the feedback I've received, I can't go wrong with either transmission which is nice.

As for lift, I plan to talk to the guys at CJC Offroad, they're local to me. I'm leaning towards AEV's kit at the moment. It's inexpensive and it comes with their procal unit which seems to have a lot of benefits. I can change tire size, adjust TPMS, and idle control. I think the latter two need to be 'unlocked' by dodge, then the procal can adjust them. From what I hear, their design seems to just work. The steering characteristics and load ratings won't change and with their wheels I don't think I'll experience any rubbing. My problem with the kit is the bilsteins, so once they wear out or if I'd like to fine tune it, I'll put Thuren or Carlis tuned Kings. I'm gonna have a brand new FWC on the back of this truck, I don't want to rattle it to death. I won't be jumping my truck or hauling *** in the desert, I think the AEV will work great for me.

 

[js9234]

I was gonna suggest AEV. Perfect for what you're needing. Bilsteins will work just fine. You shouldn't really need a rear locker. The factory "limited slip" or whatever they call it works very well. You won't need to adjust TPMS with a 3500. They don't have the dummy light that comes on when your tires are low. By "Idle Control" do you mean High Idle? If so, all the 2500's and 3500's have them and can be turned on at the dealership.

Yes, it looks like a regear will be in my future, as well as lockers since I'm in there. I don't like the shorter change interval with the Aisin but it's something I can live with. From all the feedback I've received, I can't go wrong with either transmission which is nice.

As for lift, I plan to talk to the guys at CJC Offroad, they're local to me. I'm leaning towards AEV's kit at the moment. It's inexpensive and it comes with their procal unit which seems to have a lot of benefits. I can change tire size, adjust TPMS, and idle control. I think the latter two need to be 'unlocked' by dodge, then the procal can adjust them. From what I hear, their design seems to just work. The steering characteristics and load ratings won't change and with their wheels I don't think I'll experience any rubbing. My problem with the kit is the bilsteins, so once they wear out or if I'd like to fine tune it, I'll put Thuren or Carlis tuned Kings. I'm gonna have a brand new FWC on the back of this truck, I don't want to rattle it to death. I won't be jumping my truck or hauling *** in the desert, I think the AEV will work great for me.

 

[Mlachica]

I was gonna suggest AEV. Perfect for what you're needing. Bilsteins will work just fine. You shouldn't really need a rear locker. The factory "limited slip" or whatever they call it works very well. You won't need to adjust TPMS with a 3500. They don't have the dummy light that comes on when your tires are low. By "Idle Control" do you mean High Idle? If so, all the 2500's and 3500's have them and can be turned on at the dealership.

Thanks for the clarification. Now I just need to choose. New or used, at the moment I'm leaning towards new but I'm keeping an eye out for used. I sat in a few Tradesman yesterday, they're really nice actually. They didn't have any SLT's, only Big Horns which I don't really want to fork out the funds for. When configuring, it's very roughly $5k difference between the tradesman, slt, and big horn when I build it with similar configurations.

 

[js9234]

I chose a Tradesman for price, bench seat in the front so I can have 6 seats, and Transfer Case shifter in the floor with rubber floors. I knew I was gonna be taking it offroad a lot and didn't want to mess with carpet or leather or a lot of electronics I didn't need. Those are all things I personally wanted so your wants are pretty different I'm sure. All personal preference. I haven't regretted it at all. I would still buy new with the small difference in pricing and longer warranty.

Thanks for the clarification. Now I just need to choose. New or used, at the moment I'm leaning towards new but I'm keeping an eye out for used. I sat in a few Tradesman yesterday, they're really nice actually. They didn't have any SLT's, only Big Horns which I don't really want to fork out the funds for. When configuring, it's very roughly $5k difference between the tradesman, slt, and big horn when I build it with similar configurations.