Several questions about Ram 2500/3500 Cummins...

[Christian P.]

All right, I am now looking at several options for the next camper.

I have a bunch of questions about the Dodge Cummins (from 2005+, 4x4, single axle).

I know these answers are out there in the Google world but I figure some experts here could answer these more quickly...and with more personal interactions...

So here you go, I hope someone can help:

-Is the new 6.7 much better than the 5.9?

-Is that true that the automatic transmission that came with the 5.9 had some issues (slipping)?

-Is there any issue with the manual transmission? How does it feel to drive this truck with a stick shift?

-what are the different gear ratios in the rear diff? How do I easily know what's in there?

-what is the best combination (tranny/gear) for best fuel economy?

-a lot of them I see for sale have high mileage (over 100000 miles)
Should I be worry about that? Or is this a sign the engine last forever?

-my assumption is that the payload for a stock single axle quad cab 3500 is about 3000 pounds. Is that correct?

-do they have other issues I should be aware of?

-Is there any Dodge dealer in Central/South America?

thanks, I appreciate

 

[Regcabguy]

All right, I am now looking at several options for the next camper.

I have a bunch of questions about the Dodge Cummins (from 2005+, 4x4, single axle).

I know these answers are out there in the Google world but I figure some experts here could answer these more quickly...and with more personal interactions...

So here you go, I hope someone can help:

-Is the new 6.7 much better than the 5.9?

-Is that true that the automatic transmission that came with the 5.9 had some issues (slipping)?

-Is there any issue with the manual transmission? How does it feel to drive this truck with a stick shift?

-what are the different gear ratios in the rear diff? How do I easily know what's in there?

-what is the best combination (tranny/gear) for best fuel economy?

-a lot of them I see for sale have high mileage (over 100000 miles)
Should I be worry about that? Or is this a sign the engine last forever?

-my assumption is that the payload for a stock single axle quad cab 3500 is about 3000 pounds. Is that correct?

-do they have other issues I should be aware of?

-Is there any Dodge dealer in Central/South America?

thanks, I appreciate

I'd stick with the 5.9. It's much simpler and runs great on Mexican fuel. I'm partial to my G-56 manual after dumping bookoo $$ into my old '98.5 auto. The stock auto is fine with stock power. If you up power much it's not going to last. The G-56 used in the '05.5+ is sturdy,shifts great,but has a dual mass flywheel for noise reduction that can't handle much over stock power again. I can't answer the payload question. My regcab 2500 was overwhelmed by the weight(2000#) of my Northstar popup. www.thurenfabrication and www.thecarlisuspension.com have proven remedies for enhancing the onroad and offroad handling with a heavy camper. The engine has a duty cycle of 350,000 miles. I would be patient and look for a private seller of a truck which hasn't hauled or carried much. I'm currently using a Smarty power programmer on a low setting to provide stocklike power with my camper load. I do know that Brazil sells these trucks. A neighbor with an '03 3500 CTD 4wd just returned from hauling an 8000# toyhauler from San Diego to Honduras and back. No mechanical issues and no tire issues with the fine Toyo MT's. I average 14.5-16 mpg with mine. Hope this helps.

 

[UrbanCummin]

All right, I am now looking at several options for the next camper.

I have a bunch of questions about the Dodge Cummins (from 2005+, 4x4, single axle).

I know these answers are out there in the Google world but I figure some experts here could answer these more quickly...and with more personal interactions...

So here you go, I hope someone can help:

-Is the new 6.7 much better than the 5.9?
-Yes and No, the new 6.7 has some issues with the emisions equipment and some of the trucks suffer from horrible fuel mileage but the engine itself is great, pretty much just a bigger 5.9CR. I would not be concerned about owning a 6.7L
-Is that true that the automatic transmission that came with the 5.9 had some issues (slipping)?
-Dodge has never know how to build a good auto to handle a diesels torque, especially once modified they suck, but on the plus side, jsut put in a better torque convertor and valve body and your safe for 450hp to the wheels.
-Is there any issue with the manual transmission? How does it feel to drive this truck with a stick shift?

-what are the different gear ratios in the rear diff? How do I easily know what's in there?

-what is the best combination (tranny/gear) for best fuel economy?

-a lot of them I see for sale have high mileage (over 100000 miles)
Should I be worry about that? Or is this a sign the engine last forever?

-my assumption is that the payload for a stock single axle quad cab 3500 is about 3000 pounds. Is that correct?

-do they have other issues I should be aware of?

-Is there any Dodge dealer in Central/South America?

thanks, I appreciate

-Is the new 6.7 much better than the 5.9?
-Yes and No, the new 6.7 has some issues with the emisions equipment and some of the trucks suffer from horrible fuel mileage but the engine itself is great, pretty much just a bigger 5.9CR. I would not be concerned about owning a 6.7L
-Is that true that the automatic transmission that came with the 5.9 had some issues (slipping)?
-Dodge has never know how to build a good auto to handle a diesels torque, especially once modified they suck, but on the plus side, jsut put in a better torque convertor and valve body and your safe for 450hp to the wheels.
-Is there any issue with the manual transmission? How does it feel to drive this truck with a stick shift?
-Like mentioned above a dual mass clutch is not particularily long lasting, In an expo rig I would upgrade to a nice Southbend clutch. I personally have always liked dodge manuals for how they felt. in my opinion a very easy stick to drive, unlike the manual behind for 6.0L, I HATE those.
-what are the different gear ratios in the rear diff? How do I easily know what's in there?
-Don't feel like looking up the ratios they came with so . . ., drive the truck on the highway at whatever speed you like to cruise and se if the RPM is to high for you, cummins seem to get good mileage around 1500-1900 RPM, but my personal truck with the tire/ratio combo i have gets great mileage at even 2000-2100 RPM.
-what is the best combination (tranny/gear) for best fuel economy?
-There is no "best" set up, just dont get 3.5 gears and put on 44" tires or get 4.56 gear and run a 28" tire, lol, if you keep it reasonable it should be ok mileage, but the biggest tire i woudl recommend on a 3.5 gearset is a 35", after that your just lugging the engine down a bit much.
-a lot of them I see for sale have high mileage (over 100000 miles)
Should I be worry about that? Or is this a sign the engine last forever?
-:Wow1: 100,000 is high mileage, hahaha, that baby is barely broke in, if maintaned properly these engines can last over 500,000miles easy with normal repairs. Injectors will rarely last that long. I have over 300,000km on my diesel drag truck/daily driver and over 400,000k on my 6.2 diesel suburban, mileage dont scare me as long as i can check out the engine and feel good about it.
-my assumption is that the payload for a stock single axle quad cab 3500 is about 3000 pounds. Is that correct?
-This should be easy to look up online

 

[Christian P.]

thanks for the replies - that's exactly the info I was looking for.
I appreciate.

 

[redthies]

I have heard of many turbo issues on the 6.7 . Something to do with the new emission equipment causeing soot build up. I have owned both a 6 spd and auto in 2005 3500 crew shortboxs. The auto in the 2005 is made by mercedes and is a great tranny. I put a ton of FAST driving miles on mine with a 2500lb camper from Canada to Mexico etc. I had no issues at all with my Dodges. I personally will look for the newest 5.9 that I can find to replace my current truck. As mentioned above, the 6.7 does not like Mexican diesel (I had a gas truck last time in south america so can't say about diesel fuel there). The 6.7 is designed for the newer ultra low sulfer diesel. I would go for the 5.9 for expo use. Almost all Dodge diesel trucks are made in Mexico and parts are easy to find there for the truck, however, there is no sales of diesel trucks to the public in Mexico so you should take extra diesel specific parts (filters etc) with you when you head south. As mentioned above, the 5.9 is not even getting started at 100,000 miles. That is the point at which they just start to make good mileage.

 

[deserteagle56]

As stated above, stay with the 5.9 unless you are assured of feeding the engine ultra-low sulfur diesel at all times.

Automatic transmission problems pretty much went away after Dodge did an update ~ 2003 or 2004, so make sure you want to row that hand-shaker. They don't shift like a sports car - and your power band is much narrower. But if you are going to be pulling some real weight, all the time, the manual is the way to go.

As far as gearing is concerned - unless someone has already made some changes, all single-rear wheel Cummins Rams came with 3.73 gearing. The only option available for a long time was 4.10 but now i understand that the 3.54 gears are available again.

100k on one of these engines is nothing - if it has been cared for. It's the front end that will require work before anything else. Ball joints, u-joints, the unit bearings the front wheels ride on - that's where most people end up spending their money.

(I own a 2004.5 with the 48RE auto - and i just love it. Nothing but routine service so far - and an average of 18 mpg)

 

[Regcabguy]

The manual is built in Brazil under license from Mercedes. The autos are sourced from here. Offroading with an auto will require you to monitor the trans fluid temps especially with a light modification(convertor and valve body) as they increase line pressure for enhanced clamping power. A Southbend is in the future for me. Saving as we speak. The G-56 shifts real nice in my opinion compared to the NV5600 and reverse is where it's supposed to be: tucked next to 2nd. The NV5600 has a sturdy smf Luk clutch standard. I had a DTT modified auto in my '98.5 which was a joy to drive,but this time I wanted something much simpler and you've got to love the granny low. The frontends are cheesy,but aftermarket parts are out there to provide bulletproof performance. Over 40% of the Dodge's sold here are manuals.

 

[UrbanCummin]

I have heard of many turbo issues on the 6.7 . Something to do with the new emission equipment causeing soot build up. I have owned both a 6 spd and auto in 2005 3500 crew shortboxs. The auto in the 2005 is made by mercedes and is a great tranny. I put a ton of FAST driving miles on mine with a 2500lb camper from Canada to Mexico etc. I had no issues at all with my Dodges. I personally will look for the newest 5.9 that I can find to replace my current truck. As mentioned above, the 6.7 does not like Mexican diesel (I had a gas truck last time in south america so can't say about diesel fuel there). The 6.7 is designed for the newer ultra low sulfer diesel. I would go for the 5.9 for expo use. Almost all Dodge diesel trucks are made in Mexico and parts are easy to find there for the truck, however, there is no sales of diesel trucks to the public in Mexico so you should take extra diesel specific parts (filters etc) with you when you head south. As mentioned above, the 5.9 is not even getting started at 100,000 miles. That is the point at which they just start to make good mileage.

The reason the new 6.7 can't/shouldn't run low sulphur fuels is because of the DPF/DOC in the exhaust. The Engine itself doesn't care, there are kits out there to remove all the emisions stuff in the exhaust if you are after the best possible mileage and reliabilty from your truck, but of course these kits are "off-road use only" and not legal for street use.

Like said above the turbo issues dodge is having is from carbon buildup from the EGR system, nothing wrong with the turbo itself that I am aware of.

 

[DEEZLPWR]

i would go with a 5.9 cummins. no later than 2001 (what i have)

the only thing to do is have the lift pump replaced with something that can deliver consistant psi no less than 8psi to the injector pump or it will self destruct. $3000 later i had to replace the whole fuel system due to this. Also get a good pyro meter/fuel psi gauge. i run the juice with attitude monitor and it save my engine a few times when going down steep descents (loss of oil psi due to the vent tube on front of engine, of which i modified)


see my sig and links to photos

 

[mcgovski]

Is this rig going to have and XPcamper on the back???

 

[Christian P.]

Is this rig going to have and XPcamper on the back???

haha....well I did meet with Marc a couple days ago...



but no, that's not the main reason right now.

After my trip to Africa there were 2 things that became very important for me:

-more power for the hills
-permanent bed

In addition, my girlfriend really wants a bathroom and I would also really like to bring my KTM along. And A/C would be nice.

So I am now considering a truck camper and a tow carrier/moto-tote.

 

[Rbertalotto]

I went through this whole thing a year and a half ago. After huge amounts of research I believe the ONLY Dodge Diesel to own is a 2006.

Why....

The 5.9 engine is just about bullet proof. Very easy to modify "electronically" for more power and better economy. The 5.9 is the last of the "non smog" choked engines. These engines are used in everything from boats to long and short haul trucks, to earth moving equipment. A known quality engine good for 500,000 miles with modicum attention.

The 2006 Transmission has been "breathed" on by Mercedes as they owned Chrysler during this period. Lots of improvements were made with Gertag, the German transmission company.

The 2006, 2500 series trucks have the larger rear end. Way over rated for this size truck.

I've owned a bunch of trucks over the years, both Ford and Chevy. I have 120K on this truck and so far just a rear universal joint and a set of ball joints (both weak links easily upgraded with better aftermarket). And both of these items failed after 100K. I love this truck. Super fast with the addition of an "Edge with Attitude" and I'm getting 18-20 MPG at 70 mph. I tow a 30' trailer that weighs 10,000 pounds with zero issues. Up mountain roads with out a downshift. If I don't use cruise control it will run away from me and the next thing I know I'm doing 80 mph!

Off road, I love the solid front axle. Unlike current Fords and Chevy, when the wheel goes over a rock, the differential and oil pan don't lower and ********** the ground.

Everything about this truck is much more heavy duty compared to my Ford and Chevy trucks. Massive front end, massive frame, massive brakes, massive rear diff.............A Man's Truck! :victory:

See more here:

http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/vehicles/dodge-cumming-diesel/

 

[Christian P.]

Wow guys I am really impressed by the comments so far.
It looks like everyone really like their Dodge Cummins. Almost makes me wonder why they are not more popular as an Overland base vehicle.

So they only roadblock for me now would be to resign myself to sell my pristine low mileage trouble free 4Runner...

I will keep my eyes open for a 2006 with low mileage.

 

[mcgovski]

-more power for the hills
-permanent bed

In addition, my girlfriend really wants a bathroom and I would also really like to bring my KTM along. And A/C would be nice.

So I am now considering a truck camper and a tow carrier/moto-tote.



More power...Check. my dodge loaded with a big heavy camper is more

power than i need.

Permanent Bed...Check. so nice, We love having the bed in the cab over

Bathroom...Check. however, we never use the toilet for # 2 and only use it at night for #1...I hate dealing with the black tank! I would go for a cassette toilet. We also hardly ever use the shower inside, we prefer the outside shower...dont have to deal with the gray tank as much

Moto carrier...Check. sweet, but it is really hanging off the back, makes me nervous and the moto is in the way of the rear door

AC...check. we have it, but we never use it. the draw to turn it on requires a hook up or a geni. not my idea of boon docking!

I want to get rid of my truck camper. its an Eagle Cap 850 with slide. Its great, but after living in it for 2 months with 2 dogs we decided its too big. and has a bunch of stuff we dont need. If I can get rid of this camper I will do 3 things.
I will get rid on my Rickson Wheels. ( they are great for weight rating and general travel, but the tire choices and versatility are limiting)

I will look for a smaller pop top camper without a bathroom and a simpler galley...we dont need an oven, a range is just fine. the microwave went away a long time ago...such a big power draw. also, ifI would prefer a side entry. rear entry and carrying bikes sucks!

I will convert the truck to a flat bed


That is my two cents on the truck camper. You are more than welcome to check out our set up anytime...we are just up the road. Bring the KTM, there is some good riding to be had as well!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Wow guys I am really impressed by the comments so far.
It looks like everyone really like their Dodge Cummins. Almost makes me wonder why they are not more popular as an Overland base vehicle.

So they only roadblock for me now would be to resign myself to sell my pristine low mileage trouble free 4Runner...

I will keep my eyes open for a 2006 with low mileage.

For what it's worth I bought an '06 2500 4x4 Reg cab Long bed CTD w/ 32k miles from our local dodge dealer last March for $23.5k out the door. I really wanted the mid-sized cab(I forget what they call it) w/ 8' bed, but I couldn't find one in my price range and meeting my other requirements within 600 miles of San Diego at the time.

I plan to do some of the suspension upgrades mentioned and I would like a flatbed, but, like most people, cash is the determining factor.

Good luck! I've been loving this thing...It's a bit different compared to my prior vehicle, a '77 VW Westfalia. Like you I wanted more power and AC, and my wife wanted a bathroom and a heater.

-Chris