The question I asked the other day helped me and as much as I am liking the idea of Workhorse chassis with the 8.1 Chevy and the Allison, I found out that not all 8.1 drive trains have the Allison transmission. That said if I start looking at the Ford V-10 as an option, is there a certain year range, chassis, or other specs that make one choice better than the other. We are looking for a Class A about 30 foot long. Did they only use one transmission behind the V-10 or did they use a lighter trans in a lighter RV? If they used different transmissions how do I tell which one an RV has?

The transmissions (and engines) varied by year but not really by chassis rating. The axle might be different--I'm not sure on that. In general, the Ford transmissions are pretty solid and reliable if not overly abused.There are three main transmission variants you might find: the four speed 4R100, the five speed 5R110, and the six speed of the last few years (the designation of which I don't know offhand--6Rxxx I suspect). The five speed can be differentiated from the four speed by the button on the end of the shift lever: on the four speed, it's for "overdrive off" and labeled as such, while for the five speed it's "tow/haul." Overdrive off, on the four speed, does exactly what it says; it's like shifting from overdrive to drive on vehicles that have those two settings for the transmission. Tow/haul, on the other hand, doesn't lock out any gears, but instead alters the shift points and timing and such to better work with heavy loads, including automatic downshifting for engine braking on downhills. I think it's a good thing to leave engaged all the time assuming you have it.In terms of the V10 engine, there is one main upgrade (the two valve to three valve head, with a significant increase in torque and power) as well as various more minor improvements over time. The three valve version was introduced in 2005, it appears.

The V-10 with 3 valve and 5r110 trans is rated at 362 HP and 475 ft. lb. torque.The V-10 with the 6 speed trans was chipped down to 345 HP.The 5 speed is the same trans as the 6 speed but the 5 only uses 5 speeds depending upon the ambient temperature. It will shift 12346 or 12356.The better chassis are the 24,000 lb. or the 26,000 lb. with 22.5 tires.

PastorCharlie wrote:The V-10 with 3 valve and 5r110 trans is rated at 362 HP and 475 ft. lb. torque.The V-10 with the 6 speed trans was chipped down to 345 HP.The 5 speed is the same trans as the 6 speed but the 5 only uses 5 speeds depending upon the ambient temperature. It will shift 12346 or 12356.The six speed transmission is not the same as the five speed; it is a different design with entirely different ratios. The five speed was technically a six speed internally, but fourth and fifth differ by only about nine percent and so are not really treated as separate gears (as you mention). Most of the time, except in quite cold conditions, the actual fourth gear is the one skipped.It's worth noting that the horsepower (and torque) ratings are at different RPMs with the two different engine tunes; from all I've seen, subjectively the engine is not less powerful with the six speed transmission, and indeed the overall package is superior to drive. Apparently it's mostly tuned for a broader torque curve/power band, at the expense of peak power at really high RPMs. (I read a claim that it was mostly a paper change to what RPM the power was officially measured at, supposedly to meet some sort of emissions or noise regulation that was imposed with the engine operating at its rated power, and the actual tuning hadn't changed all that much. That may well be just an urban legend.)

DrewE wrote:There are three main transmission variants you might find: the four speed 4R100, the five speed 5R110, and the six speed of the last few years (the designation of which I don't know offhand--6Rxxx I suspect). 6R140 and the new 10 speed is 10R140.The second number has to do with the input capacity of the transmission AFTER the torque converter.DrewE wrote:In terms of the V10 engine, there is one main upgrade (the two valve to three valve head, with a significant increase in torque and power) as well as various more minor improvements over time. The three valve version was introduced in 2005, it appears.I don't know if Class A rigs got the 3 valve, but Class C DID NOT !

The 2v V10 got the PI heads that made a bit more power (305/310hp depending on chassis compared to the original 275hp) and had more spark plug threads 2003 and later. That engine was just phased out of Class C's this year; the 3v heads were too big to fit in the Econoline doghouse and cab opening. The 5R110 trans replaced the 4R100 in 2005, with the 6R140 intro'ed in Class A's and C's only a few years ago.I have 80k miles on a 2010 E450 V10/5R110 chassis. The only things done to the drivetrain have been oil changes, a tensioner and serpentine belt, filters, trans fluid change and, and recently, plugs and coils (that was an ugh! job - 6 hours and every 1/4" and 3/8" extension, wobble and universal that I had got used!). I did have the electronic throttle sensor at the pedal go bad 3 years ago at 48k miles, but that was a fluke failure.This engine though, like the GM 6.0 and now 6.6 gas engines, needs RPM to make power. Mine will easily maintain 65-70mph in all terrain, but with the E450's 4.56 rear, needs a 5-4 downshift, which puts the V10 at 3800rpm. The engine doesn't care, but the typical driver used to big-block torque at lesser twist needs to adjust their expectations.

Ford Triton V-10 Info Request | Good Sam Community

PastorCharlie
Explorer
Dec 29, 2020
The V-10 with 3 valve and 5r110 trans is rated at 362 HP and 475 ft. lb. torque.

The V-10 with the 6 speed trans was chipped down to 345 HP.

The 5 speed is the same trans as the 6 speed but the 5 only uses 5 speeds depending upon the ambient temperature. It will shift 12346 or 12356.

The better chassis are the 24,000 lb. or the 26,000 lb. with 22.5 tires.
DrewE
Explorer II
Dec 28, 2020
The transmissions (and engines) varied by year but not really by chassis rating. The axle might be different--I'm not sure on that. In general, the Ford transmissions are pretty solid and reliable if not overly abused.

There are three main transmission variants you might find: the four speed 4R100, the five speed 5R110, and the six speed of the last few years (the designation of which I don't know offhand--6Rxxx I suspect). The five speed can be differentiated from the four speed by the button on the end of the shift lever: on the four speed, it's for "overdrive off" and labeled as such, while for the five speed it's "tow/haul." Overdrive off, on the four speed, does exactly what it says; it's like shifting from overdrive to drive on vehicles that have those two settings for the transmission. Tow/haul, on the other hand, doesn't lock out any gears, but instead alters the shift points and timing and such to better work with heavy loads, including automatic downshifting for engine braking on downhills. I think it's a good thing to leave engaged all the time assuming you have it.

In terms of the V10 engine, there is one main upgrade (the two valve to three valve head, with a significant increase in torque and power) as well as various more minor improvements over time. The three valve version was introduced in 2005, it appears.

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