NCHauler wrote:
Sounds like you want a diesel Dan, for the longevity....Do you need the Aisin? "No". As mentioned the 68RFE is a very good transmission. I'm from the Asheville area and do all my towing in the mountains of NC, TN, SC, VA and WV..last two dually's I owned had the 68RFE tranny and my 5er again, was loaded to 16,300# and I never had the first issue with the 68RFE auto tranny....Nothing wrong with it at all....Now AGAIN, IF you want the Aisin, it is a medium duty tranny, as is the Cummins, a medium duty diesel....With Aisin, you get more HP & TQ and can also opt for the 4:10 or 3:73 tranny or stay with 3:42.....Your money, your call...I purchased my truck because it's going to be my "retirement" truck and I may go with an even heavier 5er than what I have now and plan on seeing the US west of the Mississippi soon, so I figure I already have all the truck I need for doing what I have planned
I agree with all the thoughts of NCHauler here. He's right on target. That's my situation - mine is also my retirement truck and I wanted to cover anything I might want to pull in the future.
Longevity: go with the diesel.
5-7 miles short trips - I agree with the others, probably not quite enough to get your engine hot enough. You wouldn't want to do this all the time, but with occasional longer trips, you should be OK. The problem is you want to get the engine hot enough to burn off the junk in the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) system.
Transmission: the 68RFE will do fine for you, save your money. Another note on the transmission - I have the Aisin transmission, and love it dearly, but it has a "4WD LOCK" mode instead of the "4WD AUTO" mode like the 68RFE. The LOCK mode forces all wheels into a hard 4WD and should not be used when the wheels cannot slip some. The AUTO mode can be used when there is only intermittent slippery conditions. In your part of the country, like mine, snow and ice might cover the road, but it would be intermittent. I'm a little apprehensive about using my 4WD "full time" in those conditions if there is ANY dry pavement because of this.
Check me on this - I don't
think you can get the Aisin with the AUTO mode - I think they are all LOCK mode transmissions. If you can't find a spec sheet showing the available modes on each - look at the 4WD selector knob - it will show either "LOCK" or AUTO" as well as 4WD LOW.
Now, all that being said, the 3500 is a good pick, but consider this: unless you think you might ever get a fifth wheel, why not go with the same engine and transmission in a 2500?. The reasons I suggest this are:
1) the 3500 has a bigger payload rating than the 2500, but if you have a travel trailer that doesn't matter. The tow rating of the 2500 is plenty for your load.
2) The 2500 would ride better for your non-trailer trips because of the stiffer suspension of the 3500.
2500 towing specs3500 towing specsBottom line - 3500 or 2500, 6.7L Diesel, 68RFE tranny
