Exhaust Brake for 05 Dodge

My 2009 Cummins came with an engine brake and it is wonderful to have on steep hills. Sounds like an 18-wheeler slowing down too.

You absolutely need an exhaust brake when towing a fairly heavy trailer!
The Cummins provides almost no engine braking on its own like a gas engine does.
You CAN run without but you'll be in the fried-brakes danger zone in the mountains, you'll have nothing else to do but drag your brakes.

Exhaust brake is a nice luxury. So is a good towing transmission. Take the duramax back from the kid to tow with would be my vote, then put an E brake on the Duramax.
Personally I wouldn't dump a bunch of $ into a 48 RE.
But you can put a mystery switch on early 48re to control lockup for an E brake if you need to.

I considered upgrading my '04.5 Dodge too, but decided it was not worth it. Ordered a new 2018 one yesterday.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Double tap T/H??

1st tap of button tuns T/H Mode ON

Push button again.....turns T/H OFF and OD off (no 4th gear)

Push button again..back to normal (default mode)....OD On (1, 2, 3, 4)


Exhaust Brakes......great tool for descending down grades especially when using T/H Mode

I have been running a simple Exhaust Brake System since 2008 on my 2007 5.9 CTD/48RE tranny

Electric Solenoid closes 4" butterfly creating back pressure (2" bypass butterfly controls back pressure).......turn it off and large springs open the 4" butterfly allowing full exhaust flow.

Simple..no air compressor/vacuum pump required
US Gear Decelerator.
(some reports of issues with bushing galling but in 10 yrs have not had any problems.....and I use it a LOT)

05 is only T/H on or off. You cannot lock out OD in 05.

As noted earlier in the thread the Cummins provides close to zero grade braking even with the TC locked up. I would not tow in the mountains with a RAM truck without a good working exhaust brake. We we bought our 29' Cardinal in 2004 we had the 47RE in our 2001.5 RAM rebuilt for exhaust brake use with a smart controller to lock the TC. We towed the trailer all over the West for 11 years.

In some ways I think that Banks exhaust brake worked better than the OEM one on our 2015. Chris

Hey thanks everyone for all the comments. Just some background info, we sold our 07 Outback and our son now has the Chevy. Knowing we need to purchase another fiver, I decided to turn my 05 Dodge worktruck into a tow vehicle for my wife and I. After reading everyone's comments,I think I will wait until I purchase the rv, take a short trip and see how it handles. I'll get back later this spring and let you all know how it comes out. Thanks again.

OP, rvnutts, needs to do some reading about his RV.

Use the truck first and then make a decision if it needs a exhaust brake.
I added the B-D exhaust brake along with their pressure loc system on a '01 Dodge/Cummins 47RE tranny. Sold the truck with around 78k miles and no tranny issues.

My present '03 Dodge NV5600 came with the Jacobs as a factory option/warranty installed by my Dodge Business Link dealer.
I towed with both trucks before the EBs were installed. I wouldn't have a 5.9 Cummins with a stick or auto without a exhaust brake.

I have a PacBrake PRXB on my 2004.5 which is the same as yours. The stock transmission's torque converter does indeed lock up but the engine provides close to zero compression braking. Service and trailer brakes are your only stopping tools. The PacBrake does integrate with the transmission and I believe it increases lock-up pressure. I do know the tranny will stay locked up to lower speeds when the exhaust brake is on ie. 45 mph in fourth compared to 55mph when off. In my opinion, an exhaust brake is a safety necessity if towing a heavy trailer with that truck in the mountains.

Second tap does indeed turn tow haul off.