pulling trailers over 35 feet.

Wow. I agree. Dodge Transmissions suck. Unfortunately I am stuck with it for a couple more years. We decided to go with a 31 foot Pilgrim Bunk house with 2 slides. The weight is still up there though. I ordered the Bank transmission gauge but it hasn't arrived yet.

Not to knock Dodges but this just happened here with a 2013 Dodge 1-ton and I quote out of our little local paper..

The report of a truck on fire at milepost 230 was called in to the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office at 5:32 p.m. by Leanne Woslum of Yellow Wolf Lodge. The 2013 3500 Dodge pickup, hauling a horse trailer, was northbound, part of a three-vehicle convoy transporting eight family members from Bastrop, Texas, relocating to Sandpoint.

#“The transmission overheated and caught fire,” said the driver, Kaila Swank, 24, who with her brother, Colton, was in the vehicle when the blaze touched off.

#Passersby assisted in detaching the horse trailer from the burning pickup, and removed three horses, two dogs and two cats to a nearby pullout. Highway traffic slowed as black smoke billowed from the pickup before ICSO deputies arrived to control traffic through a one-lane corridor through the scene. The White Bird Fire Department arrived with one engine and five personnel to control the blaze, punctuated by explosions of sparks from the vehicle battery, as well as prevent its spread into the adjacent dry grass.

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I talked to the transmission repair company today. They told me that all Dodge transmissions have a cooler bypass in them. Their standard procedure is to remove the bypass on every dodge transmission they work on. They say that solves a lot of problems with overheating. I am going to add the Transmission temp gauge. That seems smart regardless of what camper I have. Over all I think I will buy the 37" camper and just take it easy for a couple of years till I am ready to buy a new truck. The gauge should tell me when to pull off and let it cool down. The camper is just too good a deal to pass up. Thanks for all your help.

I don't think you will be happy towing that large of a trailer with a 5.9 gas motor. I had a 98 Dodge with a 5.9 gas motor. I even had 4:10 gears put in. In a strong headwind I was down to 35mph in second gear.

X2 on adding a gauge. It will let you know if you even need a larger cooler, and will let you know if you just need to pull over and let things cool down.

I have the Banks Transmission gauge. It's color coded, so I can just monitor it from the corner of my eye, and not have to really read the number and think about what that means.

http://www.bankspower.com/products/show/54/51

Of course, there's lot of other options too, from other less expensive analog gauges, to digital options.

One of the most important considerations in any TV is keeping the transmission at a decent operating temperature. When towing a big trailer you must have a proper tranny cooler. You would be well advised to have a good one installed. It will cost a few bucks, but not as much as a new trans in a city far from home.
Some makes and certain years were prone to transmission failure and heat is one of the biggest factors in general failure.

I am trying to remember what they told me. I think they told me that the transmission cooler was the reason I was having the problem and they did something to make it run better in the future. They didn't install a new cooler. I'm not sure but they may have bypassed it. The transmission garage is closed today. I need to call on Monday. I don"t know much about transmissions. Would it be obvious if I looked under the truck?

I tow a 35 foot 5 inch trailer with our Ford Excursion and don't have any problems.

The only problem I see is the motor. I know I would not be happy pulling that large of a trailer with the 5.9L Magnum. Of course, total personal preference. You might be completely satisfied. I like having plenty of power in reserve for passing slow drivers in the mountains.

Also, when the transmission was rebuilt, was anything done to make it stronger? Have you added a larger transmission cooler?