Getrag 5spd SHIAT or NOT?

[fullywrecked]

How much of a piece of Shiat is the getrag. I'am lookin at a 91 dually diesel cummins 4wd......150,000 miles the old man wants $6500 for it........I may end up towing around 10,000-12,000 lbs sometimes. So what do you Dodge guys thinks?

[txs]

Last I heard, parts availability is not good and prices are through the roof for the getrag.

[LCexplorer]

The Getrag is a german transmission so that should indicate the cost and availability on parts. The transmissions suffers from a few design flaws apparently there is no 3rd/counter shaft in the tranny which results in a tranny that does not cope with sudden torque loads very well. Another problem is under heavy loads the gear oil gets hot and breaks down. The last problem from my understanding is that the rear tail shaft rides in a bushing as it exits the case, again not good with heavy/sudden torque loads. There have been may solution to fix Getrag problems starting with replace with a medium duty 7spd RoadRanger tranny or an NV4500HD. But then again I have seen a cummins spit out a NV 4500HD as well, not pretty. Anyhow the number one fix that I have seen for this tranny is to find the proper FAG bearing for the tailshaft (which I do not have the part# or dimensions for) and machine the casing out to accept this bearing. This will fix most woes with this tranny. In the meantime make sure there is plenty of clean gearoil in the tranny and check with the guys on the dodge diesel web ring on the amount they put in their Getrag (it's definately more than stock). I hope this helps you, I do not know much more as I drive an auto behind my diesel. Most of this stuff I found out from my research when I wanted to buy a 1 ton myself.

[Grizzwald13]

What is the 7speed RoadRanger trans, what did it go in and where can i find one, what is the gearing and how strong are they, what are the input and output shafts splined as. i am very intrested in this trans any info would be great.

[LCexplorer]

The 7 spd road ranger tranny is something you would find in Medium duty/ rig wrecking yard. Basically what you are after is a transmission to fit behind a cummins 6BT motor. A lot of the 5.9L cummins motors served duty in dump truack, garbage trucks and buses before they ever saw a dodge chassis. As for the strength of the road ranger, it's a medium duty tranny which means 20,000 lb GVW and above. From what I remember reading they took up to 950 lb ft of torque and were very heavy buggers (450+ lbs). The first gear was virtually useless as it was about 8:1, then 2nd was 5.5:1, 3rd 3.5:1, 4 th 2:1 , 5th 1.5:1, 6th 1:1 and 7th 0.8:1. This is pretty much all I remember about these trannys, I hope it helps!

[Grizzwald13]

That sounds like the perfect transmission for me. does anyone know where i can find one hooked up to the 5.9 still. Did it ever come in a 4x4 model. About how much will one of these run me.

[LCexplorer]

I've never seen one in a 4x4 model but that doesn't mean they never came in a 4x4 configuration. The few applications I have read about and seen use a divorce mounted NP205 for a transfer case and I huge crossmember to hold the tranny in place. The 5.9L cummins has one of the standard SAE belhousing, I think it's SAE #2 bellhousing. So you can pretty much buy a road ranger with the right ratios and then hunt down the correct bellhousing for the 5.9L cummins. The clutch linkages and such is where you are on your own. Another thing is the clutches are huge, aprox 13 inches, so the road ranger will not be like driving an NV4500.

[pcorssmit]

Originally posted by LCexplorer
Another thing is the clutches are huge, aprox 13 inches, so the road ranger will not be like driving an NV4500.

The clutch on a late model dodge is ~12.3", the older stlye is a true 13, which is about as big as you can go in the Dodge bellhousing. I think the newer Luk is ~38 lbs, and the older Sachs is around 50.

Pete

[Grizzwald13]

Does anyone know about how much one of these will run me? And if anyone has any leads on getting one please let me know!

[LCexplorer]

Try a rig/bus wrecking yard. Pretty much anywhere that deals with dismantles of the 18 wheelers and stuff. The last time I tried to locate one it was $750 used.

[Grizzwald13]

OK, thanks for all the great info, does anyone have any pictures of one so i will know what i a looking for? Are there any distinctive markings I should look for? Thanks!

[LCexplorer]

Best to take a look at the Eaton website as they build these things. Last time I saw one it resembled the one on the web site.
Give this a try it should help if you can figure it out:

http://truck.eaton.com/na/literature/