Got me an 03 auto Sport quad cab, but i miss the stick and this one has it...Opinions?

No personal knowledge, but I know guys with them ... and they all seem to have the same complaint.

A miserable shifting 6 speed.

No idea if it is the same trans, but at work we have a Super Duty, V10/6spd, and it is the worst shifting thing I have ever driven. Gutless no torque v10 and always in the wrong gear, easy to be in the wrong gear.

One friend (retired OTR driver) spent fairly big bucks to buy a really nice N Georgia dually Dodge, had plans to work it a little do deliver/pickup travel trailers ... hated the trans so much he dumped the truck.

But I have not personally driven a Dodge with the 6 gear.

So, really I don't know a damn thing about them, all second hand.

I would drive one a while if you have a chance.


Just my thoughts.

Had a 2007 6.7 G56 6-speed for hauling a 48' triple axle enclosed and I had MAJOR issues with the G56 going through three of them in 100K miles after buying the truck with about that on it. Engine was find except for the constant rotten egg smell of the emissions crap and having to burn it off all the time. Rebuilt the junk American Axle twice too. Got rid of the dual-mass flywheel and junk clutch for a South Bend set-up but had issues with it too. Besides that I liked the power...

Not good...I guess I will drop the idea.

What was the last year for the 5sp? I've driven a few late 90's/early 00's ones with it and they shifted fine.

The 5-speeds ended in '92 I believe. I have owned a pair of '01 six speeds, and they were awesome. Both with 3.55 gears and just slightly modded. Both towed 10k without issue all year long. Sadly, bothere were wiped out by drunks.

So I am in a quandary....Look at even newer 2500 6.4 gas trucks with 8 speed or stay with what I have an hope it lasts. Can't afford a newer 6-speed automatic diesel, and I doubt I can afford a 6.4....Not to mention, what happens if I get a bigger trailer.

Huh? My buddy's 01 V10 truck was a 5sp, and my 97 is a 5sp. My buddy's 93 still had the old getrag 5sp which was discontinued shortly after in favor of the NV trans.

Yeah I don't think the six speed made an appearence until 99 and they were rare. I think it was the HO (ETH?) option in 01 that the six speed was standard on. I know you could still get a 5 speed in 01 behind the non HO engines.

My understanding was the Getrog was not introduced until mid 2007 and up until then, you could get a NV 6-speed...I have owned two. My understanding is the earlier 5-speed was also bullet proof, but did not offer enough gears for the towing guys. I loved the pair of 6-speeds I had and miss them. According to folks on here the Getrog from 2007 on up is the one to stay away from.

Stay with rust free older trucks I'll think you'll be happier. Is '07 the 1st year for the 6.7?

Going to test drive a 2014 with a 6-speed auto this week. found one locally, but not sure if I want the payment.

For the most part you don't see problems with the manual transmissions unless you are are hotshot hauler and you are pulling a massive long and heavy trailer. Those are the guys having issues. When the 6.7's came out in January 2007 all the automatics switched to the 68RFE which is a 6 speed. That's why the manual trans was so sought after before with the 5.9s (common sense to want a 6 speed trans vs a 4 speed AT). Now that the auto's are all 6 speed it just doesn't really make sense to manually shift gears.

That and the 4sp automatics were crap. If you hit 200k miles and hadn't rebuild yours yet, you would be very soon. The 5sp's were better in that regard, minus their 5th gear problem, which was later solved by the aftermarket. However almost 350k miles on mine and it's still going good, knock on wood. IIRC, the first gen 6sp's had the same problem except with 6th gear.

Now with the 6sp autos, you're right, the only reason to shift on your own is because you want to. That and trans repairs later on down the road are going to be a hell of a lot easier on the wallet with the stick shift.

My dad has an '07 3500, 4X4. Power: Plenty. Fuel Consumption: Not Good. Transmission Life: Don't Know. Rides pretty rough unloaded, but hauled his travel trailer like it wasn't even there. His biggest complaint was the poor fuel mileage. As for longevity of the trans, I don't know. His has less than 30,000 on the clock. I had no problem with the way it shifts. I've driven 7.5/10/16 ton tractors in the military, and like those, you shift with the RPM's. I'd imagine that power shifting ain't gonna work. I didn't have any trouble shifting his without clutch...

Well, you've got a couple under your belt already to judge power verses mileage, so it's your call.

The switch over from the NV5600 to the Mercedes G56 was a mid 2005 transition. The NV4500 stayed around until roughly the same time as the 5600 until it died away also.

The ford 6 speed is a ZF-6. It has absolutely nothing in common with NVG or the mercedes units.

Don't be scared of a G56. They shift good for a HD manual trans. The worst thing about them
Is the dual mass flywheel and weenie clutch that's installed in front of them. I've owned and worked on all of them. They all have their issues.