Dodge Cummins

I am considering getting a 2001 Dodge ram with the High output cummins and putting a Boss v plow on it. I was wondering if any of you guys have heard how this setup does overall at plowing. This will also be my truck for my lawncare business. Any Input would be greatly appreciated.

Levi Duncan

 

Oh, it'll move a mountain.

Just doesn't have the tranny to do it. And the I-6 Cummins doesn't rev enough to plow in low range.

Awesome engine, rest of the truck? Well, we sold the 6 we had, I'll tell you that.

 

I guess Kent would know more than i do,I only had one Dodge,but i guess it was a good one,because i never had any tranny trouble plowing commercially for 3 yrs,and it had turned up power.I think your vehicles treat you well if you simply drive them with care and follow recommended service intervals.I do know that 1 st off with the torque the Cummins puts out,low range isnt needed much,my auto never overheated or did anything wrong,in fact it is the quickest shifting truck ive ever had from forward to reverse and back,it made plowing a pleasure.I had 3.55's and 33" tires which should be the worst pushing combo,the Cummins loved the high gearing,my problems were it nickeled and dimed me to death,it was the little things-like fuel sender,axle seal,power lock solenoid,steering wander (easy to fix,but shouldnt have to),tranny line leaks.The high output Cummins is only avaiable with the NV5600 6 speed manual,plenty strong for plowing,and all the 24 valves will rev to 3400RPM's,plenty high for a diesel.Oh yeah,it will move mountains,these trucks can put the power to the ground,isnt much that'll outpush it.

 

I have to say that the Dodge-Cummins is my favorite truck.
Had a Chevy 454 with 4.56 gears, and my Dodge would out tow
that Chevy AND get better mileage while towing than the
Chevy would get empty! That said, the Cummins has so much
torque it really works better with the manual. I plow with
the manual and a straight 9' Western, and for me it works
well enough to accept the manual tranny. Wait a couple years
and Dodge will have a decent automatic, and that should be
a near perfect truck. For now, if you get the automatic be
aware the Cummins can really heat the tranny fluid. Also
know that with a V plow you will be pretty close to the max
front axle rating, and will need 500-600 pounds aft of the
rear axle to meet federal weight% on Front/Rear balance.

 

I've got a Dodge 2001 1 ton with a 9'2" Boss Vee and a Snowman 8' SC with a TrynEx SnowEx mini spreader in the trailer hitch.One word, BEAUTIFUL! The Cummins is a friggin' monster!I've got 11 commercial accounts and a whole bunch of second day residentials. The new H.O. 6 Speed tranny has not even blinked.......YET.You won't believe the amount of snow this thing'll push.

 

SnoThrowers, sounds like a great rig! I'd like to hear your
opinion on that Boss V-plow.

 

Kent,

By any chance were your 6 Rams of the 94-96 era? Like Johnny D. said, the H.O. comes ONLY with the 6 speed. Supposedly a very stout tranny. The auto's have been upgraded also. No doubt they can put large strain on the tranny's, no other engine has that much low end torque.

Dave

 

We've ran mostly Dodges from '78 - '98.

The priemier years seemed to be late '80's. We still have our '89 Diesel. That diesel has 310,00 miles on it. It's a salt truck now. Never took the trans out of the truck!

Our 94-98 Diesels averaged a trans every 1.4 years or about 16,000 miles. And they say the new trans is the same as a 727, I think not.

I don't know about the new model tansmission and I'm not about to find out.

 

Kent,

Tranny every 16k miles?! No doubt you switched to another truck. I have 24K on my '01, have towed a lot, but no plowing so far. Trans is like new...for now. Guess time will tell. Can't beat the power/milage.

Dave

 

DaveO, the key to long auto life seems to be letting the
torque converter lock up (or letting the revs build) before
applying full power. I have a good friend with 150000 on his
auto, and he tows about 30% of the time at 26000GCWR. His
auto lives because knows the hardest thing on an auto is low
speed&low rpm combined with high torque.