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Discussion on Dodge Ram 2500, Auto Trans. - Problems?
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Member:
Chip
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 1:01 pm:
Hi,
I’m in the market for a used truck to haul a two horse goose neck trailer (not yet purchased) for my draft cross (~1300 lbs) and friend. I don’t know much (ok, anything) about trucks so I’ve been trying to learn a little. I’ am looking in the $25k to $30k range for a used, recent model, lower mileage truck.
I am thinking a Dodge Ram 2500 with diesel engine and tow package. This truck was recommended to me because the engine is supposed to be a very good one. I want the 2500 because I can afford it and don’t want to be in the position of not having enough power to pull (or weight/stability to stop).
As I have investigated, I have heard some VERY negative things from more than one source about the automatic transmission in Dodge vehicles. Just yesterday a person told me how her 2000 yr Dodge Ram 2500 (gasoline engine) with tow package needed a completely new transmission after only 50,000 miles! She was only hauling a two horse trailer. Another person I know had a Dodge minivan and also had to replace the transmission after only 53,000 miles.
Do you have any input or comments? Should I abandon the Dodge and go Ford 250?
Thanks so much, you can’t imagine how intimidating it is for a single women to shop for used trucks when you don’t know anything about them. 
Mary
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Member:
Jvinoly
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 1:24 pm:
Mary, I know only too well how intimidating buying a truck can be, makes no diff whether you are a man or woman We have a 1999 Dodge Ram, 3/4 ton, 5 speed manual transmission. We pull a 6 horse straight haul loaded with 1 draft cross, 1 quarter horse and 1 half arab with no problems. We also have the towing pkg., and the Cummins Diesel Motor. I have heard negative comments about the automatic trans, too, and would highly recommend the manual transmission.
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Member:
Chip
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 1:39 pm:
Jim,
Thanks for posting the info and encouragement – much appreciated. I drive a manual trans. Toyota Corolla to/from work. I’ve never really driven a truck, certainly never pulled a horse trailer … I just don’t think I can manage the manual transmission in my tow vehicle knowing that I’m going to be maxed out w/ worry over the precious cargo.
Thanks again,
Mary
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Member:
Mwebster
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 1:41 pm:
You may be sold on a truck, but just to offer one more choice, a friend of mine steered me towards a bumper pull with a Chevy Tahoe. I'm really glad we went with the Tahoe - more room for passengers and bags in the back, it's a lot more versatile than a truck, and more comfortable. We paid in your range for a used one that was just a year old with very low mileage and the heavy duty tow package. We haven't had any significant repair bills and it's got 65,000 miles on it now. Pulls great with 2 1300lb horses and hay for a week and a labrador and bikes and kayaks and 2 adults, etc. for our long summer trips to Maine.
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Member:
Terrilyn
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 1:57 pm:
Please check out this website for just the kind of information you're looking for. It was a tremendous help to me when I was looking!! https://www.mrtruck.net/
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Member:
Judyh
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 3:17 pm:
Mary, I just looked out the window to see if my 96 Dodge is a 1500, or 2500 -- never can remember. It's a 1500 with four-wheel drive and the tow package. I had to have the transmission completely rebuilt at less than 33,000 miles. The warranty didn't cover it because it was more than three years old. Chrysler, out the kindness of their hearts, (yeah right) agreed to pay for half of it. My brother is a builder and has had two Dodges in the past ten years, both of which have had transmission problems. I would not buy another one, although the trans. problems have supposedly been solved.
I also have problems with blind spots in that vehicle. Perhaps if you are a taller person it makes it a whole different ballgame. But, at 5'3", I always have to sit up and look around the mirrors and the window frame. I have talked with other women who say the same thing.
When I got my first truck, I was told that if I was towing, I should go with an automatic transmission, because it is so easy to destroy a manual trans. unless you are a "gifted" driver with a oneness with your vehicle.
I have a friend who bought a used Dodge diesel and she loves the moter, hates the interior which she describes as "junky." Good luck in your search.
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Member:
Redwood
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 3:35 pm:
I have a '98 2500 Dodge with Cummins diesel and automatic transmission. I have around 32,000 miles on it without any transmission problems. When I drive on steep grades pulling my donkey trailer (Exiss GN 3-horse stock combo type) I shift out of overdrive. I don't drive fast either.
I thought Cummins made the automatic transmission. Is this correct? What are the problems with the transmission?
I like the automatic transmission in the Dodge. Driving such a large trailer filled with animals on curvy mountain roads, I like to be able to concentrate on driving and not worry about shifting.
Nancy
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Member:
Albionsh
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 16, 2003 - 8:39 pm:
I thought for a moment someone had gone and written my comment for me! I have a 1994 2500 Dodge with a Cummings diesel and automatic transmission. When we bought it three years ago it had only 36,000 miles on the odometer--it is now showing 76,094. We have had no transmission problems, have had one scheduled service of the engine and transmission, and also take off the overdrive when going up hills or going slow without a load.
Love this truck!!
(Also Nancy)
Nancy Kiester in Medford
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, Jan 17, 2003 - 7:15 am:
You hear similar things about the Ford auto transmission. I am not sure one is really better than the other. I too prefer the convenience of an auto, and I abuse my Ford 350 with 10,000 lbs in the mountains. I had to upgrade over the 96, Ford 250 because I would regularly overheat the transmission even with the largest cooler I could find.
DrO
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Member:
Htrails
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Posted on Friday, Jan 17, 2003 - 8:45 am:
2 of my trailer delivery drivers use Dodge, I use a 94 2500 Dodge with 149k on it right now - I have had no problems - my experience is that the 96 an 97 models indeed had transmission problems but I am unaware of other years having problems.
R
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Member:
Trouble
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Posted on Friday, Jan 17, 2003 - 2:20 pm:
I just bought my first Ford truck, a 2002 F250 with a power stroke diesel and an automatic transmission.
We pull a steel 2-horse slant load with a dressing room, a 4-place snowmobile trailer, loads of gravel, or whomever is stuck in the snow (not all at the same time of course!)
We have owned Chevy Suburbans and a Dodge 1/2 ton, and my husband and I have 2 words for our Ford...
TOTALLY AWESOME!
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Member:
Parfait
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Posted on Friday, Jan 17, 2003 - 2:43 pm:
My F-250 diesel-turbo crew cab imploded July 4th weekend (Sunday night)right in the middle of the lane on one of the most dangerous sections of highway, with my best show horse in the attached gooseneck. The tranny just quit--every gear was neutral. I had just done the 50,000 work-up a few months prior. Granted, it was a '96 but it didn't have that many miles and I've been careful on maintenance.
All the gear heads I've talked to said that Chevy trannies are best, but I have to say I've had Fords forever and they say the 2002 fixed the problem...
Kerry
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Member:
Tangoh
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 18, 2003 - 11:50 am:
We just purchased a F250 4x4 Off Road Super Duty and we've always, always been Chev/GM people. We have never owned a Ford, ever. After 2 1/2 years of reading lemon guides, searching and talking to people, and test driving a host of trucks we finally found the F250 was by far the toughest truck we came across. It's a 99 and we've had no trouble. Fords are making a huge resurgence as the tow vehicle of choice here in Western Canada leaving Chevies in the dust. For some reason, up here, chev trucks are severely overpriced. The tranny and the engine in the Ford seem to work better together than the combination used in the Chev or Dodge trucks, or so this is what we found when doing our truck research before purchasing the Ford. If we could have afforded it, we'd buy the new 2003 F250 power stroke diesel. The transmission and engine in this one is supposed to be awesome and be a notch above the Dodge's hemi, but at a price tag up here of $52,000 it was definitely out of our reach.
But at the end of the day, it's personal preference and price tag.
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Member:
Chip
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 18, 2003 - 3:50 pm:
Hi,
I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to post their experiences. It sure has been helpful. Special thanks to Terri for recommending the MrTruck website. I visited and joined ($20) and feel it will be a very good source of info too.
Happy Trailering to you all – hope to join you soon.
Mary
PS to Dr. O – The MrTruck site is sorta’ like your site in that it offers tons of specific info on a particular topic for a modest yearly fee. However, in using his site, and being familiar with yours, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the easy to use (ie organized) format of your site. Also, the writing style of your articles if very good – easy to read but has the info I need. Thanks!
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New Member:
Joaquin
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2003 - 12:43 pm:
Mary,
I wanted to let you know how I addressed the same situation you have. First, I also wanted an automatic because I also use my truck to commute on Denver interstates, and the bumper to bumper traffic is tough with a manual transmission. I selected a 2001 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins and auto and am very happy pulling a 3 horse slant with a gooseneck, which, when fully loaded weighs around 8,000 lbs. I don't know if you have to do any mountain driving, but if you do I would like to make a recommendation. You should be able to find a good used Dodge for around $25K, but please consider spending an extra $2K to $3K and have the transmission upgraded with a heavy duty torque converter and valve body. This will eliminate any slippage (the biggest complaint of all auto transmissions) when pulling a load. Also, this will allow you to install an exhaust brake, which is a Godsend when going down a grade. The exhaust brake allows engine backpressure to slow your vehicle down without excessive use of your truck or trailer brakes. It provides you the speed control that is normally associated with driving with a manual transmission. Lastly, pulling a gooseneck trailer is vastly more stable than a bumper pull, with the benefit of much easier back up of the trailer. I know this is a lot of information, but I might be able to help you find someone who provides the specific tranny work I have described. I'm not certain of the protocol regarding contacting me at my E mail address, but if you're interested in finding out more, we can communicate through this thread.
Best of luck, JRG
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Member:
Obtunded
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 5:00 pm:
I owned a '95 Dodge 2500 with a Cummins/auto trans combo since new. I traded mine at 308,000 kms just two months ago.
I had the engine HP and torque boosted (this is easy with diesels) and I had not had transmission problems. I pulled 3 horses regularly between our places that are 250 miles and a steep mountain highway apart for years. Likewise, I towed a 6000 pound boat all up and down British Columbia.
If you tow alot, manual trannys are the gold standard. the advice about upgrading the auto trans torque converter and valve assy is sage! I bought my second Dodge, a 1 ton with diesel.auto trans as well.
Cummins - you will not find a better diesel in a truck, big or small. GM and Ford are on their second, third and fourth attempts at diesel engines in light trucks; GM's is an Isuzu engine now. In-line engines by their very nature are very powerful and have fewer moving parts.
My truck had a great engine and transmission, but everything else was a ten-year-old Dodge when it was time to trade-in. I spent thousands along the way with annoying problems. I think liklihood of problems (especially on used) is directly proportinal to complexity and the number of gadgets.
good luck
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Member:
Alden
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 8:48 pm:
JRG,
You are correct that the exhaust brake is a good add on, but it gives you braking more like a gas engine. Even with a manual tranny a diesel engine has very little braking effect. The reason is there isn't any vacuum on the intake manifold (hence a vacuum pump on diesels), so an exhaust brake is good regardless the tranny.
Ian,
It's interesting that Dodge owners who haven't had problems like them, but the others trade for a Ford. The two folks I know that traded both had rear differentials replaced with less than 30,000 miles, more than one at that. Then there was a school district in Oregon that replaced several warped heads on their Cummins equipped school buses. And Isuzu has probably made diesel engines longer than any of the big three. We all have our biases, but I figure the big three are about the same anymore.
Good day,
Alden
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Member:
Kayfry
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 10:18 pm:
I have a '95 Dodge 2500 diesel automatic transmission with low mileage, with which I pull a 2-horse trailer and a couple of big horses. I've never had any trouble with the transmission - have had other problems (accelerator linkage, fuel pump solynoid (sp?). But overall, this truck performs well. My trainer had a Chevy truck with manual transmission, and that was very difficult for towing. I think the automatic transmission is much better for towing horses - as someone else said, there are enough other things to worry about.
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