1995 Dodge 3500 diesel

[dirtfarmer]

I am looking to buy a good diesel truck to pull my gooseneck trailer. I found a 1995 dodge 3500 diesel with a auto trans. Will the trans hold up pulling a 20,000 GVW gooseneck trailer? I have heard that the older dodge trans was not that great. Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the subject.

 

[rrlund]

No experience personally,but one of the guys at the hardware store that I have lunch with almost everyday has one. He's had transmission trouble with his. Not cheap either. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $3000 for a removal and rebuild. Just my .02.

 

[Mike (WA)]

We bought a used '99 a couple of years ago, with only 48,000 miles- had been used to pull a 5th wheel snow-bird trailer, and my wife used it to pull 3-4 horses, usually with a camper on the truck. Has a Banks turbo, and the torque converter went out. Guy who repaired it says he does a million of them- Dodge had three "grades" of torque converter, and many have the lighter duty models- when you soup up the engine and/or pull heavy trailer, they go out. He replaced it with the high-protein model, and said it should last for the life of the truck. He said he hasn't seen much trouble with the transmissions themselves, just the torque converters.

 

[John S-B]

I have not had too much trouble with my '95 2500. I've had to replace the throttle posistion sensor a few times, takes about five minutes. I also had to replace all the cooling lines this year. The connectors are plastic and they were cracked, it cost me about $700. Other than a few flushes I haven't done anything else. I've used it to haul my car hauler trailer with a Farmall M with a plow or bush hog at times. I've always left the overdrive on, I know some people say you shouldn't use it when hauling, but it's relatively flat in Ohio. If you're just hauling on occaision, I'd have no worries about that truck. I would have a tranny guy give it a good going over if you are going to use it a lot though.

 

[John S-B]

I have not had too much trouble with my '95 2500. I've had to replace the throttle posistion sensor a few times, takes about five minutes. I also had to replace all the cooling lines this year. The connectors are plastic and they were cracked, it cost me about $700. Other than a few flushes I haven't done anything else. I've used it to haul my car hauler trailer with a Farmall M with a plow or bush hog at times. I've always left the overdrive on, I know some people say you shouldn't use it when hauling, but it's relatively flat in Ohio. If you're just hauling on occaision, I'd have no worries about that truck. I would have a tranny guy give it a good going over if you are going to use it a lot though.

 

[John S-B]

I have not had too much trouble with my '95 2500. I've had to replace the throttle posistion sensor a few times, takes about five minutes. I also had to replace all the cooling lines this year. The connectors are plastic and they were cracked, it cost me about $700. Other than a few flushes I haven't done anything else. I've used it to haul my car hauler trailer with a Farmall M with a plow or bush hog at times. I've always left the overdrive on, I know some people say you shouldn't use it when hauling, but it's relatively flat in Ohio. If you're just hauling on occaision, I'd have no worries about that truck. I would have a tranny guy give it a good going over if you are going to use it a lot though.

 

[MSM]

If you maintain them,which means changing the fluid and filter and adjusting the bands every 12000 miles if you tow heavy alot,or every 18-20,000 in normal use the trans will last.Since you are buying used and don't know the service history,it will pay to have it properly serviced before using it. Also read the owners manual on how to tow with the auto/when not to use OD etc.
A flush/fill job won't get the filter clean,besides you have to drop the pan to adjust the bands.

 

[Cliff Neubauer]

The good thing about the Dodge automatics is that with some aftermarket parts they can be built to handle any amount of power you want to throw at them. I've got a '99 with an automatic and when it goes out I'm going to get a rebuilt transmission from Goerend transmission in St. Lucas, for about $4,000 you can get a rebuilt transmission with a triple disk converter, a billet input shaft and some other work including a lifetime warranty on the converter and a 100,000 mile warranty on the rest of the transmission. There are several 600+hp pulling trucks around here running full billet Goerend built transmissions and they all love them, I also know of one 800+hp '06 Dodge daily driver that's running a Goerend transmission not too far away from me.
Goerend Transmission

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a 96 2500...only trouble I have had was my own fault. Pulled 27,000+ from Indiana to Texas.
The engine was turned up several years ago and I knew better...but did not want to make 2 trips.
Put a transmission from ATS in it with the heavy duty torque converter...never had a whisper of a problem since.
At 352000 on it...it still pulls like a bandit.

 

[Nancy Howell]

We have a 95 Dodge 3500 diesel, but its got a 5sp manual. We're pushing 300,000 and still on the original clutch. It is one hauling truck. Toughest job it had was our 25ft g/n (5700lbs) with a Krone 260 round baler and a Krone 125 round baler, total weight of trailer and load about 15,000 through a section of the Ozarks in Arkansas. We had to drop down to 3rd gear twice, but other than that it did great.

I was coming back from a horse competition, had my smaller horse trailer on. It got dark and I turned the lights on. There was a problem with the electric brakes on the trailer and they engaged when I turned the lights on. Truck sort of gave a little chug then kept right on going. I didn't realize there was a problem until some folks flagged me down (thank the good Lord). Brakes were literally smoking. Truck just kept right on like nothing had changed.

Last summer we were loading round bales. As I always do, I put chocks under the trailer tires while loading. We had 8 round bales on the trailer (trailer weighs 5700). I got in a hurry to leave and forgot about the chocks. Put the truck in low and truck went with no strain. Got about 30 yds and remembered the chocks. Truck had pulled the load right over them like they weren't even there.

 

[ArleninOr]

I've got a 1993 and a 1996 just had the trans rebuilt in the 96 because it was abused by PO . With all upgrades R and R $2400.00 should last the life of the truck always pulling 28 ft gooseneck stock trailer,25 ft flatbeds loaded to the max which means if it fits it gets hauled.

 

[Bob Huntress]

The transmission has not been the concern for the one ton Dodge truck. I would pay closer attention to the rear end that this truch has been equiped with.

 

[jlmtractor]

the only years you have to worry about in for a tranny in the dodge are 2000-2001 but other than that they are great trucks