I hated my SO towing an 8K 5th wheel...pulled like an old dog up grades.

Put in a Smarty SR and a few minor mods (see sig). Now it pulls my 13.5K 5er like any HO! Smarty SR was the key. The other mods (with the exception of the Pakbrake & Airbags) probably had little impact.

Everything is still original except tires and brake pads and I'm over 124K miles..

A totally reliable truck!

 

Side Question :
How long have you been doing this ?
any disadvantages other than maybe some increased clutch wear ?
Thanks

 

I do the same. There is no clutch wear if you engage your clutch before you apply power. Slipping a clutch causes wear.

 

4 years. Iv yet to put a clutch in at 158,000 miles. might of had a new clutch when I bought it at 100,000 miles but who knows.

 

Sounds like the like/dislike of either setup is personal opinion. The 5 speed is cheaper to buy, cheaper to re-build and a lot easier as well. I am not worried about the power band as that is very easy to manipulate on these trucks with a little tuning. With my TST on TT03 once you hit 12 PSI you are in the power band and on my truck about 2 seconds from 45 PSI. You said you have towed with guys who have 5 speeds, that is a difference as well. If I towed a lot maybe I would keep it, but towing a 2 ton boat around in the summer and an occasional Bobcat or compact tractor once in a great while, and a cord or so of cedar wood here and there, not really using it for towing a lot. This should help get the point across too, there is no goose neck ball in my bed. The reasons you have for running a 6 speed are no doubt correct, but for how I use my truck those reasons aren't really applicable.

 

I Never touch the accelerator before my clutch pedal is out.

What about lugging ? Doesn't lugging eat away a clutch too ?

Not to hijack this thread but how bad is starting in 3rd vs the normal 2nd ?

 

Is the price difference between a SO & a HO significant ?
i personally waited till i found a HO but price would be a large deciding factor

and because i don't tow, sometimes i feel a 5 speed would have been easier as a Daily driver, much easier
But that's just personal preference coz i love my 6 speed too

 

I dont know about the luging, but if your clutch isnt slipping than it probly ok. Asfar as 3rd gear Im running 37" tires and that takes too much clutch.

 

if you have a 6 speed with 4:11s you wont have any trouble with the 3 5 6 changing, its just like driving a 3 speed.

if its a 6 speed with 3:55s or 3:73s it might be a little tougher. we have two company trucks that are six speeds, the dually is 4:11, the dump is 3:55. the dump truck stumbles and doesnt like to start off

 

have 373's, there is a slight stumble, when starting in 3rd but doesn't feel too bad, same for going from 2nd - 4th

 

Usually the seller of an SO won't ask for much less than if it were an HO. NADA does list both engines, and if I book my truck both ways there is no difference in the value.

If remember right- on the window sticker when I bought mine new, the HO was about a $5k add, the SO a $4k add over the gasser.

More importantly, I think a knowledgeable buyer could use the SO vs. HO debate to beat the SO seller down on price, and use the difference for power upgrades (in not already installed).

 

I've had my SO since '04 and has been mostly trouble free,other then POOR fuel mileage and the crappy front end parts. I'm reaching 100K and might be close to injector and pump time.

One point on the your truck your looking at,made darn sure the front end/steering is updated with the newest Mopar HD parts. They may still be a recall on newest redesigned parts,but that is another bargaining chip. I don't care if the truck has 40K or 400K miles,if it doesn't have the newest Mopar parts or parts from Carli or others,your new truck will drive like an old K car and may even have the death wobble,plus you can't get the front end aligned with even a slighty loose front/steering issues. Also make sure the truck has had all its recalls taken care of. DON'T EVEN get the horn honk door open recall done,it SUCKS!
Its had two Recalls just recently,something to do with the front end issues and I can't member off the top of my head on the other one.
I will also be buying a smary soon and we'll see how big a difference it makes in mileage and power. I wish I knew a member locally to try their smarty,
Anybody in Alaska? And lastly,I wish I would have looked harder for a manual trans and if anybody wants to trade their SRW setup for my DRW,drop me a pm