Captain

we have over 350k miles on our one stock 4500. dosent really tow much. but its stock trans, stock clutch. Can you shift fast with a 5600? I could throw the 4500 around pretty quick.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Towing 30,000 gross weight I put 160k on the original five speed and during a clutch change I installed the 5600 for an upgrade. It now has right at 370,000 on it and the transmission is perfect. And it is a good upgrade if you are pulling heavy weight. Very smoothe and nice spacing for towing. I paid 1000 for the 5600 with 10k on it. With it I installed a SBC redrilled flywheel and the bigger clutch. Very nice setup.

dodgezilla04

my SBC came with a needle bearing. it shifts good, but not really fast. holds the torque. and i tow with it.

CapnRam

The final ratio on both trannys are the same! The 5600 just has the extra gear so there isn't the big drop in RPM's as the 4500. But 5th and 6th are the same. So its not goin to change any RPMS in the high gears. I was goin to do this swap myself till i found out that, now i'm thinking about going with the Gear Vendors under/over drive, have one in the car and its awesome, get a 10 speed out of my 5!!!! just my .02

Capn

Captain

So whats the general concensious? that a 5600 is only as strong as a 5speed and only good if your towing alot?

PourinDiesel

"Dodge introduced the NV5600 6 speed in 1998. The early version, which is found in 1998 to 2000½ models is known to have synchronizer problems and a weak input shaft. Midway during the 2000 model year, a much improved NV5600 was introduced with a heavier 1⅜" input shaft and reliable synchronizers. At the same time, the old 12.4" clutch was dropped in favor of a 13" unit.

The NV5600, which weighs in at 465 lbs. is rated to handle nearly 20% more torque then the NV4500HD five speed. First gear and high gear are essentially the same ratios for both the NV4500 & 5600. Reverse gear is lower in the 5600 then most 4500's. The direct gear (1:1 ratio) for the 5600 is 5th, in the 4500 it's 4th. From a drivability standpoint, the difference between the two transmissions is the close ratio spacing of the 5600 doing in five gears what the 4500 does in four. Close shift ratios is a great asset for hauling and towing but a bit of a liability for daily city driving. The 6th or overdrive gear is mounted on the front of the mainshaft instead of the back like the NV4500. Consequently, the NV5600 does not have the problem of the mainshaft nut backing off.

Upgrading Your Dodge To The NV5600 6 Speed

Installing a NV5600 6 speed in place of a NV4500HD in 1994 and newer trucks is a straight forward job. The conversion usually requires buying a new clutch with a 1.375" hub to match the input shaft of current production NV5600s, but it is possible (although not recommended) to get an early production transmission with a 1.250" input shaft"

Thats from quad4x4.com

blackdiesel

And I thought you made that up yourself. I was going to pat you on the back. IMO the cost of the swap is, used tranny $2500 If you can find one, plus flywheel, clutch,crossmember and drive shaft= $1500 to $3500 (depenting on the clutch you get) is not worth it. The 5600 didn't take what I dished out. after the 2nd rebiud I turn my truck back down. If you are wanting to race your truck you will need to have deep pockets, to keep it runnin

Big Blue24

Auto's are for racing, Manuals are for pullin! I always thought that the six speeds had a higher top gear. Live and Learn. When I bought mine, I opted for the 5spd cause it seemed to shift a lot smoother for me. Either I just test drove a bad one or people are full of it who say the 6 spd is a faster, smoother shifter.

Big Blue24

I think that most heavy duty sled pullers will agree that the NV 4500 with a billet input shaft is stronger than the NV 5600. I think that the 5600 is rated for 20% more torque due to it's 1/8 larger input shaft. I was told that the gears are tougher on the 4500. Parts are much easier to come by for the 4500 as well.

starkey

I tell you what, i can row through the gears on my N5600 like no other! Drove a NV4500 not too long ago and, compared to my 6er, its sluggish. IMO, the NV5600 is a great tranny. I pull my boat, a few hay bales with it, my camper which is around 7k... never a problem. I got on it today and did a little powershifting... never missed a gear! BTW, everyone i've talked to with a nv4500 had the fifth gear nut back off.... My .02