Dethloff trans skid vibration?

Adventurebound · Mar 28, 2021

Hey crew. Just installed a Dethloff transmission skid on my 2020 PW. Nice piece of kit and quality is top notch.

I have noticed a small grumble or vibration since, especially when in reverse? I know this will sound weird but almost like the transmission is slipping, which I know it's not but thats the "feel". I'm wondering since the front mount on the skid are tied to the engine mount and these trucks have all sorts of vibration control on them could this be effective that? Anyone else installed one of these and notice similar results?

retired · Mar 29, 2021

I have one on my 2020 and never noticed any odd vibrations

gruntdog · Mar 29, 2021

Put one on my 20 in January. I dont notice anything different. Felt like there was more vibration when the MDS kicked in but I think that was just mental. Put a Edge Pulsar in so I can shut off the MDS and its great now.

Travelin Ram · Mar 29, 2021

It attaches to the frame side of the engine mount, yes? That shouldn’t be a problem.

If it was fastened to the engine side of the mount, THAT would be an issue.

A little moan / chatter in reverse especially when turning has been reported by some PW drivers. It’s the rear LSD. Mine does it sometimes.

Rick Ram-jet · Mar 30, 2021

Adventurebound said:
Hey crew. Just installed a Dethloff transmission skid on my 2020 PW. Nice piece of kit and quality is top notch.

I have noticed a small grumble or vibration since, especially when in reverse? I know this will sound weird but almost like the transmission is slipping, which I know it's not but thats the "feel". I'm wondering since the front mount on the skid are tied to the engine mount and these trucks have all sorts of vibration control on them could this be effective that? Anyone else installed one of these and notice similar results?

Contact Dethlof, when I bought mine I think they mentioned on their web site about certain models may require slight trimming to prevent vibration being transferred...

retired · Mar 30, 2021

Rick Ram-jet said:
Contact Dethlof, when I bought mine I think they mentioned on their web site about certain models may require slight trimming to prevent vibration being transferred...

I just looked at my instructions that was sent with mine and no mention of trimming anything.

Patsarge · Apr 21, 2021

I have been waiting 3-1/2 months since I paid them on Jan 10th. I have been told about delays a couple of times over the last few months and each time was told it would prob be a couple of weeks more. Now I dont even get a call or email back and wondering if they are still in business although I see them out in Utah and looking at 4 months coming up in 2 weeks. Has anyone been else waiting that long?

gruntdog · Apr 21, 2021

I waited almost 5 months for mine.

TrailWhale · Apr 21, 2021

Patsarge said:
I have been waiting 3-1/2 months since I paid them on Jan 10th. I have been told about delays a couple of times over the last few months and each time was told it would prob be a couple of weeks more. Now I dont even get a call or email back and wondering if they are still in business although I see them out in Utah and looking at 4 months coming up in 2 weeks. Has anyone been else waiting that long?

He's working on getting orders caught up and not currently taking new orders, only has a waiting list at this time. If you already have an order in, consider yourself lucky!

Patsarge · Apr 21, 2021

Thank you for the reply. That being so i can appreciate it. It is hard to keep any faith when your emails and calls go unanswerd or without reply. This can not help out any business and an honest answer is always appreciated when money paid is involved. I am sure that by now he must have an honest projection on how long it will take to get to an order when a business is at stake. His reputation on his products is great. If his clients lose faith in the ability to produce them then there is a point in this economy that it can implode. Communication is a large part of a company dealing with purchasers and banks. I can sit on my investment for a certain amount of time which is becoming a gamble on losing it or calling it due. Right now my situation is the same as a bank that has made a loan with no collateral and my only wedge was the bankcard used has some leverage that I as an individual do not have. Therefore communication with me has become important. If it was going to take 4 months then I should have been told so. If I stop communication or payments to a bank then I get forclosed on after a certain amount of time. My $400 plus payment is the same as a bank loan and Marcus has stopped communicating. I have not badgered him but have shown that I am interested in knowing when my product will arrive. I am sure that sooner or later another mfg will fill his slot if he does not produce and fill all of his backorders.

Scotts26 · Apr 21, 2021

Patsarge said:
Thank you for the reply. That being so i can appreciate it. It is hard to keep any faith when your emails and calls go unanswerd or without reply. This can not help out any business and an honest answer is always appreciated when money paid is involved. I am sure that by now he must have an honest projection on how long it will take to get to an order when a business is at stake. His reputation on his products is great. If his clients lose faith in the ability to produce them then there is a point in this economy that it can implode. Communication is a large part of a company dealing with purchasers and banks. I can sit on my investment for a certain amount of time which is becoming a gamble on losing it or calling it due. Right now my situation is the same as a bank that has made a loan with no collateral and my only wedge was the bankcard used has some leverage that I as an individual do not have. Therefore communication with me has become important. If it was going to take 4 months then I should have been told so. If I stop communication or payments to a bank then I get forclosed on after a certain amount of time. My $400 plus payment is the same as a bank loan and Marcus has stopped communicating. I have not badgered him but have shown that I am interested in knowing when my product will arrive. I am sure that sooner or later another mfg will fill his slot if he does not produce and fill all of his backorders.

Contact your bank and have them reverse the charges. Sounds like another case of one these companies getting in over their head and over promising and under delivering. 5 months for a welded tube trans skid is ridiculous. Especially with the lack of communication.

retired · Apr 21, 2021

I had poor customer service with Marcus I will not buy from him again. It is a shame no one else makes the tranny skids. He kept promising it would ship and once even said it would be going out the next day and even sent a tracking number and when it would not show up he had another excuse.

Adventurebound · Apr 24, 2021

Took 5 months for mine. But in their defense it does say on the website it's on backorder. And Marcus was always great answering my emails asking about status, usually within minutes. I would check your spam folder, maybe his replies are going there?

Ram Wagon · Apr 24, 2021

i bought mine pre-covid and it took a couple of months to get, i even live an hour away. He did apologize for the delay and ended up not charging me any shipping. He was always easy to get a hold of for me. I know he makes these in batches along with all of the other stuff he makes and sells. He is also a one man show.

MDethloff · Apr 24, 2021

Hey guys! I want to check into the vibration thing, and answer the timing/communication concerns here, very valid!

Per the vibration: A few years ago Chrysler changed the motor mounts on the 6.4 Hemi to a larger version and I changed the mounting on one of the engine mounts to using an in-house machined nut-plate rather than nuts. This gave more clearance away from the motor mount and made installation way easier. The plates are machined out of a high-strength steel and the threads are cold formed rather than cut, super strong component! I believe I have had one prior instance of vibration from a customer with the nut plate, and I can't remember now if it just went away for that customer, it's been a while. I'd keep an ear out for it and see if you notice anything new. It's likely that putting the truck in reverse loaded the driveline up just right to make the metal motor mount housing touch the nut plate; if that's the case it's harmless but could still be a nuisance as you noted. If you can peak inside the space between the nut plate and the motor mount and see if there's any contact mark, that would help!

Business has been slammed for a year now; what was expected to be a massive slowdown in 2020 due to the pandemic turned into the most insane period for American manufacturing in my lifetime. I've tried to get help from local manufacturers to take in certain parts, but haven't been able to find anyone local that has the time to add more work. Separately, I found that on the 2021 HD trucks, Chrysler has added some odd bracketry to the frame in the way of the motor mounts that blocks the existing mounting method of the skid plates. To rectify that I bought a 2021 Power Wagon for the shop, and the closest one that had the options I needed was in Texas. I flew out earlier this month and grabbed it, met with some friends for a day and a half in Moab on the way back, then drove it the rest of the way back to the shop! I've got 3D scans of the company Diesel done and am working on a new skid plate design that will work on both trucks with a different mounting method, and will be a lot faster to manufacture than the existing and very complex design. So yes, I admit I took a weekend during my 2,000 mile drive back

As a result I've invested more into shop equipment and another R&D vehicle, and I have stopped taking new orders of skid plates and almost all supporting-vendor items until I get caught up. I will no longer be selling any major items through backorder, except the racks which have always been built to order and will remain so for the foreseeable future. I've also temporarily limited the time I allot to communication to 1-2 periods a week; I'm going to be a little slower replying to emails and calls while I try to stay in the shop getting production out.

Thanks guys! Please don't hesitate to reach out, I might be slower getting back to you right now but I do return all calls and emails.

Marcus Dethloff

Buttyman · Apr 24, 2021

I purchased oil pan protection from Dethloff for my 2018 PW. I love it. No vibration after a year. Top notch work and glad to get it. I got great customer service and communication too. Just thought I'd add my experience. As a side note. I looked at the lead times for Expedition One rear bumpers and they are 16 to 20 weeks. Looks like everyone is going through the same thing Dethloff is. Glad businesses are booming! Sorry to hear of the backup though. I hate to wait for an item.

Scotts26 · Apr 24, 2021

MDethloff said:
Hey guys! I want to check into the vibration thing, and answer the timing/communication concerns here, very valid!

Per the vibration: A few years ago Chrysler changed the motor mounts on the 6.4 Hemi to a larger version and I changed the mounting on one of the engine mounts to using an in-house machined nut-plate rather than nuts. This gave more clearance away from the motor mount and made installation way easier. The plates are machined out of a high-strength steel and the threads are cold formed rather than cut, super strong component! I believe I have had one prior instance of vibration from a customer with the nut plate, and I can't remember now if it just went away for that customer, it's been a while. I'd keep an ear out for it and see if you notice anything new. It's likely that putting the truck in reverse loaded the driveline up just right to make the metal motor mount housing touch the nut plate; if that's the case it's harmless but could still be a nuisance as you noted. If you can peak inside the space between the nut plate and the motor mount and see if there's any contact mark, that would help!

Business has been slammed for a year now; what was expected to be a massive slowdown in 2020 due to the pandemic turned into the most insane period for American manufacturing in my lifetime. I've tried to get help from local manufacturers to take in certain parts, but haven't been able to find anyone local that has the time to add more work. Separately, I found that on the 2021 HD trucks, Chrysler has added some odd bracketry to the frame in the way of the motor mounts that blocks the existing mounting method of the skid plates. To rectify that I bought a 2021 Power Wagon for the shop, and the closest one that had the options I needed was in Texas. I flew out earlier this month and grabbed it, met with some friends for a day and a half in Moab on the way back, then drove it the rest of the way back to the shop! I've got 3D scans of the company Diesel done and am working on a new skid plate design that will work on both trucks with a different mounting method, and will be a lot faster to manufacture than the existing and very complex design. So yes, I admit I took a weekend during my 2,000 mile drive back

As a result I've invested more into shop equipment and another R&D vehicle, and I have stopped taking new orders of skid plates and almost all supporting-vendor items until I get caught up. I will no longer be selling any major items through backorder, except the racks which have always been built to order and will remain so for the foreseeable future. I've also temporarily limited the time I allot to communication to 1-2 periods a week; I'm going to be a little slower replying to emails and calls while I try to stay in the shop getting production out.

Thanks guys! Please don't hesitate to reach out, I might be slower getting back to you right now but I do return all calls and emails.

Marcus Dethloff

I’m sure the people that have been waiting 5 months for parts they have paid for take comfort in the fact that you’ve been a little busy out buying Power Wagons,doing 3D scans of your shop diesel and and doing R&D on new products.

MDethloff · Apr 24, 2021

Scotts26 said:
I’m sure the people that have been waiting 5 months for parts they have paid for take comfort in the fact that you’ve been a little busy out buying Power Wagons,doing 3D scans of your shop diesel and and doing R&D on new products.

I'm being up front about some points raised in this thread. I am working 7 days a week, and sometimes I put time into things outside the fab shop, generally on my weekends. I am preventing these same wait times from occurring in the future while working to catch up. There also has to be a degree of forward-looking and working towards future improvements.

Adventurebound · Apr 25, 2021

Thanks for the reply Marcus. I had the truck in the shop earlier this week for a radio replacement issue and asked them to check out the rear end/new vibration noise. They did a full inspection and found everything to be okay. I have also noticed the vibration has gotten better. Where I once felt it on flat ground I only experience it when backing up my driveway now.

So yea, kind of what I thought all the anti-vibratin stuff on these trucks with the motor mounts are just giving it a weird load/vibration? The dealer said it would not effect anything on the truck and as long as it doesn't actually bind its not going to effect anything.

Love the skid BTW, excellent fab work!

retired · Apr 25, 2021

MDethloff said:
Hey guys! I want to check into the vibration thing, and answer the timing/communication concerns here, very valid!

Per the vibration: A few years ago Chrysler changed the motor mounts on the 6.4 Hemi to a larger version and I changed the mounting on one of the engine mounts to using an in-house machined nut-plate rather than nuts. This gave more clearance away from the motor mount and made installation way easier. The plates are machined out of a high-strength steel and the threads are cold formed rather than cut, super strong component! I believe I have had one prior instance of vibration from a customer with the nut plate, and I can't remember now if it just went away for that customer, it's been a while. I'd keep an ear out for it and see if you notice anything new. It's likely that putting the truck in reverse loaded the driveline up just right to make the metal motor mount housing touch the nut plate; if that's the case it's harmless but could still be a nuisance as you noted. If you can peak inside the space between the nut plate and the motor mount and see if there's any contact mark, that would help!

Business has been slammed for a year now; what was expected to be a massive slowdown in 2020 due to the pandemic turned into the most insane period for American manufacturing in my lifetime. I've tried to get help from local manufacturers to take in certain parts, but haven't been able to find anyone local that has the time to add more work. Separately, I found that on the 2021 HD trucks, Chrysler has added some odd bracketry to the frame in the way of the motor mounts that blocks the existing mounting method of the skid plates. To rectify that I bought a 2021 Power Wagon for the shop, and the closest one that had the options I needed was in Texas. I flew out earlier this month and grabbed it, met with some friends for a day and a half in Moab on the way back, then drove it the rest of the way back to the shop! I've got 3D scans of the company Diesel done and am working on a new skid plate design that will work on both trucks with a different mounting method, and will be a lot faster to manufacture than the existing and very complex design. So yes, I admit I took a weekend during my 2,000 mile drive back

As a result I've invested more into shop equipment and another R&D vehicle, and I have stopped taking new orders of skid plates and almost all supporting-vendor items until I get caught up. I will no longer be selling any major items through backorder, except the racks which have always been built to order and will remain so for the foreseeable future. I've also temporarily limited the time I allot to communication to 1-2 periods a week; I'm going to be a little slower replying to emails and calls while I try to stay in the shop getting production out.

Thanks guys! Please don't hesitate to reach out, I might be slower getting back to you right now but I do return all calls and emails.

Marcus Dethloff

seems like mine rests on the plate all the time. Is this your latest nut plate?

Dethloff trans skid vibration?

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