3.42 Rear Axle

[RamItFaster]

This a decent rear end gear ratio? Problems? Issues while towing or daily driving?

 

[BWC]

I haven't heard of any issues. If you tow a lot and heavy Id say high would be better

 

[BossHogg]

This a decent rear end gear ratio? Problems? Issues while towing or daily driving?

I have 3:42's in my 3500 SRW, that is the only option BTW. Truck is rated to pull just over 17,000 pounds, the most weight I've pulled is a 15,000-pound fifth wheel. I have no complaints, plenty of power and I can very easily make 65 MPH on the freeway acceleration ramp.

 

[RamItFaster]

I have 3:42's in my 3500 SRW, that is the only option BTW. Truck is rated to pull just over 17,000 pounds, the most weight I've pulled is a 15,000-pound fifth wheel. I have no complaints, plenty of power and I can very easily make 65 MPH on the freeway acceleration ramp.

Great! We don't pull daily, but we do have a travel camper, and plan on getting a 30' + fishing boat at the start of 2020 so having a good rear end ratio was high on the priority list.

 

[Summit1]

My 2500 has the 3.42/68RFE/Cummins TD... no issues and no problems, whether unladen or pulling four tons of travel trailer with power to spare. If I wanted to pull a lot more weight (i.e., a bulldozer on a flatbed trailer, I would go for a larger (>3500) truck before re-engineering axle ratios.

 

[RamItFaster]

My 2500 has the 3.42/68RFE/Cummins TD... no issues and no problems, whether unladen or pulling four tons of travel trailer with power to spare. If I wanted to pull a lot more weight (i.e., a bulldozer on a flatbed trailer, I would go for a larger (>3500) truck before re-engineering axle ratios.

Thanks for the response!

 

[craiggemt]

Recently traded in a '16 2500 with the 3.42/68RFE/Cummins for a '14 3500 SRW with the 3.42/68RFE/Cummins (needed more payload). Pull a 5th wheel toy hauler that's 16,000lbs loaded. No issues and plenty of pulling power with either truck.

 

[Donnie Straps]

I like mine way better after the 4.10 install.

 

[Silver The Mega]

3.42 towing is gonna suck to get up to speed. 4.10s to haul would be the best for moving it. 3.73 is the happy medium.

 

[SRich2015]

3.42's have no place behind the Cummins!! IMO Yes they are good for fuel mileage empty on the highway but otherwise 4.10's are the way to go!!! There's a reason FCA has gone back to 3.73's and 4.10's in the 19+...…. Drive a 4.10 Cummins and you will know why I say this!!!

 

[BossHogg]

3.42's have no place behind the Cummins!! IMO Yes they are good for fuel mileage empty on the highway but otherwise 4.10's are the way to go!!! There's a reason FCA has gone back to 3.73's and 4.10's in the 19+...…. Drive a 4.10 Cummins and you will know why I say this!!!

There are posts in this thread that are different than your opinion. To say 3:42s have no place behind a Cummins is not true. There are 10's of thousands of RAM HD's with 3:42's running America's highways pulling all sorts of things, successfully.

 

[Summit1]

There are posts in this thread that are different than your opinion. To say 3:42s have no place behind a Cummins is not true. There are 10's of thousands of RAM HD's with 3:42's running America's highways pulling all sorts of things, successfully.

Eggs, Zachary... and mine (2017, 6'4" box, CTD, 68RFE) is one of them. I have been pulling an ~8,000# travel trailer (with the truck loaded, too) on all sorts of hills and level ground. Never had any problems... not even any issues.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[SRich2015]

There are posts in this thread that are different than your opinion. To say 3:42s have no place behind a Cummins is not true. There are 10's of thousands of RAM HD's with 3:42's running America's highways pulling all sorts of things, successfully.

My Opinion!! I did not say they can't do it, I just don't think they do it well!! I have had trucks with 3.42's,3.73's and 4.10's and just like the way 4.10's gears keep the cummins RPM's in the sweet spot. Also Summit1 8,000 lbs. is nothing for these trucks!! A half ton would pull that weight just fine!!!LOL

 

[2018 Hemi]

That’s what my old one had! 6.7 and 410..Wish I still had it compared to the 6.4 with 373s

 

[BossHogg]

My Opinion!! I did not say they can't do it, I just don't think they do it well!! I have had trucks with 3.42's,3.73's and 4.10's and just like the way 4.10's gears keep the cummins RPM's in the sweet spot. Also Summit1 8,000 lbs. is nothing for these trucks!! A half ton would pull that weight just fine!!!LOL

Here is what you said previously said; "3.42's have no place behind the Cummins!! IMO Yes they are good for fuel mileage empty on the highway"

They do it just fine. Like I said in an early post, I can easily reach 65 MPH on a freeway acceleration ramp pulling 15,000 pounds. You have never driven a RAM Cummins with 3:42 axle ratios pulling a 15,000 RV. How do I know this? Because of what you said. If you get the chance to drive one, you will be pleasantly surprised.

4:10s do not keep the Cummins in the sweet RPM spot any better than any other axle ratio since it is MPH based. First off, the Cummins sweet spot is 1,600 to 2,200 RPMs, these numbers come from the Cummins' Powerspec application (free to download and use). The RAM Cummins will pull at 1,850 RPM, 5th gear, at 65MPH all day, right in its sweet spot.

 

[Dennis Shellito]

I have 3.73 gears under my 2011 and I would rather have that than the 3.42 but I think as long as you don't put taller tires on your truck it will be okay. Seriously guys, the 4.10 gears are great for towing if that is all the truck is used for, but if the truck is used some of the time rolling empty those gears are kind of overkill. That kind of thinking reminds me of the guys that swore pulling a 5er without a dually truck was an absolute **** show when I was looking for my Cummins. Get real

 

[BossHogg]

the guys that swore pulling a 5er without a dually truck was an absolute **** show when I was looking for my Cummins. Get real

I went through that, the dually brings its own set of issues, for example, tire to road contact when not well loaded. Then there is the issue of parking the hippo-hipped beast at site-seeing venues.

After all I heard and was told when I was researching tow vehicles for our new camper, it must be an act of God that I have pulled a Montana 3790RD (15,000 pounds, 3,000 pin weight) with a SRW RAM Cummins with a 68RFE transmission and 3:42 axle ratios over 20,000 miles the past four 1/2 years with complete success. How can that be?

 

[BossHogg]

Oops, I made a duplicate post, my apologies.

 

[Donnie Straps]

I re-geared mine to 4.10 because I live in the hills and I do tow quite a bit ( a lot is a matter of opinion). The truck did seem to have as much go as I was used to coming from another brand and different gearing. This is my first Dodge/Ram with a Cummins and always heard of there power but it just didn't fit what I was expecting when I hauled some cows with it the first time. With the 4.10's it pulls like I thought the legendary Cummins would. I have used both gear ratio's in the exact same truck hauling the exact same trailer and nearly the same weight and trust me, it may get it done with 3.42, but you will be smiling big pulling the same load with the proper gear ratio. I don't think 3.42 should be in ANY hd truck made for pulling; but fca should at least give the option for guys that use there trucks for pulling. Even my wife's 1500 gets 3.92's.

 

[Gr8bawana]

My Opinion!! I did not say they can't do it, I just don't think they do it well!! I have had trucks with 3.42's,3.73's and 4.10's and just like the way 4.10's gears keep the cummins RPM's in the sweet spot. Also Summit1 8,000 lbs. is nothing for these trucks!! A half ton would pull that weight just fine!!!LOL

Sweet spot!? With my stock size 33" tires 4.10 gears would put me at 2720 rpm. That's at the very end of the torque curve. No need to turn that high rpm. That is hardly the "sweet spot" for the 6.7 Cumins.