Looking for light transmission pan

[rauan]

Hello everyone!
I would like to change the pan on my 2023 ram 2500 cummins transmission. I live in Alaska and I will occasionally tow my fifth wheeler. I don’t think I need a deep pan, because it is cold in winter here and when I tow it won’t be too big of a weight and it will be around 70 degrees outside.
I wanted to install a lightweight pan with a drain bolt, but first would like to confirm that my thought process is not based on wrong assumptions.
Is there any difference between $3-400 pans and cheap ones besides depth and cooling ability?
Any recommendations on what I could buy?

 

[johnmyster]

Dorman 265-870 gets you a drain plug but is otherwise same as stock.

Deep finned pans: if you don't mind spending the money and it makes you feel good, by all means. The deeper/finned pans don't gain meaningful extra cooling beyond the extra fluid capacity which is merely a thermal buffer. How much does four quarts (~six pounds) of fluid really buffer a transmission of much higher thermal mass?

 

[rauan]

Dorman 265-870 gets you a drain plug but is otherwise same as stock.

I assume this is the same quality as a stock pan, correct?

 

[johnmyster]

I've held one and I would say yes. It's a black painted stamped steel pan.