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Suggestions on deciding

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rafke77

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I'm new to diesel and not sure what I would need. Looking to get a 3500 long bed Laramie. I can't decide on whether I'll need the HO or SO. I read so many different threads on the decision and it has not helped.

The truck will be used for a 13000# 5th wheel several times a year and Sunday driving. When it is pulling the 5th wheel it will be going either over the Rockies or Appalachians. I know the Aisin is probably overkill, which I would rather error on the side of. But is it too overkill?

I read that the 68rfe has a tendency to overheat, at least that's the majority of the complaints I've read. But on the other hand it is much cheaper to maintain with the Aisin needing 30000 mile interval oil changes.

Not sure what what I'm missing, but I'd like to keep the truck for the long run. There might be a possibility of the the fiver being upgraded in the future, unsure of right now though.
 
for a dedicated tow rig....HO all the way....if youre only going to tow and sunday drove just get the HO...if youre going to daily this truck and tow occasionally the SO....jmo....
 
IndyRamMega said:
for a dedicated tow rig....HO all the way....if youre only going to tow and sunday drove just get the HO...if youre going to daily this truck and tow occasionally the SO....jmo....
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And the towing may become more often in the future. I would like to think I'll have the truck for a very long time.

Would there be any reasons not to go overkill with just going with the HO?
 
rafke77 said:
And the towing may become more often in the future. I would like to think I'll have the truck for a very long time.

Would there be any reasons not to go overkill with just going with the HO?
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The aisin shifts a little different in first and second gears....if you were to daily the truck and barely tow I'd say the 68 is a more normal shifting trans like what you're used to....the aisin and HO feels like it's held back in first and second....but that's just the way it is for getting those heavy loads moving....once you hit third gear it hauls...you can't tune an aisin either....if you're going to mod the rig then I'd say go SO.....the 68 can be tuned....if you're a leave it stick kinda guy the HO will be better for you....Im gonna say you should go drive one of each and see what im talking about....
 
rafke77 said:
I'm new to diesel and not sure what I would need. Looking to get a 3500 long bed Laramie. I can't decide on whether I'll need the HO or SO. I read so many different threads on the decision and it has not helped.

The truck will be used for a 13000# 5th wheel several times a year and Sunday driving. When it is pulling the 5th wheel it will be going either over the Rockies or Appalachians. I know the Aisin is probably overkill, which I would rather error on the side of. But is it too overkill?
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Maybe. But you say you may go bigger on the RV down the road. Probably be worth future proofing with the HO. Harder shifts when not towing, more maint of the tranny and worse mileage are the drawbacks.
rafke77 said:
I read that the 68rfe has a tendency to overheat, at least that's the majority of the complaints I've read.
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In a stock truck, very unusual to hear of any issue with the 68RFE tranny. Folks that tune the SO motor are mostly the ones that have issues. Otherwise, it is a solid tranny.
 
I went with the HO and have no complaints. I was also coming from an 04 NV5600 truck, so the 22 is so much more civilized it really isn't even a comparison.

I chose the HO specifically for the Aisin for many of the reasons others have listed and have no regrets. For reference, I tow an ATC 2917 that is around 8k empty and around 12-13k loaded with toys. It tends to have fairly heavy tongue weight as well, so while the 3500 SRW is a little overkill on paper, in reality, I believe it's the better match than the 2500.
 
Since you are going to keep the truck for the long haul and perhaps planning on upgrading to a larger fifth wheel down the road, get the HO to future proof the rig. Especially if you are going to be towing in the mountains. The 30K oil changes on the Aisin is a DIY job and not that expensive. The HO might be overkill today and the perfect fit down the road.
 
I went with the Aisin on my 2014 3500 and again on my 2023 3500. I don't tow as much as I have in the past but I also don't know what my future plans are. I took the "better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it" approach.
 
If you are planning on possibly getting a bigger rv in the future, and you are not daily driving the truck you might as well get a dually, not much more cost wise, and future proofs the truck. I made the mistake of buying the truck before the trailer and had to trade the SRW truck in for a dually when the wife fell in love with a big toy hauler
 
jebruns said:
Maybe. But you say you may go bigger on the RV down the road. Probably be worth future proofing with the HO. Harder shifts when not towing, more maint of the tranny and worse mileage are the drawbacks.

In a stock truck, very unusual to hear of any issue with the 68RFE tranny. Folks that tune the SO motor are mostly the ones that have issues. Otherwise, it is a solid tranny.
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The maintenance I can deal with, I had read arguments about the mileage going both ways. Some people say no notable difference.

That's right, I forgot I read about stock 68's being ok.
 
cj8rockcrawler said:
I went with the HO and have no complaints. I was also coming from an 04 NV5600 truck, so the 22 is so much more civilized it really isn't even a comparison.

I chose the HO specifically for the Aisin for many of the reasons others have listed and have no regrets. For reference, I tow an ATC 2917 that is around 8k empty and around 12-13k loaded with toys. It tends to have fairly heavy tongue weight as well, so while the 3500 SRW is a little overkill on paper, in reality, I believe it's the better match than the 2500.
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I am coming from a hemi 2500, payload is what I needed more of, and the leafs weren't cutting it.
 
My concerns were mostly safety and reliability. I like the idea of engine brake feature, and I read the Aisin is very reliable, not saying the 68 is not, but maybe just not as reliable?

As for fuel mileage, I get with a truck like this we're not purchasing it with a high priority of mpg, but I suppose the HO would get less daily driving but better under load.

I know the Aisin is built for towing, is driving not under load bad for it?
 
rafke77 said:
My concerns were mostly safety and reliability. I like the idea of engine brake feature, and I read the Aisin is very reliable, not saying the 68 is not, but maybe just not as reliable?
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I would argue that they are equally reliable, assuming stock/non-tuned motors.
rafke77 said:
As for fuel mileage, I get with a truck like this we're not purchasing it with a high priority of mpg, but I suppose the HO would get less daily driving but better under load.
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No, it will most likely be worse in both cases. You can't escape the fact that more power uses more fuel, plus the gearing may be different. I've read many threads on the subject over the last couple of years, as I was close to moving up to a 3500 HO when I ordered out my '22. I didn't come anywhere close to needing those things, since we have a diesel pusher as an RV. But it was only $2k-$3k more, so did a lot of research on it. I've also paid attention to threads about the MPG difference after I made my decision also. Curiosity, I guess. Based on all the input I've read, I'd say the mpg is going to about 2-3mpg worse when not towing and 1-2mpg worse when towing, on average. So not a huge deal really.
 
rafke77 said:
My concerns were mostly safety and reliability. I like the idea of engine brake feature, and I read the Aisin is very reliable, not saying the 68 is not, but maybe just not as reliable?

As for fuel mileage, I get with a truck like this we're not purchasing it with a high priority of mpg, but I suppose the HO would get less daily driving but better under load.

I know the Aisin is built for towing, is driving not under load bad for it?
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I put over 180k on my 2014 3500 Aisin, 70% of that was highway and 25 % of that was towing. I had no issues with the transmission
 
I daily my HO and have zero complaints driving it. I would order it every time. I only tow about 10k pounds 6 months a year and dont tow in the winter and love the truck.

I think fuel milage is HIGHLY subjective to driving style and I would put very little weight on what you read here pertaining to MPGs. I get about 18-19 with my HO on 37s and 3.73 rear end but I might drive vastly different than someone in a SO.

Based on how you have talked about future proofing go with the HO, but the difference is likely smaller than most would think. The SO powertrain is highly capable.
 
I would lean HO for your usage like others have said as well as mention if all you're doing is towing with the truck - Then IMO you should also be servicing a 68rfe at 30k mile intervals as well. Most mechanics or transmission guys I know preach "over servicing" the 68rfe - The most common recommended service interval I hear if the truck is being worked, has larger tires, driver with a heavy foot, etc is drain and fill every 30k with filter changes at the manual prescribed severe service interval of 60k. That matches the service interval of the AS69RC and honestly isn't much different that what I've always done for most slushboxes that have had a long, uneventful life down here in the sweltering Texas heat.
 
If you test drive both you’ll find the Aisins are actually quite smooth. There’s some shift flares but you’d think the transmission would feel like it’s about to explode every time it shifts a gear if you go only by what the internet says. I was just in this position and decided to go with the HO/Aisin after test driving and ensuring the 2022 snap ring issues are rectified.
 
Anymore you’re spending close to $100k (possibly more) on these trucks. When you’re spending that kind of money, I find it hard to justify why you would choose the truck that provides less of anything. If you had two identically spec’d 3500’s sitting in front of you, the only thing different being the drivetrains (HO and SO), it’s less than $2,800 to upgrade from SO to HO. When you look at the towing numbers, there’s a substantial increase in weight rating from the 68RFE to the Aisin. You get a lot more capable truck for that $2,800. There’s also the benefit of the aisins durability and reliability. Aside from the snap ring issue, issues with the aisins are few and far between. The same can’t be said for the 68.
 
I keyed in on the mountains comment. I'd have no problem running a gas truck towing 13,000# in flat country. But throw in the Rockies, and the more power the better.

And I have no reservations on going with the Aisin. I think the complaints of poor shifts is almost a thing of the past. I actually like my Aisin better than the Allisons I've had. The increased maintenance is just an added expense, it's not that big a deal especially if you do it yourself. It's nice that you can pull the guts out of it in 100+ heat and the trans temp barely moves.

If I were ordering a new truck to tow 13,000+ in the mountains routinely, I'd order the HO.
 
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