NV5600 Short Throw Shifter Kit Dodge Ram 2500 3500

This is a short throw shifter kit for the New Venture Gear NV5600, the cast-iron six-speed manual Dodge bolted behind the 5.9L Cummins in the Ram 2500 and 3500. It replaces the factory shifter tower linkage with a reworked lever and pivot geometry that cuts the distance the stick travels between gates, so the throw gets shorter and the gear engagement gets more defined. The kit supersedes Mopar shifter tower kit 25683-KIT.

The reason most NV5600 trucks end up needing this is the stock isolator setup. The factory shifter tower sits on rubber isolators and nylon bushings that go soft with heat and miles, and once they do the stick develops a loose, vague feel with a long rubbery throw. You get missed 3-4 shifts, notchy engagement into fifth and sixth, and a stick that rattles at idle. Because the wear is in the linkage rather than in the gearbox itself, the synchros and gears are usually still fine and the fix is at the tower, not inside the case.

Installation is done from inside the cab. Pull the boot and the console trim, unbolt the four shifter tower bolts, lift the stock lever and isolator stack out, then set the replacement lever and pivot in place and torque the tower bolts back down evenly. Nothing needs to come apart under the truck and the transmission does not have to be drained. Work through every gate before you put the trim back so you know reverse and sixth both engage cleanly with the shorter throw.

Check what is actually in your truck before ordering. Dodge ran the NV5600 behind the 5.9L Cummins from 1999 until it was replaced mid-year in 2005 by the Mercedes G56 six-speed, and the two use completely different shifter towers. This kit is for NV5600 trucks. The lever body is iron and the kit ships at about four pounds.