The DK does seem to have a highish first to me.
And for sure ..
the 'half-a-granny' 1st gear of the 5 speed is something you'd like for
that use.

last time I bought a 5 speed...it was a European gas 5 speed too ( can
you imagine downshifting out of top gear going into a big hill at 60 to
65 mph !? ) ....we never get to downshift at that speed usually.
  Cost $ 1,000 for the used trans and linkage. I put it in an 83
waterboxer Adventurewagon, and power steering .  Turned out great.

as long as you have the traction ....that lowish 1st is handy at times.
Scott
On 10/22/2013 12:02 PM, ralph meyermann wrote:
> I now have the 1.9 L inline turbo diesel ad that is a drastic improvement
> on power and would love a deeper 1st gear for pulling my small aluminum15 '
> fishing boat out of the water on some of the steep boat ramps. Finding a 5
> speed seems to be an issue, reasonably priced anyway
>
> Velma 82 1.9L AAZ td westy
> On Oct 22, 2013 1:21 PM, "mark drillock" <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> No kidding. The 5 speed is a massive improvement for the original diesel
>> vans. You can't reasonably discuss gearing options without factoring in
>> the engine performance data.
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>
>> Jim Felder wrote:
>>
>>> Uh, correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Ralph's Velma is a 4-speed
>>> diesel. Telling someone that a 1.6 na won't benefit from a 5-speed is like
>>> telling... well, there is no real comparison here. Five speeds transforms
>>> the 1.6 into another car.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>>