I'm planning a trip to Vegas in April for Mopars at the Strip. I'm pulling my Toy Hauler down there so we can camp out in the racer pits and I'm thinking about hauling the wife's 2005 AWD Magnum R/T in the toy hauler. She'd really like to enter it into the drag races. The Toy Hauler is a 2005 Attitude, 30ft, and weights 7200lbs empty while the Magnum is almost 4500lbs. Combined, and rounding up a little, is around 12,000lbs. The trailer is a bumper pull and has a GVWR of 13,000. I loaded the Magnum into the trailer today and it fits inside, its tight, but it fits.

So here's my dilemma. Will my Crew Cab, with its 92 CTD power plant, be able to pull all of this. Its approximately 400 miles to Vegas, and the highway has a handful of grades to pull as well. Also, being Nevada, I take the chance of pulling against a head wind, both directions.

I'd like to know what you think and maybe some experiences any of you might have with towing larger loads.

Here's a run down of what I have...

1985 Crew Cab Dually 4:10 rear gear, 92 CTD Auto
(Weight Distributing Hitch and Sway Bar - Trailer Brake Controller)

2005 Attitude 30ft Bumper Pull (Triple Axle, brakes on all 3 axles)
7200 Unloaded Weight
13000 GVWR
16 ft cargo space

 

I say give it a whirl. If the truck and trans are solid you'll do fine. Have a trans temp gauge? That's the only thing I would be worried about. I've made several 100+ mile trips at 24000 combined and no problems.

 

X2 on the tranny. If the engine is fairly stock, EGTs should be okay with the 4:11.

 

As long as she is mechanically sound I wouldn't worry. Great lookin rig by the way!

 

You should do fine, just keep an eye on the gauges. You have 4.10's which will take a lot of stress of the transmission.

 

Very pretty truck! Welcome to the forum.

With that load I would make sure you have an aux trans cooler with a fan, for insurance. Im in the process of installing one for my rig that i drive often to California and Baja. For your 518, I woud even put a higher-volume pan, like the 2nd gen's.

 

So if I read this right, you are pretty stock (besides a TC and exhaust)?
Like everyone else has said, My concern would be the trans. I always worry about A/T trucks towing, thats why I have a stick. definitely get a gauge and try to keep it under 180deg. definitely dont go over 200deg. The good news is, the weather at night should be vary cool so if you can, try to hit the big grades at night. I have towed close to that same weight to Oregon from Nor CA and did fine. Back when I did it, I had a mild fuel pin and exhaust, all else was stock. I did have to slow down to about 40 on the big long grades but I was happy with how the truck did.

that trailer had a custom truck, product and our booth in it

 

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna have to go through the truck before we go and make sure everything is up to speed (Maintenance). I have gauges and I'll look into getting a trans pan and maybe even a shift kit before I go. The tranny seems to be happy so far. It'll be a long haul but should make for a fun weekend.

Mike

 

if you do end up needing anything, there is a chapter of my car club out there. don't hesitate to ask

 

Is that one of those rear loading toy haulers? If so the only caution I would advance is to be sure you have enough tongue weight with the car in there. I've had a big trailer wag it's tail before and it's a serious pucker up moment.

The truck should be fine other than (as has been said already) adding some cooling to the trans.

 

Hey Mike, I drove my 93 Dually in stock form from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Reno, picked up a Suburban with an open trailer, carried onto Vegas to the MATS and drove back home.

The grades were a little slow till you know how to "run" them. Accelerate leading up to them, not while you're on them. Heck you should know the drill, you live there!!!!!

Don't worry yourself to death about the trip. It'll take the fun out of it. I will say though a new tranny with an after market torque convertor does wonders.

Good luck,

 

Hey SuperBeeMike,

I may be attending Mopars at the Strip this year as well, I will be bringing the first gen of course and a buddy of mine with a 93 will be going as well. Hope to see you there! Love to get a look at that crew.

 

I'm actually gonna enter the Crew into the show (I have no expectations of winning anything), its cheaper than buying a general admission ticket for my daughter. We are also bringing the Super Bee. I'll be around either of those, or drinking a beer at the Toy Hauler in the racer pits. Hope to see you there.

Here's a pic of the Bee (I never get tired of showing it off ).

Mike

 

X2 i will be there also racing a 71 dodge swb not the first gen.

 

I think the best advice is to watch your speed and rpm with your EGT guage.

When your speed doesn't match your unloaded rpm then you are slipping and creating heat. If you are running 20 mph slower than your unloaded speed, at a given rpm, then you are slipping 20 mph in the t/c or the trans.

Watch the EGT's on the hills. Keep it at 1250 or lower, pre turbo. If the coolant temp gets over 220, back down a gear and let the engine rev. Since the trans can heat the engine up, watch for that as well. Without a lockup t/c you can easily get the trans and engine temps to match and that's not good, especially when you get over the 220 mark.

As long as the engine is in good shape, it won't hurt it to run close to the rev limiter, and that makes other things a lot happier.

If overheating is an issue, I use a weed sprayer with water in it. If you can't cool down, pull over and waste some water on the radiator while you cool in neutral at a fast idle.

When I pull down that way in the summer, I try to travel late in the day. I often pull in to Vegas around midnight or try to go through after 6 p.m. Last time we left Carson at 4:00 p.m. and got to Indian springs at around 10 p.m. then we slept till 5 and snuck through town by 10 a.m.

Speed doesn't seem to help the heat issue either. I think the radiators in those trucks is marginal at best, for the loads they will pull. Above a certain speed, the fan can act more like a block to the airflow than a puller of air. The Fords are famous for this above 70-80 mph, especially the old IDI's.