I love my first gen in looks and interior so I want to stay with it. I also want to start hauling to make some money in the summer. With those two things in mind what will I have to do to make my truck handle hauling 26,000lbs all the time?

My thoughts so far are the engine seems up to the task with ddp 50HP injectors, 3200 spring and pump tweaks. I was thinking 4.10 geared dana 80 rear and a NV5600(big input one). Also the exhaust and intercooler to keep it happy.

I just did 21,000(turns out trailer brakes dragged a little too) gross through the Ozarks in my auto truck and the trans seemed like the only weak link and it pulled the uphills fast enough for me.

I know this is asking a lot of any pickup but I think it can be done.

 

if your talking about the d-250 i would go with a dana 80 duelly 3.54 or 4.10 with an eaton roadranger rto610 ten speed itd probly be about the same amount of money as the 5600 while rated for more power

 

4.10's, medium duty trans, and 19.5" tire setup.

 

Newer truck with better braking abilities

 

^^ Best option if you plan on doing it everyday. A 2nd gen 12v would cope with a load like that a little bit better but I would go with a medium duty. I towed heavy (15-30k) for a little while with my '93 and it really tears up the whole truck in general a little bit at a time. With a medium duty truck you get bigger & safer everything.

 

I wasn't trying to come off like a jerk but to tow that weight every day you will kill your first gen and waste alot of money doing it . have a buddy that haul's car's for a living and he said it's ough right now even on the big truck sites they want to pay less then fuel to have somebody haul something a bigger truck would be alot safer all the way around .

 

In order to do it safely you would need to jack up your entire truck body and place it on a medium duty chassis with a minimum of 17,000 GVW rating. This gives you the capability to stop the truck and trailer if the single brake wire in your electric brake circuit that you are gambling your life on fails to connect to the trailer. The Chevy and Ford guys have been using this method for years. Based on minimum safety factors the gross weight of the truck should be a minimum of 5/8ths to 2/3rds the gross combination weight of the truck; ie the truck + the trailer + the load [GCVW].

The Dodge could be done using a 1970's Dodge medium duty chassis and front end assembly. It looks like the cab would be a direct bolt on. The straight frame would need to be shortened to match the wheelbase of the pick up truck. The bed would require square tube spacers and shims to end up in the proper height. I looked at doing this a few years ago but here in PA all of the 70's trucks have been recycled into Chinese microwaves so I gave up on the idea.

Here are a couple of examples using medium duty Chevys [NOT MINE}:

 

So pretty much stick to a single car hauler and only do it if someone is willing to pay. Getting a new truck is not on my list of things to do, I'd rather spend as much swapping drivelines into my old truck.

 

There's nothing better about 2nd gen brakes except hydroboost on 97+ trucks. They're almost identically sized

 

I would be on the look out for a Dana S111 dually rear (out of a 5500 or simular, one with 4.88s if you can), 10 speed trans, hydroboost setup out of a medium duty truck, leafs from a 4500 or 5500 and airbags, fully box the frame and transplant a beam style front 10 lug axle under the front. With these pieces you gain massive brakes, massive towing capacity and namely a safe platform to consider commercial style towing.

I've towed 26k+ before in a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gen trucks and they all did it, the 1st gen and 2nd gen pulled it the same, the third stopped better but otherwise was about the same as the other two.

Set yourself up to win, especially when you are hauling someone else's cargo. I would also bet you will have trouble getting insured with a 3/4 ton, and if by chance something happens and your insurance finds out you were towing outside of your gvwr they will deny your claim.

Just my .02

 

Based on the work involved I'll still stick with a cab swap and grille swap/modification onto a D500 or D600 & shorten the wheelbase. Then do a reconstructed title. I just saw this one for sale in NY for $1750. If it was local I'd probably grab it or at least go look at it.

 

what you want to do will work just fine, we have one set up this way with over 1,000,000 miles on it. if you will add a bd air exhaust brake and a maxbrake controller it will be the best you will ever see. you will have to upgrade the exhaust springs to 80 lbs

 

The truck will do it. Safety is the only problem. If I'm pulling a trailer that's heavier than me, I'd want duals on the tractor so if I lose a driver, I have one beside it holding it up till I get stopped. If yer doing hills, an exhaust brake would be a requirement so your service brakes never get to the point that they're used up and overheating just when you really need them.

For that size load, I'd set up a 93-97 D350 in a heartbeat.