Hey guys & gals! I was just wondering what kind of results you've had towing with your 3rd gens?

I've towed a small utility trailer around a few times since I picked up the new truck, so, I got to tow about 6k the other night and I was pretty impressed with this 6spd/3.73 combo. I got 16. 1mpg, cruising @ 65mph. There is a Looonnnngggg steep grade (7%) I had to pull, and the truck pulled it awesome! I stayed right @ 65 in 6th gear. A couple of times I had to back out of the throttle cause she was picking up speed, 70mph a couple of times. Just thought I'd share and get some other thoughts, stories from you guys.

 

sounds good........its great to have that power there even if you dont need it all the time

 

I only pull about 11,000 lbs put I can rip up the Cajon Pass like nothing, and that 7% grade around Ventura is no problem either, and that's with 3.73 gears, 35" tires and an auto tranny.

 

This was that grade starting up out of Maricopa up 166.

 

Sorry, wasn't saying the grade you went up was in Ventura, just didn't know what it's called! Either way, 7% is pretty darn steep! When I design streets (I'm a Civil Engineer) I do my best to keep grades maxed at 5%.

 

The only things that I have had the privelage of pulling being out here in SoCal in the military is my buddy's Jeep ('72 Grand Wagoneer with a Cadillac 500 in it and he wanted to try a pull off against me! LOL), a guy from my ship's 10k sailboat and today I went and picked up an RV trailer that my wife and I rented for the weekend to head up to Indio for the Stagecoach festival and all I can say is that I am VERY pleased with the truck...automatic or not. I can't even tell that the RV is behind me(only weighs about 4-5k), my truck made easy work of my buddy's Jeep and in regards to the 10k sailboat, the pull STARTED out on a 6% grade and I got up to 65mph fairly easily. You can tell that the trannies don't care for heavy weight, etc very much, so I am going to be building my tranny...but I also plan on draggin/sled pullin in the future...so really, a stock CTD will do pretty much anything anybody needs...just not up to my standards! I still give em' two thumbs up though.

 

Well guys I pull a darn near 15K 40' toy hauler and I've been up the same grades Pauly has and my truck cry's big alligator tears going up them. I’m down to 35-40 mph and the EGT’s are through the roof. It’s all I can do to keep 40mph and keep the EGT’s under 1250*.
Now everywhere else I have drove the truck it handles the weight great. My truck is bone stock, no air box, no chip, no exhaust tubing work. BONE STOCK, other than a Quad Commander to watch things.
I do have a Quad XZT that I’ve had in the box for 4 months and Paul keeps telling me to install the darn thing already. I’m still a tad worried about my warranty so it’s still setting in the box.
I’ve read about guys with stock trucks pulling way over what I have and they say they rip up every hill in the western hemisphere. Well sorry guys I’m not buying it. UNLESS you’ve bombed the truck.
My truck kick’s edited by admin pulling the weight and I love the ride, but it sure doesn’t like those long 6-7% grades. The last trailer I had was rite around 8500lbs loaded and at that weight I could rip up any grade, but the extra weight of this trailer has slowed me down a lot. All this has me thinking I’m hurting the truck more by NOT bombing it.

 

I don't doubt you're having problems pulling a 15K trailer up a 7% grade. If 25% of your trailer's weight is on the pin, then you have at least 3750# in the bed of your truck, and another 11,250# behind it.

The GVWR of the 3500 SRW is 9900#, and you probably used at least 7500 of it with the curb weight of the truck, passengers, fuel, and personal goods in the cab. That leaves about 2400 pounds for pin weight, and you have at least 3750 on the pin, which is over half a ton too much.

I'm not sure what the GCVWR of these trucks is (I know I'll never make the GCVWR limit without busting the pin weight so I don't bother with that number), but either you're over that also, or it's one of those situations where you're at GCVWR but over GVWR.

Also, have you actually weighed your trailer? If you're going by what the manufacturer says, then you're probably underestimating your trailer's weight. It's usually heavier than what the sticker says, plus add the weight of fresh water, cargo inside, and whatever is in the garage. You may be thousands of pounds over what you think you're pulling.

Your trailer would be pushing the limits of any dually out there.

Bottom line: your truck can't pull the trailer very well because you're way over weight.

 

I don't remember saying my pin weight was 3750lbs ???. My god do the RV weight police have to be everywhere.............
I know exactly what my trailer weighs, I have had it at the CAT scale 2 times, I have weight my truck 3 times.
Here's the deal since you want to play weight police.
My pin weight is 400-500 pounds over spec for the truck, it all depends on how I load it, the trailer weighs in just under 15K loaded and can weigh as little as 13,500 if I don't run full tanks (water & fuel station in the toyhauler), the truck weighs in 7500 with me, the wife and full load in it. Thats a total weight of 22,500lbs GCVWR. Thats in full specs for my truck.
This argument has been run into the ground on every RV forum there is. So I know what the game is here.
Being over pin weight by 400-500 lbs has nothing to do with anything we are talking about.
The truck is rated at a GCVWR of 23,000lbs. I'm under it.

 

HOV, I'm not ripping you up pal, it's just that I've been over this senario a million and one times. I understand fully what rig I'm pulling. And I don't even want to argue pin weight issues with anybody. it's a no win deal for anybody.
GCVWR is the final factor, plane and simple, the truck doesn't know any different, it's in the bed or hanging off the bumper. It's all total weight.

 

Sweet. Enjoy.

 

I know a guy who's combined weight is 40k plus. He does it all of the time, but pulls mostly flat land. He has a chip and some other mods.

 

My truck is so bad messed up right now I got out pulled by a 80s model chevy 1500. I am so sick of my truck and its getting worse.

 

I think you're exactly right bud. While my truck got up to speed just fine, you could feel that the driveline wasn't happy, even with just 10k behind her. I think that the losses come from the torque converter and work there way on back to the output shaft. The motor, I think can handle anything you throw at it, yet the tranny is a pretty obvious weak link. Sloppy TC = high temps and a struggle to maintain speed with heavy weight behind you, and when you throw in sloppy valve bodies to boot, just makes for a mess. I bet that if you put a stout TC and VBs, intake and exhaust, and an Edge Juice on your truck (which you shouldn't HAVE to do) you would maintain 75mph ALL day long with that toy hauler.

 

Just for info........My conbined weight is 22,000 lbs. and I pull Cajon @ 70 mph easy and White Water with a full headwind, No problem. Tow Mode makes a big difference on my truck. I have no chip, only intake & muffler Mod.
My old 04 was Ugly, both power & Trans.