Mine was pulling like a gutless pig too,once I got sick of it I swapped VP's and it runs alot better

 

How did you know it was the VP?
-P

 

Maybe you should trade if for a ford. As long as you don't mind paying $2,500 for 75 hp injectors or having the auto trans replaced every 50k miles, or having to pull the cab off to do head gaskets or, or, go to the ford site first then make your decision

I agree with other comments it sounds like the trans - do you have any gauges?

 

Lots of missing info here. How much of a "grade" is this hill you are pulling. What tire size you running? What gear ratio do you have? Assuming you are locking out OD? You leave alot to the mind, but I'm "assuming" since the skid steer is "guessed" to be 8300lb, the trailer must be one of heavy duty nature also which puts in another "guess" that is scales at 2000lb +. If you were to come into my shop with that complaint one of the first things I would want is a readout from the local scale to see exactly what kind of load we are dealing with.....and that said I would also "guess" that the shake you are feeling is the above mentioned torque converter shudder. Basically you are driving through the lockup clutch which at this point servicing would do no good. That would be the equivelent to changing the oil when you hear the rods knocking......also, the 03 is a whole different animal. It has nearly 75 more hp than yours (stock to stock) and is chipped + the 48 re is a much better trans than your 47 re.

 

I'd installed a "Workhorse Power Module",the thing worked,but not alot of extra power,and everyone I'd talked to told me to check the LP pressure,so i did...about 0psi,been like that for a while,the last straw was a Nissan Titan passing me on Lewiston hill,both of us pulling trailers,so new IP and Edge.
Now those nissans stay where they belong (Rear view mirror)
then the edge ate my VP,so now the new one ain't tapped.
Anyone wants the Workhorse lemmy know.

 

my 03 3500 is gutless too. checked for air leaks, cant find nothing. i am not very mechanically inclined, but do i have 2 fuel filters. i continually change out the one i know of. and how can i test my map sensor? dont have fuel or boost gauage

 

how do you check lp pressure?

 

Best bet is to go to the third gen truck part of the forum and start a post of your own. Not to sound like an azz, but bringing another truck with the only similarities being it's an inline 6 that burns fuel will just make this post "messy" with different opinions on a totally different system.

 

Well as far as the grade...i have no idea...Im in southwestern missouri. The trailer weight...i dont know that either, i know it is a heavy duty one...the skidsteer, i know it does weight the 8300. I also know that i pulled this same thing with my 95 halfton chevy, and this dodge is barley doing any better if any....and deff costing more in fuel...unloaded my average was 16.7, now it has dropped to 14.7, and this past week i havent been able to get better than 15... I wish i could say forsure what the shaking is being caused by, but im not a mechanic so i have no idea..thats my problem....Im hoping to just go ahead and do my tranny swap i was wanting to do and eliminate that as the problem...

 

305/70/16 tires and 3.55 gears...well we decided its the tranny..from a dead stop the rpms go up about 1,000 before the truck moves...so that must mean its slippin..and i guess that would explain my bad fuel milage...

 

Torque converter has bad sprag clutch on rotor causing loss of fluid coupling.

Make sure you tell us the final diagnosis!

 

neither of these are helping you pull, or helping your tranny last.

i switched from 285/75 to 235/85 they look funny but pull alot harder

 

so i need to put my stock size back on and it will pull better? or i need a chip that can calibrate for a diff tire size??

 

Not if you never changed in the first place,then the stock tires would be right

 

yes, made a huge differance on mine....

there is another alternative... you could swap in 4.10 or 4.56 gears