Hi all...

This past weekend I purchased a Case 970 tractor with a 70 loader and grapple from an estate. The son of the original owner rode out with me and the Dodge to pick it up. It's about a 210 mile trip with some very long hard steep pulls.

The tractor weighs (according to the book) 10,200# dry with no loader so with a loader, grapple and loaded 18.4-38 tires probably in the 14,000-15,000# range?? Hauled it on a gooseneck equipment trailer with tandem dual 10,000# axles. The trailer weighs about 6,600# empty.

So gross would probably be about 28,000# with truck, trailer, tractor, three passengers, tools, chains etc......

There is one place in particular over the Red Deer river north of the Dinosaur park with a VERY long steep hard climb with a one lane wooden decked bridge at the bottom (so u must be able to stop on the bottom of the hill in case of oncoming traffic.

We crawled down the east side almost from a stop at the top of the hill, the bridge was clear so I started to let 'er go a bit once I could see the bottom... managed to make 4'th gear just for a brie momment as I crossed the bridge and then settled in for a long hard pull up the west side (a couple miles very steep) lo and behold we were still holding third gear as we approached the top!!! By then we were starting to run hotter than I wanted so I backed out of it and down shifted to second. As we got closer and closer to the top my die hard Chevy passenger, owner of an 04 Duramax dually began to grin ear to ear....... the last 60 miles of the trip all he cold talk about was the unbeliveable pulling power of the Dodge/Cummins combo.


He's going in this week to talk about a trade.

D.C should be payin me a commission.

I went for another ride with himagain this week to pick up another tractor I bought and when I told him that I hand calculated us to be getting qround 13 MPG pulling loades like that he was stunned.......

Think I call him in a week or two o go for a ride in his new Dodge.

 

Sorry for silly question. I guess he has pulled this hill in his own truck to be able to make a comparison.

Looks like your truck is pretty stock. Nice

 

Yes my truck has only mild BOMBS (Van Aaken etc) He has pulled this hill with the same tractor on a tri axle single wheel trailer.

Oh yeah his Duramax is a 6spd not an Allison

 

is his duramax stock?

 

Yes I believe his Dura is stock. I've never ridden in it though he is the executor of the estate so was riding out with me to pick the tractor up, collect the cheuque etc.

All he could talk about was the power the Dodge has the whole way back. lol

 

The logo's say it all. POWER POWER POWER!

Tony

 

I've had people ride in all the Dodges on our farm, and every time someone that owns a Ford or Chevy rides in the Dodges ALWAYS are impressed with how much more power it has vs. their Duramax or Powerstroke. I guess if you think about it, all the engines in semi's and ag equipment (tractors, combines, etc.) are 6 cylinder turbo/aftercooled engines. You can buy a pickup equipped with the same set-up! Which one should you buy ?? We used to run all Ford, but when Dodge got a Cummins Turbo Diesel engine we switched and NEVER looked back!

 

Is the duramax not detuned for the standard trans???

 

yeah, i believe its detuned, but only by a minimal amount. very hard to tell the difference i would think

 

Prolly pulls the same,you'd lose the auto's extra drag anyhoo..

 

Hmm I don't think I knew that the manual transmission version was detuned.. That is almost funny, seems to go against almost everything anyone ever taught you about trucks eh?

The guy did tell me that they had to special order it to get the manual as almost all Duramax's have the Allison and there were none available on local dealer lots.

In any case, I'm darn sure that a stock Dura with a six speed is rated at more H.P than a '99 Ram. Probably even with my Van Aaken.

 

The 04 Duramax is either 310/590 or 310/605 depending on where in the 2004 cycle it was IIRC. With the 6 speed standard, it is always 300/520 max. The 99 Cummins would be 235/460 (stock).

 

Yes, so Van Aaken claims a 60 HP gain. I have no idea what a realistic number is since I have never dynoed.

I do know for sure that his Duramax doesn't have anywhere near 185,000 Miles on it, and it has a 4:10 rear end.

I wonder how his '04 Dura will compare to my new Mega cab, 2500 6 speed.

Last I talked to him he was talking about buying a 3500 regular cab, '05 with a 6 speed.

 

I think I've crossed that bridge. I've crossed a few in that area. The hills on the Red Deer River in that area are all woppers.

 

no it doesnt.