Towing limits for 3500 HO Diesel 04 6Sp
 

Gentlemen,

Last week I towed 16,800(gooseneck & load together) with very little effort with my 3500(flat lands of La.).
Now I have to to move 20500 in total, feel confident.
Yet, I feel I should submit this question to those with more knowledge.

Your truck will move it. Just don't go in the hills w/ that kinda load w/o an exhaust brake! And don't drive at highway speeds...it'll be very hard to stop fast if you need to. Make sure your trailer brakes work good.

For the future, if you're gonna be hauling a lot, they make trailer brake controllers that'll allow you to apply the trailer brakes w/o using your truck's brakes...helps a lot in case your trailer gets a little squirrely. You can have an exhaust brake put on your model truck pretty easily too. You can also get a pyrometer guage put in to monitor how hot the exhaust gases are getting.

i hope its not for long distances, but it will pull it.

Keep the speed low, give yourself PLENTY of time to stop. HOpefully you are towing on flat land again and wont need to go uphill or downhill. Uphill can cause strain on the motor and yeild high EGT's, and downhill without an e-brake is killer.

Pulling it is one thing. Having enough butt to control it is another issue. I see guys with 3/4 and 1 ton trucks pulling 3 place car haulers all the time and some load them to 28,000 gross(so the driver claimed) and went cross country. Just slow down before stopping and go easy on the curves especially on mountain driving. Until you get experience driving with that much weight, go slower than you normally drive with a lesser load.Make sure your tires are good, brakes are good and you have an exhaust brake.

Make sure you let us know when you are on the road, that way we know when to stay home:D :D :D

I recently made a trip from Ely, Nevada to Washington state towing a 40' Teton, 3 axle, fully loaded with my dually 3500. Easy trip up and down mountains. I was going to travel at about 55mph but found myself at 70mph a lot of the time. These trucks have the power to do the job. As far as braking, downshift and the engine will help slow you down a bit. I handled a 6 mile 6% downgrade with ease with my automatic transmission. I was concerned about downhill grades but after my last trip, no problem. Fifth wheel trailers handle much better than conventional trailers. Haven't weighted the trailer yet but I know it's got to be up there in weight. :D

Sabbo88

You should have no problem with that weight I pull that much and more all the time

Braking can get to be a problem with heavy loads but careful driving and knowing your limits will keep you safe

Always pre-trip your rig before starting out and after every fuel stop I have found tires and lights that are bad during pre-trips....especialy tires that may have been sitting on a bad spot last time I looked and I missed it the first time I pre-tripped

Like said it will handle it if you can, common sence in the biggest thing.

Biggest load I have had was about 27,000. No that isn't gross, that was trailer and load, was around 37,000 gross. Pulled that 400 miles at 60-65 with no problems, even with one panic stop for a deer. Yep that trailer will push you hard but the brakes in these trucks are pretty good. I wasn't going to stop fast but it was enough to let me keep the front of my truck intact. I am going to upgrade trailer brakes down the road, never have too much brake.

I have also hauled at 31,000 gross a number of times with no problems.

Re: Towing limits for 3500 HO Diesel 04 6Sp
 

Is that a dually or single rear wheel?

20500 in TOTAL or 20500+ weight of truck?

Dually

Re: Re: Towing limits for 3500 HO Diesel 04 6Sp
 

You should be just fine with a dually at 20500 or about 28000 if you were not including the weight of your truck in there.

You will be illegal at 28000 without a CDL...

Hope you have some good old brakes on the trailer (brakes on all axles) and a good brake controller.

It really does not matter if you do a long trip or a short trip. This has no bearing on whether you are going to have problems...you can have a wreck leaving your yard if Murphys Law is around. Sorry guys...it don't matter. What I strongly suggest is you get an exhaust brake and a very good brake controller. I just hauled at over 30,000 pounds round trip of over 1000 miles pulling doubles.
The Brakesmart coupled with the Pacbrake worked AWESOME.
I tried braking without the Pacbrake and WOW what a difference...I was pressing 200 psi more on the brake pedal according to the Brakesmart Controller.

I encountered several hills and did hit 1350 a few times and geared down at that point.

Boost, fuel pressure and pyro gauges too.

Plan ahead, slow down sooner and never assume everyone out there is safe to be driving with on the road. [laugh] :o

About Pacbrake
 

OK Scotty, tell about the Pac-brake. Had a Banks brake ina my 96 CTD 12v. Worked pretty good for what I know. Is the Pac a better unit. Banks doesn't seem to be able to fit into the new 2004.5 (600) with A/T at this time. Anything else I need to do?

Comments welcome. Towing 14K 5th wheel

Lee

Bull. Don't listen to any of these folks. If the tranny and clutch will take, and the engine don't stall, pull it. Why worry. You only live once. It may end here but what the heck. You did what you wanted. Hook up and go, The other truck or embankment will stop ya. I say go for it.

..PT..[laugh]

Re: About Pacbrake
 

Lee, I have always ran an inline brake under the truck as opposed to in the elbow behind the turbo. I have full 4" exhaust and opted for this kind of brake.

My 98 and 01 used a US Gear brake, it was kind of loud when it actuated but never had a problem.

I now have an inline Pacbrake and it works very smoothly and is a quieter actuation.

A brake is great for warming up the engine too. The inline brake should work fine on your truck.

Like turbo Tom said...get in and go. [laugh]

You'll be fine. Its good you are asking about what is needed.

Your brake works best in the higher rpm range [2000-2900]. Once you get down around 1600 rpm either drop a gear or use the service brakes more.

Scotty

:D :cool: