What modifications have you made in preparation for heavy towing. I am already scheduled to have a new ATS Tranny installed, an Edge EZ for extra torque and an exhaust brake. Besides these mods, does anyone have any other advice to add torque for towing in the hills out West without the over-kill on the truck it's self?

 

Do guages and an exhaust system. You'll want to monitor temps etc while towing those heavy loads to protect your investment.

 

Yin Yaker,
Looks good, but get the guages, EGT, pyro, Tranny temp and FP. You might think about a 4" exhaust (if you don't already have this).
Big dawg

 

Yes, I will definitely be installing gauages, I forgot to add this to my list. I have heard that I should add a 4" exhaust for whatever reason. I am guessing that it helps expell some of the higher compression ratio that will be added by the Edge EZ module.

Will the stock injectors perform sufficiently with the Edge EZ hooked up? I am hoping that bigger injectors isn't a needed addition. All your advise is much appreciated.

 

Gages are a must have, you allready know that. I would think the 4" exhaust would help, along with a good air intake system like the ARE. I am not sure what your hitch weight is, but I really like the air bags without the over loads. Much better ride, with or without the trailer. Do you have good mirrors?

 

Yeah, when I purchased the 03 I ordered it with the towing package which came with the flip'n towing mirrors ;D. I have been to the Cummins website and they don't recommend an added air intake of any kind saying that it could able foreign crap to get inside the engine, but then again, I hear others doing it with great success. As far as a hitch I have a Reese 20K with an Air Ride pin box which makes the ride like driving a Mercedes...well maybe not that great but not bad at all. We have towed with it before adding the Air Ride pin box and what a nightmare. The truch is awsome in it's stock stage right now, but it little struggle up some steep hills.

 

The 4" will help with your EGT's. The RV275 would also be a nice addition to help with the steep hills.
Big dawg

 

I second the advice on the injectors. That would be the next step in the mods progression. They aren't really necessary, but are really nice to have. If I were you, Yin Yaker, I would tow for a while with the mods you have. If you feel the need for a little more torque, then go for the injectors.

DeWain

 

That sounds like great advice, thanks to everyone. I have heard that by going with bigger injectors you would need to go with a larger pump as well...is this true?

 

Some of the information you received does not apply to your 2003. The EZ works great by itself, no injector change necessary. The RV275's are not an option for the Common Rail 2003. After getting the tranny, EZ and Gauges you will know if you need an air intake, and or an aftermarket exhaust, EGT's will dictate this. It has been my experience with the 03-04's that the factory air intake system is not adequate for an enhanced engine. The AFE Magnum force air intake with the Pro Guard 7 filter is just one good option. I carry exhaust systems from DPP and Diamond Eye for your application, that will further reduce EGT's. Call me if you have any questions 325/653-5175.

 

I HAVE AN AMP METER INLINE WITH THE TRAILER BRAKE CIRCUIT FROM THE CONTROLER, THIS SHOWS IF THE TRAILER BRAKES ARE WORKING PROPERLY. 1.5 AMP PER MAGNET. ONE DAY I TESTED BY BRAKES BEFORE STARTING TO PULL AND THE METER REGISTERED MAX. I HAD A SHORT!

 

YinYaker,
When driving in the hills out this way, remember to drive like a truck. You control the engine RPMs and manually shift the tranny before starting up the grade. Watch your exhaust temp and tranny temp. Don't be in a hurry in the hills.

 

Sierra Phil;
That's great advice . I do try to keep the RPM's around 2500 tops when going up some hills and will kick the OD off. Right now all I have is a Transmission temp gauge installed with a larger tranny fluid pan. I think this helps a bit. Mostly I am needing advice on what is the best combination for upgrading my 03 3500 to be a better towing truck over-all. We are towing heavy so I know the first thing I need to do is put my attention on the transmission. So far from my research and with everyone’s shared knowledge on this site, I have decided that the ATS transmission people out in Colorado will be my best choice, although I will not be able to get out that way until mid June of 04. Even though we’re located on the East Coast right now, I believe that it will be well worth my time to take this trip and have my truck done right the first time around.

One of the reasons for making the decision for these upgrades was based on a trip we took through South/Western Pennsylvania. We were heading East on Route 76 and decided to take a short cut onto Route 30 going through Chambersburg. We did noticed all the signs warning tractor trailers to avoid this route but I don’t remember the signs stating why. When we got off the exit we asked the guy at the toll booth if there was any reason for us to avoid this route. Perhaps low or narrow bridges? The guy took a look at our rig and simply said that we shouldn’t have any troubles. As we approached some of these hills we never had it in over drive and tried to keep the RPMs at around 2500. We climbed the hill at around 12-15 mph tops. By the time we got to the top of the last hill the tranny gauge was reading 245 degrees (ouch). As we came down the hills ever so slowly, the brakes started to get a little squishy but were able to stop fine at the bottom of this hill. We just had disk brakes installed on the fiver coming from Indiana and what a difference from the old drum brakes that were on before. We got back on the highway with a lesson well learned…if the signs warn tractor trailers from going that direction, like duh…

We want to get an exhaust brake but can’t on the stock auto 48RE. I know I should have gotten the 6 shooter but that would only aggravate my wife’s knee surgery. I would like to add more torque but with the weights we are pulling we need to beef up the tranny first. We have heard that with the 03 truck’s new rail fuel system we will be OK with the what we have as far as stock. After having the ATS tranny package installed all we need to do is have the new Edge EZ, 4” exhaust, Exhaust Brake, Gauges, and perhaps a better intake filtering system and we will be good to go. I have tried locating a shop that could handle this type of work on the East Coast but after making some phone calls it seems that there are not many shops that can do expert diesel upgrades or even sound like they know what they’re talking about like the people at ATS. You don’t want some yo-yo experimenting on your brand new truck, and that’s what I’m hearing from many of the shops I called around here. So we shall head out West when time allows as we are still working on the road as we go along.

 

When you guys are talking about a 4" exhaust, are you talking about straight piping it or going to a performance muffler? I thought the 3rd gens come with the 4" exhaust.

 

That's a good question. Maybe we can get a knowledgable answer. I've been trying to get some concrete answers in just what I would need to do and what kind of modifications are needed for the 03's in order to pull heavy...so far some of these answers are inconsistent with others.