Any of you towing in mountains with 5.9 auto with 3.73 rear & how much weight? Any got after market exhaust brake & how does it work? I read a post on another forum said he had to run his ctd floorboard & was getting 2 mpg going up a mountain. I'm mostly concerned with the down part. Any facts & experiences appreciated.

 

Last summer I got about 9.5mpg over the rockies. No EBrake. No problems. Pulled up all the hills at speed runnin' 40hp over stock with stock turbo.

 

I'm bone stock and pull my 10k tt around here in the mountains and it does just fine - I have the 3.73 gears, and I get around 10-12mpg.

If I pulled more weight or more often, I'd have opted for the 4.10 gears to compensate for my tire/wheel combo.

 

In utah, I am pulling 15,000 lbs Stock truck, 6-8% grades no problem, 9-11 MPGS, (down hill I put auto trans in a lower gear..)

 

Generally I get 10-12 mpg towing 18k. I'd love to have an exhaust brake and will get one when I can find it for the right price. IMO an exhaust brake is one of the best investments you can make for a towing rig.

 

I just did a trip to Hood River, OR from Phx. AZ and back with about 8k 24' trailer. We went up through Utah and back through CA. The entire average was about 14 mpg.

Very impressed with cruise and exhaust brake. Not only holding speed going up grades but holding the speed going down. You can feel the cruise control backing off and the exhaust brake fluttering a bit to keep the speed consistent. Must say a very pleasurable trip not worrying about grades. And with the addition of the Lorenz Bilstein suspension, the handling was spot on!

Attacked the "grapevine" with cruise set @ 70 mph. The only person to pass me was the local CHP. He did slow down enough to bark out "white Ram, slow it down to 55". Forgot we were in CA, lower speed limits

 

Dig it!

 

Just finished my second trip West Coast to East Coast this time with a new Heavier 5vr. Avearged 10mpg and I just the cruise at 70mph and let er rip. Pulls the hills like a Bat out of hell. I did have a http://http://dieselperformance.com/ Exhaust Brake installed for this trip. My 5vrs have both weighed in at >12k.
Drive it like you stole. Set the cruise and let that baby pur. I ran with the AC running from Oregon down thru Kali-fornia(Cali) and accross thru Lake Havasue to 4 corners and then down to Shreeport and up to SC. I came accross the middle back to Oregon via Nashville. It wasn't as hot or humid on the way back. Awesome Sabitical, 8 weeks and NOT allowd to go to work

 

I'm in Utah, (mine is a 6 speed) and pull 6000-15000 Lbs on 6-8% grades in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho quite often. The truck does fine going up the grades and fuel mileage varies from 8-12 mpg. (depending on the load)

BUT I do dread going down some of the steep grades when towing heavier loads. I am always on the brakes to keep the speeds in check. Putting it in a lower gear just cranks the RPM's up and I'm back on the brakes again. Thankfully all of my trailers have brakes on all axles, I've really got to make use of them. I will get the Exhaust brake some day, it is just hard to cough up the money-The darn things are expensive.

 

Unless you use your gears to hold it back, you WILL live on the brakes. Having an exhaust brake is the only way to go if you are going to do a lot of towing. Make sure your trailer brakes are working correctly, they go a long way in the process too. Keep an eye on your EGT's, I have found being in the right gear and RPM's will keep your EGT's very much in check. Since you are towing, getting great mileage ******* it down into some 'swett spot' is not the mentality you need to have behind the wheel. Alway remember to drive way ahead of your position, that way your response time is early and you are much less stressed by the other drivers and maybe a bad situation in your face too fast.

CD

 

I get 12 mpg when towing on average. More going down and less going up but it evens out. 12 mpg is what I get. Put it in lower gear when going down and pull over ANYTIME you feel brakes are not right (overheating). Have done this once and sat for 1 hour to let them cool. Wife didn't like it but tuff. I am responsible for safety. My trailer brakes work great and I have the prodigy controller but sometimes it is necessary to stop and let everything cool off.

 

I just pulled from Phoenix to San Diego on I-8. There's a pretty severe climb between El Centro & San Diego, going from sea level to over 4200 ft. The 5er weighs over 12k lbs loaded and it was over 102*F outside. Truck worked hard, EGT's were semi-managable, but engine temp climbed to 220*F. I could still hold 55 mph (Calif speed limit w/ trailer), but it wasn't easy.

 

Just got back from Colorado and had no problems pulling my 30ft Coachmen with slides threw the mountains. Make sure your cooling system is working good and enjoy roaling coal all the way, I know I did.

 

Using your gears to hold you back only works to a certain point. When you have a lot of weight behind you, these diesel engines will not hold the weight like a gas engine. I can grab a lower gear and the tach jumps up to redline pretty quick, then it is back on the brakes. I cant wait till I get an E-brake!

 

pull 15k with mine all the time in colorado no problems at all going uphill, keep it in second going down will keep my foot off the brake pedal for the most part, steeper grades require 1st gear to keep it slower going down

got 11 mpg going out to moab last month

quad box, intake and exhaust.