My towing test. (10,000 Lbs - 1008 Miles with a 1500)

[SyN]

MiRam: I am also really curious what your Transmssion Temp and Oil Temp will be during this whole trip. If your 2014 has access to those temps. Just for future reference when we buy and start towing our TT. Though the TT will not even be close to what you are attempting.

Thanks!

I'll bet that rearend gear oil will get a work out as well!

How many miles are on your Ram?

 

[jadocs]

Good luck to you. That's a big load for that truck. I have a feeling you will experience some issues with your truck either during or after this haul.

 

[PX8]

Man it would be hard for me to do this. Ryder truck?

 

[WulfGang]

I will never, ever, complain about my tow setup again. lol

Good luck man... you may need it.

 

[cableguy_hd]

MiRam: I am also really curious what your Transmssion Temp and Oil Temp will be during this whole trip. If your 2014 has access to those temps. Just for future reference when we buy and start towing our TT. Though the TT will not even be close to what you are attempting.

Thanks!

I'll bet that rearend gear oil will get a work out as well!

How many miles are on your Ram?

I know this was for OP but I've found my temps are better when in tow/haul mode. I've monitored this, when I stop I forget to hit the button and when I check temps they've been as high as 180 then I hit the button and they got down to 160 ish

 

[MiRamDriver]

I'll post my trans / oil temps. Guys, keep in mind - I flip trucks pretty quickly. If I destroy this truck in the process, I'll get a new Cummins. I'm not concerned with longevity and I'm sure this will reduce the life of my drive components... But time will tell. I'm rolling out Wednesday at 1000 EST. My truck currently has 6,820 miles.

 

[VirtualRAM]

Wow... That's a helluva side wind load. Regardless of weight, I don't think I'd pull that without duallies.

Had a guy here kill himself towing a 18' trailer like that, wind blew him into the ditch and flipped.

 

[MiRamDriver]

Wow... That's a helluva side wind load. Regardless of weight, I don't think I'd pull that without duallies.

Had a guy here kill himself towing a 18' trailer like that, wind blew him into the ditch and flipped.

I've towed A LOT of stuff and it's all about how the trailer is loaded and your experience level. The heavier the trailer, the more wind it takes to disrupt that trailer's intended path.

Weighed in today - trailer is 12,000 lbs.

 

[RangerGress]

See my gallery for a mod list. 4" Zone Lift with 3" rear coils, plus Bilsteins at 0.7" in the front, Zone Nitro rear shocks and Airbag 1000's. The airbags aren't helping much because they are for the factory coils and aren't expanded the way they should.

Well with this amount of weight, you should be looking for 12-15% GTW as the Tongue weight. I didn't have enough tongue weight.

WD would help HUGE. So would Airbags if I had factory rear coils.

A WD hitch wouldn't have helped sag much. Most people don't set them that tight so they move only 60-80lbs from front axle to rear. Those that use the trailer footjack to set the WD hitch drawbars fiercely tight move 150-200lbs rear to front. That's enough to impact sag, but not enough to make a big difference....call it ~1/2-5/8" less rear droop on 155lb/in(?) OEM springs.

A WD hitch mostly just reduces porpoising. Most WD hitches also have some anti-sway functionality because the design of the draw bars makes them tighten when the trailer moves off axis. I agree that WD hitches are a big deal, but it's not about keeping the truck's rear from sagging.

Wow... That's a helluva side wind load. Regardless of weight, I don't think I'd pull that without duallies.

Had a guy here kill himself towing a 18' trailer like that, wind blew him into the ditch and flipped.

I routinely tow a 7400lb, 24' enclosed trailer with a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. No big deal. Sure, a dually is a great towing platform, but my truck does a lot of daily driver duty. The Ecodiesel is a great daily driver. A dually would suck.

 

[jcat]

I've towed A LOT of stuff and it's all about how the trailer is loaded and your experience level. The heavier the trailer, the more wind it takes to disrupt that trailer's intended path.

Weighed in today - trailer is 12,000 lbs.

Sheesh. You'll be well beyond the stated limits of the truck then. Should be interesting to see what happens.

 

[jerryb]

Wow that looks dangerous! Not only are you endangering yourself but also others who are on the roads. Is it worth taking that risk?? Feel sorry for the poor guy who cuts you off and you end up in his back seat.

 

[MiRamDriver]

Wow that looks dangerous! Not only are you endangering yourself but also others who are on the roads. Is it worth taking that risk?? Feel sorry for the poor guy who cuts you off and you end up in his back seat.

My truck stops just fine. Electric brakes are a magnificent invention.

 

[BoldAdventure]

You're not a Marine are you?

 

[MiRamDriver]

You're not a Marine are you?

I was! EAS was today.

 

[aplineman]

I feel that as long as you take your time and keep your following distance, you should be fine. I towed An estimated 10k+ pound trailer and the only problem I had was taking off on hills, it was raining. I had to put it in 4x4 to keep from spinning. Good luck.

 

[Mega-Hemi]

So... any updates?

 

[MiRamDriver]

I've been unpacking...

I made it just fine. Truck never had an issue even pulling a 5% grade for 6 miles. All said it was 1,031 miles and I averaged 7.5 MPG. I towed at about 60 - 65 the entire time.

I'll write a full update this weekend with pictures.

 

[WulfGang]

Glad ya made it safe with no incidents.

 

[14hemiexpress]

Good to hear you made it safe. I'm sure your tired of looking at gas stations.

 

[toofart]

7.5 MPG is pretty decent, considerin the weight and the fact it's an enclosed trailer.