What's the most you've hauled/towed with your HD's?

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azeemtn

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28" 2013 Kodiak

Towed this last weekend.
It's the most I have towed so far. Had about 8,500 lbs with the trailer and my gear.

6.4 Hemi 3.73 seemed to handle and drive better then last them I towed with about 6500 lbs. I know that sounds wrong, but it was how it felt to me. Perhaps it was me being more comfortable this time, even though I was pulling 6' longer than last time.
 

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billa9b0ng

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2014 Ram 2500 SLT CCSB
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Hemi 5.7
Looks like a nice little camp spot and a very nice camper
 

stembridge

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2016_oatbalesontruck.jpg

48 bales, about 2,400lb. Had another 137 bales on the hay rack (not shown), so I was pulling another 6,800lb or so (plus the weight of the rack). My sons are married and out of the house, so I drop-bale and pick 'em up by hand. This is all oat hay (nurse crop for a new stand of alfalfa), which will go into my cows this winter.

es
 

RoadDog66

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6.4 Hemi
Heavy enough for me

Just made a crazy move to a 5th wheel. Under 2K pin weight & 10.5K loaded. Haven't towed it too far yet, but the rear is still higher than front so I'm happy.
 

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RoadDog66

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Finally got it out for a 2+ hr trip to the lake. Pulled perfect on the flatter portions and okay on the grades. This was at about 10.5K# loaded (wife packed for a month rather than a week). Saw same MPG i got towing our previous 7K loaded pull behind to same location.

One thing I'll say is the torque mgmt really sucks in these trucks and the tow/haul mode shift logic is off. Mine skips 3rd regularly and goes straight to 2nd from 4th causing it to scream up the grades when its not necessary. It'll do fine for a while, but I'm thinking a 3500 CTD is in my future when I hit the lottery :).
 

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SouthTexan

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Finally got it out for a 2+ hr trip to the lake. Pulled perfect on the flatter portions and okay on the grades. This was at about 10.5K# loaded (wife packed for a month rather than a week). Saw same MPG i got towing our previous 7K loaded pull behind to same location.

One thing I'll say is the torque mgmt really sucks in these trucks and the tow/haul mode shift logic is off. Mine skips 3rd regularly and goes straight to 2nd from 4th causing it to scream up the grades when its not necessary. It'll do fine for a while, but I'm thinking a 3500 CTD is in my future when I hit the lottery :).


The only torque management you should have in the 6.4L is between shifts. I don't believe the 6 4L is like the Cummins where it is maxed to a certain amount it can give in the first to gears. Instead of 800 lb-ft in the Cummins, you may be only maxed out at 60%(480 lb-ft) of that in first gear and maybe 80%(640 lb-ft) in second gear. The 6 4L should not have that you should be getting all 429 lb-ft in normal operation.
 

Iron Outlaw

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The only torque management you should have in the 6.4L is between shifts. I don't believe the 6 4L is like the Cummins where it is maxed to a certain amount it can give in the first to gears. Instead of 800 lb-ft in the Cummins, you may be only maxed out at 60%(480 lb-ft) of that in first gear and maybe 80%(640 lb-ft) in second gear. The 6 4L should not have that you should be getting all 429 lb-ft in normal operation.

That's crazy how much they cut them. We have a tuned/deleted 09 cummins at work with 373s and Ive wondered how a new truck would pull vs it. I know my 6.4 suspension seems waaaay better than the 2009 but obviously we have more power than we need in the diesel with the tuner turned up.
 

jaflowers

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The only torque management you should have in the 6.4L is between shifts. I don't believe the 6 4L is like the Cummins where it is maxed to a certain amount it can give in the first to gears. Instead of 800 lb-ft in the Cummins, you may be only maxed out at 60%(480 lb-ft) of that in first gear and maybe 80%(640 lb-ft) in second gear. The 6 4L should not have that you should be getting all 429 lb-ft in normal operation.

I can tell you that on a 5.7l hemi in a half ton there was ALOT of torque management going on in the factory software. After just retuning it and reducing the TM it was a whole different truck. I know these 6.4s are bigger/better and have a different program but I'm betting FCA is still limiting the motor quite a bit like they do for the 5.7l motors. Just my opinion.
 

SouthTexan

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I can tell you that on a 5.7l hemi in a half ton there was ALOT of torque management going on in the factory software. After just retuning it and reducing the TM it was a whole different truck. I know these 6.4s are bigger/better and have a different program but I'm betting FCA is still limiting the motor quite a bit like they do for the 5.7l motors. Just my opinion.


I know there is not any power limiting torque management in certain gears in the 5.7L from the data logs I have seen. The computer does not limit power output in the 5.7L in any gear aside from traction control, in between shifts, or a limp mode situation. Being tuned with less power than an equivalent engine in a smaller vehicle is not torque management. That is just the tuning of the engine to meet emissions and to help it last in a HD trucks duty cycle. There is a reason why tuners have "performance tunes" and "tow tunes". Towing heavy with a "performance tune" will cause detonation which will ruin your engine.
 

jaflowers

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I know there is not any power limiting torque management in certain gears in the 5.7L from the data logs I have seen. The computer does not limit power output in the 5.7L in any gear aside from traction control, in between shifts, or a limp mode situation. Being tuned with less power than an equivalent engine in a smaller vehicle is not torque management. That is just the tuning of the engine to meet emissions and to help it last in a HD trucks duty cycle. There is a reason why tuners have "performance tunes" and "tow tunes". Towing heavy with a "performance tune" will cause detonation which will ruin your engine.

Well, we all have seen different things then. I know for fact that the 2009 Ram 1500 TRX4 CC I had did have fully applied TM straight from the factory. Superchips tuner showed the exact stock settings in every gear right on the screen and then you could adjust them to your liking. Played with them quite a few times over the years and just adjusting that and no other tuning changes made a night and day difference. I have no idea if FCA has done this to the HD trucks or to the 6.4 programming but I'd be very surprised if they didn't.

And btw, I do understand what TM is vs. performance enhancing tunes and what I should or shouldn't set things to for towing. Don't really need any schooling thanks.
 

Bigdaddy

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Finally got it out for a 2+ hr trip to the lake. Pulled perfect on the flatter portions and okay on the grades. This was at about 10.5K# loaded (wife packed for a month rather than a week). Saw same MPG i got towing our previous 7K loaded pull behind to same location.

One thing I'll say is the torque mgmt really sucks in these trucks and the tow/haul mode shift logic is off. Mine skips 3rd regularly and goes straight to 2nd from 4th causing it to scream up the grades when its not necessary. It'll do fine for a while, but I'm thinking a 3500 CTD is in my future when I hit the lottery :).


Wow, that is an awesome location, right on the water.
 

SouthTexan

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Well, we all have seen different things then. I know for fact that the 2009 Ram 1500 TRX4 CC I had did have fully applied TM straight from the factory. Superchips tuner showed the exact stock settings in every gear right on the screen and then you could adjust them to your liking. Played with them quite a few times over the years and just adjusting that and no other tuning changes made a night and day difference. I have no idea if FCA has done this to the HD trucks or to the 6.4 programming but I'd be very surprised if they didn't.

And btw, I do understand what TM is vs. performance enhancing tunes and what I should or shouldn't set things to for towing. Don't really need any schooling thanks.


So the data logging showed there was torque management? You wouldn't still happen to have the file. I would love to look at it.
 

RoadDog66

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TM or not, either something isn't working effectively on an engine this size or Ram engineers really screwed the pooch designing the computer systems that manage the towing/hauling of this HD.

Like I said on the flats its very good with a heavy load, but the steep inclines where you slow for semis or other traffic confuses the truck horribly in TH mode in my experience. It's like the computers are all fighting one another and each time a different one wins.
 

zeddy

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^^^ could a tuner like the hemifever help this??
 

U&A

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TM or not, either something isn't working effectively on an engine this size or Ram engineers really screwed the pooch designing the computer systems that manage the towing/hauling of this HD.

Like I said on the flats its very good with a heavy load, but the steep inclines where you slow for semis or other traffic confuses the truck horribly in TH mode in my experience. It's like the computers are all fighting one another and each time a different one wins.

I agree with what you are saying to a cerian degree. It can be a little confused at times. But they all can. Were i differ is i have never used or had a truck with an auto trans that shift the way i want it to all the time. There is always some situations that they act a little funny. With every truck i just put it in TH and/or shift it "manually" and feather the gas to get things were i want them. That fixes everything for me.

I just wish the down hill engine breaking was more consistant. But i can shift for that if i need to.

EDIT: Obviously im referring to when im towing.
 

RoadDog66

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Agreed. It takes a lot of driver effort to get it to work effectively, but it can be done.

My hill descent braking seems to like to stick in whatever gear I'm reaching the top of the hill. Meaning if I'm in 3rd at the top it's stays in 3rd on the downhill and won't go to 4 or 5 until the bottom. Not sure if that's by design, but it sure seems like it would eat more gas that way rather than coasting down the hill or allowing me to manually upshift. And this is on a 1/2 mile long downhill in 3rd.
 

drittal

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The transmission logic seems to hold 4th too long before downshifting. By the time it does it has passed the sweet spot of 3rd gear and it either skips it entirely or just engages for a couple seconds before dropping to 2nd.

I found if I plan ahead and manually shift it helps. Biggest issue with these 6.4 is the transmission gearing.

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loveracing1988

loveracing1988

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The transmission logic seems to hold 4th too long before downshifting. By the time it does it has passed the sweet spot of 3rd gear and it either skips it entirely or just engages for a couple seconds before dropping to 2nd.

I found if I plan ahead and manually shift it helps. Biggest issue with these 6.4 is the transmission gearing.

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This was my exact problem when I towed the mini excavator. It bogs itself down so far in 4th that it says screw 3rd and lays into it in 2nd which sucks for a nice easy tow.
 

U&A

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This was my exact problem when I towed the mini excavator. It bogs itself down so far in 4th that it says screw 3rd and lays into it in 2nd which sucks for a nice easy tow.

How much did the trailer and mini excavator weigh? Just curious because im either renting that or a bobcat in a mounth or 2....or 3....befor winter.
 
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