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Realistically now... How much weight can I tow?

chrisk1500 said:
I'm excited for the first DMAX's you guys will buy...you'll be pretty impressed...
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Have driven them, and yes they have plenty of power, but with DPF, Urea any Dmax I'd ever have would be a used one(frigging tree huggers). :mad2:

Until the well of serviceable 6.5s and 6.5 parts dries up, there is no need for me to own a Dmax, new or used, they are just too expensive to maintain.

Especially when compared to the 6.5, and I have ALL the power I NEED, I want more, and I'll get it even if it's just another incremental power gain from my 6.5, will it ever match a peaked and tweaked Dmax or other common rail offering, no, but guess what I'm okay with that.
 
Being 'able' to do it and being 'able to do it without aging me 50 years over the course of a couple of bad hours' is completely different. Go big and have fun, it's only money.

I could probably spend $12k and have an S-10 that was 'able' to pull that 5er, but I wouldn't.
 
Even with a D-MaX you'd want to spend some money first. I'd still do a few gauges, and probably some tuning for this type of use. And everything recommended for cooling. Maybe make it custom and toss a 6.5 steel fan blade on it for maximum coolness!
 
Diesel Warrior said:
Being 'able' to do it and being 'able to do it without aging me 50 years over the course of a couple of bad hours' is completely different. Go big and have fun, it's only money.

I could probably spend $12k and have an S-10 that was 'able' to pull that 5er, but I wouldn't.
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There is the rub DW, actually for that kind of money there can be found some small sleeper rigs that with a little effort can be made whole that would make life simple if all one did was pull the RV. Which is where I'll be hopefully in 7 years as early retirement eligible @ 55 if things remain on track with bumper sticker on the rig "Spending my Son's Inheritance" on the rig.

My truck is a MPV doing multiple duty, I can only afford one truck that spends 99% of it's use moving me as a daily driver, or pulling less than 6K well within the factory rating, on the odd chance I need to move something really big I can which just gives me more flexibility if I need it. My upgrades didn't happen overnight, years in the making adding this and that as I could afford it, my last piece is a balanced & blueprinted new 6.5 engine I built 2 years ago waiting to be installed, hoping for 300+ Hp out of that one, and my new job this March will finally allow me down time I've been needing to install it.

You did see where I recommended he get a dually since his requirement was different than mine, I would not drag a big 5er all over creation with mine, move it from point A to B short distance no problem for me.

I drug a rolling chassy Dmax dually from Zephyr Hills Fl to Ms once not so much weight, but a good wind load, and not something Id relish doing anytime soon, I was tired by time I got it there, I'm ever so glad I went Fl to Ga, and Ga to Ms in two weekends to do it.

My main point was he could get a 6.5 power plant tweak it some in a dually and be good for go. I also would pass on a S-10 that could pull a 5er, I'm only a little crazy to work myself to death.
 
Ozzie said:
You ever seen what can happen if a tire blows? You can't have too high a margin of safety...get all the truck you can.
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X2 I'm with you, I'm no less screwed than the semi or any other truck that blows a tire, and why I have 8 tires under the load, and 10 ply commercial tires on the truck and 3300# rims vs. the 1870# and load range C tires that came with the truck & ....... (see sig.)

All I could afford at the time & even now was what I have, I have done all that I can, I drive slower just to give even more margin, even though I am capable of running at higher speed.
 
Matt Bachand said:
Even with a D-MaX you'd want to spend some money first. I'd still do a few gauges, and probably some tuning for this type of use. And everything recommended for cooling. Maybe make it custom and toss a 6.5 steel fan blade on it for maximum coolness!
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The 08 Dmax has a 25" fan!
I had a Killerbee 2 quart oil cooler setup and still had to downshift. Never boiled over though - just ran 235 as normal when pulling.

If you look at the 7.4L gas rating you can see the limits of the truck being higher. So engine upgrades can get you more, but, the door sticker limits you...

Again night and day difference towing. Also higher cost and the cost is why I am back to an older 6.5: today's economy would not let me keep the 08 as the RV towing industry went bankrupt. Sadly the cheap 6.5 parts I find myself buying a lot of them and they add up.

So you might want to stay with a trailer you truck can handle before getting a new truck...:rolleyes5:

Block the Dmax EGR and put in a wild tune like Killerbee offers. Floor it and as soon as the turbo spools you will no longer have traction. It is fun to feel the locker go side to side for a block!
 
The 7.4 Gas rating is higher I think because of the weight reduction of the gasser, allows vehicle rating to be higher.

In all cases (as I feel driving my 10k truck) its more of a stopping issue than a go issue.

As for the tire issue, a heavy truck pulling a heavy trailer would have alot less effect than a light truck pulling a heavy trailer would.

A truck with 6 tires even more so stabil in the situation, and you have a 50/50 chance that it would be the rear axle, on which case you already have your spare bolted on, ready to go! Perhaps the odds of a tire "blowing out" are reduced with the weight distribution of the dually. Assume proper tires and no rubbing etc....

Its just hard to recommend to someone to tow above the legal limits. I think all of us would hook it up and try to tow it at least once. As you said, a scary tow is not only a dangerous tow, but it wipes you out worrying all the time, and cursing hills, and sweatin the temp gauge cuz if you lose the momentum you have, your not gonna get it back for a lONG time!... And guess who's watching the road while your staring at your gauges? :)

Kenny (Acesneights) is building a ECLB Dually tow rig right now. Hes a fanatic, an addict, can't stop. So watching his build should give us a good idea of a used dually 6.5 being built to tow a family. Just grab the popcorn cuz its already been one hell of a ride thus far!
 
chrisk1500 said:
Grab yourself a DMAX.

When I am hauling water for spraying I weigh the following:

truck - 7500 lbs
trailer - 3500 lbs
water - 1250 imperial gallons = 12500 lbs

Total weight - 23 500 lbs

No problems....and love the turbo brake that comes with the Edge Race tuner...

No chance in hell my old 6.5's could handle that....
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what turbo brake might that be? I have the edge race evolution and i don't believe it has a turbo brake
 
HemisAreSlow said:
what turbo brake might that be? I have the edge race evolution and i don't believe it has a turbo brake
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The Edge Evo Race has a built in turbo brake in level 2 only. It is activated once you press the tow/haul button. It uses the turbo vanes to slow the truck down...it is awesome!
 
i have the edge race evolution and it doesn't do anything different in level two with tow haul on than it did before I had the edge.....tow haul mode will automatically downshift for you when you hit the brake....and it may seem like a turbo brake..could that be it? the edge website doesn't mention a turbo brake at all
 
No - you don't have to hit the brake at all in level 2 to activate the turbo brake. Phone Buck at Edge and ask about it....

If yours doesn't have it already, an update should resolve it....
 
Don't let the tail wag the dog. You need more stability when pulling one of those big hair fifth wheels. Been there, done that. Pulled a 34 ft 16K fifth behind a '01 F350 SRW with a chip and big exhaust, etc. Tons of power. Through the Rockies on I-90 at 70 MPH. Argued with people right and left that it was ok. Then had my come to Jesus moment on I-90 approaching Seattle. Some dam fool lost an aluminum ladder, in my lane, just a couple car lengths ahead of me. Don't quite know how, but did manage to slow and change lanes. Luckily the lane to my right was empty. Had there have been someone in that lane, they would have had a Holiday Rambler hat. For just a few micro seconds, the swaying of the fifth wheel was moving the rear of my truck side to side. But I got off the brakes and punched it and the 7.3 spit black and managed to pull the fifth out of the swaying. Up graded to '03 F350 6.0 dually. People can gripe about the cost of the extra wheel and the cost of the extra fuel, but when the defecation is impacting the rotary object, in the back of your mind, you wish you had those training wheels.

A properly set up 6.5 can pull the weight. But you need more rubber on the road. GET A DUALLY. (Sorry for shouting, but I'm quite serious.)
 
Great discussion. Thanks for all the replies. So it seems I need more truck to pull the weight of the proposed RV. Or set my sights a little lower as far as an RV upgrade goes.

Thanks again,
Art
 
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