What is the max towing that you can do with a 6.5?

[mattg6007]

I'm wondering what it would take to pull my 53' triple axle car hauler the max weight that I've ever had on the trailer was 40,000# can a 6.5 do that if it was modified to do so?

What mods would need to be done to accomplish this task cause there is no way that i'm going to pay 75,000 for a 5500 ram…

I have a good starting platform i think its a 1999 k3500 crew cab dually 6.5

this wouldn't be me daily driver or anything this would be more like a toy or hobby to really see what other people think thats all

 

[tanman_2006]

A guy after my own heart! lol

My avatar pic puts me over 36K, its no easy feat. I'd look for a 3500HD (similar to an F450/550).

ATT turbo, 4.56 gears, tune, and ALL supporting mods will get you moving. No garuntee's on how far you will make it if you have mountains in your path.

My buddy works on a custom harvest crew as a mechanic/truck driver and has a 08 5500 Dodge Crew Cab auto 4x4 w/ full deletes. He doesnt have it turned up just EGR and Regen shut off. $24K

 

[mattg6007]

Thanks bro it's nice to really see others out there that are really giving the 6.5 the challenges that it needs

I think that as long as I could haul it whenever I needed to then that would be fine with me

I'm really not one to try and pull 40,000# up a 6% grade and try to keep the truck at speed limit that's just suicide JMO

 

[tanman_2006]

You will be lucky to keep speed limit with a legal load.

Source Unknown

 

[DieselCash]

The small Texas hills kill my truck. I usually drive by the temp gauge. Of course I really have no mods on mine, yet.

 

[GM Guy]

5 speed helps go after that last little bit of max GCWR. less heat in the cooling stack, less loss in the drivetrain.

there is a 98 C3500HD 6.5L 5spd 2wd reg. cab. 11 ft. capable chassis cab coming up on big iron in a few days. 3500HDs only come with 4.63 or 5.13.

IMO you will be hard pressed to handle that thing on flat ground, but an HD chassis would get you alot closer.

 

[mattg6007]

Ok we seem to be getting a little off course I already have a 1999 k3500 crew cab dually auto with electric 4x4

And I think I was going to go with the tci 6 speed 4l80e that they have with gearvendors under overdrive to help keep the rpms lower with 4.88 gears front and rear

 

[mattg6007]

Bill Heath and I have been talking about him marketing his twin turbo setup for mass production but idk I'm pretty sure it would take twins to keep the engine power right where I would need it with the right tuning

 

[Will L.]

Beefing up the engine and tranny is the first part, anywhere near that kind of weight you really need more handling and especially braking capacity. Thats why he is mentioning the bigger truck.

I have pulled 53' semi trailer that was at 65,000 with a con gear. But I did it in a yard, not on the road where people are at risk. (Did i mention I'm somewhat of an idiot on occasion?). No way I could stop that at 30 mph.

 

[Burning oil]

40000#s Im thinking you will break alot of hardware if you did it for more than a few miles. Im deffenately not the heavy towing guy, but 40K is extreame. Arent Semi's maxed at 80K#'s (without permits....)

Edit: Will I was typing while you posted, but same idea I was tring to get accross.

 

[Will L.]

80,000 is max truck,trailer, and load without special permitting. And it might be coincidence but 5-6 months after that is when I had to rebuild my transfer case. Most carriers consider 40,000 full load not ltl, even if it leaves decent space in the trailer. That should say something.

Control during emergency braking can't be stressed enough.

 

[mattg6007]

I already know that axles would need to be reinforced definitely and bigger sway bar and ssbc brake system

But the reason you had trouble with that 53' semi trailer is because I'm sure your truck doesn't have an air compressor for the air brakes cause those brakes engaged would stop you the truck and the load if you had one

My 53' enclosed car hauler has electric over hydraulic brakes anyways

 

[tanman_2006]

Nothing against Bill Heath but that set up isnt proven, the ATT is in a lot of trucks.

I have 3 10k axles under my trailer and even with good brakes I am hard pressed to get shut down. My heavy loads are usually short hauls, I use a semi for long hauls. A 6.5l can pull it but 36K at 55 is a tough pull w/ egt's going out the roof and ECT's border line scary. NV4500's need a cooler installed too, temps on the nv4500 get to 300*. The 4l80 might need an upgraded input shaft and heavier torque converter w/ a bigger cooler.

 

[GM Guy]

what is the story on the 09 duramax in your signature? that looks a little more up to speed.

the money wrapped up into brakes and other suspension upgrades would almost buy a C3500HD, which has alot of that built in. 4 wheel disc brakes, heavy leaf springs x4, solid axles x2, and 19.5 rubber all from the factory. 10,000 lb rated rear axle for high pin weights, etc.

 

[WarWagon]

I'm wondering what it would take to pull my 53' triple axle car hauler the max weight that I've ever had on the trailer was 40,000# can a 6.5 do that if it was modified to do so?

What mods would need to be done to accomplish this task cause there is no way that i'm going to pay 75,000 for a 5500 ram…

I have a good starting platform i think its a 1999 k3500 crew cab dually 6.5

this wouldn't be me daily driver or anything this would be more like a toy or hobby to really see what other people think thats all

No, it isn't the right tool for the job.

Look up the original rating of your truck = something like 11,000 LBS Max with the 454, less with the 6.5 and other options like crew cab, 4x4, etc. Likely less weight you can tow due to the weight of the 6.5 over the 454. You start to reach the limit of the frame somewhere. You already left the rating of tires and brakes back at 11,000 LBS. The powertrain will take serious mods just to tow a 28' full height cargo trailer. Even that "small' trailer bent my hitch and rear frame due to taking the load out of the back of the trailer and too much tongue weight.

Trailer brakes that work when you need them? Please!!! :rof: Never gonna happen. Something always FUBAR's with trailer brakes especially when you need to do a panic stop. Shorts, broken wires, plug falling out, worn linings, water, etc. all have you using the truck brakes alone to stop. Maybe once and then you fix them, but, you don't know they quit till you want to stop sometimes.

Look for a used Frightliner. Get the right tool for the job and this means enough truck (frame, brakes, tires, etc.) to safely do the job. Aka handle the weight. Look for a used truck pre-emmisions as the DPF will waste fuel and come off your bottom line. Let someone else take the "new" price hit.

There is a thread on here of someone that had a HD 6.5 truck for hotshotting. Should have changed the factory turbo out 1st, but, they didn't and proceeded to not only grenade the 6.5, but, the Duramax they dropped in in it's place.

From my experience starting out with a light duty diesel like the 6.5 for hard work is a economically bad idea. I have gone through several engines and the only way the damn thing gets decent MPG while working is with a huge turbo, aka the A Team Turbo. Otherwise you should just get a gas engine truck because the MPG is near the same with a factory turbo - 7.5 MPG 6.5 diesel vs. 6 MPG modern gas engine... Fuel cost and other upkeep like oil and filters favors a gas engine. Bigger turbo you hit modern diesel of 10.4 MPG working hard. I was using a 24 or 28' trailer rated at 12K max on our grades of 7-10% that go for miles. I don't worry about EGT's anymore having run 1550 for and extended amount of time because that's what it took to maintain 55 MPH. Working it too hard vs. a modern engine that has better towing power for sure.

I have every mod and then some for the 6.5 including the best brakes possible short of 4 wheel disc and I wouldn't even think of pulling a 53' with my 6.5's in part due to the grades around The West and esp. in AZ. Cooling: 21" fan, HO water pump, low temp fan clutch, Cooling related but other: 4" exhaust, ATT turbo - exhaust gets the heat out of the engine as well. Tune, better lift pump, better filters, big aux fuel tank...

The 4L80E will smoke off the 2nd gear overun clutch during compression braking and the TCC clutch takes about 50K of towing 100% of the time before it burns up. Tough trans, but, it has limits. This is why they put the Allison behind the Duramax.

I have run a couple of Duramax trucks and the amount of shop time is night and day vs. an old 6.5. If something on the 6.5 engine wasn't screwing with me something on the 20 year old truck was. The newer trucks are also rated to ~23K, nearly double that of the older trucks.

Bottom line is it is going to tear your truck up, be a scary ride if you can get it up to speed, and trying to stop will be exciting. Any grades will push the cooling system past it's limit, slow you down, and burn fuel like crazy. The other side of the grade, well, brakes on a 2008 Duramax get noisy and hot with a trailer that big (but lighter). Your transmission isn't much help with engine braking...

:nonod: Get a bigger truck or smaller trailer.

 

[red]

Dealers used to be very conservative with their towing numbers but war Wagon is right. Anything over the 25-30k pound combined weight (fully upgraded including 4 wheel disk brakes) a 1 ton dually is maxed, including the newest trucks. Having the power to pull is the last concern, stopping and handling are much more important.

A cheap route to get a medium duty would be an old military duece and a half. Gives you a stronger chassis and axles.

 

[Will L.]

Duece and a half, I like the way you think Red. The new ones drive way nicer than the old clanky ones. Most people don't know the 2 1/2 ton rating is for off road capacity, on road is 5 ton. Boy that'll make it happen!

Air brakes were used on a Jackson handle, I used the built in air compressor on my truck with added on air tanks and bypassing the 60 psi limit valve. It did take a minute to fill the trailer tanks though. Jackson handles are built to apply max of 60% power to not lock up axles. It was fun to do for a day, it was more fun watching a 1ton dodge owner burn up his clutch trying too. No way I would do it again without big $ on the table. Keep in mind your truck is rated at 1 ton, mine is 2 1/4 ton. Way more frame, suspension, etc (including. Fuel bill unfortunately)

You have a great truck, just don't hurt yourself trying to find the edge of the envelope.

 

[red]

Haha yea I like the duece, can be fun to drive. We used 2 on the demolition range when clearing out the large practice bomb ranges (500-3000lb concrete filled bombs). Loaded up the beds with scrap and used chains to drag them into position. That CTIS (central tire inflation system) made them ride MUCH SMOOTHER!!! Still cruises about 60mph.

Glanced on ebay and their is a tractor setup on there for 3700 right now.

 

[turbovanman]

I think its suicide for anyone that happens to be stopped in front of you. Find another truck.

 

[NVW]

I agree with a bigger truck. I hauled this home on fairly level highway at 36k lbs. Had I known it was that heavy I would have driven the tractor home.