2001 Dodge towing chart
So I have 2001 Dodge 5.9 Deisel Dually 3.55 gears auto 4 speed and the towing charts indicate that total trailer weight capacity is near 10,000lbs. Is this too conservative?? Can I go up at all? I kn...
Forum Discussion
fj12ryder wrote:
I don't think Dodge offered a SRW 1 ton truck in 2001. I think they were all duallies.
A 12,000 lb. fifth wheel can be pulled very easily with this year truck and the Cummins. Anything over that and you will be going pretty slowly up the hills, and may need a little boost in power. The weakest point of the truck, besides the VP44/lift pump, is the automatic transmission. If you use it to tow a 5th wheel, at some point you'll have to budget in a transmission overhaul/change.
They didn't but the 3500 dually auto had the same GCWR as the 2500 auto because of the transmission. Of course the dually had a much higher truck GVWR. Other than it was a 4 spd with a really tall overdrive, the biggest drawback to the 47RE for me was no second gear torque converter lockup. If you are towing in the hills with 235 HP, you are going to spend a lot of time in 2nd gear and the transmission temps can really get up there. If the OP wants to go heavier and doesn't want to go with a major transmission rebuild, I would strongly suggest a modified valve body with the accompanying electronics from one of the established rebuilders (BD, Suncoast etc.) that will allow 2nd gear lockup. This will also make adding an exhaust brake much more effective.
I think a lot of VP44 failures were at least helped by undetected lift pump failures. The lift pump would fail and the VP44 would keep drawing fuel until it quit. I installed a Vulcan kit on my truck which moved the lift pump from the side of the engine block where it was subject to a lot of heat and vibration, to the frame where it was below the tank and easy to get at. I installed a ball shutoff between the tank and pump to make pump changes quick and easy. I once changed a lift pump in a campsite at Terra Nova National Park in Newfoundland. It took about a half hour, no muss no fuss. I also installed a warning light kit from BD that told me if lift pump pressure went below 5 PSI. It warned me of a couple of impending pump failures and I was able to change them before they failed completely. Not saying that's the reason why but I didn't have any VP44 problems.
Vulcan Kit
BD Kit
