TFL Gold Hitch Awards 2020

I have never driven our truck as hard as I could push it. Enjoying the ride and scenery . chevman

Cummins12V98 wrote:

MikeRP wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I tow 25k ;)

Pictures please!

Dude where have you been???

He probably hasn't seen your B&W hitch either. :B

ShinerBock wrote:
If you want something with a lot of power and the most up to date tech, then than might decrease its reliability. If you want something that is more reliable with more conservative sustained power output regardless of outside temp, then it might not be the quickest up a hill in all scenarios.

And then you have a 10 speed transmission that applies the right gear for the right senerio which improves towing performance. This also aids in improved fuel economy.

And then you have steel pistons that are designed to handle more heat and cylinder pressure with long term durability.

"So would any of us pin the pedal to the floor for 8 miles up the Ike like TFL?"

If I am not maintaining my desired speed on grade my foot is ON THE FLOOR!!!

YES for miles at a time. Trans and engine temps WELL within check even in HOT weather towing a combined 35k.

So would any of us pin the pedal to the floor for 8 miles up the Ike like TFL? Being an airplane guy I always used the rpm point where the HP and torque curves crossed as my equivalent to climb power in an airplane. Or max egt less 50 on my 7.3 PS. What ever gear could hold that number was where I stayed and whatever speed was an it is what it is deal.

MikeRP wrote:
To me Tfl exposes their bias to Ford on this one issue.

I don't think TFL has a bias toward Ford per-say, but rather that their tests is based on the aspects that are most important to them. If the time going up the Ike is most important to you at 20F then the Ford is the clear winner for you. If less brake applications is more important, the the Ram is the clear winner. Last year, GM was the clear winner towing up the Ike in the least amount at 80F. Which one you choose to focus on depends on which is most important to you. Not everyone cares about getting up a hill the fastest just as other may not care if they have a few brake applications going down.

I think these arguments start because some people want their favorite truck to be the best at everything and have a hard time when another truck may be better at something. Ironically, these people bought their truck based on what it is the best at so why they care about what it isn't the best at is beyond me. If you want something with a lot of power and the most up to date tech, then than might decrease its reliability. If you want something that is more reliable with more conservative sustained power output regardless of outside temp, then it might not be the quickest up a hill in all scenarios. Then you have people like me who is not afraid to mod/customize their trucks to how I use it, and adjust power levels depending on how it is being used or how froggy I am feeling at the moment.

MikeRP wrote:
That that is a freakin awesome tow setup! Amazing. I love it.

Do you think with that you would go MDT or even bigger the next time you buy a truck or are you perfectly happy with the Ram? Also how do you handle that double tow when you get to a campground? Do you have an aux fuel tank?

Well I’ve been sheltering in place in Ohio, going stir crazy and helping my brother build a cabin. I feel depressed because so feel like all my camping plans may be shot this year but It’s hard to understand how this virus is working but we know it’s not good for older folks. In Ohio the mean age for people passing away is like 77. So the effect of this on our elderly is just crazy but then once in a while it drops in and kills very healthy younger folks. Tough one.

Blessings

Mike

I am more than happy with the truck.

It handles the single or double load with EASE in ALL road and weather conditions. I would have no hesitation towing more weight.

No Aux tank other than the 5 I keep in the tool box.

If I don't get a pull thru it's easy to drop the MC trailer setup camp and then get the trailer. Or it it's asphalt the trailer easily rolls into place.

MikePR

GREAT POST!!!!!!!!

That that is a freakin awesome tow setup! Amazing. I love it.

Do you think with that you would go MDT or even bigger the next time you buy a truck or are you perfectly happy with the Ram? Also how do you handle that double tow when you get to a campground? Do you have an aux fuel tank?

Well I’ve been sheltering in place in Ohio, going stir crazy and helping my brother build a cabin. I feel depressed because so feel like all my camping plans may be shot this year but It’s hard to understand how this virus is working but we know it’s not good for older folks. In Ohio the mean age for people passing away is like 77. So the effect of this on our elderly is just crazy but then once in a while it drops in and kills very healthy younger folks. Tough one.

Blessings

Mike

4x4ord wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Also TFL confirmed that the Adaptive Cruise Control was used on the Ram.

I don't think that was in contention especially since it likely would not kick on due to how slow they were going. The ACC only kicks on the brakes if someone is in front of you going slower than you and I seriously doubt there was someone else going slow enough to force the ACC system to kick on the wheel end brakes the whole way down.

I agree!!! some just can't get over the FACT the CUMMINS EB does the JOB far better than the others. The sad part is there is more weight for the fastest instead of the safest!!!

Depends how you look at it. Even if the Cummins was able to hold the weight back on that grade in second gear you have to realize it was in second gear and only had 1 gear left for steep grades. The Ford was in third gear so if I was going to take a 30,000 lb trailer down a 14 % grade I'd be much more comfortable doing it with the GM or Ford from a safety perspective.

Hey

So when you come out of the tunnel there is a speed limit going down depending upon the weight you are carrying. So It’s probably 35 or 40 mph. Listen I know you got a Ford and it’s ok to be proud of it. I get it, I love Ford too just happen to have a Ram. So the speed limit is all about safety, I appreciate your opinion but really think about it, for me hitting the brake zero times is an amazing achievement. The facts are the facts. Ram blew that one out of the park.

One of the things you think about going downhill is the diesel going into limp mode because of higher sustained rpm’s. In fact the smaller diesels, I know Ford and Ram too maybe had an issue with this. Imagine hauling 30,000 and the truck goes into limp mode.

That’s another reason I think Ram-hit it out of the park. To me Tfl exposes therir bias to Ford on this one issue. What do we say, “Work Safely First”. Again I’m not saying that Ford or Gm can’t achieve exactly what Ram has but Ram clearly, on this one issue alone, should have won the Gold Hitch Award and like I said not because I don’t like Ford or Gm. Now if Ram would have used one or two brake applications, I would have said give the Gold Hitch to Ford, but you can’t argue with results.

TFLTruck in my opinion, is at the point that their tests are irrelevant for RVers. So bottom line is with all respect, I don’t agree with your gearing point. Cummins is what it is, a wonderful platform that works across commercial, industrial, utility, farm, off shore, and even our application. It can be programmed quickly and easily is is designed for long term reliability.

There no doubt in my mind that in 5 minutes a Cummins engineer could tweak their new platform to get that minute back out of the speed going up the hill. I think it would take Ford and GM more than 5 minutes, maybe an hour or two to optimize the tranny engine brake for no brake applications going down the hill.

Peace