I presently own a 4000 pound 18 foot RV and pull it with a gasoline fueled, normally aspirated, truck rated to pull a 6000 pound trailer. However, when towing at 10,000 feet altitude, up a mountain, the truck will only make 30 MPH. I consider the truck grossly under powered and would purchase a more powerful tow vehicle if I was to replace the present truck. I would buy a gasoline, normally aspirated truck with a tow rating of TWICE my planned trailer GVWR to get good uphill, high altitude performance. Lesson is: The gasoline, normally aspirated tow vehicle's posted tow rating is not useful at high altitudes.I am planning to buy a new larger trailer, GVWR of 15,450 pounds. I am planning to buy a Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins turbo diesel truck to pull the trailer. What should be the published maximum towing capacity of the turbo diesel truck to get good performance at say 10,000 feet, uphill, or into a head wind at altitude?Does anyone out there have personal experience with a 2014 Dodge RAM 2500 Cummins diesel with a I am proposing a 2014 Ram 2500 Cummins with Exhaust Engine Brake, 6 speed auto transmission, 3.42 differential with rated tow capacity of 17,100 lbs. My trailer weight is 15,400 pounds. What is your opinion of the capability of the truck to pull at say 10,000 ft in the mountains?Does anyone out there have personal experience with a 2014 Dodge RAM 2500 Cummins diesel with a stock 3.42 differential pulling a 16,000 lbs. +/- trailer over 10,000ft. mountain passes?

Turbo engines, gas or diesel, barely lose power at elevation. The do generate more heat in the turbo at elevation, but the struck will be fine stock.

The type of fuel being burned has nothing to do with performance at elevation- it's the normal aspiration that causes the loss of performance. A Ford Ecoboost gas V6 will perform great at 10,000 feet while an older normally aspirated diesel will produce lots of black smoke and no power at that elevation.As to your question, it depends on what you consider good performance. 15,000 pounds up a steep grade at 10,000 feet elevation is not exactly easy criteria. Having said that, any of the new big 3 diesels will do just that with almost shocking performance levels- 19000 pounds in tow up a 7% grade at 60 mph. You also don't mention what year Dodge you plan to get. An old 12-valve at stock performance settings would be miserably slow, (although these are relatively cheap and easy to modify for more power) but a new truck would have all the power you need.

If your going to buy a 15K trailer, you need a one ton or your going to run out of payload.

Towing a 4k trailer in the mountains, you will be better off with a Ford Ecoboost or a Ram Truck 1500 Diesel. But, if you are looking at Ram Trucks (Or Older Dodges) for a 15k+ trailer, you should be looking at 3500 series of Ram Trucks.

ScottG wrote:If your going to buy a 15K trailer, you need a one ton or your going to run out of payload.What he said. The 2500 is only good for maybe 10 to 11k

Turbo diesel engine sizing? | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

ib516
Explorer II
Jul 03, 2014
powderman426 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
If your going to buy a 15K trailer, you need a one ton or your going to run out of payload.

What he said. The 2500 is only good for maybe 10 to 11k

True, but also depends on the year. My 2500 has over 3000# payload, 5500# front GAWR, 6500# rear GAWR, and a 15,350# max tow rating. All of these capacities are higher than my previous Ram 3500 SRW.
Redsky
Explorer
Jul 03, 2014
Going with the 3.42 gears will be a big mistake. Get the 3.73 gears and the engine will be better able to operate at its peak torque portion of the power band. No sense in getting a diesel engine and then handicapping it for towing with tall gears.

Check the towing specs for the truck with the different gear ratios. 3.73 provide a 25% increase over 3.42 gears for the same truck with the same engine. When towing the taller gears are more likely to hurt than help fuel economy.
naturist
Nomad II
Jul 03, 2014
What they said about turbo vs non-turbo engines. Non turbo, regardless of gas or diesel, lose power at altitude.

at 10,000 feet, non turbo engines will be down 20% or more in power, and that 20% comes off the top. That is, it takes the same toll on your power to run the alternator, pump the water, overcome engine friction; the power loss comes entirely off the part that moves you up the road, so is a great deal more noticeable than a MERE 20% might otherwise be.

So if you spend a lot of time in the 6,000 to 10,000 foot elevation, a turbocharger will be your best friend.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jul 03, 2014
Most forced induction motors be them gas or diesel will perform to sea level specs up to around 10K ft elevations plus or minus 1-2K ft depending upon the type and style of forced induction etc. Otherwise, you lose 2-3% of sealevel HP per 1000' of elevation gain. A forced induction motor, also starts to lose this same 2-3% of its HP above 10K feet or there abouts.

This will be the key if you spend a lot of time in the 6-10K range, you will notice a turbo style motor begins to really leave a non turbo behind.

TO get up really steep grades, HP is not the true test, oveall low gearing and torque multiplication. Most rigs will get to the point they can not hold 60 mph on certain grades. If you want to go up a 30% grade at 20K lbs, have 400 lb ft to work with, you need an overall low ration around 24-1. a current model diesel, ala a dmax as I had with 600 lb ft, and its 16-1 low, will only do a 24% grade at 20K lbs. Yet the two motors which I had with these two specs, were rated at 12500 for the 400 lb motor, and over 23K for the dmax.....if you have to go up a >25% grade, you are at 20K, one will make it, the other will not......it is NOT the one rated to be at 20K lbs......so tow ratings and gvwr's may or may not truly tell you WHAT you rig will do either.

Marty
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jul 03, 2014
If you are spending the money I would at least get the 3500 single rear wheel model. Then you will be covered for that 5er and larger if you want. I have never towed at that elevation but the West Coast mountains have been no problem.
powderman426
Explorer
Jul 03, 2014
ScottG wrote:
If your going to buy a 15K trailer, you need a one ton or your going to run out of payload.

What he said. The 2500 is only good for maybe 10 to 11k
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Jul 03, 2014
Towing a 4k trailer in the mountains, you will be better off with a Ford Ecoboost or a Ram Truck 1500 Diesel. But, if you are looking at Ram Trucks (Or Older Dodges) for a 15k+ trailer, you should be looking at 3500 series of Ram Trucks.
ScottG
Nomad
Jul 03, 2014
If your going to buy a 15K trailer, you need a one ton or your going to run out of payload.
rjstractor
Nomad
Jul 03, 2014
The type of fuel being burned has nothing to do with performance at elevation- it's the normal aspiration that causes the loss of performance. A Ford Ecoboost gas V6 will perform great at 10,000 feet while an older normally aspirated diesel will produce lots of black smoke and no power at that elevation.

As to your question, it depends on what you consider good performance. 15,000 pounds up a steep grade at 10,000 feet elevation is not exactly easy criteria. Having said that, any of the new big 3 diesels will do just that with almost shocking performance levels- 19000 pounds in tow up a 7% grade at 60 mph. You also don't mention what year Dodge you plan to get. An old 12-valve at stock performance settings would be miserably slow, (although these are relatively cheap and easy to modify for more power) but a new truck would have all the power you need.
carringb
Explorer
Jul 03, 2014
Turbo engines, gas or diesel, barely lose power at elevation. The do generate more heat in the turbo at elevation, but the struck will be fine stock.

Forum Discussion

Turbo diesel engine sizing?

20 Replies

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Near engine overheating gauge

Potential engine overheating

Diesel pusher engine size

Diesel engines.

These unreliable new diesel engines!