5.9 Cummins Diesel Towing capacity

[billy1davis]

I see by the owner's manual that the total towing capacity for my 5.9 24 valve Dodge 3500 4x2 is about 13000 and the rig I am looking at is 14000
Any ideas?

[billy1davis]

This is all very helpful. Thanks so much for your input and sure would love more comments if there is more I need to know.

[mkirsch]

If you're happy with the performance at 12,000, you won't notice much of a difference at 14,000 unless the new trailer has a lot more frontal area, or is less aerodynamic.

Assuming a 5th wheel travel trailer, as long as the pin weight doesn't overload the rear tires, and all the brakes work, fix the cooling problem and hit the road.

[Super_Dave]

The 5.9 has no problem pulling a house off its foundation, the overheating isn't a motor issue. My dually has the 5.9 and is rated for 18,000 lbs. The overheating issue is from another weak link in the system, not the motor.

[fj12ryder]

While checking the puke bottle is a good idea, mine has never proven to be a problem. No oil mist on the radiator, or gunked up puke bottle. But it is something to be checked.

[ib516]

billy1davis wrote:
it is a 2001
5.9 diesel
Dually
not 4x4
I had the tranny rebuilt with very heavy duty inards. He said better than the original and an extra cooler
Also has been chipped,
I never have had the the radiator flushed or the fluids changed
So I was pulling a 12000+ 5vr and it did find on the level but climbing a steep pass like a 2 lane and it got real hot so I pulled over 3 times to let it cool.
If it hadn;t heated up I could have pulled over that pass and others without any trouble.

You should pull the radiator out and clean it. The puke bottle covers it in oil mist which the fan distributes onto the rad which collects dust and plugs it up.

[Cummins12V98]

"The issue with the 2001 is the puke bottle getting gunk on the back side of the radiator."

So true! The one owner 01 Sport I bought two Summers ago had the radiator very plugged from the vapors coming out of the bottle. I removed radiator and had it cleaned inside and out and cleaned the engine compartment of all oil residue. I relocated a PEAK recovery bottle to the inside drivers side of the front bumper.

[fj12ryder]

Flushing the radiator and new antifreeze may help the heating a bit, but pulling a heavy load up a steep pass is going to work that engine hard. No way around that.

I don't know what else you've done, but install a fuel pressure gauge just in case. And a pyrometer would be good too. The old 5.9 is pretty bulletproof, but you can melt things if you're not careful

[Mote]

billy1davis wrote:
it is a 2001
5.9 diesel
Dually
not 4x4
I had the tranny rebuilt with very heavy duty inards. He said better than the original and an extra cooler
Also has been chipped,
I never have had the the radiator flushed or the fluids changed
So I was pulling a 12000+ 5vr and it did find on the level but climbing a steep pass like a 2 lane and it got real hot so I pulled over 3 times to let it cool.
If it hadn;t heated up I could have pulled over that pass and others without any trouble.

Howdy Billy,
I have a 1996 2wd 2500. When pulling on steep grades I use the overdrive lockout button so the transmission will lock into third gear and lock the torque converter. This keeps the transmission and engine a lot cooler when pulling hard on steep grades. Also, you might check to be sure the fan clutch is working as it should and engaging the fan.

[Huntindog]

IIRC, Dodges of that era were available with 3 gear ratios, each with a different tow rating. This was to protect the tranny.
A popular swap when fuel prices were high was to install 3.42s for better economy.
A friend bought such a truck used, thinking it had the orginal 4.10s. After destroying the trans towing a living quarters horse trailer, it had a pinion leak. The dealer discovered the gear swap during the repair. He had 4.10s put in it, and all was well.

[rhagfo]

billy1davis wrote:
it is a 2001
5.9 diesel
Dually
not 4x4
I had the tranny rebuilt with very heavy duty inards. He said better than the original and an extra cooler
Also has been chipped,
I never have had the the radiator flushed or the fluids changed
So I was pulling a 12000+ 5vr and it did find on the level but climbing a steep pass like a 2 lane and it got real hot so I pulled over 3 times to let it cool.
If it hadn;t heated up I could have pulled over that pass and others without any trouble.

The issue with the 2001 is the puke bottle getting gunk on the back side of the radiator. Drain cooling system, and pull radiator and steam clean all the gunk off of the cooling fins. Then refill after internal flush with 60/40 antifreeze/water mix for max cooling.

[billy1davis]

it is a 2001
5.9 diesel
Dually
not 4x4
I had the tranny rebuilt with very heavy duty inards. He said better than the original and an extra cooler
Also has been chipped,
I never have had the the radiator flushed or the fluids changed
So I was pulling a 12000+ 5vr and it did find on the level but climbing a steep pass like a 2 lane and it got real hot so I pulled over 3 times to let it cool.
If it hadn;t heated up I could have pulled over that pass and others without any trouble.

[1320Fastback]

The rig your looking at is 14,000 dry? So like 15-16000 outfitted?

[Cummins12V98]

Not enough info so why even give a half AZZ answer?

OP fill in the blanks.

[rhagfo]

billy1davis wrote:
I see by the owner's manual that the total towing capacity for my 5.9 24 valve Dodge 3500 4x2 is about 13000 and the rig I am looking at is 14000
Any ideas?

Well a few questions;
What year is the Ram, in 2003 they went common rail and gained close to 100 hp and about 200 lb ft of torque.
Is your 3500 DRW or SRW
We towed 12,500# with an 2001 Ram 2500 with a small chip without issue.

Is 14,000# the 5ers dry or GVWR, if dry you might have an issue, if dry it depends on how much you add to it.

[fj12ryder]

billy1davis wrote:
I see by the owner's manual that the total towing capacity for my 5.9 24 valve Dodge 3500 4x2 is about 13000 and the rig I am looking at is 14000
Any ideas?

I have a 2001 Dodge 3500 diesel dually. I pull a 5th wheel triple axle toyhauler that weighs a touch over 15,000 lbs. The engine has been fiddled with, and the NV5600 has a new clutch, but the truck pulls very well. I have to keep an eye on the pyrometer because it's very easy to get too enthusiastic with the go pedal and the temps can get very high with injudicious use of the right foot.

I pulled a 35' 5th wheel before this one and it weighed about 12,500 lbs. The truck pulled that thing with no issue at all, and got around 11.5 mpg. And that was with a basically stock engine.