Towed my fifth wheel for the first time with my new 13 2500. It had 828 miles on it when I started. I was impressed with the overall ride and comfort while towing, and the power was phenomenal. This trip was just a 100 mile trip to check everything and get away for the first time this year.
I came out of a low mileage 12 valve 97 extended cab 4x4 long bed that had several modifications for more power and durability. It had a #8 fuel plate along with guages and a Goerend tranny with a triple disk converter. It was very reliable, leaving us stranded only once due to a clogged in tank strainer. Introduced me to what algae was. This truck pulled my fifth wheel pretty good, only getting lugged down on some of the bigger hills. My camper is not very heavy at around 7200 lbs, so it is a fraction of rated capacity. It would pull fuel mileage down from about 17 unloaded to around 11 with the camper. It also rode pretty rough, pitching violently on some of the Ga DOT bridges we have.
On to the new truck. I set up the B and W hitch the night before. I was concerned with the height of the truck versus the height of the kingpin, and my worries were confirmed. I have to have the nose of the fifth wheel considerably higher than desired in order to maintain 6" minimum clearance between the bed caps and tailgate. I definitely do not want to get into my bed or tailgate. I came close a few times with my old truck entering parking lots and such. It had 5" and I was always worried I would smack it. Anyway, the B and W is awesome, coming from an older Reese hitch, and hooking up could only be easier if I had the cab mounted camera. I did not have to adjust the brakes at all, and the factory brake controller was much better at controlling the braking over my previous Voyager. This along with the exhaust brake set to Auto meant I hardly had to use the truck brakes on the entire trip. Before, it was a press and jerk release, press and jerk release no matter how I had the trailer brakes set up.
As we started out from the driveway, I noticed the truck hardly changed the shift points from unloaded. It didn't really seem the trailer was back there. The lack of noise brought several comments by the wife, and the stereo was audible at just the slightest volume setting. A normal conversation could actually be had in this truck. And the room, wow! The 6 yr old enjoyed playing on her table in the back with the USB power hookup, and the wife and I enjoyed some conversation together.
We hit the hills pretty quickly, as we have a decent little pull withing a 1/2 mile of the house. The truck didn't even know it was there and charged right up the hill. I made sure the Tow/Haul mode was activated and the exhaust brake was set to Auto and we hit the big highway.
I was listening for the engine to settle in like I always did with the old 12 valve but never really heard much. I glance down at the speedometer and realized I had better slow down a bit, it was bouncing on 70 Letting up on the go pedal I felt the exhaust brake. Ohhhh, this is awesome.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, just couldn't believe how smooth the truck handled everything. The most impressive moment was one of the bridges we had crossed many times and would become nauseating and violent with the bucking on the previous 2 Dodge trucks ( a 91 CTD 4x4 and the 97) I had. This one barely even moved. The wife commented about how nice that was.
As far as the performance, the fuel mileage averaged 13.1 for the 100 mile trip. The temperatures did not change at all from unloaded while towing, but did increase significantly while searching for a camping spot and positioning the camper. I could not reduce the tranny temp even with the tranny in neutral and throttle at about 1200 rpm. It ran about 168-172 while towing, but climbed to 194 at the campground. This made me a little nervous since I had always read to keep the tranny temp down to around 150-160. I know these have synthetic fluid, but heat is still a killer to a transmission. The oil temp got up to 204 at idle. Coolant temp never got over 197. Ambient temp was only 68.
All in all, I love the truck. I hate I had to spend what I did to get it, but hope it will last me a long time. I am not one to trade often and definitely do not have to have the best and newest to be happy. This is a pretty much stripped Tradesman with 220A alternator, brake controller, convenience package, rubber mats over carpet, anti-spin differential, and I think that is it for options. Still nicely equipped, but was surprised at the lack of underhood light and regular mirrors. Will be changing those out and buying an underhood factory light. I already found the plug and it has power. I also need a camera to help hook up the boat.
Comments are welcome. I am new to the 4th generations, but not new to Rams or Cummins. I had a 1st and 2nd and could pretty much take them apart from the front to the back. I was looking under this one and it looks like I am going to have to get good at unplugging connectors if I plan to take this one apart.
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I came out of a low mileage 12 valve 97 extended cab 4x4 long bed that had several modifications for more power and durability. It had a #8 fuel plate along with guages and a Goerend tranny with a triple disk converter. It was very reliable, leaving us stranded only once due to a clogged in tank strainer. Introduced me to what algae was. This truck pulled my fifth wheel pretty good, only getting lugged down on some of the bigger hills. My camper is not very heavy at around 7200 lbs, so it is a fraction of rated capacity. It would pull fuel mileage down from about 17 unloaded to around 11 with the camper. It also rode pretty rough, pitching violently on some of the Ga DOT bridges we have.
On to the new truck. I set up the B and W hitch the night before. I was concerned with the height of the truck versus the height of the kingpin, and my worries were confirmed. I have to have the nose of the fifth wheel considerably higher than desired in order to maintain 6" minimum clearance between the bed caps and tailgate. I definitely do not want to get into my bed or tailgate. I came close a few times with my old truck entering parking lots and such. It had 5" and I was always worried I would smack it. Anyway, the B and W is awesome, coming from an older Reese hitch, and hooking up could only be easier if I had the cab mounted camera. I did not have to adjust the brakes at all, and the factory brake controller was much better at controlling the braking over my previous Voyager. This along with the exhaust brake set to Auto meant I hardly had to use the truck brakes on the entire trip. Before, it was a press and jerk release, press and jerk release no matter how I had the trailer brakes set up.
As we started out from the driveway, I noticed the truck hardly changed the shift points from unloaded. It didn't really seem the trailer was back there. The lack of noise brought several comments by the wife, and the stereo was audible at just the slightest volume setting. A normal conversation could actually be had in this truck. And the room, wow! The 6 yr old enjoyed playing on her table in the back with the USB power hookup, and the wife and I enjoyed some conversation together.
We hit the hills pretty quickly, as we have a decent little pull withing a 1/2 mile of the house. The truck didn't even know it was there and charged right up the hill. I made sure the Tow/Haul mode was activated and the exhaust brake was set to Auto and we hit the big highway.
I was listening for the engine to settle in like I always did with the old 12 valve but never really heard much. I glance down at the speedometer and realized I had better slow down a bit, it was bouncing on 70 Letting up on the go pedal I felt the exhaust brake. Ohhhh, this is awesome.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, just couldn't believe how smooth the truck handled everything. The most impressive moment was one of the bridges we had crossed many times and would become nauseating and violent with the bucking on the previous 2 Dodge trucks ( a 91 CTD 4x4 and the 97) I had. This one barely even moved. The wife commented about how nice that was.
As far as the performance, the fuel mileage averaged 13.1 for the 100 mile trip. The temperatures did not change at all from unloaded while towing, but did increase significantly while searching for a camping spot and positioning the camper. I could not reduce the tranny temp even with the tranny in neutral and throttle at about 1200 rpm. It ran about 168-172 while towing, but climbed to 194 at the campground. This made me a little nervous since I had always read to keep the tranny temp down to around 150-160. I know these have synthetic fluid, but heat is still a killer to a transmission. The oil temp got up to 204 at idle. Coolant temp never got over 197. Ambient temp was only 68.
All in all, I love the truck. I hate I had to spend what I did to get it, but hope it will last me a long time. I am not one to trade often and definitely do not have to have the best and newest to be happy. This is a pretty much stripped Tradesman with 220A alternator, brake controller, convenience package, rubber mats over carpet, anti-spin differential, and I think that is it for options. Still nicely equipped, but was surprised at the lack of underhood light and regular mirrors. Will be changing those out and buying an underhood factory light. I already found the plug and it has power. I also need a camera to help hook up the boat.
Comments are welcome. I am new to the 4th generations, but not new to Rams or Cummins. I had a 1st and 2nd and could pretty much take them apart from the front to the back. I was looking under this one and it looks like I am going to have to get good at unplugging connectors if I plan to take this one apart.
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TurboDieselDude, you've got to change your name now!LOL. I too considered going to gas from my previous diesel, but after driving the new 6.4 Hemi, you can see what I bought. I looked at the F150 with the Ecoboost, but couldn't find a long bed crew on the lots and didn't think I would be happy long term in a 150 class truck. Have had 250/2500s too long. The 8000 is worth it to me, especially after pulling with the new Cummins.
OhiopickerI have read about lowering the rear to bring it level, just can't bring myself to lower a 4x4, that's sacrilege to me. Ha ha. Thanks for the tip though.
Campigloo, I did use the tow/haul mode for all but the last 10 miles. Wanted to see if it made a difference. I found the tranny holds the shift a little longer and is more aggressive overall. Temps didn't change though. I am looking at some mirrors. A few guys over on a different site are paving the way with the conversion to the towing mirrors. They figured out how to replace the mirrors like mine with the tow mirrors and have the blinker and puddle lamps work with a factory flash. I will be doing that if I can ever recover from spending all this money.
FishOnOne, Aftermarket wheels, XD Addicts. Factory tires. Knew I couldn't go taller without running into issues. Glad I didn't. These tires are pretty good. They are the upgraded Firestone Transforce AT that have a nearly 5 star rating on TireRack. Certainly could do worse for tires. I don't go in the mud at all so I think these will suffice, especially with 4x4 and anti slip diff. They sure do ride good.
45Ricochet, stock deer catcher? It's a Ranch Hand Legacy grill guard. In hopes I don't hit a deer. The folks I know that have hit them with these guards suffered little to no damage, which is why I went with this one.
catfishmontana, These bars are the new Ranch Hand bars. I had originally requested NFabs, but the guy at the counter showed me these. The Nfabs have an open step, perfect for my daughter's foot to slide through. The Ranch Hands are closed off with the grated material so absolutely no slipping can occur. They actually form a large pocket for your foot. I like them. They hang a little lower than I thought they would though.
Thanks for the comments and compliments.
Oh, the new BandW!
OhiopickerI have read about lowering the rear to bring it level, just can't bring myself to lower a 4x4, that's sacrilege to me. Ha ha. Thanks for the tip though.
Campigloo, I did use the tow/haul mode for all but the last 10 miles. Wanted to see if it made a difference. I found the tranny holds the shift a little longer and is more aggressive overall. Temps didn't change though. I am looking at some mirrors. A few guys over on a different site are paving the way with the conversion to the towing mirrors. They figured out how to replace the mirrors like mine with the tow mirrors and have the blinker and puddle lamps work with a factory flash. I will be doing that if I can ever recover from spending all this money.
FishOnOne, Aftermarket wheels, XD Addicts. Factory tires. Knew I couldn't go taller without running into issues. Glad I didn't. These tires are pretty good. They are the upgraded Firestone Transforce AT that have a nearly 5 star rating on TireRack. Certainly could do worse for tires. I don't go in the mud at all so I think these will suffice, especially with 4x4 and anti slip diff. They sure do ride good.
45Ricochet, stock deer catcher? It's a Ranch Hand Legacy grill guard. In hopes I don't hit a deer. The folks I know that have hit them with these guards suffered little to no damage, which is why I went with this one.
catfishmontana, These bars are the new Ranch Hand bars. I had originally requested NFabs, but the guy at the counter showed me these. The Nfabs have an open step, perfect for my daughter's foot to slide through. The Ranch Hands are closed off with the grated material so absolutely no slipping can occur. They actually form a large pocket for your foot. I like them. They hang a little lower than I thought they would though.
Thanks for the comments and compliments.
Oh, the new BandW!
