GOrsted
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Re: Ram Power Wagon
BillyW wrote: According to their towing guide, there are Power Wagons with much more capability than that. Power Wagons have maintained a 8510 GVWR since their return to production in 2005. My 2006 quad cab automatic transmission has a 2167 payload rating, while a 2006 regular cab with an manual transmission has a 2440 payload rating. The quad cab/auto combination is heavier than the regular cab/manual combination and therefore has a reduced payload rating. The 4th generation went to a larger and heavier crew cab versus the previous quad cab and therefore payload was once again reduced. With the introduction of 6.4L/66RFE automatic combination replacing the previous 5.7L/545RFE automatic combination, the truck again became heavier and the payload rating of Power Wagons dropped to the current 1480. Current Power Wagons still maintain the 8510 GVWR they began with, they just have become heavier and therefore have lost payload capacity.531Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2007.5 Dodge 2500 steering wander?
If the steering/suspension parts are all in good condition, what you need is someone who knows how to do a front end alignment. My '06 was starting to wander a few years ago and the front end was in good shape. At the time it was still under warranty and I took it took the dealer for alignment in case there were parts that needed to be replaced. Their answer was an alignment which caused it to continually pull to the right. Granted it didn't "wander" the roadway, but was quite fatiguing to drive. Took it to the only mechanic I will allow to work on my vehicles outside of warranty work and he aligned it and it drove great again. He said the alignment when I brought it in was "spot on", dead center of specs. He aligned it so that it would drive nice. You need someone who "knows" how to align it and doesn't just make sure it is "in specs". IMHO603Views0likes0CommentsRe: Caption this one....
According to Snopes, the incident occurred in 2007 near Calgary, Alberta. The movers received the necessary permit(s)/approval for the route on a Friday for a Monday morning move. The approving authority faxed a change of route notification Friday after the mover's office had closed. The driver began the move Monday morning without having received the change of route notification. CLICKY305Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2003 Dodge 2500 Hemi towing improvement advice
the1adman wrote: Yeah I don't like 6000 rpm's I hit that and know where I was at cause I would surprisingly shift out of 2nd and be there In 1st. How much does your 5th wheel weight GOrste? It also has a lot more frontal area than my TT. Thanks for the advice DHDB. Is the PCM fuse labelled under the hood or are you pulling the main fuse? Thanks again for everyone's advice. I hear ya! Mine does the same thing. It is because of the big gap in gearing between 2nd and 1st. I don't often end up in first gear but when I do that is what happens - I will have it to the floor and loosing speed until about 40 MPH and then it shifts down into first and the RPMs jump to 6000. 2nd gear is too tall, but it can't downshift into first until the speed drops enough for the RPMs to be 6000 (redline). 6000 is too much and you can't maintain speed in 2nd, so I lock it in first and back off on the throttle to bring the RPMs down to under 5000 and just keep it there for the duration. The new 66RFE 6-speed should eliminate that by having an extra gear and closer together so that you don't have the two extreme choices for gear selections. My fifth wheel weighs in between 8000 and 8500 depending on how long and the nature of our trips (gear packed). I also have a 30-gallon refueling tank/toolbox combination full of fuel and tools. My weighed GCW is between 16,000 and 17,000. Driving on the flats, frontal surface area is the main opposition you have to overcome, pulling grades it is the weight.1.9KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 2003 Dodge 2500 Hemi towing improvement advice
That sounds about right. I am at about 6000 RPMs at 40 MPH. I try not to go beyond 5500 RPMs because the AC shuts off and the power begins to diminish. I don't know how much difference 4.56 gears makes as they are OEM for Power Wagons and therefore I have had them from the start. On some of the Dodge forums the guys that make the switch seem to be quite impressed. Hannibal on this forum had a 2005 Ram that he switched from 3.73s to 4.56s and seemed happy with the results. I looked back through your posts and see you are pulling 7% to 8% grades. On grades like that I will most likely be in first gear as well. This is the downhill side, but I had to return the same route.302Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2003 Dodge 2500 Hemi towing improvement advice
Another question: are you using premium (high-octane) fuel while towing? From Engine Operating Tips: "When pulling a heavy load or driving a fully loaded vehicle when the humidity is low or the temperature is high, use a premium (high-octane) unleaded fuel to help prevent spark knock." Living in AZ, as I do, we tow in low humidity AND high temperatures. When I first purchased my Power Wagon I followed this until someone on another forum said it was not necessary and I was wasting money, so I tried it with the mid-grade 89 I always use (as recommended). Well, the difference was quite noticeable. I had always been able to tow our fifth wheel on 260 on the grade to the top of the Mogollon Rim in 2nd gear. With mid-grade I was down into 1st gear with about a mile to go to reach the top. Back to premium for towing and the next trip (and subsequent ones) I was once again able to keep it in 2nd to the top. This last spring the temperatures were a little cooler and with the price of fuel I again tried mid-grade and again I was down into 1st gear with about a mile to go to reach the top.302Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2003 Dodge 2500 Hemi towing improvement advice
That is the unfortunate problem with the 545RFE - the poor spacing between gears, they are simply too far apart. Like you described, the transmission downshifts and you have power to accelerate, but once it shifts up a gear it is simply too far and the engine begins to bog down and lug until it has to downshift again. That is why I have found it is better once it downshifts to manually select the lower gear to hold it (whether it be 2nd or 1st) until you top out on the climb or the grade lessens. Once in the lower gear, if the RPMs climb to 4800, I will back off on the throttle to keep from going over 4800 and the speed will be whatever it is. I watch my tach on the pulls more than the speedo, I'm not going to be speeding up a hill with the 5'er anyway! :) I am a little confused about your RPMs. Is your 4800 RPMs @ 50 MPH in second gear accurate or are you just making a statement? I ask this because with 3.73s and larger than stock tires, your RPMs at a given speed in a particular gear should be lower than mine with 4.56 gearing. In 2nd gear @ 55 MPH my RPMS are 4500: I can usually hold this on 6% grades up until around 5000' to 6000' elevation. Above that my speed will begin to decrease as I go up in elevation. In your case it sounds like regearing would give the best results. The cheaper option is to be patient and settle for a lower gear and speed. I have yet to find anything I can't pull my 5'er in first gear. That includes 10% grades and elevations 9000' and above. I have towed our 5'er on I-70 to the Eisenhower Tunnel at over 11,000' three times. Good Luck!302Views0likes0Comments
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