To make a long story short.. I recently got deeper into the whole quad motocross thing an bought a 20ft enclosed trailer for racing. Now the problem is the trailer is heavier than what I expected.. my hemi can pull the trailer through the city easy but on the hwy is a BIG no no.. an my overhead read 5.8 mpg. I tried everything tow haul was no help o/d off was no help. it just revs out pulling the thing.. Now I need some help with opinions.. I've been thinking about getting a 2nd gen cummins diesel (still keeping the hemi). Would that be the smart thing to do? My friend told me that would be a big waste of money and I would get the same gas mileage? Is that true? He It would just be cheaper to mod my truck? What mods would help with towing anyway

 

your friend is full of crap . A CUMMINS will pull it very well and get you 20+ MPG . but that would be the more expensive end .

What i would do . get better low end gears . and a SC with a tow tune . a set of air bags and your all set .

And for the record the overheads are never right . and you might want to clean your TB and due a service.

 

Agree, Diesels no real chg in mileage (tow or not) and you may need tune/service. With Hemi IMO you should always Tow with the OD off as it will help with that constant downshifting at 60 MPH. I sold my trailer and it only weighed 4000 lbs. The down side was my 3.55's, but my SC on Tow improved things alot. My over head Mileage read 32 Liters of Fuel per 100 Km use (canadian mode) maintaining 65 mph which was about 9 gallons Us per 60 miles (6 1/2-7 MPG) so thats close to what you are saying.

 

gears and s/c....serious damn 20' wow how many quads you hauling?....thats enough room for a small shop and 3 bikes...

 

how heavy is your trailer when loaded? also, for gross vehicle weight, youll need to factor in the trailer weight, and the weight from all passengers and gear in the truck, and the truck itself. if you are well over your trucks rated limit, and get into an accident, insurance will not cover you. and you will be forced to fork out a whole bunch of money out of pocket to cover all damages.

however, as stated already, gears are your best friend for towing with a hemi. 4.56s to be exact. if you want to get more into it, install a low end cam like a sindwinder or a crazy jay. it wont cost anywhere near as much as a new truck, and itll give you a good boost in power to help you tow easier.

another thing you could do, is get some smaller wheels/tires. like some 17's with 31" tires. and just put them on when you plan on towing. the smaller circumference of the tire will help.

and lastly, make sure you have good trailer brakes installed. if the trailer has electric brakes, get yourself a good controller such as the prodigy P3.

 

Gears (4:56) and a tuner should get you on track.

Mine does fine, 12x6 trailer, bike is another 850 lbs plus equipment.



Good luck...

 

Hey redtruck, do you have the airbag helpers? I was worried about dropping mine as low as yours because occasionally I haul stuff and pull a trailor but yours seems to not be too bad with that trailor hooked up. P.S. I voted for you for totm. Love the look you got going on.

 

That's what I said! I know a guy that is selling a cummins that why I was saying that. Was kind of cheap.. 4000 with 102,000 miles..

alright thats good to know but it sure did feel like it.. I litterally watched my gas gauge go down. but I will look at my TB tonight.

 

for racing man haha It was just my quad an 2 dirtbikes. an our gear an helmets. youll see it the next time i'm down that way haha. Once I can pull it down there.

 

Noz,
No bags,
Highway running is not an issue, running the back roads and bags would be a help. I ran bags on a previous lowered truck and they are great. Actually I'm thinking of dropping another inch all around. I'll use bags then. I don't tow often, but it really isn't a problem. Same as when I pulled the O/L spring everyone said how it would ruin the truck. Well I can say after 6 years that it is all BS. I have modified bump stops frt and rear and the truck rides better than most stock trucks and drives like a sports car. Thanks for the vote, it would really be something to have a lowered truck beat the big boys.... lol