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That Cummins, she’s just a ____ing machine!

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
First “real” tow with the new to us truck in my sig.
Have pulled my 32’ snomachine trailer all over this winter, but not near as large as the new toyhauler.
Interested to see how an under-geared (3.42s), over tired (37” Toyos) truck with a 6” lift would handle a bigger load.
Dropped the new camper on the hitch yesterday. Aired the bags up to 40psi to take the sag out of the @ss end and pointed it west.
From a handling standpoint, 35’ long high profile bumper pull toy hauler was zero issue. Even the typical nasty winds in Eastern WA didn’t really phase it. Got pushed around a little but nothing challenging about keeping it between the lines.
Power wise, I was expecting it to flounder a little maybe. Was running a 90hp tune.
But the truck ran 75-80mph, locked in 5th gear (6th is far too steep for highway speeds towing, with the tall gears and big tires). Engine and trans temp never budged from 200/170 +/- and truck never downshifted except coming up Vantage in the 5% grade stretch, she wouldn’t hold 1800rpms and 70mph in 5th.
Having never had a big tire, poorly geared, lifted diesel before, wasn’t sure how well it would do, comparatively.
But I can say all the blather about how bad lifted trucks are for towing, is really quite overstated.
The big C is a beast!

2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
35 REPLIES 35

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
PA12DRVR wrote:
Nice looking setup. While my preference would run to a blue oval, it sounds like your setup really hits the sweet spot for you.

...and if it can pull uphill fighting the winds (I spent three years around Spokane...), it's obviously a stout beast.

How's the truck work for routine drives w/o towing? Do the big tires & lift impact in-town maneuvering?


Thanks!
Yeah I was surprised how well it did coming up westbound at Vantage with a decent quartering head wind. Same grade, same conditions, similar power levels, similar frontal area and weight with the old Mega cab/TC/boat in tow, I'd have to drop to direct gear (4th gear on both rigs), but pulling the hill a little slower with the old Cummins. If this truck was not lifted and sitting on stock tires, it would have annihilated that hill I'm pretty sure...
I wouldn't say sweet spot, but it gets the job done just fine and better than the "sometimes uninformed" onslaught of opinions about how bad lifted trucks tow.
The tune helps. I was running at a 90 level. Didn't try it on stock power level. Although stock, even on the SO 6.7s is pretty decent at 370/800.
Daily driving is basically the same, except I can just about look eye to eye with semi truck drivers, lol. Maneuvering in thight quarters is like having a short dually with dually wheels front and back.
Backing into parking spaces is even more necessary than with a skinny truck and some drive thrus, its best to just pull up onto the appropriate curb to make your way through vs trying to thread the needle and curb rash the brodozer rims!
Handling is fine, no perceived lack of cornering stability, but I suspect the big offset on wide tires cancels out the higher center of gravity. Steering is a little more vague than stock. Akin to the old 07 truck with 100k more miles on mostly original steering components. Part of it is big squishy tires that I'm also running a bit soft, trying to correct the wear pattern that the PO caused by running them over-inflated.
I attribute the rest to the cheap lift kit and trailing arm relocation brackets vs longer trailing arms and same thing with the front track bar. Front springs aren't as initially complaint as a quality lift coil like a Thuren or Carli spring which makes the front ride a bid harsh as well over small bumps like potholes or sunken manhole lids and bridge approaches.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

PA12DRVR
Explorer
Explorer
Nice looking setup. While my preference would run to a blue oval, it sounds like your setup really hits the sweet spot for you.

...and if it can pull uphill fighting the winds (I spent three years around Spokane...), it's obviously a stout beast.

How's the truck work for routine drives w/o towing? Do the big tires & lift impact in-town maneuvering?
CRL
My RV is a 1946 PA-12
Back in the GWN

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
I prefer Gem!
Actually I’d prefer an Aisin equipped truck with at least 3.73s and no brodozer look, but I was not one to kiss a gift horse in the mouth when I traded the old truck and TC for this thing.
For what it is and all the sht talking I do about the 68rfe, it actually does better in its current configuration than I had imagined it would.
Hence my statement... she’s a ____ing machine!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Come on Fish just admit it’s a “JEWEL”
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
FishOnOne wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
Bringing this back to the top for Fish!


Thanks for the opportunity... :B

I see a camper with the name Torque so it can push the truck around! :B


That’s what I was hoping for but it felt like the brakes were on, based on my fuel mileage!
I think the connotation is “better have a sht load of TORQUE to pull this pig!”
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

FishOnOne
Explorer III
Explorer III
Grit dog wrote:
Bringing this back to the top for Fish!


Thanks for the opportunity... :B

I see a camper with the name Torque so it can push the truck around! :B
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Huntindog wrote:
2000# on the ball with no WD....... oh my.


Must be I overestimated that. As it's pressure and height that calcs to how much weight it's supporting.
Just read the specs and supposedly the trailer's dry tongue weight is 1355lbs.
I had the wdh in the front compartment and idk, maybe a half tank of water, wherever that is, but it appears it's right over the axles as that's where the drain valve is?

In hindsight, I'm guessing it was more like 1500-1600lbs?
Either way, she towed like a dream and within the rating of the hitch and receiver.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
2000# on the ball with no WD....... oh my.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Oh, and 6 in a row, built to tow!
8 in a vee....you know the rest!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Did I mention, the WDH that came with it is up for sale on FB and CL currently?

Don't need that shizzz...
:C
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Grit dog wrote:
Bringing this back to the top for Fish!


Thanks, it's been a bit quiet lately!
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Bringing this back to the top for Fish!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
IdaD wrote:
My 2015 is stock other than Timbrens, but yeah it's a beast towing. Are you running a WDH or did you just drop it on a ball? Our current trailer is a fifth wheel but I think there's a good chance our next one will be a bumper pull, either TH or TT. It would be nice to just drop it on a ball hitch and not mess around with a WDH if it handled okay. Good loooking combo!

I'm probably going to wait out the current price spike - I'm thinking there are going to be some good deals on the other side when lots of new trailer owners realize they don't like camping and dumping black tanks for fun. Not everybody is cut out to be cousin Eddie.


Yeah, this impressed me, given the big tires combined with little gears aint the best combo for towing.
No wdh. Seller gave me his. Drop shank was too short to level the trailer and only 2" and I'm not a huge fan of adapters.
It handled just like most trailers I've pulled. Tracked straight as an arrow. But to be fair, toyhauler has some wicked tongue weight.
Since my truck is leveled, any squat is nose in the air, so I leveled back to unloaded height with the bags. Took a little over 40psi to get it eyeball close. So 5000lb bags @ 100psi, 40psi = 2klbs roughly? EDIT: Probably more like 1500lbs tongue weight.

I WISH I could have waited. (Well I could have but that would have tanked this summer's activities. My family is no longer tent friendly...) On the upside, I didn't get rolled too bad for this camper. It was a good enough deal that it was sale pending 3 hours after it was listed.
I'm totally good with how it tows and anything short of loading our CJ5 in the garage and it should still have more than ample tongue weight.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

IdaD
Explorer
Explorer
My 2015 is stock other than Timbrens, but yeah it's a beast towing. Are you running a WDH or did you just drop it on a ball? Our current trailer is a fifth wheel but I think there's a good chance our next one will be a bumper pull, either TH or TT. It would be nice to just drop it on a ball hitch and not mess around with a WDH if it handled okay. Good loooking combo!

I'm probably going to wait out the current price spike - I'm thinking there are going to be some good deals on the other side when lots of new trailer owners realize they don't like camping and dumping black tanks for fun. Not everybody is cut out to be cousin Eddie.
2015 Cummins Ram 4wd CC/SB