depending on the tongue weight of your trailers you guys might be thinking to big for nothing but bigger is always better so they say i,ll give you an example did you know that with the right towing package you can tow more weight with a half ton then you can with a three quarter ton truck this isn,t bull heres why the 1/2 ton is a lighter vehicle an can have the same towing package as a 3/4 ton but can tow more because GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT is higher 3/4 ton trucks are built to carry a heavier load in the box and because the truck is heavier it,s gross vehicle weight will be lower then the 1/2 ton I just found this out this summer that 3/4 ton trucks are better for pulling but it,s not true I OWN A94 CHEVY WITH I believe the 411 rearend and a 350 motor i haul a30 foot sportsman fifth wheel and two quads in the back on a utility trailer and I HAVE NO problems actually some people come and ask me why I,m pulling this rig with this half ton and then i tell them that it,s rated to tow it so why not.I COULD HOOK A HOUSE TO THIS TRUCK AND IT WOULD PULL IT TO TIMBUCKTOO.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

Well if we are just talking pulling a trailer down the road, I have a 1970 mustang that has a 428 CJ in it that will PULL a big trailer down the road. I really don't think it's capable of stopping the trailer repeated times or keeping it at a safe speed down a long grade. Sure most vehhicles can tow or pull a trailer, providing the trailer is on wheels but to tow a trailer in heavy wind, up and down 6-8% grades with a full load and accelerate up to speed in a timely manner just is not up to a great deal of vehicles. My trailer has a 1200# dry tonuge weight once I load it I'm sure it's a couple of hundred pounds over that. I know you said " depending on tongue weight", and I'm sure your 1/2 ton pickup will do just fine since you are pulling a 5th wheel. There is a substantial difference from pulling a 5th wheel compared to a bumper tow model. I would keep a close eye on those little brakes though and keep fresh gear oil in the rearend. Frame sizes are also a major consideration to reduce flexing and keeping the trailer from moving the truck around. In a panic stop/manuver I would little confidence in a 1/2 ton pickup due to it's brake size and weaker frames.

 

The 03' and 04's don't make near the racket that the early ones did, especially at idle. Really liking it so far. The trip computer says I'm up to 18.5 to 19.0 MPG now. About 1,000 miles on it. Driving about 110 miles to work and back.

Not going to do any motor mods but I am wondering about tires. Maybe you guys can help me out. It came stock with LT265/70/17's Michelin street tires which look really small. I was thinking about going to either the LT285/70/17 or LT315/70/17 BFG AT KO. I know the 285's will fit no problem but nobody knows for sure if the 315's will work. There is plenty of power to pull any of them down the highway, so that is not a concern. I would like to go with the 315's but I don't want to add a lift. Does anyone know for sure that they will work and can you recalibrate the speedo back to stock. Hypertech sells a programmer for later model chevys that will recalibrate for a new tire size but I haven't seen one for Dodge yet.

 

There is a discussion on 315's here:

TDR forum

 

Glad to here you went with the dodge/cummins! You cant beat the cummins for torque, and ease of upgrades(they are all easy to upgrade now though).I will be 16 in 19 days(get my permit then!), and i have a 2500 4x4 94 model automatic(wish it was 5spd) cummins with 160,000 and still running like a scalded dog! I dynoed it, and it has 246hp(160hp and 400 torque stock by factory ratings), and 635ft.lbs of torque with the torque plate that has been added to it(about a $300 kit, and can do it yourself in about an hour)(only works on 12 valves though which are 94 to 98 models), and will outrun and out pull my dads stock 98 12 valve 2500 5spd cummins by quite a bit, even though it is still plenty powerful.The only downfall to my truck is the auto not getting enough power to the ground to suit me. I drag raced it at scheid diesel extravaganza in terre haute indiana, and ran a 11.6 in the 1/8th.I am getting boost, and pyro guages for it sometime soon, and may get a more heavy duty torque converter to hold the power since it slips the stock one. Check out the picturs of my truck in my gallery, and tell me what you think.Its just unbelievable what kind of power you can get from a diesel with just a chip or a box! If you do get a chip or box though, be sure to get guages to monitor your EGT's. Good luck with the new truck, because im sure youll love it!

 

Cat, don't count on that trip 'puter being accurate, they are usually off on the MPGs. Best to do the math by hand. You might have to put in a 2" leveling kit on the front for those tires.

Redneck, good looking truck and impressive pic. of you hauling hay with the quad, Honda should put it in their promo ads ! Smart thinking on the gauges as well. More fuel=more heat and needs to be watched while towing the heavy stuff for sure. 246HP outta a '94 12 valver ain't bad at all. My buddy had a '98 12 valve CTD and had it up to 435 RWHP ( dyno proven) with little effort. I wish I had the P7100 pump in my truck, these electronic injection pumps can be fragile and costly to replace.

One of these days I'll get around to setting up my gallery. Think you'd get a hoot out of my 6" single stack [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Scott W.

 

Hey big saint.
You need to get up a picture of youre truck! I bet that 6 inch stack looks bad going down the road! I thought about putting a 4-5 inch stack on mine, but i think it would be hard to bring myself to cut a hole in the bed. If my transmission would hold the power, i might would get some injectors for my truck too, but it costs so much to upgrade the auto in my truck to hold the power of the motor that its almost not worth it[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img].Almost[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]. Thanks for the comment on the pictures. I pull quite a bit of stuff with my foreman and have been really happy with it so far. The key switch wasnt wanting to turn a few days ago, and i got out the spare key, and it worked fine.I think since i always use the same key, that the points were getting wore off and making it not want to work right, because the spare works fine.

 

Redneck... it was difficult to cut through the bed, but worth it in the long run. Very loud would be a understatement [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] . I'll see what I can do about getting some pics. uploaded this week, she needs a bath first. I hear ya on the auto tranny. I was lucky and all I needed was a McLeod dual disk street clutch to keep the power to the wheels. To date, here's what I have... Bullydog step 5 injectors, Edge EZ box piggybacked to a TST PM3 Comp. box, K+N RE0880 air filter, Holset HX40 16cm turbo, McLeod Dual disk clutch, custom 6" stack, Mag-Hytec front and rear covers, oil temp, boost, egt, and 2 fuel pressure gauges( post and pre fuel filter), Custom fuel delivery system ( inbound) with braided SS lines and aeroquip fittings. All inbound banjo bolts are bye bye.

Ram on !!!

Scott W.

 

Is the K&N filter you have a cone filter? I am thinking about buying a cone filter K&N says will fit my truck(part # 33-2056), and i was just wondering how you liked it, and if it made the turbo whistle in the cab louder.My cousin has one on his 96, and it sounds awesome in the cab, but im not sure what brand his is.The one i looked at is about $66, but im not sure how long, or big around it is.If you dont mind saying, did you buy yours on the net(if so where), and what did it cost you, and did it fit right up with no mods? You have a lot of mods on that truck! I bet that thing runs awesome! My cousins is hopped up a little bit, and it is pretty fast, but were not sure whats done to it because he bought it like that. It does have a plate from what i can tell though, because the break off screw has been took out, and put back in before. How much did the HX 40 turbo help the truck? Does the turbo spool up faster? Sorry for all the questions; im just curious [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img].

 

Hey redneck, the K+N is a cone filter, part number RE-0880. You can get them on the net, I bought mine from another TDR member that was marketing a cold air kit. Came with a plastic housing and you have to drill a 4" hole under the hood to draw in cold air, rather than hot engine compartment air. It's called SAS Scotty Air System after the designer. Really does a decent job of lowering the egt's on the hot days you are towing. The latest and greatest now is the AFE filters, seem to flow even better than the K+Ns and are cleanable as are the K+Ns. Try this link for more AFE info ....

http://www.smokindiesel.com/

The HX-40 was necessary in my HP goal. The OEM HX-35 would have never survived the heavy fueling I now have. It doesn't spool quite as quick as the 35, but once he does, look out !!! I have mine wastegated at 45 psi's to keep it healthy for a while. I can make 40 psi of boost in 3rd gear and 45 psi + is effortless in 4th-6th gears.

Ask away, I love talkin truck [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Scott W.