Am I abusing my truck?

[CGauthier]

I tow a 14,000 lb machine around the city pretty regularly plus the weight of the trailer (approx. 2500 lbs)---can I expect to start seein components go KABOOM? Dam I hope not, cause I'll have spent thousands before I even get guages For the most part the roads are pretty flat around here, not too many hills... My friend figgures he roasted his rearend in his Ford pulling these machines around because the rearend is humming. I hope to hear some pleasant words in this thread



TIA,

Carl G

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Ok, first... . step away from that rear end... .



You will need to use your gears properly, otherwise you'll stress an already marginal transmission. Over fill it by 1 quart. That will help prevent anything running dry when operating at steep angles and or heavy acceleration/deceleration. It's a common preventative measure.

Make sure you have gauges... they'll save you and at the very least warn you of trouble under the hood.

Your clutch is really working with that kind of weight but you have the advantage of not having major grades to pull from the sound of it.

The rear diff. is a pretty sturdy unit and I wouldn't be overly concerned there... . just do your fluid changes based on "severe duty cycle" schedule and you'll be fine.



Enjoy... .



Pastor bob... .

 

[CGauthier]

Originally posted by BushWakr

Ok, first... . step away from that rear end... .







Enjoy... .



Pastor bob... .

LOL I touched my baby's rearend tonite after a long hard pull... . oooo nice firm buttocks she has hehe The diff was just kinda warm to the touch and I was happy about this. Jeez Pastor, I wish you were my father My dad doesn't know anything about CTD... . in fact he didnt want me to spend the money on the truck cause he figgured I could find something alot cheaper, like his brother in laws Ford with a 460 gasser, needless to say, DECLINED-as I showed him the eye of the Tiger hehe. Thanx very much PB, you eased my worried mind Now, if we could just get some decent weather so i could make some $$ I would order some dam guages! How's it been out there?



P. S. As far as using the gears properly, when towing I get the RPM's way up there before shifting and if the gear is a little iffy for the speed i'm trying to go i keep it in the higher rpm gear (if you can make ANY sense outta that)... is there more to it than that?



Carl G

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Just for fits and giggles... try this... . the next time it rains and you have a decent drive to make... . when you pull off and stop, go around the back and see if the diff housing is wet or dry.

That will tell you what is going on inside that baby.....

Then try switching to a full synthetic gear oil. If you have an LSD do not add any additive for a day or so. Drive it and make sure that you do not have any binding while cornering. If you do, add a half bottle of friction modifier and drive it a bit more. Keep doing this until you no longer have any sign of binding and call it good.....



Now, the next time the same conditions occur, do the same experiment. You "should" find that the diff is either entirely or at least partially wet and cool to the touch.

That will tell you what is NOT happening in there any more... .



pb.

 

[CGauthier]

Hmmmph... . when I was checking the diff on the way up I cranked my head on the trailer hitch and I think i'm retarted now... . because I'm having a very hard time figuring out what this experiment will tell me about my baby's buttocks... Can you get RWHP penalties if your still stock? If so that's just wrong lol

 

[bgilbert]

It must be late for Bob. Carl you are well over the gross combined vehicle weight for your truck and maybe any Dodge Cummins vehicle and you DON'T even have guages?? (14,000+2500+truck ~6k-7k=big load) Big HP penalty for that in my book... I'd stay out of 5th until you hit the governor in 4th gear with that load.



With the rearend experiment, Bob's saying if the RE stays dry while its raining, that will tell you that inside the RE is very warm, enough so to heat the housing and rain off of it. Running a synthetic gear oil, or I would definately step up to a 85-140 weight gear oil with those kinds of loads, a synthetic will make the RE run cooler and the keep the oil inside from breaking down due to high operating temps.



No HP penalties for stock. Note to all: a pyro to monitor the meltdown of your engine internals, boost to monitor turbo drive pressures. . Bill

 

[CGauthier]

Originally posted by bgilbert

It must be late for Bob. Carl you are well over the gross combined vehicle weight for your truck and maybe any Dodge Cummins vehicle and you DON'T even have guages?? (14,000+2500+truck ~6k-7k=big load) Big HP penalty for that in my book... I'd stay out of 5th until you hit the governor in 4th gear with that load.



With the rearend experiment, Bob's saying if the RE stays dry while its raining, that will tell you that inside the RE is very warm, enough so to heat the housing and rain off of it. Running a synthetic gear oil, or I would definately step up to a 85-140 weight gear oil with those kinds of loads, a synthetic will make the RE run cooler and the keep the oil inside from breaking down due to high operating temps.



No HP penalties for stock. Note to all: a pyro to monitor the meltdown of your engine internals, boost to monitor turbo drive pressures. . Bill

Ugh. I better get my butt in gear on those guages... I was thinking if i didnt increase my power(fuel) I could get away without guages... I didn't realize I was over the CGVW too badly,and i try to be as easy as possible on the truck. I'm feeling a sense of urgency here . And embarrassment too for my ignorance. At least they're short trips. As far as that experiment goes i feel embarrassed about that too, I shoulda been able to figgur that one out Makes sense, Thanks Bill.

 

[dan brooks]

Just FYI, according to my service manual the GCVW (gross combined, which includes truck, cargo, trailer, etc) is 14k lbs for D/W250 & 350 trucks... with 4. 56 gears, which you don't have. The GCVW is 12k lbs for trucks with 3. 54 gears (and 13,500 for 4. 10s), so you're over on just the weight of the equipment alone. That doesn't mean the truck can't pull it, but you have to ask yourself if it's a good idea to be running 8k-10k pounds over the GCVW.



As far as the rear diffs holding up, the D70 isn't all that great. My truck spun a carrier bearing and wiped out a couple shims, and I know a few others on TDR have had the same problem. A friend, who is a mechanic/supervisor for a large construction company, said the problem isn't uncommon for heavily loaded D70s. Check your diff fluid often, and make sure the magnet is in place inside the rear cover. I was able to catch my problem before the R&P was damaged only because I saw the shim on the magnet while checking the fluid level.

 

[CGauthier]

Dam, I'm not feeling so good now I need this truck to haul my machine around I guess I'll have to be VERY careful and easy on the go pedal... . hopefully she'll survive.

 

[bgilbert]

Dan, I read that too in my old 93 service manual but I think its for gassers? Ok here's the EDIT. From the 1989 Power Ram Diesel supplement manul- GCVWR- 14k for auto's, 16k for 5sp... Bill

 

[dan brooks]

My manual doesn't mention any difference between gas and diesel...

 

[CGauthier]

Ok guys, I was thinkin about this all day today. If the truck is say 6,000 lbs(at the very minimum); ya hook up a trailer thats 2000 lbs, then your only good for another 6000 lbs? What's that, three snowmobiles? Lol. Man, I see piles of half ton trucks hauling around bobcats which are in the neighborhood of 7-10,000 lbs. I think Dodge may have been playin the numbers down--cause my bro with the 89' Ford is rated slightly higher than mine; and i told him not bloody likely! Lets hook bumper to bumper then! Lmao. I'm still paranoid about towing it now, although PB is a God and he thinks I'll be ok... . Guess I just love my truck too much hehe. Ha I had to wait for my BHAF to be shipped from Calgary-weird,couldnt get it at any of the big truck outfits here even though they dealt with fleetguard; had to put in an order with Napa... . anyways I got it today and I was all like doctor giggles under the hood puttin that thing in! I felt like i was giving a kid a Christmas present, took my mind off tha RE for awhile anyways. Sorry to be a blabber mouth, but when i was gettin my bhaf, one guy said holy shiite, whats that for? I said its goin in my RAM; and started explaining why i was ditching the K&N; some dude starts sayin nah, the K&N is ok, just lets through a little more of the smaller particles, then WHAMMO, another guy that works there said K&N? Someone he knew bought a brand new CTD, put in a K&N, FRIED the engine and got hosed on warranty, cause of the aftermarket filter! Dam. So i asked the guy that said K&N was good if he wanted to buy my old one LMAO, all in fun of course. Hmmm am i allowed to hijack my own thread?



Thanks guys

Carl G

 

[dpuckett]

Yes, you can hijakc your OWN thread, though no one else's.



Second- GET SOME FREAKING GAUGES!!! It is $200, shipped to your door, for pyro, boost, and pillar pod- www.dieselpage.com Learn to drive with your gauges, and you can save that much in fuel per year www.dieselinjection.net CLik on their B&C series bookelt, and read up about using your pyro and boost gauge to save fuel and your drivetrain.



Third, on your LSD, dont be afraid of friction mdifier- it is your friend. When you switch to synthetic, put 4oz in it to start. I've had 2, and it is hard to get too much, even with synthetic. Mom's has about 12 oz in it NOW, with Mobil 1 75-90, and it still grabs on hard corners. Same way with the 93 I had 2 years ago; I put synthetic in it, with 8oz modifier. I'd rather have it slip a little too much when it gets slick than grab too hard when it is dry.



4th- Your pickup weighs about 6000# if it is a reg cab. Add 400-500 for xcab. Add 17K for machine, trailer, tools, etc, and you are in the neighborhood of 23K GCVW. Take it easy, make sure trailer brakes work, and wind it out like you've been doing. I hauled 7-9 tons of hay on my 93, with an empty weght of 9250, truck and trailer, and never had any trouble. It should be ok. Just keep an eye on that transmission and rear end. ANd dont forget your t-case, either.



Daniel

 

[CGauthier]

Holy Shiite, DP you're amazing man GREAT links! Problem is I'm quite strapped for $$ rite now because of the extremely crappy winter/spring we're having. I can make it up real fast if the weather would get nice but it's not--$200 US (which in Cad funds it's easy to figgur out, just add a 0... lol just joking) is a little hard to come up with right now; but we'll see how payday goes friday i might be able to pull it off. I REALLY want to get em in there. I'd like to take care of the kdp too but not feeling confident enough for that (not without the service manual i ordered 3 mths ago anyways). Great post tho DP



P. S. Could someone pls tell me what the difference is between a D250 and a W250? I thought mine was a W250 but its a D.

 

[boatpuller]

W250=4 wheel drive

D250=2 wheel drive





Caleb

 

[CGauthier]

Originally posted by boatpuller

W250=4 wheel drive

D250=2 wheel drive





Caleb

Ahh ok,then it is a W250... . the previous owner obviously didnt know the difference either; he marked D250 in the service manual...



Thanks,

Carl G

 

[cerberusiam]

Carl, the D70 is a pretty heavy unit and if you treat it right and catch the little issues early it will give good service. The GCVW ratings are more a concern for braking than weight carrying so you pull a lot more than the ratings and not damage the truck. What would happen if you could not stop and smacked somebody is another whole debate.



I consistently towed 19k to 20k with a 90 truck and if you change the fuid often and use a heavier lube it should work well. If you keep the hitch weight within reason it will last a lot longer than one that has a lot of weight on it. The D70 does not like a lot of back lash so watch that close. The wheel bearings take a lot of abuse under heavy loads and they can take out the whole rear if you lose one of them. They are fairly easy to check and replace so watching them can tell you how things are going. If you need to replace the bearings in the center section and do the work yourself you can get by fairly resonable. When they go out and start destructing is when things get expensive.



Yes you can tow a lot of weight with a 1/2 gasser just not for very long. Where you can take one of our trucks and do the same thing for several hundred k miles with good maintenance the 1/2 tons will only last 50 to 60k and the drive lines are ready for the junkyard.

 

[dpuckett]

Originally posted by CGauthier

Holy Shiite, DP you're amazing man GREAT links! Problem is I'm quite strapped for $$ rite now

Ok, the pyro alone is $120, includes everything needed, plus shipping. Beats a $10K meltdown. But, if you're near stock, dont have a 12cm housing, and drive sensibly (THAT is the key), you should be fine for now.



-DP

PS- I just had to repost the part about my being amazing. Havent heard that since before my ex and I... ... Oh nevermind

 

[1stgen4evr]

Abusing my truck

Yes you are. But you can get away with it a long long time if you control you foot. The comments from all the guys are certainly on target as to keeping a check on the rear, fluid levels, tongue weight and so forth.



I have routinely used my truck to the limit of under cdl. That is 25k gross in the states. Nothing says you can't tag it for greater than that and use it all the time at heavier loads but you will be the one in charge of how long it lasts with the way you let the clutch out and how hard you accelerate.



You will want to be certain that the trailer has adequate brakes to handle whatever load you pull.



You can not upgrade the bearings in the Getrag enough to eliminate a problem there if you aren't really easy on the acceleration.



Chances are you need a bigger truck but I have been told that more than once and I still use a first gen with only 418k miles. I am on the first set of bearings in the getrag and intend to make it to 500k before a complete rebuild. I have pulled 19k at least 100k of those miles.



It can be done.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[CGauthier]

I feel SO lucky to have found this place, worth WAY more than the $$ value it takes to join and i thank the stars every day. With your guys' wisdom I have a feeling my Ram is gonna make my buddy's Ford look like a lemon Thanks everyone and I cant express how extatic I am that I have you all on my side



CHEERS!



Carl G



P. s. DP, I guess your just gona have to find another one to tell you you're amazing There's lots of fish in tha sea, just gotta use the right hook