Am I over loaded?

[Philsram]

Am I overloaded?

I am back from my venture!



I want to thank all who answered this thread. There was alot of great advice. I will tell you how it went.



First thing I did was to take my 5th wheel fully loaded down to a truck stop as KLENGER mentioned. To my surprise, the weight went as follows. front axle= 3500lbs, rear axle=4420. the trailer only weighed in at 7040 lbs. total weight truck and trailer=14840. I was really surprise by the trailer weight because the identification plate on the trailer said 10,000 lbs. Does that mean max loaded weight? I was concerned by that because of two reasons, the tires I had on the trailer= goodyear ST 225/75/15 X4 couldn't handle the weight that was listed on the trailer and that the truck would be overloaded. Going by the numbers I got from the scales my truck was just enough.



The cummins engine wanted to pull and was very impressive. the auto trans was another story. Like Snow Man and others suggested i left the OD off and towed in 3rd gear. The RPM averaged around 2200 going between 55 and 60 so my fuel mileage suffered, around 13 mpg. Got used to my 22 with the OD on. I had a 96 Powerstoke and 13 mpg is still good! But anyways it seemed like my transmission shifting up to 3rd gear had some chatter or slippage. I had to keep the the RPM up around 2000 to keep the line pressure up. That solved the transmission chatter problem. Just a personal note: Why would Dodge build a great truck with a great motor and install such a worthless transmission? I might be seriously considering a DTT or triple Lock upgrade soon. I would love to hear some feedback on those upgrades.



The prodigy brake control system worked flawlessly after I adjusted the signal.



Safety was my concern! Thanks for all of the advice PW

 

[Underdog]

Reddog1, Your brake controller is most likely a "Tekonsha".

brand. I had a " Tekonsha Voyager " for several years. I wasn't

very happy with it. I now have a " Tekonsha Prodigy" which

is a better controller. I've never used a " Jordan " but,those

who have,seem to think it's the best controller going. The

cost between the two is comparable.

You've checked the brakes and wheel bearings,gotten new

tires,so you're pretty much set. You might want to check the

condition of the trailer batteries.

I have one suggestion,take it for what it's worth. Don't fill the

fresh water tank completely full,unless you plan on dry

camping (boondocking). At approximately 8. 33 lbs. per

gallon,you will add a lot of unnecessary weight.

I hope you have a safe trip

 

[Reddog1]

Underdog - I bought a Tekonsha Prodigy.



I was really interested in the Jordan, but the web site took so long to load, I gave up. I looked locally. Was told it was a good unit, but could not find anyone that stocked it. I gave up.



The battery was a gonner. I only have one. I replaced it with a 120 Amp Hour unit.





PWellwood - I have the DTT trans. I also have the US Gear aux. Trans. It is set-up as an underdrive, so I have 3:54 (stock) and 4:10 in underdrive. I have yet to pull the 5er. The plate says 11000 lbs.



With the slide-in or empty, I am very pleased with the DTT trans. If for no other reason, the number of years DTT has been doing this particular trans, I would repeat the DTT transmission. I would be very hesitant to use my truck for a transmission test bed. Atleast if I have to pay for it.



My engine has several mods, and I tend to drive harder than most. I will let you know how I pull the 5er.



PWellwood, what was typical MPG with the Powerstoke?





Wayne

 

[Philsram]

Am I over Loaded

Thanks Reddog1 for the reply,



I think I am leanning to the same tarnsmission upgrade as you did. My buddy at work Jsmith swears by it. I guess you can't mess with sucess. Is there a shop in the central valley or southern ca area?



The powerstroke I was driving was a 96' 4 speed with a 4:10 rear end and a 4x4. I drove the truck from central CA to Canada with a lance slide in camper that weighed in around 1. 750 lbs. My average fuel mileage was around 9 mpg. If I went over 55 it went way down. The power was there but I got tired of looking for a filling station everytime I turned around. Don't get me wrong, Ford makes a great truck with plenty of power to spare but for what I am doing with it... ..... I don't stroke it, I ram it! Dodge makes a better all around truck in my opinion.



Thanks PW

 

[Fireman]

PW,



Sounds like you are in good shape. That trip to the scales was worth alot just from the stand point of having peace of mind.



13 mpg is nothing to complain about, that is better economy than I have ever gotten towing.



Now get out ther and tow

Fireman

 

[Reddog1]

PWellwood - There is a DTT authorized shop in Redding (north) Huntington (?) Beach (south) California. Check with DTT, they will give you the info you need. If need be, PM me and I will look it up for you.







I just got back from the coast late yesterday. Had a great time. Starting at Larson's Landing, went up highway 1 to Jenner, then cut across to Hwy 101, back to Sacramento. Changed camp sites two times.



First time out with the 35-ft 5er. One of the trailer wheels brakes is little tighter than the other three, but not a problem. According to the manual, the trailer weights 8200 lbs. empty. The 5er is a 1980 Kountry Aire. It is not tall (cannot stand in the Bedroom).



You could tell it was there pulling the hills, but very smooth on the flat lands. I was surprised that I could feel no effect from the wind. We had head, side and tail winds. I have no complaints about how it towed.



I have a US Gear exhaust brake. It was awesome. I only used it two times. There were two exceptionally long and steep hills. I was super impressed with the brake. I did not use the brakes at all, and still went down as slow as 15 MPH, had to turn the brake off once. It was my understanding that you had to lock the TC on the auto trans for the Exhaust Brake to work. Not so with my DTT trans. The Brake worked just fine.



I have 3:54 gears, with the US Gear auxiliary trans set-up as an under drive (4:10). I preferred to run 3:54's on flat land and 4:10's in hills or slow winding roads. I ran 3:54's on the flats in Overdrive (4th) when no head wind and at 60+ MPH. Most of the time I ran in 3rd gear at 55 to 60 MPH.



About half way through the trip (about 20 gallons), I fueled up. I got 11. 4 MPG.



I had to make one panic stop. I was very impressed with the stopping distance. No wheel lock up on truck or trailer. I did not have time to install the Tekonsha Prodigy. It is hard for me to imagine it working better then the Tekonsha ? that I have.



Next week, I intend to go to the scales. I guess I will find out if I am overloaded. In my opinion, I was not. Everything worked as expected.





Wayne

 

[Philsram]

Am I over loaded

Reddog1,

Thanks for the reply. I am really concidering taking my truck up to Redding this summer and having the transmission issue put to rest. I will be up that way in september hunting east of Red Bluff. I guess I can unhitch and take the truck to Redding at that time. How much did it all cost you?



Sounds to me like you had a good haul on your last trip. I know that area well because I used to vacation in that area for many years. It sounds like you went across hwy 116 through the Russian river area. Did you you camp in duncan mills? That is right out of jenner on the river. That campground has full hook ups and I did some camping there a few years back when I had my slide in.

Did you drive up hwy1 with the 5ther? If so you are braver then I am. Those roads are steep and curvy but have on of the most beautiful views around.



It sounds like I shouldn't complain about the fuel milage. I was getting around 12 mpg but was on flat land. I have a 95 30'prowler with a very high profile. You can stand up in the bedroom and that doesn't help the fuel mileage at all. but it is well worth it when you are parked. I camped for a week at Lake Camanche east f Lodi. There is some great trout fishing up there now with limits everyday being taken out of the south shore pond. Also there are full hookups at the pond and around the lake.



Good hauling and thanks again... ..... PW