Hill Climb

[jimnance]

Finally got my fifth wheel hooked up and pulled a nearby grade that is very steep. It is a good benchmark, because I know how well my friends with Duramax and Bombed Ford do.



I am about 1500 lbs heavier than the two of them so I have a bit of a handicap.



The bombed Ford could climb the hill at 60+, but has to back out because of EGT's. Too much fuel I suspect from his Western Diesel fueling box.



The Duramax can pull the hill at 55 MPH.



I used to pull the hill at 45 MPH with my '99 which had an Edge. Bone stock my H. O. '03 pulled the hill at 53MPH.



Considering the heavier weight of my fifth wheel I'd have to say we are all pretty evenly matched in terms of power. It was really nice to pull the hill and hold a conversation at a normal volume. My '99 would kill brain cells when it was wound out on a long pull!



I noticed that to get the power from the H. O. you need to pull more RPM's than the Gen. 2 trucks.



The six speed was really nice as no matter what hill I climbed I could find a good gear. Had to pull the big hill in fourth as I didn't have quite enough for fifth. However, I pulled the hill a second time from an on ramp right at the bottom of the hill and was able to get all the way up through fourth to 53 MPH. It had plenty of reserve in fourth.



I can see where another 50 HP or so would see me doing the hill in fifth at close to 65 MPH.



Dodge has got a winner with the stock H. O. for towing. A fuel box would be just icing on the cake!

 

[champspa]

I hope the Duramax is not bone stock as it has a lot less torque , our trucks don't do that well without bombing .

 

[Dean Upson]

Jim,



That was a great description of the hill climb. What shift points would you suggest towing to get up to speed asap? With my stock 98. 5, 4:10 & 5 speed, there was an awful gap between 3rd and 4th, so I'd be screaming at 3k+ waiting for the hill to go away. Just around here no towing, I find that there it shifts very smoothly between 1500 and 2000 rpms. I really like the 6 speed and hope to be towing with it very soon.



Dean

 

[krabman]

Thats where mine likes to shift also. My shift up light (you know, the one in your head) comes on at around 1800. That would vary I guess one person to the next. On the other hand that is where my truck likes to get shifted. The gears have the smoothest synch at that RPM and the truck accelerates without any jerkiness. All I have towed so far is my boat and at 3500 lbs. it isnt heavy enough to really put anything to the test in terms of a long uphill pull. I do see a few short but fairly steep hills that require shifting on the way to the lake and I got the impression that I would be able to grab that next gear whatever it might be with a lot more weight.

 

[amsoilman]

Just returned from a 1000 mile trip with my 03' 4X4 6-speed with a 4-sled enclosed snowmobile trailer loaded with around 2,000 lbs of goods (oil products) and another 1000 lbs. of the same stuff in the bed of the truck. I was quite impressed with the way the truck handled and the ride was Great! . I did pull some pretty good hills (6 percent & more) and found the truck pulls much better if the RPM is up around 23-2500 R's. Was not happy with the way the cruise control works off the PCM as it would not keep up on the hills very well at all. I had to put my foot in the throttle in order to maintain my speed. My old 94' was much better at this. Mileage was not the greatest either. Hope it gets better with more miles on it.





Wayne

amsoilman

 

[EricBu12]

Wayne,

when you gonna get over here and help me make a pattern for the grille? I have the pattern plastic all ready, I am getting more product plastic next week. I still have the weekends off for now.

 

[jimnance]

Just got back from first trip. With my 34' Toy box fifth wheel, fuel, SIX Quads, five passengers, etc I was better than 22,000 GCWV.



Again, I was very pleased with the performance of my new truck. 53 MPH over all the big grades, and 10. 3 MPG for the 400 mile round trip. The entire trip is up and down hills and many curves. Very little straight and level.



On a nice long level pull I suspect that 12 MPG is possible.



I got out pulled on a grade by an '01 CTD, but he was at least 4,000 lbs lighter. Two tons of weight makes a huge difference up the hills.



This trip reinforced my first impression that this is the best CTD of the four I've now owned. Nice ride, quiet operation, and a ton of power. What more can you ask for?



BTW, the Duramax is pulling almost 2,000 lbs less than me on most trips. Given equal tow weights I might be able to pull the hill in fifth. If so, I'd easily pass the D-Max. Right now have power to spare in fourth but bumping 2,900 RPM, but not quite enough for fifth. The D-Max just installed an EGT gauge and found that he has been running 1350 F on the hills. I wonder what EGT's I'm running. Need to get the gauge installed.

 

[JGilbert]

The D-Max just installed an EGT gauge and found that he has been running 1350 F on the hills. I wonder what EGT's I'm running. Need to get the gauge installed. [/B][/QUOTE]



If he has been doing 1350 degrees F, I'd be suprised if he hasn't fried his transmission.



Joe

 

[jimnance]

Joe,



You can have very hot EGT's but not necessarily hot engine or trans temps. The two don't always go together. On the other hand the turbo starts getting cherry red at that temp.



If you could see your turbo at night on a hard pull it would blow your mind.