Performance Upgrades for Camper Hauling?

[GPitts]

I just picked up a clean 03 Ram 3500 DRW 4x4 6spd man trans with 93000 mi on it and I want to set it up to haul a 3300lb Arctic Fox truck camper. The 5.9 Cummins is completely stock. Looking for suggestions "best bang for the buck bolt on" to upgrade the Cummins for overall performance on the road. I plan on adding a Pac Brake and was considering an AFE intake and a free flow muffler but am concerned with the increase in exhaust noise. Any ideas on this?

 

[CToney]

My suggestions
-smarty jr
-HE351 turbo off of 04.5-07 truck (inexpensive and easy to find used on classifieds on diesel forums)
-if you put on an aftermarket 4" exhaust system use a Donaldson M085171 muffler. The muffler on my flo-pro exhaust was way too loud and had nasty drone when towing.
- additional fuel filtration ( I put a Fass on my 03 and had good luck with it. Lots of other choices out there. Your truck may have intank pump already)
- modify stock airbox and get an Airaid MIT. Aftermarket CAI are pricey and often don't let cold air in. Do some research on this.
- you can add an intake horn (pusher or GDP)
-exhaust manifold
- check stock vibration damper ( on some the rubber ring can come out prematurely)
-gauges (maybe get a smarty touch)


If you do some searches in the forums you'll find out who to listen to and who is full of it. There are a lot of guys who want the same as you. 03s are great trucks. Good power, great milage and no emission BS! Some of the things I've done to my truck will pay for themselves others might not but it was fun to skin my knuckles doing a little wrenching.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I just picked up a clean 03 Ram 3500 DRW 4x4 6spd man trans with 93000 mi on it and I want to set it up to haul a 3300lb Arctic Fox truck camper. The 5.9 Cummins is completely stock. Looking for suggestions "best bang for the buck bolt on" to upgrade the Cummins for overall performance on the road. I plan on adding a Pac Brake and was considering an AFE intake and a free flow muffler but am concerned with the increase in exhaust noise. Any ideas on this?

Depending on the size of your Arctic Fox truck camper, upgrading your truck's suspension may be more important than engine upgrades. You will be hauling a heavy high center of gravity load in your truck bed. For suspension upgrades, I suggest installing a rear anti-sway bar to minimize sway.
http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/big-wig/the-big-wig/
A set of upper Torklift StableLoads on your overload spring bump stops will also aid in the elimination of sway and keep the rear of the truck level by transferring some of the camper's weight to the much stiffer overload springs.
http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products/suspension/stableload
A good set of shock absorbers will also help. These upgrades to your suspension should not adversely affect the empty ride of your truck.

My completely stock '03 3500 DRW except for suspension upgrades does a great job hauling our 11.5-ft. Lance 4,000+ lb. truck camper. Traveling at 55-60-mph, it will actually gain speed going up a 6% grade in Overdrive!


Bill

 

[GPitts]

Thanx for the reply
What do you mean by modifying the stock air box....is there something else besides adding the MIT? What is a intake horn? Vibration damper?
Sorry for all the ?, just trying to learn
Jerry

My suggestions
-smarty jr
-HE351 turbo off of 04.5-07 truck (inexpensive and easy to find used on classifieds on diesel forums)
-if you put on an aftermarket 4" exhaust system use a Donaldson M085171 muffler. The muffler on my flo-pro exhaust was way too loud and had nasty drone when towing.
- additional fuel filtration ( I put a Fass on my 03 and had good luck with it. Lots of other choices out there. Your truck may have intank pump already)
- modify stock airbox and get an Airaid MIT. Aftermarket CAI are pricey and often don't let cold air in. Do some research on this.
- you can add an intake horn (pusher or GDP)
-exhaust manifold
- check stock vibration damper ( on some the rubber ring can come out prematurely)
-gauges (maybe get a smarty touch)


If you do some searches in the forums you'll find out who to listen to and who is full of it. There are a lot of guys who want the same as you. 03s are great trucks. Good power, great milage and no emission BS! Some of the things I've done to my truck will pay for themselves others might not but it was fun to skin my knuckles doing a little wrenching.

 

[GPitts]

Thanx for your inputs
So far I have added air bags, Hellwig bigwig rear sway bar and lower torklift stableloads. Also adding the Magtec rear diff cover and new Amsoil fluids throughout the drivetrain. At this point the truck suspension seems to handle the AF camper pretty well....tho I have not yet hooked up the boat and gone for a ride....that will have to wait til the snow melts. I have always been a fan of open intakes and exhausts for performance reasons but am concerned about excessive noise in the cab when hauling a load. I am also considering a back up camera so I can monitor my towed loads and make backing up to the trailer a little easier. Any ideas?

Depending on the size of your Arctic Fox truck camper, upgrading your truck's suspension may be more important than engine upgrades. You will be hauling a heavy high center of gravity load in your truck bed. For suspension upgrades, I suggest installing a rear anti-sway bar to minimize sway.
http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/big-wig/the-big-wig/
A set of upper Torklift StableLoads on your overload spring bump stops will also aid in the elimination of sway and keep the rear of the truck level by transferring some of the camper's weight to the much stiffer overload springs.
http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products/suspension/stableload
A good set of shock absorbers will also help. These upgrades to your suspension should not adversely affect the empty ride of your truck.

My completely stock '03 3500 DRW except for suspension upgrades does a great job hauling our 11.5-ft. Lance 4,000+ lb. truck camper. Traveling at 55-60-mph, it will actually gain speed going up a 6% grade in Overdrive!


Bill

 

[S.Morris]

A smarty/jr on tow setting, timing default, and torque one up from stock(much less touchy pedal). A long with you susp upgrades will make a good reliable fuel eff setup. Keep the factory air filter and housing and open up a little more airflow into the box. The exhaust is fine at this power level and weight and still quiet, which it won't be if you upgrade it.

 

[CToney]

If you google "Home Depot airbox mod" you will find info on it. You put a hole and a piece of pipe on the bottom of the airbox to allow more cold airflow. The 03s have a smaller hole in the side of the airbox as well compared to the 04.5 and up as well. I put a 04.5 airbox in my 03 and added the hole. Some guys put the newer air boxes out of a 6.7 in too (larger filter). The intake horn is the cast aluminum elbow that goes from the intake piping to the head. You gain a bit better throttle response from 1500-2000 rpm and often a place to put your line for a boost gauge. The vibration damper is mounted to the front of the crank. For some reason the common rail damper rubber seems to fail before the older 12v engines. Rubber gets hard over time and fails. On a lot of machinery it is recommended to change every 5000 engine hours. You can check engine hours by turning the key on and pressing the trip odometer reset button until they are displayed.

Don't worry about all the questions. The TDR magazine has covered a lot of these things over the years. I'll have to check out your suspension mods. The only thing I've ever done was to add some Timbrens to trucks without overload springs.

 

[Wingate]

Smarty Jr, set it on Economy and put it away!

 

[CToney]

Set the jr to tow, TM -stock or torque 4 and pod 85. No smoke and better milage on higher setting. Since he has a 6sp he doesn't have to worry about the transmission. Keep rpms above 1700 when pulling hills and it will be fine.

 

[AH64ID]

CToney did a great job with engine mods.

I would ditch those lower stable loads and get upper stable loads. The lower stable loads are hard on springs by causing a high pressure point and a shape that springs aren't designed for. They are hard enough on springs that Torklift warranties the springs, which they did not make, design, or sell. The only reason you would do that is if your product can damage them. The upper stable loads are a much better option, and will not wear anything out prematurely.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I would ditch those lower stable loads and get upper stable loads. The lower stable loads are hard on springs by causing a high pressure point and a shape that springs aren't designed for. They are hard enough on springs that Torklift warranty the springs, which they did no make, design, or sell. The only reason you would do that is if your product can damage them. The upper stable loads are a much better option, and will not wear anything out prematurely.

I agree. I wouldn't install lower StableLoads on my truck either and on a Ram 3500 dually they aren't really necessary with upper StableLoads. The upper StableLoads are more effective for supporting the additional weight, limiting side to side sway caused by crosswinds and passing trucks, and won't damage the springs.

Bill

 

[Shadrach]

I have a similar truck ( see sig below ) but SRW. I built mine for towing and longevity. I tow a 28' TT but have hauled a 9.9 camper in the back. Here are my thoughts: First DON'T get carried away with mods. As you travel you will find out what you will need to do.

Engine: Check the top alternator mounting bracket as it is prone to cracking. Replace # 4 injector line for same reason. Leave intake horn alone as it won't make enough difference at your HP levels. Gauges ( Pyro and Boost ) are nice. Put them on now before you do any mods so you have baseline to go by. Pac Brake is GREAT. Leave the exhaust stock until it needs replacing. If you want change to the Mopar deep air filter for the stock box. An after market exhaust manifold helps with lowering exhaust temps. If you feel you need more power then get a Smarty. Leave the stock injectors alone unless they need replacing. DO YOUR FILTER CHANGES REGULARLY. If you use your truck in cold weather then I highly recommend an Espar diesel fired engine pre heater.

Truck: Are the air bags controlled independently? Do you have ping tanks? Duals will help. I wished I had had them at times with cross winds. Using good camper tie downs like Torklift are a must, as are good shocks. Make sure things like tires and brakes are in good shape and don't forget the parking brake since you have a stick.

David