lone_star_dsl
Full Access Member
I tow 12-14,000 lbs almost everyday but I do it locally. Anyway, we just returned from a 2,300 mile round trip to Huntington Beach and back while towing the travel trailer.
Before we headed out, I went through the scales. Fully loaded with food, fuel, tools, passengers and gear, I topped out at 15,980 lbs.
Overall, the trip was uneventful (truck wise anyway) and she pulled I-70 better than I thought it ever would.
A few things that I noticed were my EGT's and trans temps. My truck still has the stock tune and would sit at or near 1,300 degrees when climbing hills and it stayed around 1,000 on flat ground. How are guys getting away with running even a tow tune when weight, wind resistance and hills are involved?
I was scared to death that my transmission was going to overheat on this trip. I didn't have time or money to swap in a 6.0 cooler so I added a few fans to the cooler as a little insurance. The highest trans temp I saw was 190. I kicked the fans on for a few minutes and brought the temp down to 180. Anyway, we were headed east on I-15 through Baker, CA and started up the LONG hill. Outside temp was 112 and the engine fan was running full bore. I kept a careful eye on my trans temp and watched it go from 185 and slowly fall to 100. This was the second time it had happened on the trip (the first time, I pulled over to inspect everything) and, once I got to the top of the hill and back into overdrive, slowly climbed back up to the 185 mark.
Was the engine fan really pulling that much air through the cooler?
All in all, I was very pleased with the truck. I was more pleased when I was passing everyone heading up to the Eisenhower tunnel. 2500 rpm's and 63 mph, she pulled like a freight train!
As a side note, I can't believe how much wind resistance a travel trailer adds. It felt like the hand of God was holding me back and refusing to let me get more than 10.3 mpg. Needless to say, I am very used to pulling my gooseneck flatbed. It's been years since I have towed a bumper pull trailer and I am now in the market for a fifth wheel after this experience.
Before we headed out, I went through the scales. Fully loaded with food, fuel, tools, passengers and gear, I topped out at 15,980 lbs.
Overall, the trip was uneventful (truck wise anyway) and she pulled I-70 better than I thought it ever would.
A few things that I noticed were my EGT's and trans temps. My truck still has the stock tune and would sit at or near 1,300 degrees when climbing hills and it stayed around 1,000 on flat ground. How are guys getting away with running even a tow tune when weight, wind resistance and hills are involved?
I was scared to death that my transmission was going to overheat on this trip. I didn't have time or money to swap in a 6.0 cooler so I added a few fans to the cooler as a little insurance. The highest trans temp I saw was 190. I kicked the fans on for a few minutes and brought the temp down to 180. Anyway, we were headed east on I-15 through Baker, CA and started up the LONG hill. Outside temp was 112 and the engine fan was running full bore. I kept a careful eye on my trans temp and watched it go from 185 and slowly fall to 100. This was the second time it had happened on the trip (the first time, I pulled over to inspect everything) and, once I got to the top of the hill and back into overdrive, slowly climbed back up to the 185 mark.
Was the engine fan really pulling that much air through the cooler?
All in all, I was very pleased with the truck. I was more pleased when I was passing everyone heading up to the Eisenhower tunnel. 2500 rpm's and 63 mph, she pulled like a freight train!
As a side note, I can't believe how much wind resistance a travel trailer adds. It felt like the hand of God was holding me back and refusing to let me get more than 10.3 mpg. Needless to say, I am very used to pulling my gooseneck flatbed. It's been years since I have towed a bumper pull trailer and I am now in the market for a fifth wheel after this experience.
