MBman

I have a 97 2500 series truck. I am looking to increase my hauling and am feelling a little uneasy about putting 11,000 behind her and hauling down the road. May have the tail waggin the dog problem , or worse yet the "crawl" up the mountains.
I am thinking I need a bigger Dodge (dually?) or the bigger Diesel engine. Looking for input from the gang.
Thanks in advance

Palmetto_kid

11K is not real heavy. I have hauled this much many times in both my 2500's with no problems. Of course I was pulling a gooseneck trailer. A bumper pull will be different. You might see some swaying with a bumper pull.

BTW, you say " the bigger diesel", I am guessing you have a gasser because the 5.9 cummins is the only size offered for our trucks.

Fill out your signature please. You will be better served


edit:

Please tell us you are not planning on putting the 11k in the bed of the truck. You never specified what kind of trailer you were using, or if you wanted to use one at all.

MBman

Sorry, this is a diesel 4X4 automatic and I am pulling a goose neck horse trailer. I say I may be at the limit because the literature indicates 9200 pounds as the "safe trailer" weight.
I also thought the 24 Valve had a bit more beef as compared to the 12valve
Is this correct?

Bigredmachine

Well, I can't speak with a lot of authority because I haven't been around that long and have only had my 2500 for two months.

My friend has a 3500 dually that she pulls a 8 horse gooseneck loaded with show tack and a cab full of riders. She had the tranny rebuilt last year at 100k miles. My 555 has more power than hers, but she is obviously able to pull quite a bit.

I pulled a 3 horse gooseneck last week, couldn't tell it was there. I believe the new 2500 is rated to pull over 12000 pounds. For what it's worth, the drivetrain (engine, tranny & differential) in the 2500 is the same as the 3500

The brakes on the newer Rams are also upgraded, but again, the old '97 pulls and stops the 8 horse trailer without problems. Make sure you have a good brake controller for the trailer.

If you're worried about power, you can crank up the 12V and get as much as a new one for a lot less than $40 K!

Bud

welder27

True...the 12 V, 24 V, and the new 600 (also a 24 V) are all 5.9 L Cummins engines...the 5.9 L is in the 2500 and 3500 regardless if it's a dually or not. If you have the 12 V, you have one of the most beautiful pieces of machinery out there! Don't get rid of it! You can modify so many different things on the 12 V very easily that you can't modify very easily on the 24 V.

11,000 lbs isn't heavy for your truck w/ a gooseneck or 5th wheel trailer. 15,000 lbs would be a little heavy and you might want some air bags to help your suspension on a load like that. As said above, 11,000 lbs on a tag along trailer would be a bit too much...and too much for just about any truck because of the weight distribution problems.

DuaneWKKC

I just hauled approx 12.5K to 13K on a bumper pull trailer behind my truck. Had a 1650 Oliver and an 88" Alamo Flail mower on trailer rated at 10K. Because I knew the trailer was a little overloaded I attempted to get more weight on truck. There was ZERO whip from the trailer, pulled very nicely infact. Towed this set-up about 125 miles. Was not really worried about anything on interstate, was more concerned about the factory hitch on the truck and trailer hubs when running crooked rough roads. Trailer hubs never got hot, just worried about side load shearing them. Truck felt better running at 70 than at 60.
Was wanting to get a gooseneck trailer, but after seeing how nice everything pulled I'll probabally end up with a 14k BP trailer and a putnam receiver rated at 12k without WD. That will let me haul a camper and my tractor at same time! Oh yea, did not have any stabalizers on it.

DuaneWKKC

MBman

So if I wanted to "beef up" the old 12V for more power what would I actually be doing , or in my case, have done?
I really do like the truck so I would like to keep it.
Also what about the rear suspension, what can be added to eliminate the "nose up" issue.
Thanks

zulusafari

I would check out Haulin_in_Dixie in the member profiles. His truck, though set up for fifth wheel work, has a dually conversion on. I have heard that this is a very nice combo, but I am not sure of all the steps needed. I bought my 3500 as a dually, not because I needed it, but because it what was available when I was looking for a Cummins powered Dodge.

SHARPMACHINE

MBman

Check into firestone (or simular) air bags for the rear end. They should help with the tongue weight. You can find them at summit .com for more info.. Hope this helps.

welder27

As for increasing the engine's output all you really need for another 100 HP is get a bigger air intake that will suck in cool air, take the cat and muffler off or even better, get a 4" exhaust from the turbo all the way back w/ nothing else on it, and increase the fuel pump's output. There are a couple different ways to increase the fuel pump's output...do a search on here for "star wheel" and "fuel plate". It's a very simple procedure that you can do yourself and a few months ago somebody outlined it all. It'll add some kick to your throttle experience!