Hi guys, i just got back from owatonna Mn picking up my newer 2003 32.5 nuwa hitchhiker II.i knew the trailer was heavy at 11,000 lbs dry and a 2000 lb pin weight.My 2004.5 ram QC cummins 325/600 48 re with smarty jr. on tow setting and a afe air box, cat delete i also have the tow pkge. with 4:10 gears.i added nitto terra grappler 285/75/17 tires which probably dropped my gearing.my concern is my truck was struggling to get up to highway speeds,mind you i wasn't leaning on it as we were driving into a quartering 30 mph wind and i don't YET have guages,but i was discouraged with the trucks performance my trip meter was also only reading about 11.5 MPG!!! i thought i bought a TOWING MONSTER.it felt like my old gasser gmc 5.7 what if any opinions do you have

 

The milage is actualy prety good pulling into a cross wind. You will find that cross winds are the worst by far to pull into. A head wind is bad but a cross wind is wors. In a head wind you only have to pull a pocket of air the width of th camper. In a cross wind you have to pull that plus a pocket of air the lenth of the camper. If you truly want a towing monster get the same truck with a 6 speed. I had a 04.5 with a 6 speed and it would tow circles around my 06 auto pulling the same camper. Milage was abought the same but towing performance was nite and day diferent. These autos rob a lot of power and are geared wrong.

 

Brandon, agreed on your observations

@ ultramag
Bigger tires, weight and the cross winds (as Brandon said already) are killing your towing performance. Auto might add some problems either (gear hunting). What mph or km/h were you running while towing? 11.5 mpg is still pretty good in cross winds. Should be 12.5-13 under normal driving, maybe 5 mph slower and without the wind. I bet you´ll have a different experience with less wind.

Kris

 

i was traveling at 60-65 MPH,once it was up to speed i had no problems,but getting there i know the truck was working,but maybe that is not a bad thing as i here they need to be worked.i maybe should have used the tow/haul function it might have helped getting up to speed.
regarding the 6 speed,my brother has a bombed 02 with a six speed and that bugger gets up to speed in a hurry!!

 

Understand that you are not driving a dragster. Sounds like you did o.k considering the trailer which has the aerodynamics of a boxcar and the wind. The diesel is a torque monster which means it will pull under load at a steady speed but acceleration is not it's strong suit.

 

I have the same truck with a 6 speed and have no problems passing cars in the mountains pulling my 8000# fifth wheel, even without the smarty.

 

Yup. I keep saying that these autos in these things rob lotsa power but no one seems to balive me. I had a 6 speed and went to a auto and realy regret it. The power loss is like taking a swift kick to the nuts. My 04.5 6 speed would tow circles around this retarded 06 auto.

 

Try pulling that 5ver with a 5.7 gmc gasser.

 

Did a trip down to the Florida Keys from Edmonton and back in May of '04 (Gad was it really 6 years ago) with my 04.5 auto and thought she churned along just fine. The trailers only 9000 pounds but still 31' long and I had a truck load of kids and the wife along too. To be fair I haven't driven the rowing machine so can't really compare, but your mileage doesn't seem to be out of line. Also, I can get up to speed pretty quick but then my fuel gauge will drop a bit faster too! Try get going too fast too quick and somethings gonna give eventually ... even on the heavy haulers. Just my two cents worth.

 

The same question has been in the back of my mind as well.
My '03 has a hard time maintaining 70 on the moderate hills on the interstate and has to drop to 3rd gear to stay at 60 and pulls Black Mount. I40 in NC at 45 in 2nd. Mpgs about 10.5 on the flats and 9 in 3rd in the mountains.
John

 

If you are pulling Black at 45 with your rig that should be comfortable and not flogging it. I would be satisfied with that performance.

If you are pedal to the firewall then I say somethng is not right. Topping the regular hills in NC and TN at 70 is doing good. I start around 70 or less at the bottom and top at 63 -65 with manual trans and no downshift.

What is your total combined loaded weight?

 

Still have some pedel left . Keep it at 2800 rpm on black mt. It sounds like jet engine by the time we top the hill. temp about 210-220
About 22,000 -23,000# Truck is 9,500#factory sticker, camper 11,000# dry. No scales close to home.

 

If you're going to be pulling that 5er around allot more, I'd get some gauges pretty soon...I bet those EGT's are getting up there on those hills....

I just recently got the EJ/A and was amazed at how quick it starts to get hot when towing my 31ft TT(about 9,000lb)

 

Yep need the gauges, Only goes out 5-6 times a year.
I was told that keeping the rpms up would help keep the egt down to a safe level. I do want to get a Smarty jr.as the next upgrade, that seems to help with egts also.

 

At work we have a 04.5 6 speed that wont hold candle to my built 48re. I can walk away from that truck with any load on any hill. Then again my tranny is built. I think that is what makes a huge difference.


Referencing a gasser vs a diesel is not even comparable. I'd take 6.0 Ford over a gasser for pulling.