just James
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13'6".It looks tall.
How tall is it?
13'6".It looks tall.
How tall is it?
Just pulled my 13,000lb FW on a 1000 mile journey from IA to Farmington, NM. From home to Denver I was running about 70 and once I got through the mountains about 65, averaging 7.5mpg for the trip. The truck did better then I expected in the mountains, but still nothing like a diesel would have. If this was a regular trip a diesel would be about a necessity, but for a most likely one time thing (plus one to back home) it was awesome. Definitely can't be afraid to hit some high rpms, especially up and down the 7% grades. View attachment 78192
Just pulled my 13,000lb FW on a 1000 mile journey from IA to Farmington, NM. From home to Denver I was running about 70 and once I got through the mountains about 65, averaging 7.5mpg for the trip. The truck did better then I expected in the mountains, but still nothing like a diesel would have. If this was a regular trip a diesel would be about a necessity, but for a most likely one time thing (plus one to back home) it was awesome. Definitely can't be afraid to hit some high rpms, especially up and down the 7% grades.
I took 285 out of Denver, then 160 to 140. It was a beautiful drive. I think on the way home I'm gonna stay on 160 instead of hitting 285 though. I gotta figure out where that 9 mile 7% grade was because I don't really want to go up that. Besides, it will be the middle of December when I head home so I want to stay out of the mountains as much as possible.What routes/passes do you take?
Farmington is one of our usual haunts when we camp/boat at Navajo Reservoir. There's a good Mexican restaurant in Aztec we like to stop at.
I never saw that coolant get above 219, and that was just for a a little bit toward the end of the 9 mile 7% grade downhill. I was hitting about 5,000 rpm for a minute before slowing down and starting over. I don't think it even got the high going up the other 7% grade. It was usually below 215. The oil was around 230 I think and the trans was 174 at it's high. It was 47⁰ out when I left Denver and the coolest I saw in the mountains was 34⁰, so I'm sure that helped.That’s awesome! What were your oil and coolant temps like?
I took 285 out of Denver, then 160 to 140. It was a beautiful drive. I think on the way home I'm gonna stay on 160 instead of hitting 285 though. I gotta figure out where that 9 mile 7% grade was because I don't really want to go up that. Besides, it will be the middle of December when I head home so I want to stay out of the mountains as much as possible.
There are tons of discussions about diesel vs. gas and your comments are about how I feel, tow heavy all the time and you want a diesel, do it now and then and a 6.4 is very capable. What I don't see discussed much is the 8 speed on the 6.4, and what I mean is unless I'm missing something that transmission is super reliable and unfazed by some pretty heavy towing. You're towing 13k on a long trip, seeing only 170's for temp, and sounds like you were using transmission braking about as hard as it can be used plus some good climbs.... and the trans was 174 at it's high.
Our trailer is 6200# and I have towed it at about 7400# most of the time.There are tons of discussions about diesel vs. gas and your comments are about how I feel, tow heavy all the time and you want a diesel, do it now and then and a 6.4 is very capable. What I don't see discussed much is the 8 speed on the 6.4, and what I mean is unless I'm missing something that transmission is super reliable and unfazed by some pretty heavy towing. You're towing 13k on a long trip, seeing only 170's for temp, and sounds like you were using transmission braking about as hard as it can be used plus some good climbs.
Definitely. I know I've posted this before in other threads, but it isn't ancient history that we all were towing heavy loads with 180 hp 350 ft.-lb diesels and 220 hp 270 ft.-lb gas engines. It was slow to get started, long hills were a question of getting over 70 before starting up and hoping you were still over 55 by the time you hit the top. The power levels we have now, both gas and diesel, are pretty amazing.I am more and more convinced that suspension and brakes are the two most important things when towing, other than the obvious of not being overloaded and a good frame.
I think on the way home I'm gonna stay on 160 …it will be the middle of December when I head home so I want to stay out of the mountains as much as possible.
Cool to see a 6.4 towing heavy.Just pulled my 13,000lb FW on a 1000 mile journey from IA to Farmington, NM. From home to Denver I was running about 70 and once I got through the mountains about 65, averaging 7.5mpg for the trip. The truck did better then I expected in the mountains, but still nothing like a diesel would have. If this was a regular trip a diesel would be about a necessity, but for a most likely one time thing (plus one to back home) it was awesome. Definitely can't be afraid to hit some high rpms, especially up and down the 7% grades. View attachment 78192
2500, 4.10s and air suspension. It really pulls awesome, even though I'm over my GVWR and pushing my GAWR.Cool to see a 6.4 towing heavy.
Is your truck a 2500 or 3500?
Also what axle ratio does it have?
The computer really does an excellent job of controlling it. There was several spots where it started to flatten out so I shifted up a gear, but it still held that lower gear until I touched the gas pedal. There was also times when I was coasting and when it started to speed up the truck downshifted.There are tons of discussions about diesel vs. gas and your comments are about how I feel, tow heavy all the time and you want a diesel, do it now and then and a 6.4 is very capable. What I don't see discussed much is the 8 speed on the 6.4, and what I mean is unless I'm missing something that transmission is super reliable and unfazed by some pretty heavy towing. You're towing 13k on a long trip, seeing only 170's for temp, and sounds like you were using transmission braking about as hard as it can be used plus some good climbs.
I'm a weekend warrior, pulling 10-11k mostly through the summer. I could have gone either way and been OK. My previous 1500 had the 8 speed and I knew it would be solid. The 8 speed vs 68rfe was actually kind of the deciding factor for me going with the gasser. As I suspected, that transmission makes these trucks. So far, no regrets. I really wish ram would do what it takes to put a zf behind a Cummins.There are tons of discussions about diesel vs. gas and your comments are about how I feel, tow heavy all the time and you want a diesel, do it now and then and a 6.4 is very capable. What I don't see discussed much is the 8 speed on the 6.4, and what I mean is unless I'm missing something that transmission is super reliable and unfazed by some pretty heavy towing. You're towing 13k on a long trip, seeing only 170's for temp, and sounds like you were using transmission braking about as hard as it can be used plus some good climbs.
What is the transmission in the 2012 Ford? Despite the gearing and tire size difference, I'm pretty sure it's the tranny in the Ram that makes it perform better.As far as gas powered trucks go, as I've mentioned before, I have a 2012 6.2 Ford F350 dually dump body with 4.30 gears. The tires are 245/70 17s. The Ram has 3.73 gears and 37s. The Ram out pulls the ford as far as acceleration goes, even on hills. The ford is heavier of course, so that could be part of it. And I realize that it's not much of a scientific comparison, just seat of the pants.