am i in over my head
#1
11-15-2005 | 08:44 AM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 32
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From: Gods Country, Suscon Pa
am i in over my head
Hi I guess i'm the new kid on the block.
I have a 2003 screw with a 4.6 and 3.55 rear. It has the towing pac. I recently purchased a 28 foot travel trailer with a weight of about 4700 lbs. My truck manual states that it should be able to pull 6600 lbs. When I brought it home (a drive of about 100 miles) it seemed ok a bit slugish on the hills but other wise ok. My wife wants to take a trip to South Carolina in the spring. I live in Pa and this will be the longest i have pulled. I am considering buying a super chip for the extra hp. Is this the right way to go or is there any other way to get more power out of the truck for towing?
I have a 2003 screw with a 4.6 and 3.55 rear. It has the towing pac. I recently purchased a 28 foot travel trailer with a weight of about 4700 lbs. My truck manual states that it should be able to pull 6600 lbs. When I brought it home (a drive of about 100 miles) it seemed ok a bit slugish on the hills but other wise ok. My wife wants to take a trip to South Carolina in the spring. I live in Pa and this will be the longest i have pulled. I am considering buying a super chip for the extra hp. Is this the right way to go or is there any other way to get more power out of the truck for towing?
#2
11-15-2005 | 10:36 AM
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 765
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From: FL
Your chip is probably your best bet. The 4.6 isn't known to be a great puller, but it'll do it. I'm pulling 6500ish pounds with a 5.4 3.55ls. I've added an extra tranny cooler and a temp guage. My Trans fluid was a little too worn after one season of towing for my taste (it's florida, who knew) so I went ahead and added more cooling. I would suggest installing a temp guage just so you know what's going on with the transmission, otherwise you should be fine.
You're not gonna win any race with it though
One thing you want to keep an eye on while you're towing is if the torque converter is unlocking. The way you tell this is the engine acts like the truck is downshifting but no all the way. The rpm's shoot up a bit. If it's doing this then you should go with the next gear down (i.e. OD OFF). The unlocked situation is what generates the most heat along with backing up.
My trailer is 5600# add 900-1100 pounds for stuff and people, 6500-6700 total. One trip last year was probably a little more than that. You should be at just under 6000# maybe a little over 6000 if your tanks are full. The only way you'll truly know what your total vehicle weight is, is if you take it to a scale all loaded up.
Check out www.rv.net, they have TONS of info there about pulling and do's and don'ts.
You're not gonna win any race with it though
One thing you want to keep an eye on while you're towing is if the torque converter is unlocking. The way you tell this is the engine acts like the truck is downshifting but no all the way. The rpm's shoot up a bit. If it's doing this then you should go with the next gear down (i.e. OD OFF). The unlocked situation is what generates the most heat along with backing up.
My trailer is 5600# add 900-1100 pounds for stuff and people, 6500-6700 total. One trip last year was probably a little more than that. You should be at just under 6000# maybe a little over 6000 if your tanks are full. The only way you'll truly know what your total vehicle weight is, is if you take it to a scale all loaded up.
Check out www.rv.net, they have TONS of info there about pulling and do's and don'ts.
Last edited by ViperGrendal; 11-15-2005 at 10:38 AM.
#3
11-15-2005 | 09:59 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 486
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From: San Diego
Hey Viper,
A quick question regarding your added tranny cooler. I have the factory installed tow and go package, but did not get the truck with a receiver hitch, so I'm not sure if the radiator for the tranny is big enough for class III or IV hauling. Any input. Also, when you added the tranny cooler, did you swap out the existing one or did you add to it? What kind of wrenching are we talking about? Thanks!
A quick question regarding your added tranny cooler. I have the factory installed tow and go package, but did not get the truck with a receiver hitch, so I'm not sure if the radiator for the tranny is big enough for class III or IV hauling. Any input. Also, when you added the tranny cooler, did you swap out the existing one or did you add to it? What kind of wrenching are we talking about? Thanks!