Tow Vechicle II

We saw the Landmark in Tampa and fell in love, but decided it would require a $100K Peterbilt to pull it. The Dodge trucks that several of you are pulling with would seem to be under sized for a fully stocked and loaded Landmark. Have I missed something in the math?

Tow Vehicle!

Hi Charles:

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the 2004 Dodge RAM Quad Cab with Dual Rear wheels is rated to pull 15,800. Now, that's with a 4.10 rear axle ratio and automatic transmission, plus the Cummins Turbo Diesel. I thoroughly checked out this information before I, first purchased the RAM and before I purchased the Landmark.

The Big Dodge is more than capable of pulling this trailer, with power to spare. And yes, it is close to the gross capacity of the vehicle, but that is what it was designed and tested for. Had it not been capable of the load, I wouldn't have purchased the combo.

Taken from 2004 Towing guide:

3500 Reg Cab LB RWD DRW 5.9L TDI-HO 16,300 d,f​

3500 Reg Cab LB 4WD DRW 5.9L TDI-HO 15,800 d,f​

If you ever get a chance to go to Elkhart, Indiana, you will see nothing but Dodge RAMS with Duallies all over the place. Seems to be BIG DODGE capital of the world.

You don't need a 100K Peterbilt to pull it. An MDT would be nice for those that can afford them and they start at around 65K.

I could go on and on about this and you will un-doubtedly get varying opinions of what vehicles to use and what they can tow, along with other ideas as well.

The Landmark you looked at in Florida in all likelyhood was towed down there by a Dodge RAM!

By the way, which Landmark did you look at anyway? Was it the new Monticello?

Talk to you later.

Jeff

Yes, I and another couple from Miami sat in it for over an hour. They were going to "go fulltime". I wanted to buy it right then and there. I walked my wife up the street to the Peterbilt display and my DW said, "No Way". When we added up the prices we decided that us "wantabe's" would be better off with a class a. By the time we found the a we both wanted the price tag had gone to $300K and I said, "No Way"!

Now I am back to 5ers and trying to decide on a 350 or 450. There is a refiter in Wisc that has a good looking unit on the Chevy Kodiak frame. It is a sweet looking rig, but it is big. Can you get the Dodge with an engine bracke with automatic transmission?

We are now considering the Grand Canyon.

Engine Brake?

Hi Charles:

Seems I have heard of someone talking about that before and that there is a device that works on Automatic Trannies. Not sure on who makes it!

And I guessed it was the Monticello, since the Tampa show was the first show they promoted that new floor plan at. In that regard, you would be correct about the RAM. It would be well over Gross if you fully loaded the Monticello, pretty close to 2000 lbs over. Nope, wouldn't use a RAM to haul it.

The other Landmarks and Big Horns fall well within the towing capacities of the Dodge RAMs.

If you are considering the F350 or F450, you should consider reading a number of articles on their Powerstroke engines and transmissions. I'm not here to bad mouth those vehicles, but reading will tell you alot.

The frustration factor sets in when you start doing the research on Trailers and Tow vehicles.

I hope you decide to purchase a Landmark, they are first rate, top quality units, that you won't be disappointed with.

Take Care.

Jeff

Towing lesson #1: Pull with a manual gearbox. (How many auto. semis do you see?)

Towing lesson #2: Get an exhaust brake.

Towing lesson #3: Go to this site for any Dodge Cummins info you'd want: www.tdr1.com

Also, you're idea about the Kodiac truck is OK, but the CAT motor wont make any power, nor can it be hot-rodded and live. You'll find that 300hp ain't even close to cuttin' mustard. No V8 motors in big rigs, so that rules out Ford and GM pickups. The little Cummins motor wll go WAY over 400hp and 1000lbs torque....cheaply and easily. Oh, and the mileage keeps improving, too!!!
Have fun!

Great Points

Thank you for these points. I was going strickly on the better clas a pushers that we have shopped. They all had an exhaust break and they also had push button allison trany's.

We have a Grand Canyon on order for the middle to end of May delivery. We will be pulling with a 2005 Dodge DRW 4x4 4.10 rear Deisel 6 speed - Jake Brake (the exhaust brake was installed by the Dodge Dealer) From my research this vehicle will be fine to pull the GC and our goods.

This truck is 58 inches at the rear rail. Is anyone pulling with a Dodge 4x4 and if so how much rail clearance do you have?? Does anyone know if the Landmark 5er had an adjustment at the axle to raise it up?

Charles, the pushers with the Allison/jake combo are wonderful!! Please don't be sucked in and think that the GM pickup with the Allison is of the same caliber. That gearbox is stamped "light duty" and is built specifically for the pickup application only. Now, if they were the 5 or 6 speed units out of a Freightliner bus pusher....that'd be sweeeeet!!! If you go to the TDR site and do a forum search for auto/exhaust brake, you will see that DC is gearing up for one with the 48RE automatic. I know a few guys using one with both the 47RE and 48RE gearboxes...the only thing they really needed to do were these: A trans temp guage, an aftermarket tranny pan for bigger fluid capacity, and what's called a "mystery switch". This handy little deal is a manual torque converter lock with a toggle switch on the dash. Mileage and performace both go up with this 'un-authorized' addition.

bcfast said:

Towing lesson #1: Pull with a manual gearbox. (How many auto. semis do you see?)

Towing lesson #2: Get an exhaust brake.

Towing lesson #3: Go to this site for any Dodge Cummins info you'd want: www.tdr1.com

Also, you're idea about the Kodiac truck is OK, but the CAT motor wont make any power, nor can it be hot-rodded and live. You'll find that 300hp ain't even close to cuttin' mustard. No V8 motors in big rigs, so that rules out Ford and GM pickups. The little Cummins motor wll go WAY over 400hp and 1000lbs torque....cheaply and easily. Oh, and the mileage keeps improving, too!!!
Have fun!

Click to expand...

Mr. bcfast, I'm afraid I must disagree with you on your posts in response to the inquiry about a tow vehicle.

First of all, many if not most of the semis coming on the line today are equipped with auto trannys, either the Allison or Eaton.

The Kodiak is only available with the CAT engine in the 6500 and larger models. The 4500 and 5500 come with the Duramax engine, which like the Dodge can be pushed up well over the 400HP mark. I have an Edge unit on my '02 2500 and love it! It pulls my trailer like it's not even back there and gets 20+ MPG solo.

In your next post, the Allison tranny that is available in the pickups is a 5 speed, with a rumor that the trucks will be available with a 6 speed next year with the same model of transmission.

I'm afraid that if someone took your advice about adding the "mystery switch" to their Dodge transmissions, they would be very sad when they had to take the truck in for service and learned that the factory warranty was now void because of an unauthorized parts addition.

Jayc, if you'll scroll back up to my comment on the mystery switch, I did refer to it as "un-authorized"...and personally, I don't condone it. As far as warranty goes, you and I would both be in hot water if we didnt remove our "boxes of fun" before a service, wouldn't we? LOL On the Allison matter, I'm glad yours is working out for you. As I understand it, the 'good' gearboxes in the pushers are just to big and heavy for the pickup....it's too bad, cuz that would put Ford and DC out in the pasture...imagine, a pickup with a gearbox that would outlast the rest of the rig!! The little 5 speed in the current GM pickups...personally, I'll wait and see how they age. I'll continue to drive a manual.

Pacbrake makes an exhaust brake for the 2005 Dodge/Cummins auto transmission. They say that Federal law prevents Dodge from voiding the warrenty. Looks like we will go with this setup. Now we just need to decide on a hitch.

O.K. guys we all know that every one of us is going to brag about our rigs and tow truck. I have a Chev 3500 dually with the Duramax and Allison automatic. I pull a Landmark, Grand Canyon, you are right about it being over wieght if you really load it up. The fiver is rated at 16,300 lbs, thats a lot of weight. The 3500 dually GCVR is 23,500. It pulls the fiver with no sweat and I am right at the 23,000 area. The Allison acts like an exhaust brake when in the trailer mode, and like the Dodge and Ford manufacuters they do not reccomend adding a exhaust brake. Also if you boost up the power and torque you will void your warranty, and the claims that they can be removed and not detected is wrong. the onboard computers are attached to a black box just like on big aircraft and they record everyone thing. So good luck and full timing is wonderful.