I'm wondering what mods and upgrades are most beneficial for towing applications. I don't want a race truck (well kind of I do, but...), I want my truck to be able to pull heavy loads (like up to 21,000 or so) up and down hills with as much ease and as stable as possible. Right now it doesn't seem to have the power to really pull. I recently towed a 25' goose neck w/ a 1 ton Chebby on it (maybe 9 or 10,000#) up Interstate 81 from VA to Syracuse NY, and I could hardly crawl up some of the steeper hills. My EGTs were good for the most part, just not enough snot.

Are there things I can do that affect pulling power more than "off the line" power? Or are they the same? For example I hear a lot about HP increases, does torque increase? Do they both increase at the same rate?

I'm wondering specifically about turbos, sticks, HPOP, fuel pump and whatever else. In my sig are most of the mods I've done (DP tuner, tranny upgrades etc. I know I need a 4 in exhaust it is on my list.

Am I expecting to much in thinking a 7.3 should pull 10,000# at 55-65mph up small mountains (we don't exactly have the Rockies out here)? My father says his Dodge/Cummins does with no problem

As always, "Thank you for your support".

 

Swamps 175/146 SS injectors
a van turbo or stock with larger exhaust housing or GTPR38
Gutted EBPV
AIH delete
4" exhaust
a good chip/tunes
in tank & pre pump fuel mods
Intercooler upgrade
Tranny cooler upgrade

With this setup while towing a 10-11K 5th wheeler (pickup loaded with family, fuel and all kinds of uneccessary road trip crap) we put her on cruise control at 70-75 and let her roll on the flats. In the Smokies and the Black Hills I've got no problem maintaining speeds up grades. Now after the power mods were done I needed to do some mods to help slow the load down on grades and exit ramps......running 350 HP and about 700 torque - love towing with this setup

I've been accused of camper racing before..........

 

Not at all, easily done with the right setup..........

 

Almost forgot, if you have a weak HPOP an upgrade like an Dieselsite Adrenaline HPOP, Stealth or BTS dual HPOP will make a big difference.

 

Your truck should be able to handle 10k-12k loads very easily. How long have you had problems towing? My fifth wheel weighs over 16k and my truck pulls it no problem for the most part. It's a tough pull on very steep mountains but that is expected. My neighbor behind me has an 06 Dodge with a trailer that weighs 14.5k and we both seem to have about the same amount of pulling power. My neighbor to the right has an 2001 Dodge with a 13k trailer and he really struggles in the mountains. So I think the 7.3 holds it's own when it comes to towing. I wonder if you might have an exhaust leak or boost leak somewhere. Might want to check your up-pipes for soot marks.

As far as mods, I have the stock type intake, exhaust, turbo and injectors. I use a Bully Dog Power Pup programmer with the tow tune. The timing is a bit aggressive when unloaded but works pretty well with a heavy load but that is ok with me because I don't really hot rod around much anyway. I probably would have chosen a DP or PHP tune but I didn't know about those guys until much later.

My trans is upgraded which probably made the biggest difference with towing power. I also make use of the EBPV mod as an engine brake. For suspension upgrades, I have AirLift air bags with on-board compressor. The air bags make it much easier to control the trailer on the highway and braking is much more effective. I also installed a Hellwig sway bar on the rear and it helps my SRW truck tow a bit more like a DRW model. Lastly, I really like my C-Betr mirrors. They really help me see what is happening back there and when making turns in tight parking lots and fuel stations etc.

Hope this info helps.

 

You seem to have a lot of good mods already for towing. I pull from 7000-18,000# trailers, goosenecks, and a camper through the mountains of VA and WV all the time; up and down I-81 and on I 64. In 80T I always feel like there's power in reserve and I don't have anything special. Don't know what to tell ya. It normally doesn't even downshift as long as I can keep the speed and momentum up at 65-70, but if some ******* changes lanes in front of me and only does 55 then sure I'll have to downshift.
If you could barely crawl up those little mountains towing 10-12K then I'd say you have an issue or are afraid to put the pedal down. What's your boost and EGTs at when this is happening?

 

Nope, not at all.

It's just my opinion, but I wouldn't call the Adrenaline an upgrade over a stock HPOP, based on everything I've read on the different forums.

Termy doubles would be my first choice followed by a modified 17* from TE if single shots are being used.

Stewart

 

It all depends how much money you're willing to spend. If its no object then id go with bts dual pumps hybrids and a gqssb turbo. your trans wont last too long so add that to the budget and don't waste your time with a stock rebuild get a bts trans

If you're on a budget send your injectors to jim at rosewood to have them rebuilt to stage 2s for around 900$ and find a van turbo. Also budget for a trans

 

Sounds like you have a boost problem. I can tow with much more weight then that but I have to let up because of EGT's. I still have stock exhaust with cat so they climb quick. Check your waste gate first that would be the easiest fix and let us know, Chet

 

This is a great list! Reps sent if possible.

I would go w/ an exhaust asap.. That will help alot for not alot of change.

I would recommend a 6.0 IC and Trans cooler. A van turbo would help keep the EGT's down.

I would go in this order..
Exhaust
6.0 IC
6.0 Trans cooler
Van turbo
Stage 1 injectors
VB upgrade (BTS or JW)

It's easy for me to hold 65mph up steep grades when I'm sitting at 23-24k gross.

Good luck!

Edit: Get an AE to datalog your HPOP. I hate when ppl replace there HPOP w/out needing it.

 

interesting you would suggest a modified termy hpop while saying the adrenaline isnt an upgrade. are they not both modified pumps just from different companies? my adrenaline was a huge improvement over my stock pump.....

 

I would think the modded termy pump and adrenaline are not a huge deal.

What was the health of your stock HPOP? Most people have perfectly find HPOPs and think a termy or adrenaline is gonna change the world. It's not.. it will increase throttle response a little bit..

For instance.. my stocker w/ 304k will hold 3200psi in any of my tunes.. My stocker is a freak!

 

your stocker is a freak!

youre right they are not a huge deal but they are an improved pump over stock. its like the improvement from a 15* to a 17* pump. for some reason 18 or 19* is stuck in my head......

 

(insert pop song here "Don't you wish your HPOP was a freak, like me.....?"

Don't you hate it when you hear a song and then can't get it out of your head? Your comment about your HPOP will make me laugh every time I hear that song from now on...

 

This is a good list of mods, but I am willing to bet money that the intake screen of your fuel pump is blocked up with debris.
I went through that with my truck, it ran great for the first two seconds, then no power.
It was a fuel volume problem.
Once I got that fixed, I can now tow my 14k 5th wheel up a 6% grade and never drop below 45 mph in stock tune.
Boost never drops below 18 psi and usually sits at 19 when pulling grades.
Stock injectors, stock HPOP, stock turbo with a WW installed.