Best upgrades for towing ? ? ?

[440727]

I have a 1992 Dodge Ram D-350, 5spd, and 3.54 with 93,000. I'm going to work for my father-in-law in his construction business.

What would be the best upgrades for towing 10k-15k a few times a week in arkansas ?

Thanks !

[ellis93]

7x10 injectors, 60mm compresser upgrade, 14 or 16cm exhaust housing, Coolertubz

Basically what's in my signature

[BILTIT]

Ellis-do the 7x10's smoke much? I would like to upgrade injectors but not really sure what to get. I do tow ~15k aswell and don't want any smoke or EGT issues. I have heard of others using 5x12's also, not sure how they compare to 7x10's.

[ellis93]

I wouldn't know about the 5x12s other than some folks say they're hot while towing

How's the smoke? Well like a freakin train if the AFC is not tightened up. With a light foot and above,their not bad at all.

[oldestof11]

Best upgrade for anything heavy is reducing load on the engine. Doing a gear swap to 4:10's would help the drive train quite a bit.

215-235 width tires in E-Load range to help carry the weight.

3200rpm spring minimum to help with gear spacing. I would even suggest 3800 if you plan on keeping the 3.54's as the drop between gears 2nd to 3rd, and then help towing in 4th if you don't get above 60mph for a couple mile stretch at a time. The engine and rear can take it, the trans doesn't like high loads/lower rpms.

14cm or 16cm housing. You need the engine to breathe when towing but also spool up quicker. A 12cm might be too restrictive.

Lift pump. Get a 14psi Holley or Procomp Black fuel pump. If you want to stay mechanical lift pump, a 2nd Gen piston pump with a regulator to return the excess fuel will be cheaper than buying a low pressure piston pump.

A good clutch. Either a towing clutch from South Bend or Valair or keeping the stock Sachs clutch. Do not do the 12-1/4" "upgrade" which is really a downgrade.

[monoblock]

Great modification suggestions. What puzzles me is which ones are dependent on related improvements.
For example there is even a 4200rpm spring available (and 3800) but wouldn't they be ineffective without a proportional increase in fuel supply(H.O. pump as suggested) and larger injectors and/or various other tweeks to the pump?Even valve spring upgrades?
I am trying to think in terms of a package of balanced & proportional improvements -like Stage 1 Towing , Stage 2 Towing .......

[skilletky]

i have towed about 12k with 5x12's and a 62mm turbo, 3200 spring, 4 inch exhaust, and intake. with the auto and 3.73 gear, it smoked pretty good taking off. but i had my afc spring very loose and smoke screw in pretty far. it is a little warm, but can be done. pleanty of power on tap. i recently towed about 6k with my current set up, could not have done it with out W/M. with the W/M, it never got above 980*.

[monoblock]

Easily(I presume) towing 12,000 pounds proves the effectiveness of your upgrades.
Were the stock brakes upgraded also?
The other key component I notice in your signature is an ATS transmission(?). Would you mind sharing what convinced you to buy ATS rather than PATC or any of the other trans upgrades ?

[dunes450r]

Great modification suggestions. What puzzles me is which ones are dependent on related improvements.
For example there is even a 4200rpm spring available (and 3800) but wouldn't they be ineffective without a proportional increase in fuel supply(H.O. pump as suggested) and larger injectors and/or various other tweeks to the pump?Even valve spring upgrades?
I am trying to think in terms of a package of balanced & proportional improvements -like Stage 1 Towing , Stage 2 Towing .......

the extended RPM springs not only allow higher rpms, but they keep the pump at full fuel output higher into the rpm range. most people (aside from pullers) put the springs in so they can have more fuel at 3000rpm or less. i'm not completely sure, but i think the stock spring starts defueling at like 2400rpm (correct me if i'm wrong)

[skilletky]

Easily(I presume) towing 12,000 pounds proves the effectiveness of your upgrades.
Were the stock brakes upgraded also?
The other key component I notice in your signature is an ATS transmission(?). Would you mind sharing what convinced you to buy ATS rather than PATC or any of the other trans upgrades ?

the stock brakes didnt work worth a crap. was stopping on hopes and dreams, and down shifting. ive got them fixed now and they work awesome. i bought ats because at the time they seemed like the best. i have had several problems with it, and their customer support is not always that helpful. but it has not left me stranded in the past 4 or 5 years. would i buy another one from them? no.

[rockmike]

The Hellwig rear sway bar made a huge differance pullin my gooseneck trailer.

[monoblock]

Skilletky
Thanks for the insight.
Eliminating the RWAL with $10 of Weatherhead parts from NAPA seems to be the easy part of solving the brake problems according to other helpful forum members here.
Sorry to hear about ATS. They are near me and was hoping for better news.Thanks for the advice on your experience. An upgraded auto trans is a big expense ($2-3K)and a lot of work. If the results are poor,it makes a strong case for a manual trans conversion.
The Hellwig suggestion is interesting .I have air bags at the rear so am curious to see if they need any 'help' with a full load of granite in the new dump bed.

[skilletky]

I got rid of the rear and valve, put on a NEW master cyl, replaced all brake lines, and adjust the booster pushrod. Now my brakes work better than my car. I got air bags on the rear axle. They are pretty nice. You could rebuild the Trans with good parts , throw in a shift kit, and a good converter would probably work pretty well. Or do what I SHOULD have done and converted like you said.