Your towing rigs and trailers

[TMGT]

6 speed transmission
More gears in the lighter trucks
ThE Cummins never runs out of power on me, even fully loaded. In line 6 torque feels stronger than V8 torque an does it on lower RPM

Have to agree, have had both a 7.3L (230hp) F550 and a 5.9L (230hp) F650, l the 5.9 would outpull the 7.3 all day and run down the road better.

 

[Hay Dude]

Have to agree, have had both a 7.3L (230hp) F550 and a 5.9L (230hp) F650, l the 5.9 would outpull the 7.3 all day and run down the road better.

It feels like a flatter, calmer, lower RPM torque curve.
Less downshifting on hills, about 15% better on fuel, too. I expect that percentage to increase after break in.

 

[square1]

Yeah, 5k, my bad. Just remember thinking at the time I was shopping vans, either the tractor or the trailer would have to stay home at the MB towing limit. Good they upped their capacity.

 

[DavesTractor]

I thought of doing the 3500 pickup with 1000ftlbs, removing bed and installing an aluminum flatbed, I felt like while towing over 40,000lbs, I might run out of rear spring, axle or tire load capacity. I also like the extra braking capacity on the 5500 and the 4.88 gearing. The high capacity 43,000lb towing package made it an easy decision. I also like the 19.5 tires and the extra 19,500GVWR.
GM also offered a 3500 dually with a GCWR of 40,000lbs.
No doubt the pickups with 1000ftlbs must be sick fun to drive.

I think you made the right decision. I am sure I am very close to max capacity of the pickup rear axle and tires, and for sure I'd like more brake capacity. Although this 3500 has done all I have asked of it, I think when it is time to replace this delivery truck I will consider a 5500 with 4.88 gears. In California once your towing rig is over 11,500 GVWR you have to go through the scales and all of the same stuff that a 5500 has to do. Might as well have the capacity.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think you made the right decision. I am sure I am very close to max capacity of the pickup rear axle and tires, and for sure I'd like more brake capacity. Although this 3500 has done all I have asked of it, I think when it is time to replace this delivery truck I will consider a 5500 with 4.88 gears. In California once your towing rig is over 11,500 GVWR you have to go through the scales and all of the same stuff that a 5500 has to do. Might as well have the capacity.

Would love to have a Cummins Power Wagon....
The 18 year old kid in me roils to the surface sometimes. :laughing:

 

[aeblank]

Would love to have a Cummins Power Wagon....
The 18 year old kid in me roils to the surface sometimes. :laughing:

Like this? Some people do a 12 valve swap.

https://i.imgur.com/MNLbLel.jpg

 

[Hay Dude]

Like this? Some people do a 12 valve swap.

https://i.imgur.com/MNLbLel.jpg

No I mean the new ones.

 

[DavesTractor]

Would love to have a Cummins Power Wagon....
The 18 year old kid in me roils to the surface sometimes. :laughing:

Would be a cool rig. The new Ford Tremor seems like a decent rig where you can still tow and it has some off-road chops. I might consider one of those for a towing rig when it is time to rotate one of our current trucks out of the fleet. But I find that it is really hard to make one rig do it all. I have a Ford Raptor that I use as a car and light towing, light off-roading. That lets me keep my diesel pickups attached to trailers 95% of the time.

I guess since this is a towing rig thread, I'll mention what we have in our little fleet at the moment. 2015 Ram 3500 Laramie dually crewcab 4x4 diesel that is normally hooked to a 32' Diamond C 25,900 rated power dove, gooseneck, disc brakes on the trailer, hydraulic jacks, winch, 12k axles. Then a 2018 Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 standard cab long bed with the factory rear air suspension that is normally hooked to our 22' Diamond C 48HDT bumper pull trailer with 17.5 tires, etc. Then a third truck that I normally pull is a 2015 Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 crewcab Laramie shortbed with rear air suspension and I pull another 22' Diamond C 48HDT rated at 14,900 with the 17.5 tires, winch, etc. Lastly the crane trailer that I keep saying I am building...got it here but haven't put it together yet. That is our little fleet. Each truck is set up for goose or bumper pull so we can switch around trailers if need be, being watchful of the pin load with a goose on a 2500.

 

[Hay Dude]

How you like the Diamond Cs?
Someone in the trailer business told me the son took over the company and quality has dropped off?

 

[3Ts]

I was unimpressed with Diamond C. I'd heard so many good things about them I took a 2 hour trip one way just to look at them. Was quite disappointed, I think PJ is far better in workmanship and the small features such as how the doors are held open are also far better.

 

[Fallon]

How you like the Diamond Cs?
Someone in the trailer business told me the son took over the company and quality has dropped off?

Mine is pretty decent, but not outstanding. My deckover power tilt has some warped boards after 2-3 years. Tilt cylinders are leaking a touch. Some of the metal supports/channel for the hoses are a hack job.

The quality seemed to be a bit beefier than the local Big Tex trailers & other similar ones. Not by much, but a bit better, although with a slighter beefier price tag. I don't regret getting my 22' power tilt.

 

[nisaacs]

I was unimpressed with Diamond C. I'd heard so many good things about them I took a 2 hour trip one way just to look at them. Was quite disappointed, I think PJ is far better in workmanship and the small features such as how the doors are held open are also far better.

They look and operate cool until you actually put them in service. Then you find out real quick they open too wide, not swung up against the bed side wall. They stick out too far and encounter everything in the way, such as fences, buildings, trees etc.

Here is a before and after picture of my PJ when I re-modeled my latches.

 

[Hay Dude]

I was unimpressed with Diamond C. I'd heard so many good things about them I took a 2 hour trip one way just to look at them. Was quite disappointed, I think PJ is far better in workmanship and the small features such as how the doors are held open are also far better.

The only thing keeping me interested in DC is the 2) 10k axles, even though theyre torsion axles. It keeps me away from a 3 axle.
After searching for 3 weeks, I finally have an estimate coming for a 3 axle Load Trail. Dealer claims he used to carry Diamond C and the quality fell about 2 years ago. Dealer also is a farmer and claims his 3rd axle has never been a problem, but agrees a loaded trailer in a tight turn on pavement is not something you want to do a lot. Load Trail actually also makes a 2) 10k torsion axle, but for some off reason, not in a deck over version.

 

[DavesTractor]

How you like the Diamond Cs?
Someone in the trailer business told me the son took over the company and quality has dropped off?

We are a dealer for Diamond C and also FabForm so we are surely biased. I'll state that upfront. But we like them a lot. High quality, innovative, and very customizable. Diamond C has been undergoing huge growth, greatly expanding their facilities, changing the paint system, making its own engineered beams for the bigger trailers, and things like that. They are really innovative. They aren't perfect, but we like them a lot. Rapid growth comes with the associated need for hiring and training new employees and anytime that happens a company needs to be really careful to stay on top of quality.

We haul with ours every day and my son has one, a tandem dually and he pulls his 16k excavator on it daily and it has been very good. He had a PJ before and after the 4th time taking it back for fold-down ramp problems he sold it. The trailer itself held up, but the ramps were terrible for loading a rubber track excavator which puts a big point load on ramps. From our perspective Diamond C is top-notch.

I note that one poster mentioned how the dump trailer doors do not fold flat against the sides when open, that is not an issue for me on my Diamond C dump, but I can see how it could be if dumping right next to a fence or building. And the comment about how the doors are held open I must agree with. The Diamond C system isn't much of a system, just a chain with a clasp on it. It is simple and won't break, but there are better methods. No doubt the perfect trailer would be a mix of the best features of several brands.

I think there are a lot of very good brands out there, but for us we are pleased with what we use in our own fleet and what we sell.

 

[duramaxsky]

Unfortunately the Vette is on the trailer because the new truck (2700 miles) has a transmission leak. I didn't have anyone who could follow me to the dealer for the appointment then take me to the doctor and physical therapist. So I loaded the car and used it. The leak is a seal between the transmission and transfer case. They won't get parts until next week. So I had to go get the trailer with my other truck. I got the new one because the old one has a lot of miles and I wanted something more reliable to tow my RV. But the old one may still do that now. I need to keep it around because I have trailers that are too heavy for the 1500. If it's not a daily driver I should be able to keep it in real good running order.

 

[Hay Dude]

We are a dealer for Diamond C and also FabForm so we are surely biased. I'll state that upfront. But we like them a lot. High quality, innovative, and very customizable. Diamond C has been undergoing huge growth, greatly expanding their facilities, changing the paint system, making its own engineered beams for the bigger trailers, and things like that. They are really innovative. They aren't perfect, but we like them a lot. Rapid growth comes with the associated need for hiring and training new employees and anytime that happens a company needs to be really careful to stay on top of quality.

We haul with ours every day and my son has one, a tandem dually and he pulls his 16k excavator on it daily and it has been very good. He had a PJ before and after the 4th time taking it back for fold-down ramp problems he sold it. The trailer itself held up, but the ramps were terrible for loading a rubber track excavator which puts a big point load on ramps. From our perspective Diamond C is top-notch.

I note that one poster mentioned how the dump trailer doors do not fold flat against the sides when open, that is not an issue for me on my Diamond C dump, but I can see how it could be if dumping right next to a fence or building. And the comment about how the doors are held open I must agree with. The Diamond C system isn't much of a system, just a chain with a clasp on it. It is simple and won't break, but there are better methods. No doubt the perfect trailer would be a mix of the best features of several brands.

I think there are a lot of very good brands out there, but for us we are pleased with what we use in our own fleet and what we sell.

Still at the top of my list for my dump trailer.

 

[nisaacs]

We are a dealer for Diamond C

I note that one poster mentioned how the dump trailer doors do not fold flat against the sides when open, that is not an issue for me on my Diamond C dump, but I can see how it could be if dumping right next to a fence or building. And the comment about how the doors are held open I must agree with. The Diamond C system isn't much of a system, just a chain with a clasp on it. It is simple and won't break, but there are better methods. No doubt the perfect trailer would be a mix of the best features of several brands.

I think you mean me. However, if you read my post again you will see I was talking about my own PJ dump, not Diamond C. Since you are a dealer I am going to unload on you, J/K Lol

When I was shopping for my PJ dump 7x16x3, 22k gvw I priced/researched the Diamond C (low pro) in that size/gvw. Super expensive. What I didn't like was the tail gate. With their tall sides they use 2 hinges, one cam lock and the spreader chain is too high up on the gate, too much leverage against the doors when you pre-stage to spread heavy gravel/cinders. They de-rate the 10k axles with 4800lb tires. Comments?

Now with that said, I do like their flat beds and they are competitive in price. Currently looking at the FMAX 208 in 30', my son is looking at the FMAX 212 in 32'. Red Bluff is way closer than PA, my selling dealer for my PJ. They also offer Diamond C. I have found some 212's (I do my son's research) in stock but no 208's with torsion axles.

 

[DavesTractor]

I think you mean me. However, if you read my post again you will see I was talking about my own PJ dump, not Diamond C. Since you are a dealer I am going to unload on you, J/K Lol

When I was shopping for my PJ dump 7x16x3, 22k gvw I priced/researched the Diamond C (low pro) in that size/gvw. Super expensive. What I didn't like was the tail gate. With their tall sides they use 2 hinges, one cam lock and the spreader chain is too high up on the gate, too much leverage against the doors when you pre-stage to spread heavy gravel/cinders. They de-rate the 10k axles with 4800lb tires. Comments?

Now with that said, I do like their flat beds and they are competitive in price. Currently looking at the FMAX 208 in 30', my son is looking at the FMAX 212 in 32'. Red Bluff is way closer than PA, my selling dealer for my PJ. They also offer Diamond C. I have found some 212's (I do my son's research) in stock but no 208's with torsion axles.

Sorry about the reading comprehension issue on my part, and thanks for clarifying.

We have no FMax in stock, some on order but they are a ways out. Also zero on dumps. We generally carry about 30 dump trailers in stock. Since covid there has been a run on them and as soon as a load comes in we are back to zero in a few days. We have many loads on order and get regular shipments, but sales have outpaced availability for 5 months in a row now. We appreciate the quick sales and I am not complaining, but I wish we could keep a nice selection in stock as well.

That is the big problem with Diamond C right now, they can make a super cool custom trailer...but you better be patient because they are months out.

 

[Hay Dude]

Sorry about the reading comprehension issue on my part, and thanks for clarifying.

We have no FMax in stock, some on order but they are a ways out. Also zero on dumps. We generally carry about 30 dump trailers in stock. Since covid there has been a run on them and as soon as a load comes in we are back to zero in a few days. We have many loads on order and get regular shipments, but sales have outpaced availability for 5 months in a row now. We appreciate the quick sales and I am not complaining, but I wish we could keep a nice selection in stock as well.

That is the big problem with Diamond C right now, they can make a super cool custom trailer...but you better be patient because they are months out.

Can you tell me the straight scoop on the 10k axles with super single tires? Can’t seem to get a firm answer on the load rating of the tires.

 

[DavesTractor]

Can you tell me the straight scoop on the 10k axles with super single tires? Can稚 seem to get a firm answer on the load rating of the tires.

The FMAX210SS comes with 18 ply 235/75/R17.5 tires, rated at 6005 lbs each. That covers the 10k axle with a good margin. I see on the Diamond C tire page it shows a 16 ply in that size and it is rated at 4805 lbs, but if you go to the trailer page it clearly lists them as 18 ply for the 10k axle. They need to add an additional line for the 18 ply on the tire page. They sell both 15 and 18 ply, depending on the axle. I have the 16 ply of that size on my 48HDT with 7k axles, which leaves me with a bunch or margin as that is 9610 lbs of tire capacity on a 7k axle.

With the engineered beam and the super singles that lightens up that trailer nicely, giving more hauling capacity. I wish they were wider on the deck overs just for looks.