[Hershey]

We just picked up a new 6' X 12' enclosed trailer this morning. The trailer weights just over 1,000 & under 1,500 lbs empty. All the tires are new & serviced to 50 psi & the axel is greased. The trailer does not have brakes.

This dumb truck would barely pull it! Winds were slightly to the side & rear, so not a big factor. The road was wide open & flat as a board. Our prized ED would not leave 6th gear at first struggling to do 60 mph. After about 20 miles at 10 mpg it started bouncing up to 7th & 8 gear, but the slightest grade change of more than a few feet would cause it to kick down. I tried the Tow/Haul button & that made it worse. This thing struggled to maintain 65 mph with an EMPTY trailer trailer & averaged 13 mph for the 225 mile trip back!

The truck appeared to regenerate on the way down & again on the way back (according to the scan gauge exhaust temp). I thought this truck was supposed to tow like a champ? It tows like a VW Beetle! What could possibly be wrong now? There are no messages or lights showing a problem. We are ready to run this pile off a [email protected][HTML][PHP][QUOTE][/QUOTE][/PHP][/HTML];

 

[firemist32]

wow and no issues not towing? I have a 14ft enclosed utility trailer about 3500 lbs loaded and 25ft travel trailer about 5500lbs loaded and no issues on either. You will rarely ever see 8th gear but 7th should not be a problem flat over 55mph. I get about 20mpg with the utility trailer hooked up

 

[Hershey]

wow and no issues not towing? I have a 14ft enclosed utility trailer about 3500 lbs loaded and 25ft travel trailer about 5500lbs loaded and no issues on either. You will rarely ever see 8th gear but 7th should not be a problem flat over 55mph. I get about 20mpg with the utility trailer hooked up

Oh, there are issues not towing also; 22 mpg highway! We STILL get traces of raw diesel exhaust inside the cab, along other weird exhaust smells - but, according to 2 dealers, nothing is wrong. What a joke.

 

[JM29]

Has to be a issue should pull 9500 lbs easy , some issue hear , we need to hear from more towing guys on this one ?

 

[JM29]

Any guys use block heater cord with out having to open the hood to plug and and hide back under hood very time ,what a pain ?

 

[Hershey]

Any guys use block heater cord with out having to open the hood to plug and and hide back under hood very time ,what a pain ?

I ran mine along the frame inside flexible conduit & out thru the tow hook. I used zip ties to secure it. It works great.

 

[jackhandee]

The one good thing I acn say about the truck is that it pulls like a champ. I pulled my boat all summer 4,500lbs with no issues i barley new it was back there. I also pull a 5th wheel camper at around 10,000lbs you can feel it behind you but had np problem at 70mph up and down hills. You have some kind of issue and good luck getting any help from chrysler.

 

[CJnOC]

Oh, there are issues not towing also; 22 mpg highway! We STILL get traces of raw diesel exhaust inside the cab, along other weird exhaust smells - but, according to 2 dealers, nothing is wrong. What a joke.

You need to check into this... This just isn't right. I know that with 4x2 EcoDiesels, there is an exhaust coupler leak, but even if this isn't the problem, somebody has got to resolve your issue. Do you live in a cold climate state or provence? Just curious because some ED owners in those areas have also had issues... Don't get discouraged, there has to be an explanation.

 

[Hershey]

No, no cold climate, I'm in Texas (although this yr. is the worst I've ever seen since I moved here in 1998!).

 

[mklein]

You definitely have a problem, I have pulled trailers over 8000 lbs on the interstate with no problem sustaining 70 mph and still averaging 18 mpg. This is an open trailer hauling cars / trucks so there is less wind load but I haven't had any issues with towing.

Since your smelling raw Diesel fumes I would suspect an exhaust leak before the turbo, possible affecting boost, or a plugged DPF, since you mentioned it going into regen twice. Problem is finding a tech that will actually troubleshoot your problem, without a trouble code most techs will tell you everything is fine.

 

[Kancho]

You definitely have a problem, I have pulled trailers over 8000 lbs on the interstate with no problem sustaining 70 mph and still averaging 18 mpg. This is an open trailer hauling cars / trucks so there is less wind load but I haven't had any issues with towing.

Since your smelling raw Diesel fumes I would suspect an exhaust leak before the turbo, possible affecting boost, or a plugged DPF, since you mentioned it going into regen twice. Problem is finding a tech that will actually troubleshoot your problem, without a trouble code most techs will tell you everything is fine.

I'd almost be tempted to say a possible cracked turbo.

 

[zoomie]

Whatever it is, it's not right. I'd get to a dealer.

 

[Hershey]

Whatever it is, it's not right. I'd get to a dealer.

Going in next week. They were less than thrilled to hear from me again - its as if they are planning how they are going to tell me yet again that nothing is wrong before I get there!

 

[firemist32]

Edmunds dot com might be having the same issue with their truck. They said it stalled after feeling sluggish while towing and MPG drop. Dodge replaced everything from the gas tank forward in the fuel system it sounds like to fix the problem

Back in Service - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

 

[CJnOC]

Edmunds dot com might be having the same issue with their truck. They said it stalled after feeling sluggish while towing and MPG drop. Dodge replaced everything from the gas tank forward in the fuel system it sounds like to fix the problem

Back in Service - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

I read this article too. It's good for both the current ED owners as well as for RAM, because it brings light to the subject and should accelerate resolution. RAM is definitely having some teething problems with the ED, but I would like to think that they are very close to resolving all these issues. Remember too that they have a vested interest since they increased production by 20% on the ED's... Yes, current customer service may not reflect this, but I truly believe it will all fall into place in the near future. Hang in there Hershey!:

 

[DBM]

Aside from my DEF issues I am having, I also tow a 27 ft travel trailer in the northern part of New Brunswick with many hills to climb up and down wherever I go and I have no problems during the summer time towing and averaging 20 MPG, there has to be another issue as to why you are having difficulty towing an enclosed trailer, I used to have a Honda Ridgeline and towed a 6 x 12 with no problems as well, mind you the MPG sucked.