Towing - Reese SC hitch

[iceworm]

I'm looking at a Reese SC weight distribution hitch - 800lb tongue weight, 10k trailer.

Actual load is 700lb tongue, 6800lb gross trailer weight.

Has anyone used anyone of these hitches?

Or have a better recomendation?

ice

 

[iceworm]

Well, I pulled the trailer 4000+ miles to El Paso. Transmission temp was never a problem. It hit 230F on a few of the hills (Canadian Rockies, Raton Pass Colorado were two).

The weight distribution hitch worked great. Never had a problem with sway, but the trailer did tend to push a bit going into tight corners. Since the first 1000 miles was gravel and rough, I kept it pretty slow on the turns

Mostly I just ran out of horsepower. At 6% I was down to 2nd gear and 50mph (sefl limited rpm to 3500rpm). 7% and steeper, 1st gear and 30 mph (self limited rpm to 3500rpm). In the 65mph, 70, 75, 80 mph sections I self limited to 60mph - which was pretty close to flat-out anyway. Fuel consumption was between 8mpg and 10mpg. Essentially the engine was right at wfo for 4000+miles.

Shook the driver's side door handle loose and the barn doors lock developed and intermittent. I'm attributing those to the rough roads.

It did develop a "Throttle position sensor output low" warning that came in and out. It showed on the OBDii scanner. Engine check light never did come on. I couldn't tell if it affected the engine performance of not. Anybody know anything about this?

I don't think I will be doing this to it again - it was too much

the worm

 

[SunlitComet]

tps needs to be replaced. plays a role in several things including shifting. what did the tranny temp average on flats? sounds like things were normal. you can get used to it. you got trailer brakes and all right? 2800-3200 is about the power sweet spot. here in cali law limits trailers to 55. very good in different ways. some changes to vehicle will improve it for the better. will need to spend some tho.

---------- Post added at 09:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 AM ----------

almost forgot. check your tranny fluid and change it if discolored or burnt in anyway after you trips.

 

[iceworm]

tps needs to be replaced. plays a role in several things including shifting. what did the tranny temp average on flats? ...

almost forgot. check your tranny fluid and change it if discolored or burnt in anyway after you trips.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks. I should be able to order in a tps by then. Thanks for the info.

Trans temp ran from 180F on cool days (70F ambient) to 190F on hot days (100F ambient) Just screwing around I found the torque converter slip on the OBDii scanner. Interestingly, the trans temp appears to be related to the slip. Likely a perfect example of what everyone already knew.

Thanks for the advice on the trans fluid. I checked it every morning during the trip. Stayed nice and red and no losses. I pretty sure it is fine. I won't change it this year.

The engine oil use was right at one cup per day. Which is reasonable considering the engine was generally wfo 8 hours/day. Although it could just be throwing out the top cup. I've seen a few recip aircraft and diesels do that. Sometimes they are just not happy with the oil at the full mark.

worm

 

[SunlitComet]

yeah tranny temps were not that bad then considering the tc was slipping. in daily driver mode with no heavy cargo or trailer you are allowed 1qt burn-off in a 2k miles span. any thing more that is not an a overall leak somewhere must be investigated to help stop it or prevent damage to the converters. always keep it at full mark. if it is dropping right away then that needs looking into. extra coolers are good to have. make sure the pcv is clear and clean as well.

---------- Post added at 12:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 PM ----------

btw delphi or delco parts for these vehicles unless modding for upgrades or performance gains. for tps, delphi or delco only part. no exceptions.

 

[iceworm]

... sounds like things were normal. you can get used to it. you got trailer brakes and all right? ..

.. some changes to vehicle will improve it for the better. will need to spend some tho. ...

Yes, I installed a good porportional, inertial, trailer brake controller. Went through the trailer bearings and brakes. Truck tires are Load range E - pretty new. Synthetic lube in the front and rear axles. Transmission overhauled two years ago.

No, I won't get used to this one. I've got a commercial license and have been haulling for 50 years. I've been down the AlCan several times. I'm thinking I have an informed opinion.

The book for this vehicle says 6800 lbs trailer, 800 lbs tongue (with weight distribution hitch), 12,000 lbs gross. We were at:
5280 curb
800 truck load
6800 trailer

~12,900 total - a bit over gross, less than 10%. And it was too much for the truck - just an opinion.

worm

 

[SunlitComet]

just needs a little extra beef. just a little. You must learn to become one with the hoe.

 

[iceworm]

... some changes to vehicle will improve it for the better. will need to spend some tho....

This I'm interested in. I like the truck. I'd like to keep it if it will fit the NEW mission. I'm looking at: daily driver, 1000 mile trips, towing a 4000 lb (max) toy hauler/RV. So, I need HP for 10k gross and it has to be reliable.

If it will take an engine upgrade, transmission upgrade, or turbo charger - it likely will be tears and "goodbye"

So here is where I'm at:
130K miles
Engine runs smooth, idles smooth. I have not done a compression check.
Oil pressure is 20+ lbs hot idle, 40+ lbs hot cruise, 40+lbs cold idle/cruise
Plugs, wires, rotor, cap changed a couple of months ago. No, they were NAPA's best. Best available in Fairbanks. Existing plugs were tan and even.

Transmission rebuilt 2 years ago. Overhauler is known to do good work. I suspect the Torque converter was replaced. But I'll call and ask. He is a good guy, he will tell me. As for the TC slip (measured with an OBDii scanner, real time), flat to rolling hills, nominal 50% power, 3rd or OD, 50mph to 80mph, TC Slip = 0.

WOT acceleration, WOT downshift, TC slip can get as high as 300rpm. I don't know if this is good or bad. I have not done any reasearch, have not seen any references

Axles are free of noise. I had the lube changed to an arctic grade synthetic 70W

Transfer case is unknown. I had the lube changed when the axles were done. 4WD works great. Mechanic said it had a normal slop for the milage.

If the compression met spec, I'd be reluctant to major the engine. Although, tight rings and grinding the valves could certainly perk up a 130K engine

I'm reluctant to tie into the injection/intake. It starts good, runs smooth. But, if there is something in there that could be limiting the HP? I don't know

Could the exhaust be plugged? Such as a bad CAT or muffler. I don't have an EGT readout - wouldn't know how to check.

I'd be be reluctant to get an ECM tune, unless I understood all the tradeoffs.

I'd really rather not change the gearing. 3.42 to 3.73 front and rear is a lot of money for a 9% increase in torque

A cold air intake sounds interesting. I saw the intake air temp at 100F to 107F (OBDii scanner, real time), with the ambient at 90F (measured by the rear view mirror temp readout (no idea how accurate that is). However, dropping the intake air 17F (doubtful one could even get that), only gets a theoretical 3% increase in the air charge to the cylinders. But, maybe there is inherent restriction in stock intake that the aftermarket stuff does not have. I've heard a lot of claims, but I have never seen a creditable dyno test report.

So where do I go?

This is long and rambling. Anyone that made it this far is gracious. Anyone with ideas is welcome.

the worm

 

[SunlitComet]

wellfirst and foremost here is some stuff i use or do:

intake: http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?prod=57-3013-2
has dyno chart on a 5.0 so expect a bit more on the 5.7l.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdaUGFXL29Y

exhaust: http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/?...&model=&submodel=&engine=&category=0&kw=17166
details and dyno links on page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3kxUirycwM

engine rockers: http://www.compperformancegroupstor...oduct_Code=1417-16&Category_Code=SBCNEWRocker

blackbear tune can give you about 20-25hpfrom stock.they modify the fuel and ignition tables and remove some of torque management from the os in the pcm. scan tune is best to do. deposits required and takes more time but better results. best if done after mods and tellthem what you got.

headers: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dte-301y-fed-c
may need to call maker to see if still available. found mine on ebay searching for a year or more.

ignition: i use the control box, coil, wires and dizzy from msd.

pcm: i have done the 0411 pcm swap. more programability and faster processing. more options.

suspension: firestone 2101 ride rite air bag kit.
http://riderite.com/-/media/www/riderite/files/Install%20Manuals/W217602101_RRInstallManual_EN.pdf
eventually it will get a compressor/tank dual levelers for auto height control. right now just inflating manually. my spring pack need replacing so this is a temp fix for them as well having a cracked leaf in each i think and just overall sag from use. might be a glitch but somehow some is selling the kit for 33 bucks instead of the regular 340 so it may be worth buying one now to see if you can get lucky. gotta be something wrong with that sale tho.

Monitoring device for sensor instrumentation and trip computer functions:
http://www.scangauge.com/products/scangaugeii/
can monitor the tranny temp senor in the tranny with the right pcm as well.


t-case on yours should have the auto-trac 2 blue fluid in it not dexron 3 used before.

Any tranny installed should always have a new or rebuilt converter put on never reuse one. While there are built tranny's out there simple things to do are a shift kit which if you get the right kit eliminates a lot of weak spots in the design including the p1870 issue. the corvette servo is cheap and give you quicker and tighter 2-4 band apply and holding pressure. this will cool a bit and reduce band slippage. an extra cooler if not installed will be of benefit to you. i think you can get the temps down further.

if you did re-gear i would do a minimum of 3.91 or 4.10 no 3.73.

for the exhaust testing you can do a back-pressure test to look for blockage. you basically put a back pressure tester in place of the o2 sensors and look for pressure differential. get a fast scanner that can read the o2 waveforms is good too. you are looking for continuous smooth wave forms from the pre-cat sensors and flat ones from the rears. this would indicate good a/f ratio control in the front and flats in the rear would indicate the converters are doing their job well chemically. if the rear wave a lot then the cat is chemically no good and efficiency codes pop up as well.

i use all the above except for tune. not gotten there yet. i have 273k on my cylinder block but it shows age. my walls are scuffed with some piston slap when cold out. my pressures are bout the same if not higher then yours so my bearings are good. compression is about 165-175 i think a while back. i have lt265/70/17e tires with 3.42 gears so i need to change the gearing. i don't need a trailer brake controller yet myself. i did convert to a hydrobooster and use slotted rotors and much stronger pads as well. if you need more details just ask. i am looking to spend more on mods to beef mine up a lot but no money even for repairs right now while sick.

 

[iceworm]

wow - Thank you

Yes I'll have some questions. More after I research a bit.

It all looks interesting and doable (is that a word) although I don't know what some of it costs. I'll do a bit of research - then start asking.

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well - not ever a good thing. My thoughts are with you

ice