Anyone Towing With a 6.2 Diesel?

[Tance]

I recently bought a heavy-duty M1008 diesel dually. From its appearance you would think it could pull anything, but the 6.2 (with a Banks turbo) doesn't seem very powerful. I was pulling a trailer with about 4000 lbs of gravel, and it would bog to about 45 mph on hills. The gears are pretty low (4:56?) so I would think it would bog down to its power range and then pull anything that's behind it.

I have to run down to Houston to pick up my 5th wheel (about 9500 lbs) but I'm having doubts whether it will pull it. So my question is... is anyone else pulling that kind of weight with a 6.2 diesel? Any problems? Thanks for your replies.

 

[FMJ]

Even with the Banks, your only looking at 200hp and about 340-350 lb ft of torque, comparable to a small block Chevy. . .

I am in the same position, I just pulled out a blown head gasket 6.2 from my 1028A3, and am torn between keeping it "original" or. . .

I have a 454 sitting on an engine stand, and an unknown 6.2 from a parts truck. . . what to do?

 

[rizzo]

i have towed up to 10k with my 08. I commonly pull 6-8k with it. All local work usually run about 48 mph. I have had it up to 58, but I am never in a hurry and keep the speed down. I don't think I have ever been on the highway. All secondary roads. Seems to pull fine to me. Slow, but I have never had any problems.

 

[dependable]

They tow great for local service, under 55mph. I would not want to go interstate with tow.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

I said screw all that jazz! A 1992 model 6BT Cummins will reside under my hood in a few weeks


Just food for thought...

 

[1stDeuce]

You have to remember that when these trucks were made, the standard "convoy speed" was 45mph, so they were geared appropriately for that... Freeway speeds with these trucks are well above what it was intended for. (or even capable of...)

In a 6.2L, the torque falls off pretty quickly above about 2500rpm... which is about 50mph I think... The 6.2 diesel was a mileage getter, not a towing powerhouse, and the gears were intended to make up for that fact, and allow for some decent power at convoy speeds... Even with the banks, it's no cummins, powerstroke, or dmax.

Keep it at 45 or 50 and it'll probably be fine, but it's not going to hold 60mph at 3200rpm with that much weight in tow... If you have an exhast pyro, you might be able to turn up the pump a bit and eek out a little more power for quick bursts, but long grades will melt pistons fast if you're not watching to back out of the throttle.

Too bad you're so far away... I have a '96 6.5L that I'm about to get off.. It does pretty well below 10k even at freeway speeds. You might try tossing on some 255/85's for the next tire replacement... That'll get the RPM's down a wee bit, and every bit helps!
C

 

[2deuce]

Can you turn up the fuel? Do you have a pyrometer on it? Can you adjust the boost with the Banks turbo? Did they make different sized turbos? I think they might have. I wouldn't want to be traveling the interstate under 55mph very much of the time. Maybe sombody here knows how to max the 6.2 power output with your turbo. I'm also wondering how much opening up the exhaust system would help your turbo'ed engine perform.

 

[11Echo]

Just about any performance upgrades to these engines can be found on this site. I linked my favorite thread there. Enjoy the video!


The Diesel Page, Readers Rigs

 

[CA_CUCV]

Yeah The diesel page is an awesome resource for info

 

[davo727]

Well im going to give it a try locally, it is very flat here luckily. There is only one small hill going from my land into town. Right now I just need it for about a 40 mile radius for construction stuff for me. Im going to finish the gooseneck hitch this week. I have a 20+5 ft deckover goose Im going to try and pull.

If it wont pull I have a 6.5 turbo setup I can install.

 

[Tance]

Davo, good luck. Mine seems OK on flat roads, but from what everyone is saying in this thread, the issue is pulling up a hill when you're pedal-down and building heat on the pistons. I think you'll be OK for flat local pulls. Like someone said, an exhaust temp gauge is the way to go, Banks says the temp limit is 1100 degrees F.

It doesn't sound like I'll be able to use mine for cross-country interstate pulling. I don't want to spend five-six grand on a new engine and gears (or 30 grand on a new diesel truck) so I guess I'll sell the RV and go back to staying in motels.

 

[truck0590]

I tow my Jeep Scrambler with 1 ton axles on it all the time with my m1031. Other then the speed based on gears it does just fine. If you really need to use as a tow vehicle, you could swap someone your axles for a set with 4.10 gears that would help significantly.

Truck

 

[Stonepicker1]

I've made some long trips with my stock 1986 M1028. Been to Michigan three times and Iowa once from south Florida. I put over 90,000 on this baby with no problems. On flat roads I have no problems pulling at 68 mph and still have some pedal left(don't even feel the trailer behind you) but when you get to a hill like in KY and TN it slowed down to 45 - 40 mph. I just stayed in the right hand lane like the big trucks do and wish i had a little more power.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Every time I see the green 1028A2 I get green with envy, such a cool truck.

 

[davo727]

Hey Phil: Thanks for the info and nice pics. You have some cool chevys there!

Dave

 

[supermechanic]

I haven't had much success with the 6.2, or it's brother, the 6.5.
Former fleet mechanic for a utility company, at one time we had over 300 of these trucks, both sizes, and in manual gearbox and automatics also.
Many crankshaft problems.
cracked blocks common also.
Perhaps this is why GM started getting their small truck engines from Isuzu.

 

[kentuckycucv]

I had 30 people on my St.Patrics day float.... No problems!

 

[acmunro]

Hey stonepicker1, I wanted to see what gear ratio/tire size/transmission you have in your CUCV. I would like to get a little more speed out of my M1008 and still be able to tow. Thanks

 

[Stonepicker1]

Hey stonepicker1, I wanted to see what gear ratio/tire size/transmission you have in your CUCV. I would like to get a little more speed out of my M1008 and still be able to tow. Thanks

Everything is stock: 4:56 gears, 235/85/16 tires, TH400 trans, NP205 transfer.

I put in a new injection pump/lift pump/fuel filter housing about 60,000 miles ago.(old inj pump was leaking) after the new pump was in, it was like driving a new truck. Had alot more power.

I get about 14 mpg empty, 10 to 12 mpg pulling a heavy load. I change the fuel filter and air filter sooner than most people do.

 

[jbolty]

I tow my jeep fairly often with my bone stock M1031, maybe weighs 3800 #.

Pulls it fine but if you lose momentum on a long hill get ready for a 25 mph pull to the top.

I have been looking for a turbo on here, ebay, craigs and at the junklyards. Not willing to pay a lot cuz I doubt it will make much difference,