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2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER

Posted By: CALSDART

2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 12:40 PM

Looking for recommendations for a programer/tuner for my 2001 DODGE RAM tow rig. It has 125,000 miles on it, auto, 5.9 diesel. I tow a 28 ft box with the car and golf cart.What have you had success with?
Posted By: DodgeCharger

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 01:32 PM

Edge Juice with Attitude. I had a 2001 truck with one on and I have one on my 2006 Ram.
Posted By: CALSDART

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 01:45 PM

Thanks Dodgecharger
Posted By: dizuster

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 01:58 PM

Depends how much you want to spend. Edge Juice with attitude is definately the best in my opinion. You can make power /smoke adjustment on the fly, and make big power. It most definately has enough power to kill a stock automatic trans. If you are just looking for a kick in the pants, get an edge ez. It will make a noticeable difference, the are fairly inexpensive, easy to install (plug in), and won't hurt durability to bad.
Posted By: Dragula

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 02:08 PM

My last 2001 came with a Superchips programmer, and it added a ton to it...Pulled my 24' fully loaded with quad, fuel, tool, generator, race car, etc 10klbs like it wasn't there....Pretty cheap price on those too....
Posted By: John_T_Brown

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 02:52 PM

Used this for years for towing and you can program the engine on the highest power setting without any problems.

Go Here
Posted By: 408strokerdart

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 03:10 PM

I have a superchips programmer on my '06 and it is awsome. Can't deny the results....27mpg empty and over 16mpg towing my 40' gooseneck loaded down. Just have to be very careful as you can blow thru the stock clutch very easily. I have a dual disc South Bend clutch on my "to-do" list.
Posted By: J_BODY

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 04:18 PM

do it right the first time: GAUGES, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, POWER ADDER. This is what you NEED to do if you want to stay happy with your truck. I've lost count on how many people back in the day added the power ignoring the rest of the package. Good gauges are $400... drop in the bucket compared to a melted #6 piston.

80+k of towing bliss with my 01. Edge EZ, RV275 injectors, Goerend torque converter and valve body kit, BD X-monitor gauges. Tows our 24 or 28 race rig in the mountains of the west and does it well.
Posted By: 72demon416

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 08:38 PM

Quote:

do it right the first time: GAUGES, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, POWER ADDER. This is what you NEED to do if you want to stay happy with your truck. I've lost count on how many people back in the day added the power ignoring the rest of the package. Good gauges are $400... drop in the bucket compared to a melted #6 piston.

80+k of towing bliss with my 01. Edge EZ, RV275 injectors, Goerend torque converter and valve body kit, BD X-monitor gauges. Tows our 24 or 28 race rig in the mountains of the west and does it well.



Posted By: Polarapete

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 09:07 PM



My 2002 was an excellent tow rig

Mine was different from yours since it was a 5.9 HO with 6 speed manual. The PO used it to pull a 5th wheel all up and down the West Coast and he had equipped it with Gauges (EGT, Boost & Fuel Pressure), Exhaust Brake, South Bend clutch and "marine" injectors. I played with air filter kits and went back to stock. I carried a timing kit (Van Aacken?)in the box for 3 years and never felt the need to install it. I did install a 4" MBRP stainless exhaust and saw a little improvement in EGT under load (and a change in exhaust note) and I did install a FASS DDRP lift pump on the frame rail when I changed the dying VP44. It towed the family 8,000# travel trailer with ease all over the Northwest. I would still have it if I had not wrecked it (and me) and had to sell it. The Chev 1 ton dually with 454 TH400 I have now is a poor replacemment, both in power, reliability and fuel economy The only place the Chev is better is the seats (2 full size benches) and if I had a Mega Cab CTD with A/T there would be no contest.
Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/12/13 11:31 PM

Quote:

Quote:

do it right the first time: GAUGES, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, POWER ADDER. This is what you NEED to do if you want to stay happy with your truck. I've lost count on how many people back in the day added the power ignoring the rest of the package. Good gauges are $400... drop in the bucket compared to a melted #6 piston.

80+k of towing bliss with my 01. Edge EZ, RV275 injectors, Goerend torque converter and valve body kit, BD X-monitor gauges. Tows our 24 or 28 race rig in the mountains of the west and does it well.







I put a A-pillar gauge set on my truck.. has fuel
pressure, boost pressure and EGT.. best thing you
can do
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 01:12 AM

Quote:

Depends how much you want to spend. Edge Juice with attitude is definately the best in my opinion. You can make power /smoke adjustment on the fly, and make big power. It most definately has enough power to kill a stock automatic trans. If you are just looking for a kick in the pants, get an edge ez. It will make a noticeable difference, the are fairly inexpensive, easy to install (plug in), and won't hurt durability to bad.



speaking from experience here.


Or get super nasty and put a P pump on that 24v
Posted By: 2QUICK4U

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 03:07 AM

I run a smarty programmer.. works really well for me...
Posted By: 1KoolBee

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 05:01 AM

x2 on the Hypertech. I've been running one set to stage 3 for about 100K miles on my 01 2500, nice power, zero probs, tows great, picked up 2 mpg hiway to boot. Since I live in the People's Republik of Kahlifonia, its real handy to be able to put her back to the stock map for the biennial smog-check (really...on a diesel?!) Kind of like how we used to disconnect all of the smog crap & crank the timing back in the 70's, then reconnect it all & lean & retard everything every 2 years just for 5 minutes on the smog machine!
Posted By: Rhinodart

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 05:10 AM

Quote:

do it right the first time: GAUGES, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, POWER ADDER. This is what you NEED to do if you want to stay happy with your truck. I've lost count on how many people back in the day added the power ignoring the rest of the package. Good gauges are $400... drop in the bucket compared to a melted #6 piston.

80+k of towing bliss with my 01. Edge EZ, RV275 injectors, Goerend torque converter and valve body kit, BD X-monitor gauges. Tows our 24 or 28 race rig in the mountains of the west and does it well.



I have a Bully Dog Triple Dog and it worked pretty well until I had an injector go wide-open, hydraulic the engine, and kick a rod. That was at 165K miles and if I would have just stopped when it started blowing white smoke it probably would have been fine. The biggest issue with Cummins engines are the injectors, as long as you keep them clean and lubricated any power adder will work just fine.
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 05:21 AM

It's probably a good time to point out that the biggest issue in the 24v is the VP44 injection pump. The stock lift pump doesn't keep up with fuel demands of a chipped truck and since the VP is cooled and lubricated by fuel, when it starts to get a low supply of fuel they get hot and fail. That costs you money
Posted By: Sixpak

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 06:00 AM

Knock on wood, I'm sill running my original VP44 on my 01 2500 6 speed. Moved the stock lift pump at 88K back by the tank using a Vulcan kit and 1/2" lines to the filter and from the filter to the VP44. No power adders...yet. 167k miles.
Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 06:06 AM

I'm lucky (in a way)... I run the old 12 valve and all
I do is put a bigger fuel card in the pump(just a metal
plate with a different slot) and the different governor
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 07:13 AM

Quote:

I'm lucky (in a way)... I run the old 12 valve and all
I do is put a bigger fuel card in the pump(just a metal
plate with a different slot) and the different governor




We diesel enthusiasts have reason to believe that 12 valves and P pumps were engineered by God.
Posted By: DakFink

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 06:07 PM

I'm just looking for better economy on m 2004 w/ 6-speed.

Been thinking of getting a Smarty or Banks tuner. Haven't had much feedback form anyone as far as economy on any tuners.

Most seemed to be more worried about HP over economy.

I personally bought a Diesel for Economy for pulling a trailer not HP.
Posted By: mopar65

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 06:30 PM

I really miss my old 2000 5.9 Cummins nv4500 4x4 truck. I had 100 HP bully dog injectors and a TST comp box.truck ran great and got good fuel mileage.mopar65
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/13/13 06:33 PM

Quote:

I'm just looking for better economy on m 2004 w/ 6-speed.

Been thinking of getting a Smarty or Banks tuner. Haven't had much feedback form anyone as far as economy on any tuners.

Most seemed to be more worried about HP over economy.

I personally bought a Diesel for Economy for pulling a trailer not HP.



Smarty will easily out power a Banks. It would make enough power turned up to chatter your clutch. I think the Banks is fine in a tow rig if you really don't care to have a little fun. Banks was always on the safe side of tuning which is why they never made the power other tuners did. We all love how they tow, but when your tow pig can make a 14 sec pass that's a bonus lol
Posted By: HOTMOPR

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/15/13 08:58 PM

If you guys don't have gauges to monitor EGT and boost. Then Buy a programmer that has a built in gauges. I recommend the Edge juice with attitude for the VP equipped trucks and H&S for everything else especially the 6.7!
Posted By: HOTMOPR

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/15/13 09:01 PM

Also don't spend your money on that fancy banks sticker to put on your fender. There is better stuff available cheaper without padding Gales pockets..
Posted By: Sixpak

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/17/13 01:06 AM

Quote:

I'm just looking for better economy on m 2004 w/ 6-speed.

Been thinking of getting a Smarty or Banks tuner. Haven't had much feedback form anyone as far as economy on any tuners.

Most seemed to be more worried about HP over economy.

I personally bought a Diesel for Economy for pulling a trailer not HP.



Ditto that - how about a box for more grunt that won't break the fuel mileage (preferably help it...), or the trans, or the bank? HO 6 Speed here...
Posted By: Jeepmon

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/17/13 07:41 AM

I got the smarty jr for my 2012 6.7 and it helps a cpl miles per gallon... cant say I'm happy with the performance gains, but the mpg is now acceptable
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/17/13 10:07 AM

Quote:

I got the smarty jr for my 2012 6.7 and it helps a cpl miles per gallon... cant say I'm happy with the performance gains, but the mpg is now acceptable


Have you done the deletes? Put a Jr on an 09 6.7 and until we did all of the egr and dpf delete crap it wasn't much different. But after.... WOW! Fish tail the truck through 3 gears if you want to.
Posted By: Jeepmon

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/17/13 09:32 PM

Quote:


Have you done the deletes? Put a Jr on an 09 6.7 and until we did all of the egr and dpf delete crap it wasn't much different. But after.... WOW! Fish tail the truck through 3 gears if you want to.



I've done the DPF delete, but not the EGR.. I read something somewhere that the Smarty will shut off the EGR... but I never got an answer if the removal of the EGR was really that important..

Since the truck is still under warranty, I figured I'd leave it on, so it would be one less thing to replace when it goes into the dealership for service..

But if someone can tell me that removing the EGR off the truck would be a substantial difference, I'll do it this weekend..
Posted By: SpareParts

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/18/13 12:14 AM

Being you still have a warranty to deal with I'd probably leave it. The one I did was a reg cab 4x4 with around 180k on it so we didn't have to worry about that. At first we ran a 125 or 150hp tune with egr shut off but still on the truck. After about a month it just started hazing light black going down the highway. Thought the turbos vanes were stuck or something. Did the deletes on the truck and it cleared up and picked up power. Hope this helps ya!
Posted By: Jeepmon

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/18/13 05:11 AM

Quote:

Being you still have a warranty to deal with I'd probably leave it. The one I did was a reg cab 4x4 with around 180k on it so we didn't have to worry about that. At first we ran a 125 or 150hp tune with egr shut off but still on the truck. After about a month it just started hazing light black going down the highway. Thought the turbos vanes were stuck or something. Did the deletes on the truck and it cleared up and picked up power. Hope this helps ya!



Thanks
Posted By: mopar65

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/18/13 06:40 AM

Quote:

I got the smarty jr for my 2012 6.7 and it helps a cpl miles per gallon... cant say I'm happy with the performance gains, but the mpg is now acceptable



which file number are you using on the jr
Posted By: Jeepmon

Re: 2001 RAM 3500 TOW RIG PROGRAMER - 12/18/13 07:28 PM

Quote:



which file number are you using on the jr



I think its this one..

SJ12V650E_DRM01M.smt
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