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Originally Posted by dlkcub
You mentioned the Dakota. I have a the 4.7 V-8 with the 3.55:1 axle ratio and factory towing package. The manual says I can pull 5100 lbs. I've pulled an old Starcraft pop up for several years but I'm looking for something that I could pull that will provide more room where just my wife and I could not only weekend camp but would be reasonably confortable to spend two or three weeks at a time in after I retire. I have been thinking about the 3124 or a 3326 but I would have to find a good used one. Would it be reasonable to pull one with my Dakota?
I've seen a couple that were for sale but I'd like to see one before driving several hours to buy one. I went to the Chicago RV show over the past weekend hoping to see a TM but there wasn't one there. The closest dealers are 5-6 hours away. Just from what I've read and seen on line the TM would work for me.
Not realy much of a question mostly me rambling. Thanks for listening anyway.
Dave
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The answer is a qualified yes with a lot of "depends on..."
Dodge has substantially increased the torque on the Dakota 4.7L over the past couple of years so it does matter what year yours is. And it may matter which style Cab (standard, Club, or Double) as that can affect the wheelbase...and the wheelbase in turn affects how long a trailer you can safely tow.
It also depends what kind of load you would be carrying in the truck...and how much stuff/water/food you would put in the trailer. That "5100 lb tow capacity" is based on an no-options truck with no passengers, no cargo, empty gas tank, and a 150 lb driver. Add options, passengers, cargo, gas, etc. and the "tow capacity" could drop down closer to 4000 lbs. With the kind of load needed for a 2 to 3 week trip, a 2720SL would approach 4000lbs, a a 3124 will be close to 5000 lbs, and a 3326 will be over 5000 lbs. The combination of a heavily loaded truck and a loaded trailer will likely put you way over the Gross Combined Weight Rating.
It also depends on where you intend to tow...based on your attendance at a Chicago RV show I'd guess you're located somewhere in the upper midwest and mostly would tow on fairly flat, low elevation roads. If that's the case, yes, you've got enough torque even with the not-very-good-for-towing 3.55 axle to reasonably handle Interstate on-ramps and the gentle midwestern hills. Your truck would, however, struggle very badly (like be down to 25 to 35 mph on many grades) if you towed a heavy TM across the Rockies, especially the very high Rockies of Colorado.
So give us the answer to all these "depends" considerations and we can give you a better reply. I
can tell you that regearing your axle to something like 3.91 would turn your Dakota into a far, far better tow vehicle (and
could raise your GCWR by as much as 1000 lbs, maybe more) yet would have very little effect on gas mileage. If it's 2WD, the cost would be around $500 to $700; roughly double that for 4WD.