TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-23-2005, 11:59 AM   #11
dlkcub
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Trailmanor and Dodge Dakota

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
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-23-2005, 01:28 PM   #12
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Probably but it depends...

Quote:
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
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.
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


RockyMtnRay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-23-2005, 04:29 PM   #13
dlkcub
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

It's a 2000 Club cab with a 131" WB rear wheel drive, and yes I live in Northern Il. northwest of Chicago. Your right most of my towing would probably be in the midwest but after I retire in a couple of years I would like to take an extended trip out west. If I get the trailer now I might be able to get a new TV by then. Also I may have to check into that 3.9:1 axle as the manual say the tow weight goes up to 6400 lbs. By the way the Gross Combined Weight Rating is 9200 lbs.

Thanks for the reply
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-23-2005, 07:10 PM   #14
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Regear

Quote:
Originally Posted by dlkcub
It's a 2000 Club cab with a 131" WB rear wheel drive, and yes I live in Northern Il. northwest of Chicago. Your right most of my towing would probably be in the midwest but after I retire in a couple of years I would like to take an extended trip out west. If I get the trailer now I might be able to get a new TV by then. Also I may have to check into that 3.9:1 axle as the manual say the tow weight goes up to 6400 lbs. By the way the Gross Combined Weight Rating is 9200 lbs.

Thanks for the reply
Welcome. Regearing to 3.91 gears (or even 4.10 gears) on a 2WD truck would be very cost effective in terms of improving your GCWR and you would have at most a drop of about .5 mpg in your gas mileage.

You have enough wheelbase to control even a 3326 TM; the truck's frame/suspension/axle is strong enough for a 3326 (with use of a WDH); with regearing to 3.91 or 4.10 you would be able to hold 50 to 55 mph on the steeper/higher western mountain roads even with a ~5000 lb TM in tow. The cost of the regearing is a lot less than the cost of tradein.
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


RockyMtnRay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-23-2005, 07:22 PM   #15
RealJeep
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Arrow V-8

Ray,
Irrespective of the engine, whether it's a big push rod V-8 or another smaller aluminum something, the formula remains the same. The formula will tell you whetever you need to know about tire sizes, gears and rpm to get the desired result, whatever that may be...
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2005, 09:31 AM   #16
dlkcub
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Smile

Thanks for the info. Now all I have to do is find the right TM.
  Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.