Forums
Forum Tools
|
 |
14:07:33 - 04/27/2024
General Dakota Board
| From | Message |
GraphiteDak
GenIII
 
9/04/2005
21:12:34
|
 Subject: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
OK guys. I went on another trip out of town up in the mouintains to ride the ATV's. We camped for one nigh and rode the next day.
I had my entire family (of four) and our 4 quads (ATV's) on my trailer. We selpt in tents as did our other friends.
Anyway. We are getting tired of the tent sleeping ESPECIALLY when we go to the Dunes or the Cinders and our family/friends want to park close to the action where we can't sleep due to all the inconsiderates who choose to ride their Banshee's by our camp all night long!
So today we went and looked at some smaller Toy Haulers. The first place that was open didn't have the more smaller/lighter ones. One LOOKED promising but he quickly pointed out that it weighed 8,000 Lbs empty and a total of 12,000 GVWR for his smallest trailer. DAMN.
He refered us to a few other places and we found one that was open. Found a nice basic one that has what we need. Toilet, Shower, Sink, Referigerator, Air Conditioning, etc. Has spot for a generator and I'd add the TV/Stereo myself.
It's total weight was just 4,800 Lbs and a GVWR of 7,700 Lbs.
I've towed MORE than that on an occasion one time I think was around 10,000 Lbs and it sucked on the big grades.
Does anyone tow a Toy Hauler with their Dakota that weighs in about 7,000 to 8,000 loaded?
I've got the tow package and all that but this will probably be the limit for my truck.
I really don't want to get rid of my Dakota for a bigger truck but my family wants a trailer.
|
Kowalski
GenIII
9/05/2005
17:45:40
|  RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Sounds like you just found the excuse to go to those 4.10s you wanted - lots cheaper than a new truck...you can all be happy !
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/05/2005
21:38:24
|  RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Exactly :)
Yesterday, after looking at the toy haulers, I mentioned the gears adding nearly 1,000 Lbs to my tow rating. She said "How much are the gears"?
LOL :-)
Where is Deeridge these days?
Doesn't he tow a buttload in them horse trailers on a near daily basis?
I wondered if he pulls any grades and how many Obs his load was.
|
modain
GenIII
9/07/2005
00:34:13
|  RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
I have a Carson Trailer FC-202 Toy hauler. The outside dimension of the box is 20'8". From tongue to rear it's 25' long. The dry weight is 4200#s. It appears that the current trailer specs are heavier than what I bought a year ago. I've never weighed it so I don't know which specs are correct.
It tows very well behind my Dakota, but only when doing it with my Equilizer hitch. Without that hitch it's a white knuckle ride. And I can take any hill (on my routes) at 65MPH in 3rd gear without any agravation (i.e.; poking along). I'm running stock with Superchips. So you should have better moving power with your mods. But, you'll really need something better than 3.55 gears to move that load satisfactorily.
You might want to check them out, there are dealers in your area. They are more affordable than many others you'll find. And most (or all) toy haulers are built to the same quality levels. I can answer any specific questions about my experience if you'd like.
After having my RV trailer for a year now I couldn't see myself and family in a tent or
tent trailer (my previous rec unit). Take the plunge!
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
Figols
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/07/2005
10:48:04
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
I did a lot of towing with my '00 QC Dakota when I had it and I felt that the the powertrain could handle a lot more than the chassis. It takes nothing to squat that rear end almost to the bump stops. I had the 4.7, auto, towing package, 3.92 w/LSD and I never had a loss of power. I towed a combined weight(trailer + load)of 13K pounds for 90 miles once and the engine pulled strong the whole time. The coolant temp didn't rise (80 degrees out) and I was able to maintain 65MPH easily except for the steepest hills. Usually I was towing around 5K pounds and even that squated the rear.
The one thing that did make it better was installing the Edelbrock IAS shocks. That smoothed it out and eliminated the whilplash I was getting with the old shocks. If I kept the truck I was going to install a set of airbags for the rear to level it off because when that rear end was squating steering sometimes got a little hairy. And forget about seeing the road at night!
The towing I did probably contributed to u joint failures and the eventual LSD failure which to me is unacceptable for a truck with that much power and a decent tow rating. I towed a trailer almost every weekend (well within it's posted limits)and I soon realized that if you tow regularly you have to have a full size truck. Again, I FEEL the Dakota chassis is not up to regular towing of more than a pop up camper, which is a shame because that drivetrain could pull a house off of it's foundation. Just look on the highways at how many are pulling campers. I bet they're blinding airplane pilots at night.
|
tow right
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/07/2005
12:49:36
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Simple cure, a weight distributing hitch.
|
Dex
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/07/2005
13:18:15
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
How much does it cost to swap out gears on a 4x4?
From 3.55 to 3.92 or 4.10?
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/07/2005
14:27:24
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Thanks for the link Modain.
I noticed it listed your FC202 as weighing 4900 dry... :)
One good selling point for the one I was looking at was that the entire trailer was UL rated, whatever which I've heard some are not and that some even have nightmare wiring.
It also was fairly solid as far as the supports in the wall were spaced closer than some.
I'll save that link and go visit some of them guys as well just to compare.
Glad to hear that others here are towing tow haulers with a Dakota.
SO far my rear hasn't sagged more than 2 inches except for maybe that time I towed that old trailer loaded with storage. That was one heavy a$$ load!
|
deerridge
GenIII
9/07/2005
14:55:44
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Hey, Graphite,
I've been tied up trying to figure out how to get my mothers stuff out of Ocean Springs, Ms, by Biloxi. Her cottage was washed away and the house is a bit wet. Anyway, my horsetrailer is 3700lbs empty, with three horses I'm up to 7000plus gear and people. I prefer to only haul two horses long distance, but the truck handles it fine. I have the 3.92 gears which makes a diffrence. I averaged over sixty coming back from Lexington last month through the Cumberlin Gap. That was the first time I ever saw my temperature gage move and then only to half way on a five mile steep grade, turning 3500 to 4000 RPM most of the way up. YOu'll notice the weight back there on a grade. My little RC does great with anything I've towed so far. The transmission was designed for the Hemi in the Ram. The 4.7 works real good in the Ram hauling too. I have friend that installs radio towers and hauls them on a flatbed like mine with his Ram. I think mine works better than his.
Real Horsepower
|
Kowalski
GenIII
9/07/2005
18:51:19
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
There's really no chassis problem as someone with no name alleged. He is mistaken thinking a 5000 lb trailer will squat the truck - it may, but it depends on how much tongue weight, not trailer weight. His real problem was he needed some assistance with the springs, not the chassis; or a weight distributing hitch as was mentioned. I think Graphite is aware of this, just setting the record straight for others. A Dakota properly set up will tow quite well.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/07/2005
23:15:19
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
yup. the trailer I looked at had the hook ups for the sway/leveler kit.
Now I've actually undecided once again on what GEARS to swap to.
I WAS going to go with 4.10's but now I'm reconsidering the 4.56's. Hmm....
They may hurt some MPG UNLOADED but bet it could help when loaded and most likely make things even easier on the rest of my drive train.
I'd be close to 3000 RPM's at 80 MPH in OD. 2245 RPM's at 60 in 3rd. Aprox 300 RPM's more than the 4.10 gears.
The question is... can I stand listening to almost 3k at 80MPH? In older trucks without OD we did it all the time.
|
modain
GenIII
9/07/2005
23:17:06
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Yeah GraphiteDak, I hope that the 4200# spec is actually correct for my trailer model (last year's model), and that they added 700#s into the current model year. Otherwise I'm towing heavier than what I think.
Either way, my truck tows the trailer like a dream; except that it runs real hot when it's working hard up grades and hills. I need to look into getting a three row radiator to bleed off the heat energy so my journeys are less of a concern.
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/07/2005
23:17:12
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
oops, type o. I meant 2245 RPM's at 60 in OD. 3255 RPM's at 60 MPH in 3rd.
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/07/2005
23:19:09
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
A few weeks ago when I towed that Duster through the mountains I got 2/3 up the temp gauge on the BIG inclines. then it dropped right back down. This was with the clutch fan off and running only the electric.
I wouldn't even TRY towing the toy hauler without both fans installed or some super duty dual electrics.
|
modain
GenIII
9/08/2005
00:54:16
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
I don't think my cooling issue is related to airflow, I think it's the radiator is not big enough.
My truck has both factory fans still installed, and they both work. I was running up a hill of varying steepness (over the course of 20ish miles) and when I hit the tough parts I was running about 60MPH/3800RPM in 3rd gear. And of course, the hard parts were without the A/C on. Ambient air temp was over 94 degrees. It was only when the temperature gauge came almost to the top line of the normal range did the fan clutch engage. I think a 60MPH airflow should have been enough to cool the radiator. What could the engine driven fan add at that point?
When I was running on level(ish) ground the temperature returned very quickly back to a little over its normal (non-towing) spot. Downhill it got real cold. So I don't think I have a cooling system problem not related to the radiator's size and the load I'm pulling.
I'm thinking that the cooling system is only good for a GCWR or trailer sail area that I have surpassed. That's why I think I need a bigger radiator. I'll check the part number on the radiator to verify I have the max cooling part installed. It's not beyond possibility that I paid for it, but the factory installed the small (wrong) one.
I did this run with the stock program installed because I wanted to see if my elevated temperature I experienced before was related to the Superchips tuner. It doesn't appear to be so. However, I noticed a big difference in the pulling power with and without the tuner installed. When we stopped in Lancaster (CA) for food (and fuel for my buddy) I put the SC towing program back on the for the rest of the journey. I needed the power!
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
GraphiteDak
GenIII
9/08/2005
22:31:31
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
You were running the TOWING prgram suing high octane? Or just the 87 perf like I was?
|
modain
GenIII
9/08/2005
23:53:20
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
On the initial leg of the trip I was running the stock PCM program with 91 octane. I have to run at minimum of 89 octane when towing this rig or it'll ping.
At the break I mentioned, I put the SC towing-performance program into the PCM and continued my journey.
It appears to me that my heat issue is not specific to the SC tuner, as I had hoped would not be the case. But the SC tuner gives that little bit more oomph I need when towing this thing. For now, that'll have to do.
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
ID4x4
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/11/2005
19:18:42
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
Very cool thread, not a topic I have seen on these boards. I have been thinking about a tent/ small travel trailer as well. While I have pounded on my Dak pretty hard, I've never towed with it. I know my open 3:55 gears need to be upgraded, but, I am wondering what effect my Rancho lift and my manual 5-speed tranny will have on my towing ability.
|
modain
GenIII
9/12/2005
17:18:07
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
I can't see how a manual tranny would adversely affect your truck's towing ability. As the rule, a manual tranny equipped truck has a higher tow rating because the truck weighs less than an auto equipped truck; therefore, the saved weight can be put toward the payload/pull load. It's all dicated by the truck's rated GCWR minus the truck's wieght. The difference is what you can tow/haul (people, trailer, stuff, etc.).
The suspension lift might have some affect, but I'm not able to answer that question. You might want to pose this question in the "Raised Dakotas" forum to solicit the the input from those who have experience on this matter.
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
Kowalski
GenIII
9/12/2005
17:29:29
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
ID4x4 - your raised track will be slightly less stable, you're probably used to that feeling. The biggest difference will be if you are running larger tires - this effectively changes your gear ratio and will cost you some towing power for heavier trailers. Then you'll need a drop hitch to level the trailer too of course. You should do fine with a small travel trailer.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
|
modain
GenIII
9/12/2005
18:18:41
| RE: Towing a Toy Hauler with a Dakota?
IP: Logged
Message:
As before, I have continued to reseach the possibilities after offering (incomplete) opinions and facts only to find out there are more considerations than meet the eye.
On a Dakota configured with an auto (45RFE) or a manual (NV3500) tranny, the GCWRs are the same; because the manual weighs less the trailer can be heavier. The 2005's tranny options also follow this capability.
But, when looking at RAM 1500s using the same drivetrains and gears the ones equipped with the 45RFE actually have a 2000# higher GCWR than those with the NV3500.
This leads me to think along this line: The Dakota having the same drivetrain should be able to pull/carry the same load as a RAM 1500. DC is keeping the limit lower possibly: 1) because the frame/suspension/brakes/etc. can't reliably handle more weight, 2) they want you to buy the big truck if you're intending to pull that much (why kill the sales of a bigger profit item?), 3) the cooling system is maxed out, 4) the wieght of the towing vehicle might be too low to control that heavy of a trailer.
I firmly believe #3 is a valid reason for the lower than possible GCWR when using the 45RFE on a Dakota. (Of course, when all other aspects of towing are proper - hitches, trailer brakes, etc.) #4 has a lot a validity, but I am not an expert at all (most, really) the paticulars of what is and what is not possible/safe when towing, and what factors determine a GCWR.
GraphiteDak, Kowalski, "Real Horsepower", and others have shown their 45RFE trucks have handled more than their rated capacities.
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
| | P 1 Next Page>> |
|
