Towing Vehicle for a TrailManor

Hi: This website is great, can get so much information here. We are still deciding whether we should get a TM or not. Because of answers we got here last month about our towing vehicle, we traded our 2005 Town and Country for a 2008 V6 Dodge Dakota with towing package, hitch towing capacity is 5000lbs and if we add a WDH we are suppose to be able to tow 8000lbs. So of course the dealer said no problem towing a 3000lb trailer. But having read many of your replys to prospective owners questions (us included) about towing weight, I know the most important fact to consider is the GVTW. But I have not been able to find this information anywhere for our Dakota, not even on the Dodge website which is where the owner's manual tells you to look. So my question is: Does anyone on this website tow their TM with a Dodge Dakota with V6 engine and what size is your TM? What can we do to make our Dakota ready for towing other than what we have already? And the only TMs we seem to find for sale that are in our price range are 30/23 size, that weight may be pushing our luck. We plan to go to mountain areas but would try to find campground at lower elevation and unhook the TM before checking out the mountains themselves. But figure some climbing is going to happen while towing so just don't know if Dakota will be able to handle it. Any help with this delima would be greatly appreciated but especially would like to hear from any Dakota owner's if there are any. Thanks, Roni

I don't think you want to confuse Hitch weight capability with tow vehicle capability. You can get a hitch system capable of supporting 12000 lbs but that does not mean your TV can do the same.

Just Goggling a "2008 Dodge Dakota V6 Spec" came up with...
One site provided the following;

2008 Dodge Dakota ST Extended Cab Pickup Exterior & Aerodynamics Standard Features;

Trailer towing preparation
- Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (lbs) 6,010, curb weight (lbs) 4,296, gross trailer weight braked (lbs) 3,250 and max payload (lbs) 1,710

Elsewhere I found ranges for tow capability of 3250 - 4850 lbs. for 3.7L V6

I hope this helps.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by larroni

Hi: This website is great, can get so much information here. We are still deciding whether we should get a TM or not. Because of answers we got here last month about our towing vehicle, we traded our 2005 Town and Country for a 2008 V6 Dodge Dakota with towing package, hitch towing capacity is 5000lbs and if we add a WDH we are suppose to be able to tow 8000lbs. So of course the dealer said no problem towing a 3000lb trailer. But having read many of your replys to prospective owners questions (us included) about towing weight, I know the most important fact to consider is the GVTW. But I have not been able to find this information anywhere for our Dakota, not even on the Dodge website which is where the owner's manual tells you to look. So my question is: Does anyone on this website tow their TM with a Dodge Dakota with V6 engine and what size is your TM? What can we do to make our Dakota ready for towing other than what we have already? And the only TMs we seem to find for sale that are in our price range are 30/23 size, that weight may be pushing our luck. We plan to go to mountain areas but would try to find campground at lower elevation and unhook the TM before checking out the mountains themselves. But figure some climbing is going to happen while towing so just don't know if Dakota will be able to handle it. Any help with this delima would be greatly appreciated but especially would like to hear from any Dakota owner's if there are any. Thanks, Roni

I'm not sure what "GVTW" is. What you need to find is "GCWR" (Gross Combined Weight Rating). This will tell you what the vehicle is rated for the combination of Tow Vehicle, loaded trailer, passengers and cargo.

Roni...looking at the Dodge site, it says that you can tow 7200 lbs if properly equipped. It sounds like you are properly equipped, so you should be fine towing any TM. You need to look at the tow rating of your VEHICLE, not the hitch or WD system. Sounds like you just have to watch how much more you load into the truck and camper. Thats's where the GCWR comes into play.

We camped next to a 3024 TM last night that was being towed by a '04 Highlander ! A vehicle rated at 3500 lbs. Not recommended of course, but they were happy campers and said it all does fine. I wouldn't be comfortable...but....

I was worried about towing in the mtns with my '08 Highlander rated at 5000 lbs, but with the WDH, our 2619 tows great. Yes, there are some long climbs that you just have to be patient, but we make it. I never go over the 65MPH rating of the tires, and that is hard at times due to how easily the TM follows behind.

Good luck with your search....it's worth it!

Until a year ago we had a 1997 Dodge Dakota v6 manual along with the 2002 Chevy 1500HD crew cab truck. The Chevy towed the TM and the Dakota towed an 18 foot ATV trailer with a loaded weight of about 2,000 pounds. The Dakota also had two motorcycles (dirt bikes) in the bed.

The Dakota was able to pull it and stop it, but it sagged a lot. For various reasons, we bout a 2008 GMC 2500HD long bed and got rid of the Dakota.

I am a big fan of towing with a truck that is big enough taht I do not need a WD hitch. My guess is that you will likely find out that the Dakota can tow the TM, but you will likely need a WD hitch.

Maybe someone else has more specific information than my guess.

Thank you for your replies to my question about our Dakota. They were all a big help and yes, I got GVTW mixed up with GCWR, but you figured out what I was trying to say. haha The first thing we probably should do if we purchase a TM is get a WDH, expensive but well worth it. Right now we have towing package that came with the truck, hitch pulls 5000lbs. I have read here that some TM owners did not use WDH at first but later added for better control, so probably best to start out right than to end up being sorry. The fellow at the hitch place said we didn't need one but I would rather listen to you TM owners since I feel you know better what it's like towing a TM with and without the WDH. I was hoping I would find someone here with the same Dakota we have but think harveyrv's V6 Chevy S10 might be similiar, not 100% sure though. Looks like harveyrv tows a 2420 and Redhawk tows a 2619 so I am still concerned about the 3023 but Redhawk did say a TM owner camped next to them had a 3024 and pulled with a Highlander so guess our Dakota might do ok towing that size. If we go look at the 3023 we have an interest in we will have to hook it up and take for a drive and see how it feels, I guess the only way we are going to be able to get some idea how the Dakota performs while towing it. Thank you again Nature Recorder, harvyrv, Redhawk and PopBeavers for your replies. I love this sight and if and when we buy a TM I plan to become a member. I just hope my guest priviledges don't run too soon, I will miss checking this sight for information and looking for used TMs for sale. Thanks again, Roni

When we started towing the TM 2720 behind the Chevy 1500HD, it would only sag about 5/8 inch. When I added two motorcycles to the back of the truck it sagged so much that I could no longer get the front wheel off of the TM.

That was darn near about where I would want a WD hitch.

But we upgraded the truck to a 2500HD and sag is no longer a problem.

If the Dakota was lightly loaded you might squeak by. But to be able to actually haul stuff in the bed of the Dakota I am reasonably sure you will be making the right move to get a WD hitch.

You should not need sway control, just weight distribution.

Thank you PopBeavers for your input. I think we are going to definetly get the WD put on once we find the right TM for us. Have a couple TMs to look at but they are older and after inspecting in person we may not like what we find. I have been taking notes other TM owners have posted in regards as to what to look for when buying a used TM, one of the most important for my husband and myself is wood rot since all the TMs we can afford are in the 1998 and older range. I guess if I looked further on this website I would find this answer but does anyone know off hand the easiest way to check for wood root behind the inner and outer walls? My husband is very smart with numbers and business credit but when it comes to fixing things with our cars or around the house he really doens't have a clue. haha Thanks again everyone, can't tell you how lucky I feel to have found this TrailManor Owerner's website. Roni

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by larroni

Thank you PopBeavers for your input. I think we are going to definetly get the WD put on once we find the right TM for us. Have a couple TMs to look at but they are older and after inspecting in person we may not like what we find. I have been taking notes other TM owners have posted in regards as to what to look for when buying a used TM, one of the most important for my husband and myself is wood rot since all the TMs we can afford are in the 1998 and older range. I guess if I looked further on this website I would find this answer but does anyone know off hand the easiest way to check for wood root behind the inner and outer walls? My husband is very smart with numbers and business credit but when it comes to fixing things with our cars or around the house he really doens't have a clue. haha Thanks again everyone, can't tell you how lucky I feel to have found this TrailManor Owerner's website. Roni

Unfortunately, it's very hard to determine the presence of wood-rot in the TM for the very reason that you mention.

One normally discovers it when they try to put a screw in the wood and find that it doesn't hold or there is nothing there. There may be other signs like staining on interior panels, weakness in the structure or softness in the floor.

Originally Posted by larroni

......2008 V6 Dodge Dakota with towing package, hitch towing capacity is 5000lbs and if we add a WDH we are suppose to be able to tow 8000lbs.
....But figure some climbing is going to happen while towing so just don't know if Dakota will be able to handle it. Any help with this delima would be greatly appreciated but especially would like to hear from any Dakota owner's if there are any.

Roni, based on what I can quickly find on the web, your Dakota is rated for 4500-5000 lbs.
I would definitely recommend the WDH, but as others have said, this doesn't increase your overall tow capacity as the dealer told you. A WDH merely distributes some weight from the rear axle to the front axle to offer better overall handling and control.
Other things you can do to help the Dakota would be add things like transmission cooler, use synthetic lubricates (engine oil and tranny fluid), etc. You should also verify what axle ratio you have. Depending on this, you can possibly change this to get more capacity.
Being as you bought it used, I would also generally go through it checking all fluids, brake condition, tire condition, tune-up, look for leaks, etc. A little looking around and work now, may save you major headaches somewhere along the road later.

Good luck!