MikeGL wrote: Well, that's a positive and helpful post. Thanks. Lol.
Been down this road too many times on this forum. There is no substitute for having the right amount of tow vehicle and you seem to diminish how hard your vehicle will have to work. I did say I hope you were right.
Not at all do I attempt to diminish how hard the vehicle may have to work. Not in the least, I am not a fool nor an idiot. But the weight is well within the limits of the trucks towing capacity as told to me by the RV dealer and the Auto dealership. I was simply looking for similar type experiences I guess and asking if I was good to go was perhaps inviting ridicule as I seemed to have attracted. I really should have worded my post a little differently.
There are 'thousands' of 'am I good to go' posts on this site and they pretty much ALL get ripped from one end to the other because the poster quotes the 'tow ratings', 'curb weight', 'dry weight' and on and on..
What you are doing is working out the 'on paper' figures.. They will always come out in your favor, or however you wish to work them..
There is also the 'real world' and usually those published weights are really not as accurate as you would have liked and your towing performance might not be what your expected..
No one here is going to be able to tell you "you are good to go"... We don't know how you load your truck or the trailer or what other variables there are, especially what your towing expectations are..
I'm not saying all of this to be mean or put you down or anything like that.. I've been on this site for 10 years and seen the 'thousands' of posts like yours and we either scare you off for good, or you take some of the free advice as such and think about what others have already gone thru and experienced..
Use the info as you feel it's intended, but it's not going to make up for any real seat time you need to experience on your own..
Good luck with it and since you already have the combo, hitch it up and see how it goes! Can't get any better lesson than that!
Mitch
*Anything I post is for entertainment purposes only and what usually works for me.. Your Mileage May Vary..
Good post by Mitch above! To the OP, keep in mind that the members here usually are not going by the "numbers" but by what they know from experience that works. They have nothing to gain at all by giving you the results of that experience. Can't say the same for the dealers - both RV and auto. Please don't think our members are criticizing you or your ideas. They are simply telling you what they know to be true from real world experiences.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD Visit our website here
Exactly. We are here to help....when we criticize, it is constructive criticism. Of course, there are those who just can't take constructive criticism and get defensive. Those who can, will be much better off and will learn from the experienced people here on this forum.
When I first came here back in '03, I thought I was an experienced rv'er. However, I soon found out that I was just a novice and was making a lot of mistakes and believed a lot of stuff that just wasn't true.
Gotta keep an open mind here and listen with your brain...not your ego.
Good luck to you and hope to see you on the road.
Ron
Ron & Sandie
'08 Safari Simba SBD35 CAT C7
Toad: 2011 GMC Terrain SLT2
Tow Bar: Sterling AT
Toad Brakes: Unified U.S. Gear
TPMS: Pressure Pro
Member of: GS, FMCA, Safari Intl, CAT
If it helps, I have a 2002 Dodge Durango, with a tow package and 5.9L engine with a 3.92 rearend, so should be able to tow up to around 8k. I own a 28ft trailer that is 4900 dry so around 6000lbs packed(empty water and waste tanks).
I can tow my trailer fine with me, wife, and 3 teens. I am pushing the limits of the vehicle, if not exceeding them at times. Does fine on flat road, rolling hills, and some grades in calm weather.
If the wind is blowing hard...well, let me just say I won't even try to do that again unless absolutely necessary.
So yes, you are good to go, but just be aware that you may not enjoy the ride at times.
Thanks y'all for putting up with me and my assinine comments. I will post how we did after this weekend. We're going about 120KM's with it. So, as much as I have myself in a tizzy, I'm sure we'll be fine.
MikeGL wrote: Well, that's a positive and helpful post. Thanks. Lol.
Been down this road too many times on this forum. There is no substitute for having the right amount of tow vehicle and you seem to diminish how hard your vehicle will have to work. I did say I hope you were right.
I agree with fla-gypsy here. I will not be as nice. Wake up! An 06 Dakota does not qualify as a tow vehicle. Just because you have tow ratings does not mean you should tow with it, clear? I'am tired of the "you should be ok" non sense and beating around the bush. If you are going to tow, get a tow vehicle. Not a half ton, not a mini van, not a dakota and not a Kia. I just saved you alot of money, be smart and take the advice...... 06 Dakota, really!!!!
Quote: I agree with fla-gypsy here. I will not be as nice. Wake up! An 06 Dakota does not qualify as a tow vehicle. Just because you have tow ratings does not mean you should tow with it, clear? I'am tired of the "you should be ok" non sense and beating around the bush. If you are going to tow, get a tow vehicle. Not a half ton, not a mini van, not a dakota and not a Kia. I just saved you alot of money, be smart and take the advice...... 06 Dakota, really!!!!
Come on, seriously? I'm tired of people telling others you can't tow anything with less than a 1 ton diesel. That's a load of bs and not helpful to anyone. All the vehicles listed are perfectly capable tow vehicles for the properly sized trailers. As long as the OP is within his TVs limits there is no reason not to tow with it. Will a 1 ton diesel do a better job? Sure, so would an MDT or a locomotive for that matter. Just not practical for everyone for non towing daily driving.
'07 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited
'06 Forest River Flagstaff 26BH(sold)
'13 Keystone Bullet Premier 31BHPR
Hitched by Hensley, Viewed by McKesh
MikeGL wrote: Wow. Perhaps I worded that wrong in seeking postive reponses. My bad. I didn't realize this would turn into a slug fest. Holy schamoly. The payload on the vehicle is 1503 pounds, the GVWR is 6010LBS. This is straight from dodge...
With 3.55 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio You Can Tow 5850 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) = 6010 lbs
Payload = 1503 lbs
Curb Weight = 4507 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 2583 lbs/2583 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear = 3100 lbs/3600 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) = 10500 lbs
I was told by the dealer that by using a weight distribution system, that the tow rating went up by 1000LBS. Even at 5850, feel we will still be under the max weight. And our payload being just the two of us is light.
Never listen to a dealer, do your due dilligence (which you are!) The first misinformation i see is the weight distribution system adds 1000 lbs to the tow rating. Hog wash. Lips are moving = misinformation
I promote the 80% guideline to simplify a lot of math.
5850 x 80% = 4680 is the max loaded trailer goal.
Most people add around 1000 lbs of options and gear to a trailer depending on the size of the trailer. I add 800-1200 depending on the trip.
So you should be most comfortable with a 3600 lb dry weight trailer. Looking at the numbers of your trailer, you can pack light and probably be fine.
Worst case scenario you'll have to change the rear axle gears on your truck to get more power to the pavement (4.10 gears), not too spendy since you are 2WD. Turn off your overdrive and don't go over 65 mph.
MikeGL wrote: But the weight is well within the limits of the trucks towing capacity as told to me by the RV dealer and the Auto dealership.
If I told you I had some nice ocean front property to sell you in Kansas, would you be interested
Keep doing your homework. Take the auto and RV dealership's advice and toss it out the window. The RV boards are littered with poor folks who took the advice of these so called "experts" only to be on the RV boards looking for advice on how to fix a bad TV/trailer combo.
You should be able to keep things within your limits but IMHO you'll be unimpressed with the Dakota pulling a full height TT of that weight.
Good luck.
2000 Coleman Bayside
2006 Ford Expedition Ltd. 5.4 L/3.73
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Lol.
