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mpbronso
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
14:20:19
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 Subject: RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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see that's where that class III hitch comes in handy. it is designed to distribute the weight on the ball evenly throughout the truck so that your wheels don't come up, but mostly so that the front disc brakes will work as effectively as possible when towing by assuring the front of the truck stays on the ground and carries its share of the load.
anyway, if it's not already clear, i love the dakota. what a great truck.
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SR
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
15:20:08
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Maria,
Going from Missouri to DC, I'm presuming you'll be on I-70. You've only got about 10 miles in West Virginia, and then you get on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The hills on the turnpike aren't that bad--I can recall only about 2 real long ones. However, I'd suggest avoiding I-68, as that one is quite hilly.
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Maria
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
16:18:35
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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mpbronso - my husband loves his truck too. sometimes i get jealous :)
SR - I think we must have took I68 on the way over, cause i remmeber there being soooo many crazy hills and mountains in WV. we'll definitely try to stick to I70 and the flatter land there though. thanks for the advice!!
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TexasTodd
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
19:35:55
|  RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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My 01 QC, with tow package, etc., I could swear comes with a classIV receiver/hitch, right?
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modain
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
19:57:56
|  RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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My 2001 Durango tow package equipped SUV shows as having a class IV receiver.
My 2002 Dakota tow package equipped truck shows as having a class IV receiver.
I'm pretty sure you are right, Todd.
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copterfixer
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
22:11:55
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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I have not read through all the replys to this post. But i can tell you what my deal is. I have a dakota. 2002 v6 3.9 liter 4 speed auto tranny. class III towing hitch. And i have towed a mid 80s model not sure exactly what year caprice. Those cars are tanks. on a 18 foot flat bed trailer. No trouble at all. And of course i have electric brakes. The truck handled just fine. So i am sure that your mitsu galant or whatever you said it was would be just fine on a trailer behind a ram.
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maria
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
23:36:38
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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copterfixer- but it isn't a ram! it's just a little dakota!
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JONES
Dodge Dakota
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7/29/2005
23:43:50
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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FORGET ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND IF YOUD LIKE ILL TOW YOUR CAR
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copterfixer
Dodge Dakota
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7/30/2005
01:08:33
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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my mistake maria
i read your origional post yesterday i thought you said he had a ram
well whatever
like i said i have a 2002 dakota 3.9 liter v6 with a 4 speed automatic and i towed a 5000lb car with my full car trailer that is equiped with electric brakes no problem at all.
i bought the trailer cause i am about to move from Savannah Ga to Tacoma Wa
with a trip up the east coast in route.
so im going to pull my escort 4000+ miles with my dakota.
as long as his truck as a tranny cooler and equiped with the proper hook ups for electric brakes
then it will be just fine to tow your car
and definaly go with the trailer.
aside from the reasons posted here that i saw
when you tow with a dolly you cause unecessary wear and tear on your car.
and towing at the angle required for a dolly front end being higher then the back end of the car
this causes the rear of the car to endure about twice the wear then it should since the weight balance is shifted more weight on the back of the car
and it is almost impossible to back up a dolly if you happen to get yourself in a tight spot.
maybe not you park in a place where you have to back up. but some ignorant person parking infront of you and then your stuck backing out.
also if you can afford the money i recomend buying a trailer weather new or used. Becuase you can sell it later and get just about all your money back as long as its in good shape and you keep it that way.
Thats my intent and right now i have a brand new trailer in my driveway
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Maria
Dodge Dakota
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7/30/2005
09:40:12
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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that's ok copterfixer!!! so i got my hubby to change to the full trailer rather than the dolly. but after what you said, i'm thinking maybe we shouldn't do it at all?! the trailer has hydraulic breaks (which someone said work without a brake controller), but i dont think the dakota has a 'tranny cooler' or i've never heard my husband talk about it. so is not having this tranny cooler a deal breaker for using a trailer?! i just really dont want to have to drive in tandem with him all the way home!
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copterfixer
Dodge Dakota
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7/30/2005
13:06:15
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Tranny cooler is probably allready factory intalled and he dont know it. I looked under my truck after being told by the used car dealer that i dont have one. And infact i do have a factory installed internal tranny cooler. but if you dont have one an external one only costs about 60$ ive been pricing them . And i know nothing about hydrolic trailer brakes. So i would assume infact like that other guy said that you do not need the electric brake thing
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modain
Dodge Dakota
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7/30/2005
13:08:29
|  RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Maria, don't let the things copterfixer put you into a tail-spin. It would be nice if people who offer "advice" actually read the available information so they could offer sound options...
1) Your truck does not have an automatic transmission, therefore, there is no need to have a tranny cooler.
2) The hydraulic brakes on the car trailer are just fine. Since you are towing one time, one direction, the advantages of electric brakes wouldn't be realized unless you did a lot of towing. The surge brakes are a simple implementation of a braking system requiring no modifications to the towing vehicle. They are quite effective and will keep you safe.
3) Buying a trailer and reselling it later? Only if you want to complicate the process. Renting is much more convenient and cost effective for a one-time shot. Can a trailer really be purchased, registered, used, then sold at a price to recoup all outlayed money? Probably not. This may work for copterfixer, but not everyone has the time or energy to "save" money this way.
I think it has been (over) established that:
1) your truck is more than able to tow your car
2) a trailer is the way to go
3) hydraulic surge brakes are just fine
4) numerous people have towed what you intend in the same manner and not experienced anything adverse
5)some people tend to complicate a simple request
Rent the trailer from U-Haul, put your car on it, drive safely to WV, return the trailer. That's it.
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Maria
Dodge Dakota
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7/30/2005
13:13:21
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Modain- well, i think that finally puts my mind at ease!
it just helps to hear other folks tell you that it will be ok, rather than my overly optimistic husband! thanks again to everyone who helped and gave advice! i promise i'll let this thread die now!
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jayb
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2005
16:02:23
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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going wayyyy back to something i said before, u-haul wants the tow vehicle to weigh 900# more then the towed load. but thats uhaul. they want it, cause in their little minds they think the load will push the truck around when trying to stop. i guess they have a point. if you dont know how to tow, especially heavy loads, an accident is easily accomplished if you try to stop is short distances from not keeping your distance.
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Maria
Dodge Dakota
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8/15/2005
21:24:46
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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I just wanted to thank everyone one LAST time! Lucy Mae (his Dakota) did great with Rita (my Galant) on the full auto trailer. We drove over a thousand miles with the 3000 lb car on the 2000 lb uhaul trailer with 1000 lb of people, dogs, and luggage. No problems at all! He loves Lucy Mae more than ever now! Thanks again!!!!
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modain
GenIII
8/16/2005
00:31:22
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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I'm glad it turned out well for you two (and for Lucy Mae and Rita). I knew the trip would be no problem (as far as what the Dakota could do). But each person has to find out for themselves what our trucks can do. Now you're in a position to help others along the way.
Thanks for the update.
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
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mpbronso
Dodge Dakota
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8/16/2005
09:09:02
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Glad everything worked out and that Lucie Mae didn't pull a wheelie when you loaded up Rita behind her.
I'm getting ready to pull another 4000lb. trailer 1000 miles this weekend from TN to TX in my '00 4.7l CC 5-speed w/3.92. Like your husband, I love my truck more than ever because of the towing capabilities.
I was thinking about it and I've never seen a Tacoma, a Ranger, and least of all an S-10 with much more than a lawnmower behind it. I see Daks pulling horse trailers, the big u-hauls, and those Wells Cargo type trailers all the time. It is a great "little" truck.
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Joe.C
Dodge Dakota
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8/16/2005
14:04:06
| RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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@ Maria
Does your husband have a tow package with his truck. I would recomend 3.92 gears with a limted slip diff. Also it would be a good idea to include antisway bars.
@mpbronso:
I've seen these New modle Tacomas pull some good sized lawn tractors. Actruly they can pull as much as the C-body Dakota (97-04) which is 6500 lbs. As for as being limited when it comes to towing its not really the S-10 but the newer GM twins (Colorado,Canyon)
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modain
GenIII
8/16/2005
14:45:44
|  RE: my husbands truck towing my car
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Hey Joe.C - have you read this thread from the beginning? The answers to these questions have been bantered about already. And in case you don't know - the move is over and the truck performed superbly (as if that's a surprise to any of us that gave Maria sound advice). Can we say "moot", boys and girls?
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
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