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CSzalai
Dodge Dakota
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8/23/2005
10:09:40
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 Subject: RV Towing
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Message:
WOW!!!! What a weekend i towed a 25 foot travel trailer with my 2004 Quad cab v6 3:55 rear end Auto tranny w/ overdrive. Me and my family went to michigan speedway which is about 50 miles from home the trailer i rented was a flagstaff and weighed 4200lbs empty i filled the water tank (8lbs x 31gal) and loaded it with all our gear and had no problem pulling through the irish hills or on the highway at 70mph. We are wanting to buy one now (a 27 foot w/ slideout) but the one we like is another 1000lbs i know i can beef the suspension (add a leaf) and drive train to support the additional weight but will the engine handle it (3.7 liter v6)or do i need to upgrade to a full size truck?
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ZoSo
Dodge Dakota
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8/23/2005
11:04:08
|  RE: RV Towing
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Message:
Sounds like the perfect excuse for a new Ram with the HEMI.
ZoSo
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Gearing
Dodge Dakota
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8/23/2005
11:57:31
| RE: RV Towing
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Message:
Changing those ridiculous 3.55 gears would help... ALOT
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CSzalai
Dodge Dakota
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8/23/2005
12:57:47
| RE: RV Towing
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Message:
If im going to change the gear what ratio should i go to? because of my drive to work (25miles mostly freeway) i need a gear that will give me decent gas milage as well as the torque i need to pull
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modain
GenIII
8/23/2005
16:37:12
|  RE: RV Towing
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Message:
According to the towing guide information cited here you were overloaded. Check your owner's manual for the authoritative amount. Also important to check is the GCVW rating of the truck and the pulled load. Mine is 10500#s - yours might or might not be the same.
Granted, the ratings are lower than what our trucks have been known to pull, but there is a reason for a limit. There are a lot of opinions you can find here about what our trucks can actually pull versus what they are "supposed" to pull. Search them out, they will provide good reading.
Going to a 3.92 axle gives your configuration (what appears to be a 4x2, 3.7 V6, 42 or 44 RFE 4sp auto) an additional 400 lbs rating. Not much of a bump. I'm sure that 4.11 gears would give you a little more weight. Bottom line, a gear change will give you an even better towing experience.
Depending on your tire size and the axle ratio you would most likely not lose any MPGs going to a lower axle ratio. Again, search this subject out and you'll find plenty of opinions and experiences to guide your decision.
Another thing to consider in the mix is something I have recently run into. When pulling my 5500#-plus 20' trailer I have to pay real close attention to the coolant temperature. All that weight and the increased drag from the huge sail area makes the engine work much harder when going uphill. This translates to more heat. In my case the stock radiator doesn't seem nearly adequate to bleed it off while running the Superchips towing program and using the A/C on stiff hills during summer.
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2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, 3.55 Open (this will change some day!)
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cszalai
Dodge Dakota
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8/24/2005
00:06:45
| RE: RV Towing
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Message:
oops i forgot to say that my truck is a 4x4
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