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Stewart
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2006
18:53:36
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 Subject: Towing capacities...
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Hey all, I am in the process of swapping a 5.9l into my 98 v6 chassis. I am wondering what the max tow capacity would be.
What does towing depend on? Torque obviously, but what else... trailer hitch limits of course but I am wondering what the frame can handle. If I build this motor and supercharge it I can pull some high torque numbers. I plan on towing a travel trailer... probably up to about 10,000 pounds... is this at all possible?
Thanks...
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2006
00:54:39
| RE: Towing capacities...
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What you can do is not what you should do.
You might contact DMV and find out if you'll go directly to jail, without passing GO, for towing too much for that size vehicle.
Running any running gear above its maximum rated capacity will wear it out sooner, even if you use Amsoil.
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Stewart
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2006
07:41:43
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Well I should be able to at least tow at the R/T's capability, since it is the same truck. Of course running a gear above its max rated capacity isn't smart. But i'm certainly going to upgrade anything I need to, to make this a reliable towing vehicle. What I am wanting to know is if 10000 pounds is definitely a unrealistic goal or not. The R/T towing capacity is 7150. Is it really that much of a stretch, with upgrades and a higher output engine, to say that 2850 lbs more is too much for this vehicle?
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bman42
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2006
08:08:51
| RE: Towing capacities...
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I have an 01 QC 4x4 5.9L. I think my rated towing capacity is around that 7000 mark also.
i can't recall if it's total GVW or what but I recall trying to figure out if I could tow my friend's Bobcat. It weights about 7000 and i recall it was too much.
Brakes are a BIG thing to remember also for towing capacity.
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MStephens
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2006
08:25:26
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Towing capacity involves more than what the motor will move. I bet your 4.7 would pull 10,000 lbs right now (hills might strain it). The vehicle gross weight is even more important. You can only exceed the recomemnded tow weight by so much and then it becomes potentially dangerous. Heavy loads like that could flip your truck or make steering very tough, if you got into cross winds, uneven pavement or the trailer starting fishtailing. Think of the travel trailers you see crashed on the highway. Heavy trailers can take control and there's nothing you can do when the load gets out of hand.
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/20/2006
10:21:26
| RE: Towing capacities...
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A long time ago, when I lived in Africa, we regularly loaded up the Land Rover, Jeep and M-38 until there was about an inch between the axle and bumper in the frame.
The 1/4 ton rated Land Rover and Jeep were loaded with 3/4 to 1 ton, and towing military Jeep trailors loaded to the hight of the top of the canvas top of those vehicles.
The Military Dodge 3/4 Ton commonly carried in the neighborhood of two tons. I guess, as there are no scales in Ethiopia.
We could do it and did do it. Our excuse was not being able to run down and buy another, even if we had the extra money, and it was equipment to conduct safaris.
The 3/4 Ton, as an example, simply twisted off the driveshaft, right in front of the rear universal joint. Lotta torque in 1st low. Fortunately the truck had the welder plug in.
Point is; manufacturers "rate" them so that kind of stuff doesn't happen.
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Super bee
GenI
4/20/2006
15:40:36
| RE: Towing capacities...
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the payload capacity on a dakota is what, like 2000 lbs? my old 01 ram 360 was like 3100 lbs in the bed
the trailer rating on it was 7200 lbs, i once towed a 7500 lbs load, 2000lbs trialer with a 5500lbs case skid loader. it towed it no problem with really not too much strain on the motor, uphill was not a losing speed battle
BUT, stopping with no trailer brakes sucked, and that trialer could have if it wanted to, whipped my truck all over the the road, luckily it was a short trip and the road was smooth and even
towing a load that is as heavy as your truck kinda sucks, towing one that is heavier sucks even more, i would NOT tow a 10000 lbs trailer with your dakota
BAD IDEA
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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jayb
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2006
21:36:13
| RE: Towing capacities...
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with all that time and effort, just get a ram instead. your going to kill someone trying to tow 10k with a dakota. thats crazy.
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Exocet
Dodge Dakota
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4/25/2006
19:24:00
| RE: Towing capacities...
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I wouldn't tow more than 6000 lbs with that generation of Dakota. Since I haven't seen a 2" receiver hitch for a Dak that could handle more than 7500 lbs, trying to get to 10K lbs would be difficult. If you want to tow that much, get a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck.
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R/TBlues
Dodge Dakota
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4/26/2006
13:21:40
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Stewart,
I've done a lot of towing with my Dakota's over the years with little or no drama. I made a trip once from Michigan to Tennessee pulling a 2000lb trailer with a 4050lb car on the back. The 5.9L w/4.11 gears had no trouble with the task. The trailer had brakes so there was no problem with stopping. The problem is the 1/2 ton rating of the tires, suspension, and springs both front and rear. Forget making any quick steering adjustments and beware of that crosswind. Lets not forget the 3-6" ruts in the pavement that's on nearly every stretch of highway now days. Combine all 3 of those problems with a blow out and you are upside down in the woods with 10K of trailer on top of you. DON'T DO IT!! It's not even wise to do this with a full size truck unless you have made some serious supsension, wheel, and tire upgrades. That's not even possible on the Dakota due to the bolt hole pattern of the wheels (Dodge was thinking ahead on that one because they knew some one would try this). Go buy you a 3/4 tone before you kill yourself or someone else.
Sincerely
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shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/27/2006
10:50:34
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Semi-Tractors pull trailors far larger in size and heavier by tens of thousands of pounds than they are, (Ever seen a "Land Train?") but it becomes part of the unit. Those Snowbirds with 5th-wheels are the same.
Towing something is a totally different dynamic, which is more dangerous with size. Even with trailer brakes.
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Super bee
GenI
4/27/2006
11:24:52
| RE: Towing capacities...
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5th wheels and semis are different
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/27/2006
12:31:54
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Yes, but closer to each other (one unit) than towing.
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R/TBlues
Dodge Dakota
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4/27/2006
13:05:42
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Semis are designed to carry loads much bigger than they are. Dakotas are not. A semi places much of the load over the wheels actually pulling the load via a fith wheel so that the wheels on the truck can stop the load as well as it pulls the load. You can't do this (safely) with a Dakota unless you put a 3/4ton rear axle under it. There's no way to upgrade the front suspension to 3/4 ton status unless you cut the whole front stub off and weld one from under a 3/4 ton full size truck under there. The money you would have to invest in upgrading a Dakota to 3/4 ton status would double the cost of just buying a 5 year old 3/4 ton Dodge non-turbo. Even if you did safely convert a Dakota to 3/4 or 1ton status, places like Uhaul won't rent a trailer to you that has a combined weight of over 5000lb. Every time you rent a trailer you will have to lie to them about what your hauling. When I rented that car hauler I had to tell them I was pulling a Geo Metro.
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/27/2006
13:18:17
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Hey, Stewart,
Anything you want to tell us?
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Kowalski
GenIII
4/27/2006
15:29:33
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Actually, with the right set up, a Dak can safely tow more than its own weight. Trailer brakes can safely stop the weight of a trailer without relying on the truck's brakes. You could conceivably have a fifth wheel set up at close to 10,000 that didn't put too much weight on the rear axle. My fully loaded fifth wheel camper only weighs around 5000, but there is very little weight on the rear - most of the weight is on the trailer axles which can be set to brake as well as your unloaded truck. 10,000 would be a bit of a stretch though, you'd definitely want to uprade your rear and would want a trailer with an extended pin box so it wouldn't get too close to the cab in your short bed when you corner. Like these guys are saying though, you'd be better off with a bigger truck for this.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Super bee
GenI
4/29/2006
01:18:42
| RE: Towing capacities...
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i meant semis and 5th wheels are different than towing from your hitch
the 10,000 trialer you could do with your dakota, jsut dont go very far at all with it, like mroe than a mile or two
even with trailer brakes its dangerous
ever had a trailer fishtail on you???
we had a 4 place snowmobile trailer being pulled by a ford explorer, that thing start to whip and it threw the explorer around liek a rag doll
2000 dodge ram with a 3 place trailer fishtailed and it jsut kicked over to the side and the truck kept going straight
there is alot to be said for weight ratio
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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truck guy
Dodge Dakota
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4/29/2006
16:44:35
| RE: Towing capacities...
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DON'T TOW 10,000 LBS with a Dakota. By the time your done doin the upgrades the your truck to make it able to handle that kind of load you might as well have bought a 1 ton and done the towing with that. I've been a CDL driver for 20 years and have seen my share of stupid thing done out on the highways of this country. Over loading a truck, nomatter what kind is never a good idea. Stick to the dodge guideline for towing with the dakota and you'll live to enjoy life and not spend the rest of it paying for a mistake.
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Kowalski
GenIII
4/30/2006
09:49:59
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Fishtailing trailers are almost always improperly loaded; insufficient tonge weight.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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5/02/2006
22:04:57
| RE: Towing capacities...
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Even the full 1/2 ton trucks (Ram 1500, F150, Chevy 1500, etc) are not designed to pull 10,000lbs.
The absolute VERY least of your concerns when pulling something that heavy is whether the engine can handle it. Transmission, suspension, brakes? Yes. Engine? It tells on itself. The other things tell you either by flat out breaking (transmission) or failing to work at the worst possible moment (brakes).
First make sure that the estimated weight you'll be towing isn't exaggerated which would render this whole topic useless. Second, buy a vehicle that's rated to pull what you want to pull. The engine is the smallest piece of information used when manufacturers calculate towing capacity. Replacing your engine with a larger one will likely make it tow BETTER, but very rarely more..
<b><i>Justi</i></b>
<a href="http://www.gorsar.com/dakota/">My Dakota Page</a>
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Super bee
GenI
5/03/2006
12:44:58
| RE: Towing capacities...
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i doubled the towing capacity of my ram
i bought a 1 ton :)
over 15,000 lbs :)
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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