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Jim
Dodge Dakota
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6/27/2003
16:02:42
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 Subject: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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Yesterday I bought a 03 Shadow Cruiser T-189FD travel trailer. Dry weight 2305 lbs. I bought this to pull with my 03 Dakota w/ 3.9 V6 & 3:55 gears. Manaufacture rate this set up to 4850 lbs for tow weight.
Man what a dog! That 3.9 V6 would down shift into second gear on any slight hill. The truck is supposed to be able to tow 4850 lbs, I think the engineer's where on crack when they made that statement. Now I am going to have to re-gear to 3:92's ( or maybe 4.11's ), which will kill my already lousy gas milage. A cheat fix might be to install a switch so I can turn off the tourque converter lockup. This would allow me to turn it off and stay in 3rd gear to climb the smaller inclines. It seems like that was the problem, 3rd with lockup was bogging down too much, but 2nd gear made the engine windup too much ( 4,000 rpm, which is double the 55mph cruising speed of 3rd with lockup ). Even though the dry weight is only 500 lbs more than the pop-up camper I had. I guess the wind drag with the taller TT is hurting it also. This also means I am going to need a trans cooler. I was hoping it didnt labor enough where one would be needed.
Any other idea's on how to make this 03 Dakota pull 3,000# without killing it?
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WG34
Dodge Dakota
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6/27/2003
17:19:40
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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The 3.92s will actually improve gas mileage and off the line,I have 3.92lsd on my '03 3.9V6 and thats what I've been reading.
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jeremy
Dodge Dakota
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6/27/2003
17:28:23
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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hey, i have an 02 sxt cc and i regulary pull my 2500# boat with it. We used my friends 4.0 ranger to pull it a couple times, and there is no comparison, the ranger embarasses me and my truck. I've put on a new exhaust, new throttle body, new intake, and some other more minor mods and while they helped alot it still isn't enough to make it a real truck. i'd recomend the mods that i mentioned, and the trans cooler is probably a good idea. I put a temp sensor in my trans and while i'm pulling it doesn't seem to raise all that much.
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Jim
Dodge Dakota
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6/27/2003
18:29:40
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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Like I said, I think alot of it has to do with wind drag. 7ft wide by about 9ft tall makes one hell of a wall sticking up above the bed of the truck.
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dj
Dodge Dakota
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6/27/2003
20:21:13
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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Seems to me I read somewhere that if you are pulling a trailer you should not use OD....
Might want to check it out.
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roundboy0
GenIII
6/27/2003
20:58:55
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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Wellll....I recently pulled 7200lbs (2000lb trailer, 5200lbs of old shingles off my roof) without any problems. I know it's way over the limit, but what the hell. It wasn't too bad, but I only went about 20 miles, and I have a stick so that probably helps.
2003 CC 5spd 4x4 3.9l 3.92lsd
Intense Stage III; Fastman TB; JBA Headers; Magnaflow Exhaust; Misc other stuff
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slopehead
Dodge Dakota
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6/28/2003
05:02:39
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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Jeremy, D/C must have gone backwards as in the "97 daks with an auto there is a warning system if the tranny geets up to a certain temp built right into the dash, the sensor is set to go off BEFORE you hit those tranny killer temps and if it does go off it might be wise to change the tranny fluid asap.
for the rest of you- To turn off the overdrive ther is a button on the end of the shifter on late models, and on the dash on genII's. By all means install a tranny cooler and in your case it would not hurt to put in one that is way larger then you need.
Jim you are so right about pulling a wall but I prefer to think of it as a Sail!!Ther is a big diference between weight and wind resistance. Beleive it or not one of the biggest factors in tow ratings on trucks is not so much the engine and tranny but the brakes. If they aren't large enough the USDOT won't certify it for more then a certain wieght no matter how much power and how strong the frame/suspension. If yor truck can't stop a 7000 lb load in so many feet, it won't be certified to pull 7000 but might be certed for 5000 or whatever.
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93 DakSport
Dodge Dakota
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6/28/2003
17:49:04
| RE: 2700# to much to tow with a 03 V6 3.9!!?
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all i can say is WOW!!!i can't believe the newer gens of DAKS have such a poor time at towing...my 93 never had any problems and i still tow my brother in laws camper at 55mph w/o any problems..yes i do have to keep the OD off but it improves the shifts points with it off...can not say enough how important it is to keep OD OFF!! ..it not only keeps the truck from downshifting all the time but also like i said before changes the shift points..his camper weighs a fatty 4200 lbs and i run with a auto tranny with 3.55 gears...but i run EVERYTHING SYNTHETIC!!from tranny to gears to wheels bearings and motor oil and have a oversize radiator...I"LL KEEP MY 93 till they fix the towing probs
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