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01:04:55 - 12/20/2024
V8 Dakotas
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Andrew
Dodge Dakota
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11/29/2002
12:05:41
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 Subject: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I just bought a 2002 4.7 auto QC 4x2 in September. I ran across this board and have found it very helpful.
At the time I bought my truck, I thought it had everything I wanted - white w/ slate leather, Infinity stereo, overhead console, etc. It was a demo and I got it for a great price. However, it has the 3.55 gears w/o LSD. I've subsequently found out that the 3.55s are not what you want for towing.
Right now, the only towing that I do is a small pop-up camper. It's very light. I'm guessing somewhere around 1000 lbs. I just got back from a trip to Gatlinburg, TN from Baton Rouge, LA. Obviously, it did great with such a light trailer. But, I would like to buy a travel trailer sometime in the future. I'm looking at a 25' AeroLite trailer, which has a dry weight of around 3,400 lbs and hitch weight of 280 lbs. That's still well under the towing capacity of my truck of 4,700 lbs. But, after reading numerous posts on this board, the consensous seems to be that 3.92 gears are a must for effective towing. I've also read that 4.11 gears are even better for the heavier Quad Cab.
So, here's my question. I know that with 3.92 gears, the towing capacity of my truck increases to 6,000 lbs. Would 4.11 gears increase that even more or would there be some other limiting factor that would kick in to max the capacity at 6,000 lbs? Also, which gear do you think would serve me best? 90% of the time, I'll be doing daily commute. Mainly stop and go driving with some interstate mixed in. Many posts that I've read said that the shorter gears would actually give me better gas mileage in around town driving due to the decrease in engine load during take-offs. What do you think?
Thanks in advance.
Geaux Tigers!
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
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11/29/2002
18:03:39
|  RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Well I have the towing package and HD service group and it does not include the LSD and comes with 3.55 gears. Most american made trucks come with a ration pretty close to 3.55:1,3.42:1 for about 15 plus years.3.92:1, 4.10: 4.11:1 were pretty much optional. If you were driveing a truck with a 4cylinder or a small V6 I could see a change in ratio. I realy doubt that you will have any problem towing up to the limit of the vechile. If you do alot of rock crawling or use your truck as a yard mule I could see changeing to a 4.10:1 or 4.50:1.... but you are going to eat too much gas if you drive any on the HWY. I belive that a reg cab 2wd dak 4.7 automatic has a 7500 pound tow rateing from the factory.
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Hurl
Dodge Dakota
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11/29/2002
18:51:09
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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The Dodge information regarding towing is a bit vague. If you go the their web site and pick your exact model and equipment you'll get a more accurate listing of your vehicles towing capacity (I'm sure you've already done that).
I went through the same thing, but fortunately it was before I bought my rig. I wanted max towing capacity, bed size and interior room. I ended up with:
2003 SLT+ CC, 4x4, HD pkg, Towing pkg, 4.7L, 5sp Auto, 3.92 LSD.
In order to find the truck I wanted, I had to sacrafice some things I would *like* to have i.e. the Infinity system, power seat, leather & overhead computer pkg. The local dealers (3 state area) had 2 SLT+ trucks in Club Cab with the 4.7L and 3.92 LSD. One was mine, and the other was fully loaded with every possible option.
Anyway, the Dak pulls my boat very, very well. The boat and trailer combo weigh in at about 5800 lbs.
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Hersbird
Dodge Dakota
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11/29/2002
21:22:32
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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In order for the Dakota to get the maximum tow rating (6600 pounds) it has to have the 3.92 gears. Even if it is equiped with the towing package it still needs the 3.92 gears, the same truck with 3.55 gears is only reated to tow 5600 pounds. The best rating for a quad cab is 6200 pounds with the 5.9 and 3.92 gears. The 3.55 gears drops that by more then 1000 pounds. They don't put 4.10 gears in a Dakota from the factory so there is no real tow rating for 4.10 gears. I bet you could safely add another 500-1000 pounds especially if you have the new for 2003 rear disc brakes. Actually you could get away with towing more then the rating on any Dakota, and I wouldn't sell the whole truck until you try towing that bigger trailer. I bet you'd be a lot happier towing it up the hills after spending $600 to swap gears. If your auto doesn't have the heavy duty cooling, make sure you add a transmission cooler for you automatic, and most of the time keep the overdrive off (unless you are just towing that little 1000 pound trailer.) I was lloking at some of those 19 ft aerolite trailers as well. They really put a bunch more technology into really keeping it light compared to most other "lite" camper trailers. We are actually considering towing the 19 foot "cub" with our Dodge minivan (rated for 3800 pounds). Our current Jayco popup weighs 2200 pounds and the aerolite only 2700 pounds empty and at most 3800 pounds fully loaded with gear. I wish I could get better gearing on the minivan but I have never heard of anyone even trying that, ours is awd to complicate it further. We most likely will end up with a 1500 Hemi Ram after I sell our R/T so there will be no problem then. I'd tow with the R/T but it being a regular cab bucket seats makes it pretty hard to use on vacations for the family of 3 and retrevier, let alone when the mother-in law and cousins tag along!
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xplikt
GenIII
11/29/2002
22:55:22
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Matt, what happened to the GJ Cherokee idea? All this HEMI stuff got to ya, didn't it?
I've always been told not to tow over 75% towing capacity unless you have changed it to handle higher (brakes, suspension, etc.). I've only towed u-hauls, so my experience is limited.
-Mike
http://www.dodgetruckworld.com/xplikt/
2002 2WD RC SLT 4.7L 5spd 3.92 LSD
MBRP Single in/out, straight piped 3rd cat, turndown tip
Hotchkis swaybars and springs
Bilstein custom tuned shocks
Roadmaster Active Suspension
Shaved emblems and antennae
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Hurl
Dodge Dakota
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11/30/2002
00:30:46
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I would think there is a point of dimishing returns on the rated towing weight. If you change from 3.92's to 4.10's, I don't think you'll be at a 7K lb rating. There is point where the manufacturer will feel that your rig is not capable of having the trailer weight pushing you.
Consider the towing capacity of a 4.7L auto, 3.92 RAM Laramie 4x4, quad cab vs a 4.7L auto, 3.92 SLT+ CC, 4x4, 3.92 Dak. The Dak is rated at about 5900 lbs while the RAM is rated at 7100 lbs.
Same drive train, different towing capacity. There is no doubt that the lighter Dak can pull 7000 pounds easier than the RAM. The RAM would have an easier time dealing with the 7K lb push as you go down hills or try to stop.
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Clevite 77
GenIII
11/30/2002
06:11:54
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I have to agree with Hurl, I was going to post that same thing. Sure the bigger gears will help ya pull it, but what about stopping, handling, or factoring in big winds at higher speeds? Don't forget your suspension. Just something to think about.
I pulled a 5300# car and trailer, from 0-30mph, it's fine, but from 40-70 (getting on the freeway) you better give your self almost as much room to pick up and go as a semi lol
for the record, I have..
4x4 CC
4.7L
3.92's w/LSD
towing package, and all the heavy duty options available for a 2002, including the 5900# GVWR
Line-X over the rail
Grille-Tech Grill Insert
Clear Corners
Krypton 4300K Lights
H - Brew Intake
Dual Exhaust
Autolite Plugs
TPS Mod
180 R-Shaw T-stat
Removed Rubber Flap
Mobil - 1
JVC KD-SX980 MP3 Player
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Andrew
Dodge Dakota
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11/30/2002
10:13:06
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Thanks for the info.
Don't get me wrong, I have no intentions on getting anything heavier than the Aerolite trailer. I don't see any reason for trying to get a different one. It has everything that I'm looking for. That 25' one even has a slide-out for the dining area.
I was mainly just curious to see what anyone thought about the increase in towing capacity from 3.92s to 4.11s.
If/when I buy this trailer, I plan on getting my money's worth. I'll be travelling all over the place and would really like to figure out my best gearing option for towing it. I can live with a SLIGHT (<2) mpg loss around town, especially if it'll be more fun to drive! Right now, I'm leaning towards the 4.11s, unless someone has some more info on why the 3.92s would be better.
My truck is already equipped with the factory towing package and heavy duty service group, so the different gear is really all that I would need.
As a bonus, my cousin's husband is a mechanic at a Dodge dealer and has plenty of experience in gear changes. Therefore, the install cost should be less.
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Hersbird
Dodge Dakota
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11/30/2002
18:47:27
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I think Dodge really trys to limit the use of even the 3.92 gears on factory trucks, let alnoe going to 4.11 or 4.56's. They will only hurt mileage on those long, straight, flat freeway runs when not towing but that is where they will take a hit for CAFE MPG regulations. Dodge is alreay hurting without selling lots of little baby 4 cylinder Trucks like Toyota and even Chevy and Ford. Think of it this way, all R/Ts come from the factory with 28" tall tires and 3.92 gears. If a 4x4 Dakota with 31" tall factory tires had gearing to match the R/T's RPM in OD, it would need a 4.34:1 ratio to match the effect gained by the 28" tall tires. On top of that there are plenty of R/T's that have switched to 4.56 gears and only lost a few hundred RPMs on the freeway. Going with 4.11 gears will be no problem with the 29" tall tires that come on most 2wd SLTs. I personally would just go all out with the 4.56s and then use OD on the freeway. Lots of people get scared off buy numbers like 4.11 and 4.56 because they are thinking back to the musclecar days. Back then some Mopars came with 4.11 gearing and were pretty horrendus on the freeway, for one thing there weren't as may speed limits, and the other they had no overdrive and 26" tall tires. The Dakota R/T and it's 3.92 gears runs the same freeway RPM as a 70 cuda with 2.92 rear gears! Actually the Dakota runs even less RPM then that Cuda with an automatic because it has a lockup torque converter.
I think the Hemi Ram is just too cool to pass up for under $20,000. I have to buy a 50,000 mile 3 year old GC to get that price and I loose all that tire smoking fun! Then again it was getting snotty this morning with some freezing fog, maybe 3 months of winter without Quadradrive will change my mind! Oh, yeh GO GRIZ!! Round of 8! I hope the Cats win to so we get a rematch!
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Bryan
Dodge Dakota
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12/02/2002
10:52:36
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Message:
I have pulled and towed at the limit, if not more than what DODGE says my GEN II can carry with out any problems. I have A 5.2 5spd with 3.55 gears.
Just remember one thing when pulling heavy loads,
If you are uneasy about pulling something,, then DON'T.
You don't HAVE to move, but you do HAVE to stop.Make sure you are able to stop your truck with A heavy load before you get out in traffic.
There is nothing worse than trying to stop and going through an intersection and there is nothing you can do about it.
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Arron
Dodge Dakota
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4/15/2003
23:07:41
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I have a 2003 QC SLT+ 4x2 4.7 5 speed auto with 3.55 gears and LSD, I am wondering, what length of boats are you all pulling. I am looking to get a boat somewhere between 18-20 foot. Now I know that boat weight varys from length to lenght, however it will be no more than about 4000 to 4500 lbs. Just wonder what you all think. Thanks for the info.
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goon1
Dodge Dakota
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4/15/2003
23:32:29
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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sorry, but whats LSD stand for?
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Fubar512
GenIII
4/15/2003
23:56:57
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Arron, I towed a 21 foot Mako center console boat (bare hull weight 2300 lbs), on it's trailer (another 1000 lbs) with a V6 outboard (450 lbs), and half a tank of fuel (about 44 gals @ 6.5 lb per gallon = 286).
That's 4036 lbs, and is conservative (I didn't mention the two marine batteries in the bilge, and anyone's guess as to how much the badly waterlogged foam flotation added to the weight.
My 5.2, 3.55 geared, auto tranny Dak handled it fine, at 60 MPH in third gear. The trailer had surge brakes, so stopping was not a problem either.
Confucious say: Any man can pee on wall. Be a true hero and crap on ceiling! I've tried being a hero once too often...
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DAKX01
Dodge Dakota
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4/16/2003
12:19:02
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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LSD=Limited Slip Differential(sp?)
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redandwhite
Dodge Dakota
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4/16/2003
22:59:03
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Becarefull of the tonque weight on that trailer. Too little tonque weight might cause the trailer to start swaying. The tonque weight of any trailer should be at least 10% of the total weight of the trailer. Also 60% of the weight should be in front of the axles with only 40% of the weight in back of the axles. A properly loaded trailer will make it alot easier to tow. I am speaking from experience, I had a trailer that was not properly balanced and it swayed so hard that it rolled our truck and trailer over 1 1/2 times, both were totalled but my wife and I walked away. After that accident I tried to learn as much as I could about proper towing techniques and those weights you gave for the tonque and dry weights are a little scary and beware of salesmen, they will tell you anything just to get a sell.
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Jerry
Dodge Dakota
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7/02/2003
23:25:44
|  RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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I just bought a 92 Sport Dakota with extended cab. I'm ready to install a 5th wheel hitch to tow an 18' Komfort. The pin is about 4 inches in front of the trailer. It appears that if I install the hitch directly above the axle, I'll have maybe 2 or 3 inches of clearance, even if jacknifed 90 degrees. Do I dare install the hitch with so little clearance? What about extending the pin box? Any help greatly appreciated. The Dakota has the 3.9 v-6.
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02SXT
Dodge Dakota
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7/03/2003
11:02:53
| RE: Towing Capacity of 3.55, 3.92, & 4.11s ?
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Andrew,
You should be fine towing that with your setup. I have a 2002 SXT CC with 3.9 V6 and 3.92 gears. I pull a 24' 3450lb travel trailer with no problems.
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