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dan
Dodge Dakota
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2/05/2004
08:57:47
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 Subject: RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Bob,
Thanks for your help! Actually you addressed some issues I hadn't really considered. I live in Northwest Arkansas, so I'll be challenging some steep grades from time to time. Regarding interstate travel, what should I expect as far as speed and rpms? Most of my trips will be 250 miles or less, but I don't know how long my truck will tolerate 3000 rpms or more. Also, can anyone recommend a good aftermarket tranny cooler? Or, is it best to stick with Mopar?
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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2/05/2004
16:04:42
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I have 3.92 gears in mine. I generally run a little over 2200 rpms's at 80 mph, IIRC. 4.10 gears will raise that a little, but not much at all. With 4.10 gears, that should put you around 2350 rpm's at 80 mph. Not enough of a change to matter.
Chnaging the gear ratio means you'll have to change the speedo gear. Not sure if there is one available for the 4.10 gears. I'd check on that first if you're concerned about it.
As for the transmission cooler, there are plenty of them around for reasonable prices. Plate types are more efficient, but more expensive and bulky. Fin and tube types are usually a little thinner. I'd go to the bone yard first, and try and find the parts used. Then you can get all the hose, fittings, brackets, screws, etc. Be sure and take a few pictures so you know how it all goes back on.
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Jeff
Dodge Dakota
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2/05/2004
20:09:05
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I am a Jeep owner but the drivetrain is very similar between the later dak's and my Grand Cherokee.
The GC is rated to tow up to 6700 lbs if outfitted with the factor trailer tow options which includes a Class 4 hitch.
I towed a 6200 pound trailer thru the rocky mountains with ease. On flat highway, 60 mph in 5th with torque converter locked up is around 1750 rpm. Most big hills can be had in 3rd gear, 2nd gear only needed rarely to accelerate around slower traffic. I would tow even heavier trailers without concern.
Just need to be sure that the auto trans has excellent cooling, run synthetic gear lube in the diffs, and use weight equalizer bars on heavy trailers. Heavy trailers must have heavy tongue weights which can overload the rear of the vehicle and the rear tire load ratings. Equalizing bars will shift this weight equally onto all four tires. This gives a big handling improvement also.
All trailers over 2000 pounds are supposed to have their own brakes. These can be either surge or electrically actuated. Surge brakes tend to be preferred for most towing conditions. I prefer electric brakes because I tow thru mountains with very long, steep downhill sections and surge brakes tend to overheat in these conditions because a large trailer is always pushing the tow vehicle downhill.
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R/TBlues
Dodge Dakota
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2/05/2004
20:24:15
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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.boB,
What size tires do you have?
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2004
01:10:00
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Stock size, 265/70-16.
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TOPGUY
Dodge Dakota
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3/23/2004
14:57:50
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I have a 2001 Durango 4.7. I tow right now a 7000lbs 24' car trailer with 750lbs weight distribution bar. Just came back to Florida to Canada true i95 and w64 to I81, lot of hill and my 4.7L just stunt me up by is power. Went up 3000 feet tru 7 miles and rpm was between 2500-4000 rpm with OD off at 60mph. On flat road 65-75 mph no problem. There specs for 11000 lbs gross weight is pretty safe (12600 lbs on mine ) with np problem at all.
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deerridge
GenIII
3/23/2004
16:58:46
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I pull a 3 horse trailer with mine on a regular basis in East Tennessee. Usually towing 6 to 7 thousand. Pulls better than my 350 Silverado ever did.
Real Horsepower
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5.9owner
Dodge Dakota
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4/05/2004
23:24:07
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I have a 5.9 and it pulls great. I bought a 4.7 and kept my 5.9. They didn't offer me enough for the trade. After driving the 4.7L for 6 months I was happy with everything it did except pull a trailer. It pulls better than my friends 5.3L chevy, but it does not pull as good as my 5.9L. It only gets 2mpg better gas mileage than my 5.9L. The engine is 20% smaller and only gets 12% better gas mileage (16 vs 14mpg). I sold the 4.7L and kept my 5.9L.
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pat
Dodge Dakota
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7/03/2004
21:50:56
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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HAVE A 2001 QC,4.7,3.55 REAR--CANNOT FIND TOW MIRRORS THAT FIT OVER MY SPORT MIRRORS-ANY SUGGESTIONS,THANKS
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Kowalski
GenIII
7/04/2004
09:12:41
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I use the cheap ones with 2 rubber straps each, no problems; available commonly at camper supply stores or JC Whitney.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Leigh
Dodge Dakota
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7/05/2004
17:02:47
|  RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Are there any 02 4.7 qc owners towing 5th wheels.
What size and how does it handle. what is max. weight of 5th wheel can it pull. i do not understand the gvwr, payload or gcwr.
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Kowalski
GenIII
7/05/2004
17:37:29
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I tow a 24.5' fifth wheel with my '00 4.7 RC 4x4. Someone else was asking about towing fifth wheel with a QC but I don't know if anyone actually is, I may help with some of your questions. Towing a fifth wheel with a short bed is trickier than with a long bed because the front of the trailer could contact the cab in a tight maneuver. Two ways to help this, I have both but found I only needed one - with the shorter bed in the QC you might need both, or it could just be too tight. My fifth wheel has an "extended pin box" - the pin extends beyond the front of the camper by about a foot, giving extra clearance between the camper and cab when turning. I was advised to go with a sliding fifth wheel hitch that can be slid behind the normal position over the rear wheels for still more room when making tight low speed turns. With the extended pin box I haven't needed to use that; that extra clearance might be what you'd need with your shorter bed.
The payload is what you can carry in your truck, you need to worry more about how much its rated to tow, and that may depend on your gear ratio. I'll take a wild guess you can probably tow about 5000 lbs with that rig; someone may chime in with better numbers. Some here are towing 7000 lbs, probably a bit more than what they're rated for, but doing fine. Fifth wheels tow very well, I'd think you'd probably be fine with a set up like mine, maybe a bit longer. You definitely would want an extended pin box.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Jim
Dodge Dakota
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7/05/2004
19:42:04
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Kowalski
What is the weight of your trailer? What gear, transmission and tire size?
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leigh
Dodge Dakota
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7/05/2004
20:14:12
|  RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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i dont have trailer yet because i am not sure what weight i can get. ?gear?(if you mean gear ratio, i cant find that anywhere either), 4-speed auto trans w/lockup torque converter, 255-70-16 tires. i know i must sound like a moron but i have been told there are no stupid questions.
i have called the dealership service dept & they dont know either. i have emailed dodge, but no response. i just want to make sure i have it correct because we are going to soon be fulltimers.
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Jay
Dodge Dakota
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7/06/2004
01:34:05
|  RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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If you look in the glove box you will find on the bottom there is a sticker that tells you your gear ratio.
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leigh
Dodge Dakota
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7/06/2004
08:24:06
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Message:
thanks jay !!! 3.55
Ok, how about this :
what is rear axle corporate 9 and multi-speed anti lock-up torque converter transmission.
will my engine be able to handle the towing of a 5th wheel if i am close to the limits of my vehicle tow lbs if i am going to be in mountains or is there something else that should be added.
is there anything special that comes in the tow package that particularly helps other than a hitch.
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Kowalski
GenIII
7/06/2004
16:28:42
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Jim - Never weighed it, I'm guessing a little under 5000 lbs loaded heavy with extra water, 150 qt cooler, 10x20 canopy, etc. 3.55, 45RFE (auto), 31 x 10.5.
Leigh - you have the stronger rear, similar transmission to mine. Hitch doesn't come with tow package, you probably mean receiver ? Also a transmission cooler (highly recomend) and a wiring pigtail that makes it easy to add electric brake control (you definitely want that). I think you'll be fine in the mountains, motor may downshift and rev a bit but should pull well. I tow up some pretty big hills in N.H. If you're going to be near the limits a fifth wheel is the way to go, better handling and less air drag.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Jerry
Dodge Dakota
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7/26/2005
00:49:34
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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I have a 01 QC 4X4. The truck is not equipped with towing package and has 3:55 gears. I am towing a 21ft camper weight 5000lbs dry. I tow with the tanks empty and probably another 500lbs of gear. I live in AZ and having problems overheating on the big climbs. I turn the AC and OD off. I'm usually turning between 3000 and 4000 RPM's. The truck has plenty of pull but wants to get hot. Any advice would be appreciated. I am considering a transmission cooler to pull some heat off the motor. Also heard of changing anti-freeze to one that handles higher heats. Also going to a weight dist. hitch. Any other suggestions?
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Kowalski
GenIII
7/26/2005
17:28:19
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Maybe try flushing the cooling system and changing the thermostat ? A transmission cooler would be a good idea for the transmission; but I wouldn't expect it to pull much heat off the motor.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Dan
Dodge Dakota
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1/15/2006
00:35:49
| RE: 4.7 Camper towing?
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Message:
I have 02 4.7l 3.55 gears and a tranny cooler. All else stock. I have
pulled a 3800lbs boat up a 3 mile hill STEP grade at 65mhp. No
problem. I put 1/2 cord of wood in the truck bed and puleed 2
cords behind, for 130 miles up and down hills no problem. Now i
bought a 22' camp trailer 3300lbs dry. ready to go No problem.
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