Durango

[SAD]

Originally Posted by RGene7001

.... Congratulation with the great TV which still can fit in the garage....

My LB, QC, 4x4, dually fits in the garage!!!

[bsmith0404]

Come on guys, that Durango has a V8, it'll "pull" it without any problems. That is the question asked of the dealer.

We take it to the next step and look at if it can tow it safely. As mentioned earlier, even the truck manufacturers are difficult to read between the lines sometimes. They all brag about towing capacities and pay big advertising dollars to spread the word. Then you start adding extras and options, and the numbers start dropping quickly. Start factoring in GAWR, GCWR, GVWR......it all gets very confusing for the average consumer. Way too many variables for most people to worry about actually trying to understand. There should be a requirement for dealers to sit down and go over the numbers with a customer and have them sign a statement of understanding, instead of them slipping in a statement waiving liability without really going over it.

[Razor303]

I towed the Bullet Premier Ultra Lite 33BLPR shown in the sig picture with the Durango, also shown in the picture 3 times... pulled it just fine, got up to speed fine, and actually stopped pretty darn good, all things considered. However, (isn't there always an "however") the last trip we took with it the wind was blowing about 35+ mph and the Bullet was a swaying, white knuckle, #$#%^&&, you get the picture. Right after we got home I ordered the Equal-i-zer hitch and shortly after traded the Durango for the Ram 2500 CTD. I never towed the Bullet with the Durango again. Moral of my story, it is always better to have more TV then you think you need, and I'll never have too little truck for the trailer EVER AGAIN. jmho

[Ken / Claudia]

Wifes vehicle is a eddie bauer explorer with the 5.0 v8. rated for 5,000lbs trailer, as I recall. My tower is the f350 listed below. The boat is 3800lbs, trailer is 2 axle about 21ft long. We go over a Mt. to a lake offten. The F350 pulls it without any slowing, backs the boat great. Both get about 15 mpg. The explorer is at 35 mph up any grade on that trip. and is harder to back up the boat, due to the shorten wheelbase I am guessing. If a vehicle passes the explorer there is side to side sway, not much but, none on the truck. I get it the truck is rated at pulling a 16,000 trailer and the explorer a 5,000 lb trailer. Just pointing out what I have found by using both vehicles on same route pulling same boat.

[JRTJH]

As a comparison, I also had much the same experiences as Ken. My F150 was rated to tow 11,300 lbs, the F250 is rated at 12,500. Our Springdale weighed 7000 empty and about 8100 loaded for camping. The F150 would be in 3rd gear pulling the trailer and boat up any incline, the F250 may drop down to 5th sometimes, but usually stays in 6th gear the whole trip. Both have 3.73 electronic locking axles.

As for sway, with a fifth wheel, there's little to begin with, but on curves, lane changes, etc, the F250 felt much more stable and sure-footed. I was "well under the max" with both trucks towing the same trailer, so there's more to it than "pulling the load"...

[RGene7001]

Originally Posted by Razor303

I towed the Bullet Premier Ultra Lite 33BLPR shown in the sig picture with the Durango, also shown in the picture 3 times... pulled it just fine, got up to speed fine, and actually stopped pretty darn good, all things considered. However, (isn't there always an "however") the last trip we took with it the wind was blowing about 35+ mph and the Bullet was a swaying, white knuckle, #$#%^&&, you get the picture. Right after we got home I ordered the Equal-i-zer hitch and shortly after traded the Durango for the Ram 2500 CTD. I never towed the Bullet with the Durango again. Moral of my story, it is always better to have more TV then you think you need, and I'll never have too little truck for the trailer EVER AGAIN. jmho

New Durango is much more stable to begin with, even with lower tow rating.
Adding a 33 foot sausage to either new or old one? Gross mismatch in my opinion.

[Phil76]

Did you try the equalizer hitch with the durango? That could have been the solution, I tow a 31' bullet and find the lower profile of the trailer is great! and have had no white knuckle moments due to wind or passing trucks! and I have been in some big winds.


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[Razor303]

Originally Posted by RGene7001

Adding a 33 foot sausage to either new or old one? Gross mismatch in my opinion.

It was, I knew it when we bought the trailer, which is why I bought the Ram 2500 CTD... Now I have plenty of truck. The tongue weight, GTW and the GCWR are all well within the capabilities of the truck by very large margins. And with the equal-i-zer hitch all is well.

[Razor303]

Originally Posted by Phil76

Did you try the equalizer hitch with the durango? That could have been the solution, I tow a 31' bullet and find the lower profile of the trailer is great! and have had no white knuckle moments due to wind or passing trucks! and I have been in some big winds.

Nope, didn't want to either (really wanted a new truck ) plus the last trip convinced the wife that the Durango was to small... We are taking the Bullet to NM next month, a friend of my wife is getting married, I wouldn't have considered a trip like that in the Durango.

I will say this though, the Durango and the Salem Cruise Lite was a descent combination, the trailer was only 24' and 5000 pounds, towed really well.

[Phil76]

Well I will let you know when I have completed my Toronto to Orlando. Slow and steady won't be this year but hopefully spring time


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[scott24]

We tow a Passport 2250RB with our Durango and have no troubles.

[chartrand]

We tow with the newer style Durango. Trailer is a 22 foot (25 bumper to ball) bullet premier without any problem at all. I do admit that I have the ProPride hitch, so no white knuckle driving for me.

[koko]

Chartrand - We have our trailer at CW right now for some preventive maintenance. We are also having them replace our inferior hitch with an Equalizer, but we're curious now about the ProPride. Can you tell us the differences you've observed between the ProPride and the Equalizer. Who installed it for you? Is it easy to attach? Was it worth the very expensive price?

[Goingfor9]

I also tow with the propride hitch. It is great hitch. Easy to hook up once you get used to it. As far as towing with it it is amazing. The trailer does not sway at all. No matter the wind or what passes you. It is well worth the money imo. I tried towing with another hitch the dealer threw in and the trailer would always move when a truck passed me or in strong winds. Nothing big just enough to make you aware of it. With the propride I never worry about weather or what's coming up behind me

[chartrand]

Originally Posted by koko

Chartrand - We have our trailer at CW right now for some preventive maintenance. We are also having them replace our inferior hitch with an Equalizer, but we're curious now about the ProPride. Can you tell us the differences you've observed between the ProPride and the Equalizer. Who installed it for you? Is it easy to attach? Was it worth the very expensive price?

Koko,
I purchased the P3 hitch and had it shipped to my home via UPS. I then did the installation myself. I'm an IT guy, not a mechanic, and had no trouble doing the installation on my own.

The equalizer is a good hitch, and I did like it. And it did ok for the sway control, but was still a bit more sloppy than I liked. I attribute this to the short wheel base on my Durango. So for me I wanted better and the Hensley or Propride were the next logical choice. In the end I went with the ProPride and wow, has it been great. Yep they are expensive but for me it was money well spent.

For my trailer size (25 ft), if I had the F150 as a tow vehicle, I probably would still be using the Equalizer. So you need to figure out what you want/need for your setup.

Enjoy,
Pat

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[koko]

Chartrand and Goingfor9 - Thanks for the quick reply. It should be an easy decision - the ProPride is how we want the pull to feel. Hard decision. Lots of hassles and expense involved. If CW had it and could install it right now, we'd probably do it. Thanks again for your input.