Tow vehicle decisions

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Bobbyg

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We are thinking of purchasing a Dodge Durango Limited 6 cylinder SUV.  The recommendation has been to look for GVWR of 7200 lbs. for our trailer.  The Durango seems to meet those needs.  Any thoughts from the group would be appreciated? 6 cylinders enough, or should we go for an 8 cylinder?  We plan on some lengthy trips around the country.
 
Get the V8.  The y simply will not move the load at any reasonably comfortable speeds
 
Just remember to look here for advice, as you have done. Don't rely/trust the dealer to give you the straight story.  Their mission in life is to sell cars/trucks. PERIOD!
 
Our trailer is a Coachmen Apex 215RBK.  It is 25 ft long and the GVWR is 6500 lbs.  The actual trailer weight is 4325 lbs. An earlier forum recommendation was for a tow rating on the tow vehicle of 7200 lbs as a minimum. 
 
I would look at a Yukon or Tahoe or even a Suburban new or used sorry but the Durango does not have the greatest of reputations
 
Yeah, I would say that a 7200 lb tow capacity was the minimum for towing that trailer, and that assumes a modest size (weight) family in the SUV.

A Durango with the V6 won't be rated that high - Dodge towing charts show that it maxes out at 6200. You need the 5.7L V8 models to  get to 7200 or the 6,4L for 8700 lbs. Typically, SUVs are noticeably stressed in ride & handling when loaded to their max limits.

Dodge Towing (from their website):
https://www.dodge.com/en/towing_payload/2016/
 
We had a 2002 Durango.  It served us well, but even with the 4.7 V8, it?s towing ability was modest.  If you keep vehicles, I will say look at most 10yesr old Durango?s around.  They all have the same rust patterns on the tail gates, front fenders and doors.
 
We had a 2008 durango with the small v-8 pulling a 21 foot North Trail.  Was adequate here in the flat Midwest but struggled on long hills,  Might have been ok with the hemi but I do not know for sure.  Upgraded to Ram 1500 
hemi before our trip to Yellowstone and it handled to grades with out any problems.  Other things matter other than engine size. frame, transmission, gear ratio are also important.  Unless you need the third seat I would look at a pickup,  as nice an interior not much bigger and with a cap looks as nice. 
 
We found ourselves in a similar situation...not sure about your experiences or feelings about used vehicles, but the $70K+ stickers on new Suburbans and the like turned us toward other options pretty quickly. 

We ended up with a full-size van...V8..."passenger" version so it's nice for touring and travel...8500 lb tow rating...has held its own during PA winters with sensible driving and decent snow tires on it...for 1/2 the price of the 4x4 SUVs...new. 

Might be worth checking out.  Now that we've taken the van on a 3,000 mile travel trailer trip, I really can't see us taking such a trip in any other type of vehicle. 

Good luck! 
 
Thanks for all the advice.  I have started looking at trucks.  A van had not occurred to me.  I will definitely check that option out. This is a real shift in my vehicle outlook.  We are definitely looking used.  Many are fleet vehicles.  Good or bad?  I am thinking good because it would have been well cared for.  But bad also because the operators may have beaten it up.  Any thoughts on that?
 
I would pass on fleet vehicles.
Not only do you not know how they were driven (as with any used vehicle) but I think most
have been abused because so many different drivers have used it.  Many have a different mindset
when it isn't theirs and they are paying to drive it.

Then there is the issue that fleet vehicles often are different from ones sent to dealers.
Some is they are not loaded with as many options to keep costs down but unseen things are also
not the same - maybe less insulation or other electronics are deleted to reduce costs.  Some don't
include a jack - things like that.  There are little differences that most wouldn't notice especially when buying one.


Find someone that is upgrading to a bigger truck because they now have a 5th wheel.

Take your time - there's one out there for you it just takes time to find it.
 
If looking at Fleet vehicles look at the higher trim levels ie Chev LTZ execs often lease fleet vehicles and look after them the base model units are often used and abused by the grunts lol - my buddy leases high end trucks and they most often come back prestine the base models not so much
 
Ok after reading this thread I'm thinking I made the right choice to go with my F350 SuperDuty to pull my Montana FW.  Good stuff on the forum.
 
Okay so we finally chose the tow vehicle.  A 2015 Chevy Silverado V8 4x4 crew cab LT pickup.  It has much of what we wanted.  One missing item is the electronic break controller on the dash.  I am thinking I should add that.  From the reading I have done it seems important for safety.  What does the group think?
 
Without the brake controller you can't operate the trailer's brakes. So yes, add a controller -- you need it for safety, as well as for legal reasons.
 
Kemo said:
Ok after reading this thread I'm thinking I made the right choice to go with my F350 SuperDuty to pull my Montana FW.  Good stuff on the forum.

Hi Kemo,
How do you like your Montana 5er. Did you get a DRW or SRW truck to tow it with? Curious as we are researching the
Montana 3731 and the Ram 1 ton trucks. Any insight you can give would be greatly appreciated. TIA
 
steelmooch said:
We found ourselves in a similar situation...not sure about your experiences or feelings about used vehicles, but the $70K+ stickers on new Suburbans and the like turned us toward other options pretty quickly. 

We ended up with a full-size van...V8..."passenger" version so it's nice for touring and travel...8500 lb tow rating...has held its own during PA winters with sensible driving and decent snow tires on it...for 1/2 the price of the 4x4 SUVs...new. 

Might be worth checking out.  Now that we've taken the van on a 3,000 mile travel trailer trip, I really can't see us taking such a trip in any other type of vehicle. 

Good luck!

We are looking at purchasing a larger TT next year. Maybe an Outdoor RV or Lance. We will also need a different tow vehicle. Looking at Chevy/GMC 3/4 or 1 ton cargo van. I have built and priced online and a fully loaded, 6.1L, heavy duty tow package, all the bells and whistles comes just shy of $35k. The payload was a bit over 4,000lbs and tow rating of 10,000. We think the van will be more versatile and comfortable than a truck. We will order it w/o rear seats and equip as we see fit.
 
I would get larger than you need.  You will want the power for climbing hills, or even the extra braking power.

Get a 3/4 ton pickup, or larger.  Since a 1-ton truck is (nearly) the same price as a 1/2 ton, get the 1-ton.
 
This weekend marks2 weeks with the new truck.  I am embarrassed to admit I am failing parking in this big ass truck, or as my wife says BAT.  It is the largest vehicle I have ever driven.  Each attempt to park is a new adventure.  Those lines just won?t stay put.  I will never ever complain about a poorly parked pickup again.  And I apologize to all who will have to wait while I pull in and out to get the truck parked right.  It is clear that choice of spot is the most important factor in parking success.  I am getting better.  One recommendation was backing in, if your truck has a backup camera, that helps.  And you can use the side mirrors to see the lines. 

Does anyone have other tips?
 

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