Dodge Durango towing an Airstream commercial

[richinny]

Dodge is currently running an ad in the NY area with an Airstream! it only lasts about a second near the end of the spot.

[Road Ruler]

Yup, saw it a few nights ago. It is a short clip. If you blink you might miss it.

[Hummer]

I was going to pull my Sovereign with my Durango but the owners manual indicated the AS was about 800 lbs too heavy loaded out. I also had a Chevy 1500 and same story with it so I sold the Chevy and got a GMC 2500 HD and it does fine.

[mutcth]

They could have filmed me... Very happy with our Durango as a tow vehicle.

Tom

[Hummer]

Mine has a factory trailer package on it and at 50K I went to have the tranny fluid changed along with filter and my tranny guy (A1 on trans) walked up under it and said, "Whoa....." I asked what was wrong and he said this is not a standard Durango tranny so I asked what is different?

I have pulled my 6X10 cargo trailer to Ohio and back three times with no problems but I figure gross trailer weight has not gone over 2500 lbs and there has been no problem.

He said what I had was much larger than standard Durango tranny and required another tune up kit number.

It will turn over 220K next week and so far has been trouble free but I take care of it and change the fluid on schedule. I plan on running it at least 300K. I am running Mobil 1 Synthetic in my rides and I now have about 800+K with Mobil 1 and no problems at all with engines and all three are clean inside.

Mutcth, how much does your weigh?

But then again my Honda had to be pulled down at 150K for a shift problem as it did not want to shift in winter (mild here in SC) until I drove it about five miles. When it was pulled down he went through it and the axle bearings were starting to deterriorate and we got to them in time and changed them out. It now has 267K on it and doing fine. I now change fluid in it every 15K as it only holds 2.5 qts.

[mutcth]

My trailer is around 5500 pounds loaded. Tows it easily and securely.

Tom

[Wayne&Sam]

After towing with a couple of different Mercedes MLs for the past 13 years I'm on my first tow with a 2012 Durango Hemi. It tows just as we'll as the ML and I getting the same mileage. It's a great vehicle.

[mutcth]

Wayne and Sam, congrats on the new Durango. It's based on the same platform as the redesigned-for-2012 ML, so no big surprise it feels familiar. I'm impressed you're getting the same mileage - but your ML was a V8 too, right?

I like the idea of easier small town service if something goes wrong and cheaper parts for the built-seemingly-forever Hemi...

Tom

[Wayne&Sam]

Right Tom, the ML/GL platform is why I liked the vehicle. Yes my MB was a V8.

I nearly fell over when I saw an oil filter for the Durango that was $5. I haven't seen a $5 oil filter in a long time. And that Hemi sure has torque!

[mutcth]

LOL! I had EXACTLY the same thought. And the filter is so BIG! The dinky little one from my Honda was more money - nevermind the $22 Sprinter oil filter that sat next to the Hemi filter on the shelf at the dealer...

Tom

[bredlo]

I'm building a custom tow vehicle around a donor 2005 Durango chassis (it was rolled at low speed and I picked it up cheap).

Planning on using everything except the Durango's body (and possibly changing out the wiring harness depending on how many problems the extra sensors will create. There's under 80K on its 5.7 Hemi.

Then, this winter or early next spring, we hope to drop our '53 Chrysler Town & Country onto it, interior and all. The T&C's frame and flathead 6 are looking (and feeling) their age, so I won't lose sleep about ruining what is otherwise a very original wagon.

The only visible difference afterwards will likely be the wheels, and I may try to find some 16's that split the difference in size between the Chrysler's 15's and the Dodge's 17's. Ride height will hopefully be similar (perhaps adding airbags to stiffen things up while towing.) The Durango appears to have a factory tow package, though I haven't checked to see if we have a larger tranny as Hummer's Durango does.

Any Durango or Hemi-specific suggestions or warnings are welcome. The two halves are in hibernation, so I'm just gathering info and ideas in anticipation of the "Big Merge". And when all is said and done, hopefully we'll have an aesthetically original-looking - but thoroughly modern under the hood - Tow n' Country.

[crispyboy]

That will be a neat tow vehicle when your complete. It seems that the toughest part of the puzzle will be incorporating the electronics/dashboard. The Durango ECU will need all the sensors to function properly and you will need to have analog outputs for the engine temperature, oil pressure etc.... on the original dash, assuming you want to keep the inside original. Even a change to the tire size may effect the transmission shifting. A dealer star scan can make the change to the tire size.
Post up some pics as your project progresses.

[bredlo]

Thanks Crispy. Like you, I figure electronics will be the hardest part - which is probably good news since you can't outsmart a bigger issue like physics.

I've talked to a couple places: one called Redline re-wires 50's era dashes from 6v to 12v., and another place builds wiring harnesses for aftermarket Hemis. They may be able to create a custom loom that keeps what I want and ditches the rest.

Between the two of them - and taking advantage of new technologies like GPS-based speedometers - I'm hoping to eliminate the useless sensors as you mention, while retaining cruise control, the AWD/2WD switch, and the tow/haul mode.

I hope to even add a few things like a tire pressure monitor for car and trailer... and add a discrete display for backup cameras on both the Chrysler's rear bumper and the view out the back of the trailer.

Hoping that by the time I've gone through the headache of converting every last socket to 12 volts... aftermarket systems like cameras, stereos and vintage AC will simply plug right in and play nice.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by bredlo

I'm building a custom tow vehicle around a donor 2005 Durango chassis (it was rolled at low speed and I picked it up cheap).

This is a sweet project your are into Brad. I will watch your progress with interest. One of the guys here locally put a Jaguar sedan on a truck 4X4 chassis. Turned out good.

[Wayne&Sam]

Nice. But note that the 2011-2013 Durango is a completely different vehicle than 2010 and earlier.

[bredlo]

Gotcha - yes, I recall that commercial that said it'd been to "a European finishing school". Clever ad, and the truck looks better than ever.

Obviously ours will have a more nostalgic vibe, but hopefully every last horse and lb. foot of torque will be ready to work in the similar heft of our wagon.