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airmac · 12-06-2007, 03:33 PM

have a 2006 dodge dakota 4wd v8 hd. book sez 6800 lbs towing cap.planning to move 27' airstream 500 miles two or three times a year. is this possible+safe? thanks

dhe9 · 12-06-2007, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airmac

have a 2006 dodge dakota 4wd v8 hd. book sez 6800 lbs towing cap.planning to move 27' airstream 500 miles two or three times a year. is this possible+safe? thanks

hello,

i would think your motor will have the power but wonder if the wheel base is too short on that truck. if it is then your trailer may be controling your truck. this is not good, also wonder about the braking?

i plan on following this thread.

david
socal

Druupy · 12-06-2007, 03:45 PM

Possible, yes.

Will you enjoy the trip? Probably not.

Safe, maybe, up to the operator.

That trailer is at or above the limit of a dakota.
There is enough horsepower, if you have the 5.7 liter, but there is not really enough truck(length-width-weight).

On the flat with no wind, you will be fine.
Going downhill and arround a corner, you will wish for more truck.

RBolton · 12-06-2007, 04:23 PM

What cab configuration do you have? Regular, Club or Quad? Gear ratio? 3:55 or 3:90? V-8 would be 4.7 but I'm not aware of an HD version. Factory tow pkg? I pulled my 26" Argosy with a Dodge 1500 Reg Cab short bed 4WD, 4.7, 3:55 and tow pkg and felt that I was right at its' limit.

BradS · 12-06-2007, 04:28 PM

I wouldn't want to pull that trailer with a Dakota. I have a 22'CCD and pulled it with a Nissan Titan for 1 year. I now have a 1 ton Dodge and enjoy pulling it much more.Bigger truck makes for a better pull

airmac · 12-06-2007, 04:50 PM

move is only empty trailer +light weight in truck. hd is 9.25 tranny#. gear is 3.55. v8 is 4.7. truck is rated 6800 towing + trailer is 5400 unloaded. it's just to relocate empty trailer. not real rving. if i start real regular rving i'll go 1 ton.
thanks for the input

altamont · 12-06-2007, 05:06 PM

Airmac

Have the same trailer as you. We used to use a 3/4 ton Sububan with the 454 and it worked fine. Went to 2008 Ford F250 CC with the turbo diesel. What a HUGE difference that made in towing. I cannot tell the AS is behind me and the acceleration on hills is amazing. Others do not lie-the difference is in the enjoyment of towing your new baby.

RBolton · 12-06-2007, 05:21 PM

airmac,

Welcome to the forum. I just saw this is your first post. You'll appreciate everyones help but it is very easy for us to stray off topic. I'm sure we'll all agree that bigger is better. Your question was about your own truck and not about what we are towing with.

I think the majority of us will agree that you don't have quite enough truck. If you could make one modification to your Dakota to make it more suitable to the task it would be to make it longer. I'm certain you could make the move with your truck and not be aware of its shortcomings until you made the same trip with a bigger more powerful truck.

Alumatube · 12-06-2007, 05:55 PM

We have a 2002 Dakota quad cab RWD with fiberglass topper and the small V8. We bought it to tow my 1500 lb racecar on a flatbed trailer. The rolling weight (including the truck toolbox on the front of the trailer and all of the race gear/tools stuffed in it and the back of the truck) not counting the truck/gas is probably about 3500 lbs total and it handles it just fine. We almost don't know it's there. That is one darn good truck.

We have also towed our 1984 Chevy dually on a bigger metal flatbed trailer (maybe 6000 lbs total?) and it definitely worked hard for that. Stopping was the issue there, but we didn't have any choice. Brad had broken down in the dually and the Dakota was the only thing we had at the time to go get him with.

If I were you I probably would not use the Dakota for the everyday camping TV, but to move your unladen trailer a couple times a year I wouldn't have any qualms at all. Just be careful going down inclines and in winds.

bobkelly · 12-06-2007, 06:21 PM

Try it one time and see how you like it. If you don't, consider renting one for future moves. Let us know how it feels to you.

RBolton · 12-06-2007, 06:27 PM

Alumatube, I agree they are great trucks... for their size. We still don't know what wheelbase airmacs' truck is. A long wheelbase 2wd towing 3500 pounds is not the same as a 4wd towing almost 6000 pounds. If airmac has a short wheelbase Dakota then he does not have the proper tow vehicle and if he has the long wheelbase he is close to being maxed out. It sounds like you're saying it's ok to be a little unsafe if it's only evey once in a while. Along with inclines and wind don't forget panic stops and sudden avoidance maneuvers.

wkerfoot · 12-06-2007, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBolton

Alumatube, I agree they are great trucks... for their size. We still don't know what wheelbase airmacs' truck is. A long wheelbase 2wd towing 3500 pounds is not the same as a 4wd towing almost 6000 pounds. If airmac has a short wheelbase Dakota then he does not have the proper tow vehicle and if he has the long wheelbase he is close to being maxed out. It sounds like you're saying it's ok to be a little unsafe if it's only evey once in a while. Along with inclines and wind don't forget panic stops and sudden avoidance maneuvers.

RBolton,

From what I can find, the Dakotas come in one wheelbase 131" the same as my 1973 Dodge PowerWagon and 4" longer than my 1977 Lincoln. The Dakota is not a mini truck.

Bill

**moosetags** · 12-06-2007, 06:48 PM

Probably not in my comfort zone, but to each his own.

Fyrzowt · 12-06-2007, 06:55 PM

While I don't recommend this, and I wouldn't do it again, here's how I got into Airstreaming.
I bought a '98 25' Safari a couple of hours away. My only TV was a '88 Toyota 4-Runner. Didn't know any better, brought it home and had no handling issues at all.
So far so good, so I decided to take it on vacation. To Yellowstone.

That combo was rock solid in spite of everything I have since been told and read here. My only issue - and it was a huge one - was that it was way underpowered.
You will get lots of opinions here on the size needed for a TV. While I don't recommend the set-up that I used above, I highly discount the bigger is better mantra that is so often given here. From folks that are merely passing on what they have read/heard from others.
Dave

RBolton · 12-06-2007, 07:02 PM

wkerfoot, You're right. 2005 was the last year for the reg cab Dakota. The 06 club and quad cabs were both on the same 131 inch wheelbase. The Club had a shorter cab and longer bed. The Quad had a longer cab and shorter bed. You are also correct in that they are not mini-trucks. Nor are they full size trucks. They are a mid-size truck - an in betweener. Hard to compare it two either your Power Wagon or Lincoln. Both are probably heavier and more powerful than the Dakota. Never the less it is my humble opinion that the Dakota is only marginally adequate towing this size trailer.

Aerowood · 12-06-2007, 07:06 PM

Well here's my 2 cents worth. I have a 99 Dakota X-tra Cab 4X4 5.2 V-8. When I was looking for an Airstream, the trailer size was a BIG factor. I wanted a 19 ft Globetrotter but settled on a 21ft because it was the only thing local I could find. I had absolutely no problem towing the 21 but I would not go any bigger due to the great equalizers (Rocky Mountains) just west of me.

RBolton · 12-06-2007, 07:40 PM

Fyrzowt. Bigger is not always necessary but there are few instances when towing that it is not desirable. In the rare situation where the tow vehicle hides the trailer or is so big that you are unaware of the trailer then perhaps it is not better. At least that's what I read somewhere - not.

Fyrzowt · 12-06-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBolton

Fyrzowt. Bigger is not always necessary but there are few instances when towing that it is not desirable. In the rare situation where the tow vehicle hides the trailer or is so big that you are unaware of the trailer then perhaps it is not better. At least that's what I read somewhere - not.

That wasn't meant as any kind of slam at you. There have been posts from folks who join up and are admitedly towing novices, like we all were at one point.
Then you notice a month or two, and about 100 posts later, that they are spouting info as if they've known it all their lives.
I'll be the first to admit that a larger rig is usually a more comfortable tow. That was what I was pointing out about being under powered. It was very frustrating in a head wind or steep hill with the Toyota. My point was to the original poster - watch out for those "have to have the biggest" viewpoints. In my opinion, it just ain't ALWAYS so from a safety standpoint.
Dave

sander17 · 12-06-2007, 08:21 PM

Anytime that you think your towing situation is marginal, just slow down. Choose 55 mph highways for your route and pretend you are in no hurry. Let people pass you. This applies when you have marginal tires, an underinflated tire, overloaded truck or trailer, or anything that raises the "pucker factor"

**azflycaster** · 12-06-2007, 09:01 PM

The 03 Tundra I had was very close in size and power to the Dakota. It was fine for my 75 Trade Wind, but your trailer is larger and about 1200 pounds more. The numbers are going to be close. The first time you hit a big hill you will want more. Take your time, get a good hitch setup and a quality brake controller and take your time.