Dodge Pickup As Tow Vehicle
We are looking at a Dodge 1500 4X4 pickup to tow behind our Country Coach MH. Does anyone tow such a vehicle? If so, how did you set it up to tow? On Edit, looking to tow 4 down.
Forum Discussion
Cruzette...We originally towed a Dodge Dakota 4x4 and then a Nissan Frontier 4x4 and now a Chevrolet Silverado 4 door, 4x4. On all three, I used the Air Force One brake system. This system connects to your air brake system and provides proportional braking to your truck. I reused the same Air Force One system on all three trucks. By the time I got the Chevrolet, I had the install time down to a couple of hours. The Air Force One has a break away system that applies the brakes on the truck if it breaks away from the coach. It uses a small piston under the dash to pull the brake pedal on.
There is also a brake system called the M&G that is proportional and has a small unit that mounts between your master cylinder and power booster. It's a good system, but some vehicles don't have the space for the unit. There are several other brake systems. Of all the things I've bought for my RV, there is no perfect brake system, even if you have unlimited funds.
I went with a Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar rated at 10000 pounds. I originally had a Roadmaster, Sterling All Terrain rated at 6000 pounds, but I carry my RZR in the bed of the truck which adds another 1500+ pounds. Your Dodge is probably going to weigh in about 5300 - 5500 pounds. I wanted more than a 500-700 pound cushion. You can use a 6000 pound tow bar and buy the 8000 pound safety cables if you aren't going to add any additional weight to the truck.
I used the Roadmaster base plates because I like their products and try to use the same baseplates as tow bar.
I use to wire my trucks with diodes so that I could use the OEM taillights, but this causes some issues on some brand of trucks. If your truck makes the brake lights come on when the ignition is off, it can create a problem. If you're making a right or left turn and using the diode system, the brake lights from the truck will override the turn signals when you apply the brakes. I now wire in the extra bulb and wire direct to the MH.
My coach has a 400 ISL and towing the truck is noticeable, especially the Chevrolet over the Dodge or Nissan. It still pulls well, but you won't be breaking any acceleration records.
I lose about 3/4 to 1 mpg when towing my truck. Hope this answers your questions.
There is also a brake system called the M&G that is proportional and has a small unit that mounts between your master cylinder and power booster. It's a good system, but some vehicles don't have the space for the unit. There are several other brake systems. Of all the things I've bought for my RV, there is no perfect brake system, even if you have unlimited funds.
I went with a Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar rated at 10000 pounds. I originally had a Roadmaster, Sterling All Terrain rated at 6000 pounds, but I carry my RZR in the bed of the truck which adds another 1500+ pounds. Your Dodge is probably going to weigh in about 5300 - 5500 pounds. I wanted more than a 500-700 pound cushion. You can use a 6000 pound tow bar and buy the 8000 pound safety cables if you aren't going to add any additional weight to the truck.
I used the Roadmaster base plates because I like their products and try to use the same baseplates as tow bar.
I use to wire my trucks with diodes so that I could use the OEM taillights, but this causes some issues on some brand of trucks. If your truck makes the brake lights come on when the ignition is off, it can create a problem. If you're making a right or left turn and using the diode system, the brake lights from the truck will override the turn signals when you apply the brakes. I now wire in the extra bulb and wire direct to the MH.
My coach has a 400 ISL and towing the truck is noticeable, especially the Chevrolet over the Dodge or Nissan. It still pulls well, but you won't be breaking any acceleration records.
I lose about 3/4 to 1 mpg when towing my truck. Hope this answers your questions.
