Dodge Durango

I don’t tow with one, but my neighbor is towing a 25ft hybrid with his 13 V-6. They love it and have no complaints about it.

A Dodge Durango seems to only have a cargo capacity of 1600 lbs.
so how big is your family and pets that will be camping. Total their weight and yours and all stuff you plan to put in the Durango subtract from 1600. post the remainder

I tow with a Durango and the trailer weight will not be your problem. It will be your payload weight. Add the tongue weight, any people and all cargo and you will have your payload. It will be close to maximum, if not over, on the new ones.

“The Dodge Durango seems to have the best towing capacity in its class.“

Capacity? What’s the payload?

“The Durango is an aging design, and its crash test scores show it. The Dodge Durango has lost more ground as crash-test agencies come up with more difficult tests. It's now below par, which is why we assign it a rating of 4 here.”

Hmmmm. Buy or select the TT...match an appropriate TV. Durango would not be my choice.

We tow with a 2005 Durango with over 220k miles. It has the 5.7 Hemi and tows up to 8800 lbs. Our TT full loaded is at 5500 lbs. Works like a champ and we have towed with the same set up since 2010. One 10,000 mile trip through the U.S. and Canada. Very comfortable.

We added a trans cooler and that's it.

We are two adults and a 9 year old plus a dog. This is all very confusing to me. The Dodge Durango says it’s basic towing capacity is 6200 lbs. I figure if a got a mini ultra light trailer something around 4000lbs that should be good enough to pull with a Durango. I understand that everything I add to it adds more weight. What am I missing or need to consider?

Pde1976 wrote:
We are two adults and a 9 year old plus a dog. This is all very confusing to me. The Dodge Durango says it’s basic towing capacity is 6200 lbs. I figure if a got a mini ultra light trailer something around 4000lbs that should be good enough to pull with a Durango. I understand that everything I add to it adds more weight. What am I missing or need to consider?

I think what you are missing/need to consider is the payload capacity of the Durango. How much weight can it hold (people/pets/gear). You also have to include the weight of the hitch (usually 50-80lbs or so) and the tongue weight of the trailer - how much weight will the trailer transfer to the tow vehicle (generally 10-15% of the total trailer weight).

2 adults 1 kid and 1 dog should be fine, just run the numbers to check. We tow with 2 adults and 2 60lb dogs, and basically just have our SUV empty otherwise. All gear is in the trailer, and it works for us.

You are confusing my Durango can PULL....with the Durango’s PAYLOAD is....

“We are two adults and a 9 year old plus a dog.”

And since two adults, a child and a dog are the absolutely...absolutely only things you carry in the Durango, minus that weight your remaining payload can devoted to your hitches weight and the trailer tongue weight....which are?

My advice would be to go out and find the trailer that fits your family first. Keep in mind that it's fun for kids to bring a friend along - especially teens. Slides are nice on rainy days. It's not uncommon for people to buy a tow vehicle (TV) and then find a trailer that's too big for their TV. It's also common for people to move up to a larger size trailer once they get into RVing. In other words, it's not the worst idea to buy more tow vehicle than you need.
When you are shopping for a trailer it's good to know the abbreviations. The dry weight or Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) is easy to find on a trailer and useless. The trailer will always weigh more than this. Salesmen tend to push this number. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is the maximum loaded weight of the trailer is the one you'll want to find and go by when shopping for a TV.
When shopping for a TV the longer the wheelbase the better. Read up on how to estimate your payload so you don't overload the specs of the vehicle. This next part is opinion: your trailer shouldn't weigh more than 80% of what the tow vehicle can tow. Use the GVWR for this.
Good luck with your shopping!
PS - salesmen lie