Dodge Durango

I had a 2016 Durango R/T with the 5.7 Hemi, with a payload of 1350lbs and a tow capacity of 7100lbs and I pulled a 6700GVWR TT.
As their are only 2 of us the Durango did a great job even pulling 6-8% grades.

The problem with the later model Durango's is it's uni-body construction and the hitch tongue weight capacity is only 720lbs.

Even though the trailer I bought showed 413lbs of tongue weight, when I weighed the TT loaded to 6300lbs, with WDH the tongue weight was 770lbs. Upon discovering this (safety being a major concern) I did not want to exceed any limits with my towing vehicle.

Long story short figure 12-15% of the trailers GVWR as the weight of the tongue.

I won’t advise anyone to exceed their TV’s payload....since I’m not cavalier about their safety....”should be no problem.”

danimal53 wrote:

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.

I towed with my 2002 Durango with no problems. I had one adult and 2 dogs (65lbs and 85lbs). Like danimal53, I had all the gear in the trailer and just carried occupants in the Durango. A small cooler with drinks and snacks should be no problem to add in the vehicle.

You will be fine with the trailer you are considering.

You can tow the 6200 pounds provided you do not exceed the Gross vehicle weight rating The figures are all on a sticker on the drivers side door jamb.
It may give you your payload capacity directly or you may have to subtract the curb weight from the GVWR.
In the 6200 lb trailer example between 10 - 15% of the weight of the trailer is transferred to the vehicle so about 900 lbs (sometimes called hitch weight or tongue weight) the hitch itself will add about 50 lbs to the vehicle. You have used 950 lbs of your 1600 lb capacity. now everything you put in the trailer will add to the weight. So if you add 1000 lbs of gear to the trailer then about 100 lbs will transfer to the vehicle. A full propane tank weighs about 40 lbs and because it is so far forward all of it will transfer to the vehicle. Battery 20 lbs transferred to vehicle. So minus another 150 lbs. This means you have about 500 lbs of capacity left. With your family you are probably just over the limit. So nothing dire will happen if you are over but your towing experience may be unpleasant and handling may suffer. If your intent is to just go locally for weekends and such is one thing, but I would not be going cross country

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

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?

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.

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?

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.