Towing a Dodge Dakota four on the ground

I tow a 2006 Dakota and have never disconnected the battery and this only caused me a problem one time, and that was a cross country trip. I towed it 700 miles in one day and at the end of the day I started the truck and ran the engine for about five minutes. Since it started fine I thought I was good to go. I did 700 miles the next day and when I stopped that night, the battery was dead in the truck. But I always carry jumper cables so I just jumped it from the motorhome and all was fine. But I've done other trips of 500 miles in a day with no problem. I think if I had let it idle for an hour on that first trip I wouldn't have had any problem.

Get a competent mechanic to remove the steering lock pin.
Then you can leave the ignition switch in the OFF position with no problems.

IF your '06 Dakota has an "OFF, not locked" position in the ignition switch, that is where the switch should be positioned for towing. There is no need to disconnect the battery with the switch in that position. I towed an '06 Wrangler many miles that way!

I wonder why they took the "OFF, not locked" position out of the switch? seems to me it was an incredibly stupid thing to do!

Or, run a wire from you coach's 7 pin connector's 12v hot terminal to the battery to keep the battery charged by the coach's alternator.

Thanks for the information. Kinda figured that was the reason.

Bob

As already stated if you have to leave the key in the ACC position there are battery draw issues. To eliminate those you need to disconnect the battery. It's not mandatory for towing but, if you don't the battery may be dead when you get there.

The key in the toad has to be in a position that unlocks the steering which usually turns on some circuits in the vehicle. Some people find their battery is low or dead by the time they stop.
There are simple battery disconnect switches available. Some wiring and toad braking systems keep battery charged while driving as well.