Tow vehicle question.

[Hanna]

I have an 04 Durango limited, it has the hemi and 3.55 gears, and factory tow hitch. Towing max is 7200 lbs. my wife has her heat set on a coachman apex 288BHS. The trailer weighs 4,842 lbs dry and has a gross weight of 7,000lbs. The trailers is 31.2 ft long. The length is my main concern. I will be using the equalizer hitch with 4 point sway control. The question is does anyone think I shouldn't tow this trailer? Will be mostly flat land and maybe 3 hours max travel time.

Coachman 288BHS

[BubbaK]

Always safety first. Do this to have fun not headaches.

[Hanna]

Thanks for the info. Guess I will just have to get a bigger tow vehicle, just. Hate to get rid of it but I want to be safe in towing the trailer don't want to cause anyone any problems.

[bimbert84]

Hanna wrote:

So if I have researched this correctly this is what I got.
04 Durango hemi limited with 3.55 gears
GCWR = 12,500
GVWR = 6,600 (5079 for truck and fluids and all options)(1520 for people and cargo)
So 12,500 - 6,600 = 5,900 for trailer and stuff packed in the trailer.
Apex trailer has base weight of 4,842 dry no gas or water. GVWR is 7,000 lbs.
7,000 - 5,900 left for towing = 1,100 over my GCWR.

04 Durango hemi limited with 3.92 gears
GVWR = 14,000
7,000 - 7,400 left for towing = 400 less then the 14,000 GCWR.

So if I swap out to the 3.92 gears I should be fine except for maybe length. Durango only has 40 k miles on it would hate to have to trade it in.
Please let know if I didn't under stand what I'm talking about please.

You need to make sure you understand what these numbers are telling you. You're not using them correctly. GVWR and GCWR are two separate things, and neither address a couple other important considerations.

Let's first look at GCWR since it's the easiest one to satisfy. GCWR is Gross Combined Weight Rating. It's the maximum amount of weight the vehicle should be expected to pull. Assuming the trailer weighs 7000 and the SUV weighs 6600, that's GCW=13600 against a GCWR=12500. So with your SUV as-is, you're well over GCWR. If you do a gear swap, your GCWR=14000, and you're under by only 400. No matter how you look at it, you're really pushing this limit.

Another consideration is frontal area. Pulling a travel trailer with a high profile is very different than pulling a cargo trailer. GCWR addresses only weight, but cruising down the highway, aerodynamic drag has a far greater impact than weight on your ability to pull it. Even with a gear swap, that 400# headroom in GCWR is not enough to compensate IMO.

Now let's look at GVWR, which is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is the maximum amount of weight the vehicle should be expected to carry, and it's almost always the deal-killer for smaller tow vehicles. Yours is only 6600. You quoted 5079 dry weight, but have you taken it to the scales? I doubt it weighs in that light. But even if it does, you've got 1500# left. But you forgot to add in the tongue weight of trailer which is being carried by the SUV's chassis. A properly loaded trailer will have 12-15% of it's weight on the tongue to avoid sway. So when loaded, that trailer will have a tongue weight of close to 1000 pounds! Subtract that from the 1500#, and you've got only 500 left. And don't forget the weight of the hitch itself. 100-150# is about right. What about fuel? Does that weight include a full tank of gas? Probably not. Add another 150# for that. Now you've got only 250-300# left for people and cargo, which just isn't reasonable. Payload goes fast, and this is why GVWR is the biggest limiting factor for SUVs and 1/2 ton trucks.

Another consideration is wheelbase. A longer wheelbase provides more stability against sway. Longer trailers require trucks with longer wheelbases, plain and simple. Now I'm not one to say you have to limit yourself to 23', but I wouldn't even consider pulling a 31' trailer with only a 119" wheelbase.

As I see it, your SUV isn't just pushing the limit, it's over the limit in every category.

-- Rob

[rrohrer]

I may have been associating your durango with the newer ones, which are pretty small. a 2004 is a fairly large suv. maybe you would be ok. It would just stink if you felt uncomfortable managing it. You will pull it fine. The worry comes with stopping and managing sway. You could probably go longer than 23-24 feet, but 31 might be pushing it. I don't see too many durangos at campgrounds. See more tahoes, suburbans and expeditions/excursions and of course trucks. You have too look at the numbers and figure it out. Dealers will almost always tell you it's fine when it may be pushing it. I'm sure a good sway system will help.

[Hanna]

Why do people say , The wheel base on the durango is to short to tow anything more then a 24 ft. TT. Then say its fine on an expedition with the same wheel base. Is it because the expedition is heavier then the Durango? Not trying to argue or be a smart tail just wondering.

[Hanna]

So if I have researched this correctly this is what I got.
04 Durango hemi limited with 3.55 gears
GCWR = 12,500
GVWR = 6,600 (5079 for truck and fluids and all options)(1520 for people and cargo)
So 12,500 - 6,600 = 5,900 for trailer and stuff packed in the trailer.
Apex trailer has base weight of 4,842 dry no gas or water. GVWR is 7,000 lbs.
7,000 - 5,900 left for towing = 1,100 over my GCWR.

04 Durango hemi limited with 3.92 gears
GVWR = 14,000
GVWR = 6,600 (5079 for truck and fluids and all options)(1520 for people and cargo)
So 14,000 -6600 = 7,400 for trailer and stuff packed in the trailer.
Apex trailer has base weight of 4,842 dry no gas or water. GVWR is 7,000 lbs.
7,000 - 7,400 left for towing = 400 less then the 14,000 GCWR.

So if I swap out to the 3.92 gears I should be fine except for maybe length. Durango only has 40 k miles on it would hate to have to trade it in.
Please let know if I didn't under stand what I'm talking about please.

[Hanna]

Thought it was a little to big for the Durango, she wants that trailer so guess we will look for a different tow vehicle, will do mor research on it.

[JKrussow]

My boss had a similar setup and burned thru three right side exhaust manifolds towing that much trailer. Swapped out the Durango for a Excursion and problems went away.

[TomG2]

Hanna wrote:
I have an 04 Durango limited, it has the hemi and 3.55 gears, and factory tow hitch. Towing max is 7200 lbs. my wife has her heat set on a coachman apex 288BHS. The trailer weighs 4,842 lbs dry and has a gross weight of 7,000lbs. The trailers is 31.2 ft long. The length is my main concern. I will be using the equalizer hitch with 4 point sway control. The question is does anyone think I shouldn't tow this trailer? Will be mostly flat land and maybe 3 hours max travel time.

Coachman 288BHS

Do a lot of research before you try that combination. You do have enough engine to pull such a trailer, but I think that is about the only thing that works for you with such a long and heavy trailer. Unfortunately, the most common and misused rating is that 7,200 pound tow rating. It is almost never a valid number when it comes to travel trailers. Many agree that something under 80% of that number makes for a good experience.

[Lowsuv]

A 31 foot Lever has more leverage than a 21 foot lever .
A 31 foot lever that weighs 7000 # has more leverage than a 19 foot Tow vehicle that weighs 6000 # .
A 13 % tongue weight would mitigate your leverage problem but the durango will not allow this remedy .
Start looking at the new CumminsMobiles .
I hear they are very sweet .

[rrohrer]

not a good idea. your length target for this suv should be no longer than 23-24 feet. you should be looking at a half ton truck or shorter camper. also watch the tongue weight. your gvwr probably will not leave much wiggle room. it doesn't matter if you are driving short distance or flat roads if your tow vehicle can't handle the trailer you can kill someone five minutes from your house.

[1oldtruck]

I don't see a problem with it. I own this exact trailer. It tows great, doesn't bounce or weave. Use a good hitch set up and enjoy. Tongue weight is relatively light for a camper this size.

31.2 ft is the overall length from tongue to bumper. It is a lot easier to tow than my old TT that was 31 ft for the cabin alone.

[3_0charlie]

Some numbers that I found for an '04:

Curb weight 5,095 lbs.
Front curb weight 2,786 lbs.
Rear curb weight 2,309 lbs.
GVWR 6,600 lbs.
Front GAWR 3,600 lbs.
Rear GAWR 3,900 lbs.
Payload 1,510 lbs.
Towing capacity 5,750 lbs.
GCWR 11,000 lbs.

Max. advertised receiver TW is 740#. The TT has a dry TW of 585#. For a 12% TW @ GVWR (7000#), TW can be 840#. With the kids and dog (?) in the back of the Durango, and you'll hit the limits of the truck rather quickly on all fronts (and possibly over GCWR). As previously mentioned, the short wheelbase of the truck may make towing a 31' TT interesting.

[qtla9111]

Check out one of the Durango Yahoo groups. Talk with owners who are towing with their Durangos. We love ours, I can't answer for length but our 24ft tows beautifully.