Need a beater to tow my beast

T

TRValeri

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I have a 2007 Super Air Nautique 220 that weighs in at a hefty 6,200 pounds. I generally use it at a lake 10 miles from my house, but also want to use it at a local mountain lake that requires towing from sea level to 5,000 feet. The mountain tow strains almost any tow vehicle. With that said, neither of my primary vehicles can tow this boat, so I've decided to get a beater that's not only capable of towing it, but can also be used in the snow skiiing season. I'm thinking a high mileage 4x4 SUV (70k-90k miles) that's 6-8 years old may do the job. About the only options are Tahoe/Yukon, Expedition, or Durango. I found an '04 Durango with the 5.7L V-8 with 85k miles for about $10k. Does that sound like it would do the trick, or should I be looking at other options? Tahoes/Yukons are very popular here in California, so I don't think I can hit my price point for that. Ford Expeditions seem about $5k more than the Durangos for an equivelent vehicle. I have no experience with Dodge, but I figure they discountinued/reengineered the Durango, it fropped the prices. All thoughts on this are welcome.
 
spdracr39

spdracr39

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

I don't think the Durango is the same class vehicle as the full size Tahoe/Expedition. You better check the tow capacity ratings.
 
JEBar

JEBar

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

6,200 pounds (not counting the weight of the trailer and whatever else is in the boat/vehicle) will max out the tow ratings on most standard half ton vehicles the age you are considering .... as an example, our daughter's '01 Tahoe 5.3 V8 has a tow rating of just over 6,000 lbs .... on level ground, that may or may not present any issues but going from sea level to 5,000' is an entirely different story .... does your boat trailer have brakes ?

Jim
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

spdracr39 said:
I don't think the Durango is the same class vehicle as the full size Tahoe/Expedition. You better check the tow capacity ratings.
Click to expand...

The 2004 durango is the big durango, with a tow rating up to 8900lbs if it equiped properly - basically a Ram pickup
 
T

TRValeri

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

smoedog said:
What lake you going to in the hills?

I would look at a used Diesel Excursion. Room for all your gear, and can tow a house up a cliff.

Here is an example near you.

http://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/3168841442.html

That durango vs this? Go diesel
Click to expand...

I live in Central California and generally boat at Millerton Lake, but I also want to take it up to Shaver Lake. The Durango I'm looking at as the larger V-8 with the factory tow package. I took my boat to a public scale fully loaded on the trailer and it weighed in right at 6,200 pounds.
 
G

gtochris

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

If the durango has the 5.7L Hemi, I would put more faith in that as a tow rig for mountains then a 5.3L GM or 5.4L Ford when it comes to torque.

Shoot for lowest mileage and a decent service history + a factory tow package since you are going to be stressing it alot!

A Suburban 2500 might be a good consideration!
 
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UncleWillie

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

I wouldn't consider an 8 year old vehicle with 75,000 miles, a high mileage vehicle.
12-15,000 mile a year would be average.
Over 20,000 a year might be considered high.

A semi-rhetorical question....
What is the proper technique for getting a heavy trailer with Surge Brakes back DOWN the mountain?
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

UncleWillie said:
I wouldn't consider an 8 year old vehicle with 75,000 miles, a high mileage vehicle.
12-15,000 mile a year would be average.
Over 20,000 a year might be considered high.

A semi-rhetorical question....
What is the proper technique for getting a heavy trailer with Surge Brakes back DOWN the mountain?
Click to expand...

No kidding, My 09 Ram has 78K on it. 75 K on an 04 isn't even average usage

If the brake system is sized for the trailer weight then they don't actuate in the mountains just because you are going downhill. I had a surge brake car hauler that made the trip through the mountains in Colorado and Montana multiple times. The only time surge brakes are an issue in the mountains is when it is slippery/icy and you need them to actuate when the trailer is sliding sideways ;) The hit the gas method of straightening a trailer is a lot more exciting and less effective than being able to grab the oh sh%^ lever on the brake controller.
 
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jkust

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

Yeah no kidding that's not even close to a high mileage vehicle. High mileage to me is when they start getting to the 150,000 mile mark where trucks are concerned. Trouble is the truck will keep going but the accessories breaking are a headache. For a 'beater' with a high tourque gas engine, a Hemi Durango is a decent choice. The are AWD though and don't believe you can lock in the 04's. Just finding an 04 Durango that probably got used daily as the family truckster and tow vehicle on the weekends is tough with that low of miles. At least here in MN I tend to see that particular year Durango with some decent rust starting. If it wasn't for the spartan interiors on the Durango's I'd have probably owned one at some point.
 
T

TRValeri

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

jkust said:
Yeah no kidding that's not even close to a high mileage vehicle. High mileage to me is when they start getting to the 150,000 mile mark where trucks are concerned. Trouble is the truck will keep going but the accessories breaking are a headache. For a 'beater' with a high tourque gas engine, a Hemi Durango is a decent choice. The are AWD though and don't believe you can lock in the 04's. Just finding an 04 Durango that probably got used daily as the family truckster and tow vehicle on the weekends is tough with that low of miles. At least here in MN I tend to see that particular year Durango with some decent rust starting. If it wasn't for the spartan interiors on the Durango's I'd have probably owned one at some point.
Click to expand...

I found an '04 Durango limited with 85k miles for $10k. Here in Central California, rust really isn't an issue. I may go with that, or try and get something a little newer for a little more money.
 
countryboy26047

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

While I am a mopar fan (especially of the Gen II Dakota's/durango's), I have to go with a few of the others who recommended a diesel 3/4 ton or even 1 ton (1 ton may be overkill, but better to have too much than not enough I always say). Personally, if I were in the same situation and the vehicle you purchase will primarily just be a tow vehicle.. I would look into a late 90's or early 00's model Ram 2500 or 3500 with the Cummins diesel and allison trans in it. Those things are monsters! This is all just IMO, not looking to get flamed here, just my 2 cents worth.
 
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jkust

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

TRValeri said:
I found an '04 Durango limited with 85k miles for $10k. Here in Central California, rust really isn't an issue. I may go with that, or try and get something a little newer for a little more money.
Click to expand...

Wow and I like the limited a lot more than the SLT. I seriously looked at those three suv's ago but even if I was to get over the interiors, I only wanted a limited with the nav and dvd which never materialized for a decent price. The GM's decreciated quicker a few years old and ended up with a 5.3 GM SUV that wouldn't cut it for your needs. I alway thought Dodge nailed the exteriors but fumbled the inside. Also don't recall when the Hemi added the 4 cylinder mode if you care about marginal mpg increases for non-towing.
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

Only downside to the limited is that it is likely to have the AWD system rather than the Part time 4wd system. Either works fine and they both have low range but the AWD system cost more to maintain if you have issues.

Edit - looks like the difference was lack of a low range in some configurations
NV144/All-wheel drive
NV244 Gen II/All-wheel drive, low range
 
M

MJG24

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

6-8 year old with 70K miles = beater? Wow.
 
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Struc

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

Just bought a 04 Durango Limited with 125k miles on it for $6k in IL (had it listed for 8k on Craigslist, but I talked him down). It's a fantastic vehicle, and they can be had really cheap. I'd highly recommend.

The 8900lb tow rating is with the 5.7l Hemi and 3.92 differential gears. Most Durangos were delivered with the 3.55 gear set. I believe even with the 3.55 gear set it was still rated in the mid 7000's however.
 
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rparde

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

My dad had a couple of those older (don't remember how old) Durango's back in the day. Great tow vehicle but I do believe they had transmission issues. Have you considered an F150? Hundreds of those available and are tically rated to tow between 8000 to 10000lbs depending on the year.
 
M

Mason78

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Re: Need a beater to tow my beast

rparde said:
My dad had a couple of those older (don't remember how old) Durango's back in the day. Great tow vehicle but I do believe they had transmission issues. Have you considered an F150? Hundreds of those available and are tically rated to tow between 8000 to 10000lbs depending on the year.
Click to expand...

I agree. I would look for an F150. Parts are always available, easy to work on, and most years are built bulletproof. The 5.4 Triton engine will run forever if it is maintained.
 
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