Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

[sea wolf]

Opinions needed on '98 Dodge Dakota 3.9 automatic as a tow vehicle. it has the 3.55 rear end. Boat/trailer rig weighs approx. 3,000 unloaded, empty tank, etc.

 

[JB]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Howdy, Seawolf.<br /><br />We would need two pieces of info, the only ones that really matter.<br /><br />What is the tow rating of the truck?<br /><br />What is the gross weight of the boat/trailer package, fully loaded, that you want to tow?<br /><br />Well, maybe three: Does the trailer have brakes?<br /><br />I doubt that that truck, weighing only 3,000lb and with the 3.55 gears is rated for over 3,000lb.<br /><br />Let us know.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

jb, the boat weighs 3,000, not the truck. i think the truck is rated for 4500. the trailer does not have brakes. anyone have exp. towing with a dakota?

 

[JB]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Howdy, Sea Wolf.<br /><br />Now I understand. Misread your post before.<br /><br />If your rig weighs 3000 unloaded, it may approach 4000 with full tank, gear, etc.<br /><br />Depending on where you are, trailer brakes may be required to be legal. Only a few states don't require brakes over 3,000lb.<br /><br />Getting that close to the limit with a 2WD pickup is chancy for highway control and for retrieving on a slick ramp. No queation that the power is adequate, it is weight and traction that are marginal.<br /><br />I would confirm the tow rating with my Dodge dealer, but seriously consider a bigger truck and 4WD.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[L Christopher]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

sea wolf<br />Ditto what JB said. Add a tranny cooler to the Dodge. They are not expensive and you can install it yourself if you are a little handy.

 

[JerseyJim]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

i doubt 4500 is an accurate number for the v6. I have a 2002 dodge dakota quad cab 4x4 with the 4.7l V8, and my capacity is only 5000.<br /><br />my dakota pulls my 22' center console all right I guess, and it stops it, but the trailer has surge brakes. My boat weighs 1900 dry. With motor, full fuel, gear, it weighs about 2800. With the trailer i assume it weighs about 3400#.<br /><br />i would be careful as to not tear up your drivetrain pulling that kinda weight. Hell, on the highway towing, my truck rarely gets out of 3rd gear (4 speed automatic), even on flat stretches.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Not sure why you say your truck is rated for 5000lbs, the V6 4x2 Dakota is rated at 5,000 lbs.<br /><br />According to dodge's website you can haul 6,000 lbs with a quad cab.<br /><br />You wouldnt want to use your 4 speed auto in 4th gear pulling that kind of weight, your asking to tear up the already pathetic auto trannys dodge uses. Im not sure of a truck that would shift into 4th gear pulling 3,400 lbs without a sign of resistance.<br /><br />-J

 

[JerseyJim]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

well the electronic tranny senses load and rarely lets it get into 4th anyway. My father has a 98 durango with the 318 v8 in it and a less 'smooth' transmission - his will hunt ll day long if you dont hit the OD off button ...mine doesn't hunt.<br /><br />You may say they are pathetic, but this auto tranny in my truck is so smooth and quiet it's not even funny.

 

[chris in va]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Not a Dakota, but my Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 has a tow rating of about 3500, or 5000 with brakes/distribution hitch. It also has the 3.55 gears. The main thing towing my 3600# boat is lack of power on hills. I would guess the 3.9 would have the same issue, so you may want to look for at least the 318/4wd with towing package. <br /><br />And yes, I always use 4LO on those steeper boat ramps! Couldn't imagine 2wd...

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

my tacoma has a puny 3.4l v6 and is rated for 5000lbs. pulls my 4000lbs just fine, but i go slow. think you'll be fine.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Jim, they must have improved the trannys. I got my Dakota Sport with a 5 speed manual due to the fact that I have heard nearly every person who has the auto in the Dakota that they have problems with it by at least 20-30K miles, of course there are always the odd balls who never have a problem.<br /><br />-John

 

[horndog]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

my GMC 2.2L has a rating of 3500lbs, and my explorer has a 4.0L has a tow rating of 5700lbs with a 4.10 gear

 

[heatherjoy]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

We hitched up 2500 lbs to a GMC with the 2.2L and it wouldnt even move it, well it would but you just smelled the clutch burning.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

how can i find out what my boat weighs? the weight is not on the registration. the trailer, an 89 eagle is rated to carry 3,000 lbs.

 

[chris in va]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Sea Wolf, you can take it to a truck weighstation on the freeway, and they may not even charge you for it if "yer real nice". Otherwise the county landfill has scales, and sometimes the recycling centers have one. Truck stops do too come to think of it.<br /><br />Heather, you *don't* want to be towing much of anything with a 5-speed...

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Wouldnt you rather replace a clutch in 50,000 miles of towing compared to a transmission? I agree its easier if the tow vehicle is an auto, but depending upon what you tow, and the vehicle I see it cheaper in the long run to use a manual tranny. Using an F150 V6 towing a 4,000 lbs boat, 5 speed, with 80,000 miles of hard, and I do mean hard, hard use, just got its first clutch, and he has a habit of riding the clutch anyway.<br /><br />You could do 2-3 clutch jobs for the price of an auto tranny alone. Just something to ponder I suppose.<br /><br />I do agree it is far easier to use an auto to tow with though.

 

[golfer]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

I used my Dakota to pull my Fountain until I got a full size. My Dakota was 3.92 axle, 4.7 Magnum, ext. cab 4x4, and rated at 6,500# towing, it was a 2001, and for some reason the highest rated Dakota for towing in any year. It actually has a higher rating than some full size trucks if they are not properly equipped. Had no problem towing the Fountain, which with trailer and gas weighs roughly 7,000#. Stopping, and wind was a bit tricky however, just not enough truck compared to load. But to answer the original question, a Dakota of any size, engine, etc. unless it is in poor condition should be able to pull 3,000#. Just plan ahead on stopping.

 

[Ficht Guy]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

I have a 96 Dodge Dakota Club Cab with the 3.9L V-6, 5-speed manual, and a 3.55 anti-spin rear end. I pull my boat which is around 2,000lbs with the truck and it pulls fine. I actually think the 5-speed is better for pulling with this vehicle because you can keep the RPM's right where you need them to get all the power out of this little brute. The truck is 2wd and surprisigly I have never had a problem at a launch with spinning the tires. The boat used to push the truck around a little bit until I added rear air-shocks. There is a cap on the back too which helps out a little bit for rear end traction. I don't think I would want to tow anything bigger with it though....

 

[mikecjn]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

Sea Wolf, I have a Larson and I wanted to know the weight because I was replacing a damaged axle on the trailer. I emailed Larson with the year and model number on the boat transom and they sent me the spec sheet on the boat. Give that a try with yours.

 

[psvaj]

Re: Dodge Dakota as a tow vehicle.

I tow about 3500# with my 93 toyota pickup. It's a V6 with manual tranny. Also has 150k miles on it. It takes a little longer to get up to speed but it gets the job done.<br />I also saw a pontiac grand prix pull a ~2000# boat out of the launch. I think half of the trunk was under water but it didn't get pulled in. Can't imagine it was doing any good for the car though.