Author Topic: Small Pick-up trucks and towing. (Read 1418 times)

Redhawk1 · « **on:** March 11, 2004, 02:01:16 AM »

I have only owned full sized Pick-up trucks. I am thinking of getting a Dodge Dakota for my business, and I tow a trailer with my grass cutters on it. Not extremely heavy but heavy enough. My main concern is stopping, I know they will pull it. Does anyone here use a smaller pick-ups to tow with? If so how do the handle? :grin:

Siskiyou · « **Reply #1 on:** March 11, 2004, 01:27:24 PM »

My father-in-law has an older Dodge Dakota with the 2.9 V6. It is a two wheel drive. Frankly it is rather sad when it comes to towing, even when it was new. It is a very well kept up vehicle. But it is transportation not a tow vehicle. His has a fifteen foot I/0 boat. When we go fishing I tow his boat with my full size Chevy. If he had a Dakota with a V8 and a 3.90 rearend the story would be different.

A few years-ago I had a Chevy S-10 equiped with the 4.3 V6 and a 3.73 rear end. It had a factory tow rating just over 5000 pounds. It was very good at towing my seventeen foot boat. I should note that I also used the S-10 for hualing firewood. I did add a transmission cooler, and overload springs on the rear.

P.S. I went to my December 2003 Trailer Boat magzine and checked the Tow Ratings for 2004 vehicles. The 2004 Dodge Dakota with manual transmission and 3.55 rearend is rated at 4900 pounds. (3.7V6) Equiped with automatic transmission and the 3.92 rearend it is rated at 5300 pounds. This includes the trailer and cargo.

Braking ability is a concern. I was towing a trailer with 4x4 ATV on it when I pulled over to let traffic get by. I pulled into a dirt turnout and touched the brakes. The trailer almost pushed me through the large turnout. The surface was dirt and loose gravel. The tow vehicle was a 84 Jeep Cherokee. I never trusted the brakes on it again when towing the small trailer. Total wieght was less then a 1000 pounds.

DirtyHarry · « **Reply #2 on:** March 11, 2004, 04:38:57 PM »

Redhawk1,
Does your trailer have brakes? if not you will want to at least upgrade the brakes on the truck, because stopping distance will be increased with the trailer.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 12, 2004, 01:46:24 PM »

No brakes on trailer. I might just stick to my full size trucks. I was thinking of the gas milage also. My 2 Dodge rams get about 10 MPG. :eek:

Will_C · « **Reply #4 on:** March 13, 2004, 05:53:58 AM »

Redhawk, I tow my Kubota tractor woth a Toyota Tacoma with the 4 cylinder engine. My towing is occassional, not like the towing you plan to do. The truck works out ok, I spend alot of time in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear, but as much of my work is short hauls, the slowness does not bother me too much.
One thing I have noticed is on a couple of long hauls (35 miles) to the dealer for service, I get about 12 mpg :shock: . Again, not a problem for the one trip or so a year that I make, but I don't think your gas mileage woes would be answered that well by a small truck.
Will

Taff · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2004, 09:11:58 AM »

I use a Nissan 4x4 double cab 2.5 turbo Deisel to tow mowers about,anything from Zero turns to bat wings never have a problem,its done 81000 in 3yrs never had a cluch,sometimes I tow a 1.5ton digger as well,no problems with breaking,on a good day I get 22-25 to the gallon,a friend has a Ford ranger which seems not to bad.

WD45 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2004, 05:01:49 AM »

My experience with the smaller trucks and towing has not been so good.
I had a chev S10 for a few years and tried to use it like a real truck.
A clutch would only last about 40 thousand miles and it was a dog for towing. I pulled a small pop up camper with it and it liked to push the truck on a grade. What I thought I was saving on gas was spent on repairs and agravation. Small trucks may pull a load fine but stopping it is another question especially if you deed to do it quickly. My brother in law had a dakota and had similar experience with it. He went back to a full size truck also. I also have a cousin in the lawn care/ landscaping buisness and he tried the small truck route and was back to full size trucks within a year. I am not slamming smaller trucks here just relating my experience and some of my family . If you use a truck for work, hauling and towing on a continuos basis stick with a full size truck. I have not seen one but I believe you can get a diesel in a F150 now. That will give you the towing capacity you may be looking for with much better fuel economy.

CJ · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2004, 12:50:21 PM »

Redhawk, if your looking for fuel economy, Dakota isnt the answer. I consistantly get 12.5 city and 16.5 highway out of mine. 2001 with the small V-8 {4.7liter? used to remember this stuff} Before that I had an 88 Dakota V-6 239. That got 13 and 17. Better than 10 mpg I guess, but I dont tow either. And I will say my back brakes are small. Dont know whats available in a tow package.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2004, 04:24:38 PM »

I guess I will stick to my full size pick-ups. I need to make sure I will be able to stop.

HogFan · « **Reply #9 on:** March 29, 2004, 10:57:36 AM »

Redhawk,

Good choice not going to the Dakota. I had one, and it was the biggest terd I ever owned. Wouldn't pull worth a darn, and the transmission was constantly having problems. I traded it in on a ford F150, and couldn't be happier!

HogFan

4xdakota · « **Reply #10 on:** April 02, 2004, 10:23:18 AM »

I have an 03 dakota quadcab 4x4 4.7 auto with 3.92 gears, it does pull good, and stops good due to the four wheel disc brakes. But it is a little thirsty.

NYH1 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2004, 07:42:55 AM »

I have a 2002 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab SLT 4X4. It has the 4.7L V8, 4 speed auto tranny with 3.55 gears. I pull a 8x14 foot trailer with four ATV's on it with no problem. I don't have brakes on the trailer, it stops pretty good.
I had a 1994 Ford F150 Extended Cab 4X4. It had the 5.0L V8, 4 speed auto tranny, 3.31 gears. It was a nice truck. I really liked it, but it was way "under powered". "To much truck, not enough engine".
My Dakota being smaller and having a considerably more powerful engine works a lot better then the F150 did.
Even the new F150 with the 4.6L engine seems like "to much truck, not enough engine". Same go's for the Ram 1500 with the 4.7L. The 5.4L in the F150 is a good match, but it aint a "Hemi" in a Ram 1500.