I think you'll be okay with the 4.7. They're more powerful than you might
think. However, 3.92's would certainly make me feel better. The bad part
is, the more expensive one probably had the hvy duty pkg. plus the tow pkg.
If you don't have all that, by the time you piecemeal it all together you've
just bought the more expensive one. Hvy duty includes trans cooler, oil
cooler, bigger radiator, sway bars, heavier shocks, bigger wheels and tires,
alternator, and battery. I would imagine you would want all of that if
you're going tow maximum load. Once you get all this stuff, even though
you'll be at max limit, the Durango should do it with very little problem.
Another thing I noticed. You got the Durango SLT. On the Dak's the SLT
usually included most of that stuff.
Ron
00 PB SLT QC 4X2 5.9 46RE 3.92 LSD
For modifications see my DML Profile (URL follows)
http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/Kw9pV1EkFeOYY
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@buffnet.net
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@buffnet.net]On Behalf Of Rodney Lewis
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 6:15 AM
To: 'dakota-truck@buffnet.net'
Subject: DML: Towing...Should I smack my salesman?
Well, I finally sorta joined the family yesterday...signed the next 5 years
of my life away for a 2001 Durango SLT. It's got the 4.7 and 3.55
gears...this dealer doesn't buy *any* with the 3.92's. They also heavily
package them so that if you want a 5.9, then you have to pay through the
nose since it's packaged with the leather interior, et al. Here's the issue:
This vehicle was selected as a replacement for my full-size conversion van
which gets some towing use with a car trailer and my Jeep CJ-7. I'll
eventually be buying a car trailer instead of renting to haul the Jeep CJ-8
Scrambler trail beast that I'm building. This Durango didn't have the tow
package (the higher buck ones did) and in the process of price haggling I
got the hitch thrown in, but the salesman insists that I don't need the
tranny cooler (says to just switch off the OD) which I think is a load of
bunk (I'll install one myself or have it done elsewhere since *I'll* be the
one paying for a dead trans). He also quoted me the towing capacity which
turned out to be (as I found out later while reading the owner's manual) for
the 3.92 gears, not the 3.55's and said that that was with a 600lb. payload
(again, wrong according to the manual which allows for only the weight of
the driver). For those of you that tow, have you found these capacities to
be hard & fast rules, or is there a fair 'fudge factor' involved? I'm not
sure what a typical 16' steel tandem axle car hauler weighs, and my guess
would be that my Scrambler will tip the scales at close to 4500 which by
itself is over the tow rating...add to that another 160 for my wife & son,
another 200 or so for tools & such and I think I may be in for some trans
problems down the road. I'll definitely be expressing my displeasure to the
salesman since the first words out of my mouth were "It's got to have the
tow package and AC and I'll be towing very close to the upper limits of the
Durango's tow rating...probably need a 5.9 but I don't think the 4.7 is too
far off when properly equipped" and now I have a vehicle that isn't even
rated high enough to flat tow my Scrambler (no way I'd even consider doing
that). What are your opinions (feel free to b*tch slap me for believing a
salesman)? Make him throw in a tranny cooler? Make him pay for a gear swap?
Make him swap me out for a 5.9 (about a $3-4k price difference due to
packaging) model?
-Rodney
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