On the Durango, the trailer tow group includes the heavy duty service group.
Looks like it's toned down a bit from the Dak offerings...only saw one tire
size and the SLT has the larger wheels and it appears that the heavy duty
shocks and sway bars are standard on the Durango. My sales guy was off
yesterday and is due in this afternoon, so we'll see what we can work out. I
told him flat out that all I required was AC and the towing package, and I
don't think he wants me to return an unfavorable survey to D-C. He indicated
that the survey affects his compensation.
-Rodney
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ronald Wong [mailto:ron-wong@home.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 6:49 PM
> To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
> Subject: DML: RE: Towing...Should I smack my salesman?
>
>
> 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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