Re: RE: Re: back on the list/question

From: Michael Maskalans (dml@tepidcola.com)
Date: Mon Jan 05 2004 - 18:37:00 EST


On Jan 5, 2004, at 12:44 PM, Rick Barnes wrote:

>
> My 5.2 tows like a beast, no problem...pulled some damn heavy
> trailers...moving kids off to college and the like.

I've pulled a couple heavy loads too. grossing just over 10k (quite
over loaded overall, but only just bumping against axle weight limits)
it did the duty - for long hauls. But I don't think it was really very
happy about it, and if I was going to haul that kind of weight
regularly, this would /not/ be the right truck.

Of course with the 3.92 gears it would have been much happier, but my
bottom line is that for towed loads over 5000 pounds, you want a real
fullsize. if you're over 7000 pounds towed, you want a 3/4 or 1 ton.

it also was more stable and happier moving with a good load in the bed
and a heavy trailer than it was towing Tom's truck with an empty bed
and heavier trailer. I scaled both, but the tickets are back in
Rochester, and I've never managed to scan them to get them online, so I
don't have exact details.

I didn't scale when I picked up the 40 Hummer rims, but I definitely
overloaded the little trailer I'd borrowed. That was from Boston to
Rochester. The trailer should have been about 1800#, with about 700#
in the bed and cab. The pucker factor was higher than it should have
been because I was a bit worried about the trailer finishing the trip,
but the truck had no problem at all taking care of that load - and it
shouldn't have.

yanking my sub-thousand pound sailboat around, I don't even feel it,
and the truck is very, very comfortable towing my family's pontoon
boat. after much hemming and hawing the three of our guesses average
out to about 3000# towed weight on that, and the only thing I've ever
noticed when towing it is the increase in windage.

there are a couple pictures of my various towing adventures on my
website, so you can get a bit of a visual idea if that will help you at
out all.
<http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/media/towchristine/> - towing Tom's
gen I from Forestville, NY to Steven's Point, WI
<http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/media/movealan/> - a loaded UHaul and
a full bed. trailered from Rochester, NY to Cleveland, continued on to
MN with the truck loaded down.
<http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/media/towtoon/> - the pontoon rig. my
sailboat probably makes a background appearance in that album too.

of course all of the above are my humble experiences, and YMMV - esp
with the slightly higher-revving 4.7 versus my 5.2.

--
Mike Maskalans            <http://mike.tepidcola.com/dodge/>
'98 Dakota CC 0x4 318 (Borked)   '84 RamCharger 4x4 360 (DD)
mobile.612.618.4652   campus.585.274.2246   fax.360.364.3930



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