I have a 96 dakota V6, manual trans. Can I tow a car trailer with a car on it with my truck? What is the towing capacity for my truck? The car I plan on towing is 3300lbs. I plan on going real slow the whole way and not take any risks I don't have to take. This is a one time thing and I will probably never do it again after this. Can someone inform me for this upcoming weekend when I plan on doing it, if possible. Thanks.

 

The car trailer empty probably will weigh 2,000lbs. A car that is 3,300 is very light, even neons or most small cars don't weigh that little. But most likely you can tow it. Check the FAQ (just a few posts above this one) for a towing chart. How far are you going? Any hills? What is probably top speed of the streets?

 

Im going to tow a crown vic on the trailer. Maybe I had the weight wrong. The trip is 35 miles, about 3/4 highway and the road speeds are like 45mph and the highway is 60mph. I plan on going slow the whole time because it is a heavy load. The manual trans should help with stopping but starting off with the v6 may be tricky. At least there are no hill starts in the route, I drove it yestrday to look at the car.

 

With a 3.83 first gear you should have no major issue getting it rolling, downshifting does help with stopping but if the trailer has them, trailer brakes are a good idea. Good luck!

 

You're towing a 2,000 lb trailer with about a 4000 lb car on it. Basically, you will have no brakes. If it's only 35 miles or so, I'd put the 4 way flashers on and not tow it any faster than 15 or 20 mph. Stay on the shoulder so that other vehicles can pass.

You are way overloading your truck, imho. (Not saying I wouldn't do it, but just be aware!) I've seen guys with overloaded pickups get pulled over by the state cops, mostly in Washington State. Seen guys pulling overloaded trailers with overloaded pickups lose control and flip everything, too. If a cop sees you and thinks it's unsafe operation, they'll make you park it and call a tow truck--and they'll give you a nice reverse gift card, too, payable to the local court.

 

This, except that I would consider trailer brakes MANDATORY. I towed a couple of way-too-heavy trailers with my Jeep when I had it and I can tell you from experience that skidding along without even slowing down is no fun at all.