Hi all,

I was curious what the towing capacity is of a 92 SCLB 4x4 5 speed, the truck was originally a 3.9 but I did swap in a 5.9. I know the engine doesn't determine the towing capacity, legally speaking, so for simplicity let's just say it's the 3.9.

I don't know if the truck was originally equipped with the tow package, nor do I know where to look to figure it out. I do know that it is a 5830GVWR truck, it has 10 inch brakes, 3.55 rear end. I did roll over a scale at a junkyard yesterday and with me, my girlfriend, half a tank of gas, and a toolbox with stuff in it, the scale said 4400 pounds, so if I had to guess, and for anyone curious about a SCLB 4x4 5.9 swap first gen, it's 4000 curb weight, meaning I get around 1800 payload technically?

Either way, I'm curious what I can actually legally tow as I can't find it anywhere and the old forums about first gen towing have dead links. Obviously an important aspect is brakes, which I plan to upgrade as well. Is there any recommendations for front rotors/pads? I was planning to just throw on some general rotors with PowerStop pads, I've had good experience on my Jeep with 35s, so I was going to stick with the Powerstops, but I'm open to input!

 

Which 5 speed?

What you can 'legally' tow is what the factory rating says. The law doesn't take into account alterations to the truck. You DO need to have the appropriate equipment for the weight you are hauling though.....

 

It’s the AX-15. I do also plan to rebuild the suspension in the rear, new springs because they look tired after 200k, unless the Dakota just never came with a natural rake to the front (it sits level when empty, I would imagine most trucks lean forward when empty so they are level when loaded). I also probably will be adding helper springs, overkill most likely, but I want the stability to be there when I’m heavy.

So you said the law doesn’t take into account altercations to the truck, so does that mean that I can legally tow more than the manufacturer says if I have the proper equipment, or do you mean adding/modifying the platform doesn’t change the rating?

 

Changing the platform doesn't change the rating. By "proper equipment" that means no towing a 10,000 pound trailer on a bumper hitch. Regardless of the vehicles rating.......

The biggest problem you run into is, doesn't matter what you do to the truck to increase its capabilities, if you are over the factory rating, and get in an accident, you are automatically at fault, and your insurance is under no obligation to cover anything..... That can get REAL expensive REAL fast in the sue-happy environment we live in today......

 

So basically in simple terms, I CAN tow more than the rating if I setup the truck to do it, but the question really is SHOULD you do that lol. I doubt I will ever tow heavy with this thing, given the truck is so small and so light I feel like a trailer would very easily be able to throw this thing around.

I know there are calculators that you can put in your specs but the issue is I need the GCWR which I can’t find anywhere. It’s not on my door sticker, my owners manual is nowhere to be found, vin decoders all give me different numbers, and google does the same. I’ve seen ranges from 2000 pounds to 6800 pound capacities.

 

I come up with max trailer weight of 4300 pounds. Respectable for a small truck.

 

Was that a number found somewhere or did you calculate it based on my specs? I’m curious

 

Factory numbers for a truck with your configuration. (that would be, with the V-6.....)

 

So technically speaking does the v8 make a difference? The 5.2 in this case because the 5.9 wasn’t an option lol

 

In reality the V8 probably hurts the tow rating, the same reason a new truck with a Laramie trim can legally tow less than a base option truck, plus other random anomalies that happen.

The ticket number is your GVWR and GCWR these two numbers are the MAX weight a vehicle can weigh (cargo included) in the case of the GCWR is the max a truck/trailer combo can weigh. In which case the V8 probably has a few pounds on the V6 actually reducing the legal cargo weight. This does not mean per say that Dodge didn't spec a higher rating for a V8 equipped trucked, this I don't know