Towing behind a Dakota
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Towing behind a Dakota
Greetings, everyone. I am new to the forum and would appreciate your help.
I have a 2004 Dakota with the 4.7L engine, 5-spd automatic, and 4WD. It also has 17" rims, but does not have the factory tow package.
First, I would like to know if I can safely pull an RV I recently acquired. I have looked at some websites that feature calculators to answer this question, but I do not have all the info I need to use these. The sticker on the driver's door tells me the GVWR (6010lb) and the GAWR for each axle (3600 and 3806 for the front and back, respectively), but does not include the GCWR, The small RV trailer I wish to tow has only one axle, and the GVWR is 3220 and the GAWR is 3500. I plan to weigh each axle of the truck as well as the tongue weight and axle of the RV as soon as possible. However, the RV is currently located up in the mountains, and I will need to safely tow it to the nearest truckstop scales in order to get the weights. Please respond with comments. Thanks.
Secondly, I have mounted a Class-3 hitch on the truck, and now need to mount a 7-pin trailer plug. According to the owners manual, I should not tie the trailer wiring into the truck wiring directly, but need to install a relay. The exact wording in the manual is "trailer tow wiring harness overlay kit with relay to bypass the headlight switch", which is available from the dealer. I called my local Dodge dealer and they said that kit was discontinued in 2012 and is not available. I have searched online for a similar kit by Tekonsha and others, but have has no luck so far. If anyone knows where I can obtain this kit please respond.
Third, I did try hitching up the trailer to the truck, just to see how much the truck squats down under the load. It dropped 1.5 inches at the hitch receiver. The front rose quite a bit also, and I am wondering what I should do to re-level the truck when towing. Your responses would be appreciated.
I have a 2004 Dakota with the 4.7L engine, 5-spd automatic, and 4WD. It also has 17" rims, but does not have the factory tow package.
First, I would like to know if I can safely pull an RV I recently acquired. I have looked at some websites that feature calculators to answer this question, but I do not have all the info I need to use these. The sticker on the driver's door tells me the GVWR (6010lb) and the GAWR for each axle (3600 and 3806 for the front and back, respectively), but does not include the GCWR, The small RV trailer I wish to tow has only one axle, and the GVWR is 3220 and the GAWR is 3500. I plan to weigh each axle of the truck as well as the tongue weight and axle of the RV as soon as possible. However, the RV is currently located up in the mountains, and I will need to safely tow it to the nearest truckstop scales in order to get the weights. Please respond with comments. Thanks.
Secondly, I have mounted a Class-3 hitch on the truck, and now need to mount a 7-pin trailer plug. According to the owners manual, I should not tie the trailer wiring into the truck wiring directly, but need to install a relay. The exact wording in the manual is "trailer tow wiring harness overlay kit with relay to bypass the headlight switch", which is available from the dealer. I called my local Dodge dealer and they said that kit was discontinued in 2012 and is not available. I have searched online for a similar kit by Tekonsha and others, but have has no luck so far. If anyone knows where I can obtain this kit please respond.
Third, I did try hitching up the trailer to the truck, just to see how much the truck squats down under the load. It dropped 1.5 inches at the hitch receiver. The front rose quite a bit also, and I am wondering what I should do to re-level the truck when towing. Your responses would be appreciated.
Legend
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 8,058
Likes: 183
From: Fort Worth, TX
Get the Hoppy Add-a-Plug harness. I forget the actual name/PN. Tying into the vehicle wiring is perfectly fine, and it connects into the factory harness' plugs, no guessing or cutting/wiring.
If the travel trailer is only 3200 pounds, you'd fine with the dakota as long as trailer brakes exist. If no trailer brakes, you might have a few troubles.
For leveling, you can either get load-assist shocks (they have a small coil spring on them), or I think airbag kits still exist, or you can go to a weight distributing hitch. Personally I think the hitch would be your best option as it would help most with braking (which is where the dakota is worse than lackluster, even though 2003-2004 is the year with the biggest brake package).
Make sure you use tow-haul mode so that the transmission is locked into third gear. Do you know of the TCM has been flashed with the 5-speed tune, or is it still the factory 4-speed calibration? (Same physical transmission and TCM, just a programming change that adds a clutch application sequence that produces a second overdrive gear)
If the travel trailer is only 3200 pounds, you'd fine with the dakota as long as trailer brakes exist. If no trailer brakes, you might have a few troubles.
For leveling, you can either get load-assist shocks (they have a small coil spring on them), or I think airbag kits still exist, or you can go to a weight distributing hitch. Personally I think the hitch would be your best option as it would help most with braking (which is where the dakota is worse than lackluster, even though 2003-2004 is the year with the biggest brake package).
Make sure you use tow-haul mode so that the transmission is locked into third gear. Do you know of the TCM has been flashed with the 5-speed tune, or is it still the factory 4-speed calibration? (Same physical transmission and TCM, just a programming change that adds a clutch application sequence that produces a second overdrive gear)
