I am a bit nervious I have to get a boat for a friend about 2 hours from my house. It is a 23' boat about 5200lbs. I know the truck is suposed to pull 7400lbs. However I used to pull 2 jet skiis that were ALOT less and the truck struggled a bit. I have the V8 with towing package. What is the max or largest load a v8 dak has pulled and how did it do? The trip is mostly flat but near Lake travis in Austin TX there are some huge hills. I have a 24' Crown Line and didnt get a trailer with the boat (have it at a marina) and never even tried to pull it.

 

Well I've never pulled anything quite that big, but I'm sure your dak can do it! They are the little big truck! I've pulled my old man's 18.5' fishing boat with a quad on the back of my truck and it seemed to do just fine. We have a big hill coming out of the river valley, and it screamed all the way up and seemed to do just fine!

 

you will be fine pulled a 25' grady white seven hours to canada did fine hills suck a bit but for the most part braking is the only issue just leave room no worries.

 

I don't know, as long as its mostly flat you should be ok. I pulled two atvs on a heavy trailer, probably about 3500 lbs, across a mountain pass and it was not a pleasant experience. The Dak has the torque to start heavy loads but its lack of hp severely limits your ability to maintain speed going uphill without turning 4K+ rpms. Personally, I think the ~7000lb tow rating is very optimistic. The frame can handle it but the engine doesn't have the power needed for serious towing.

 

If you are pulling 4K RPMs that is what the oil coolant is for with the tow package. These things are pigs. They can pull. They are not meant to be speed demons. You shouldn't have a problem. Especially since you will be in flat ground.

 

I pulled 4000-5000 pounds worth of sound gear up to the Pocono mountains last summer (and will be again this summer). About a 150-200 mile trip one way. It did rather well...struggled some on some of the bigger hills, but I was able to maintain 50 mph throughout the highway portion. I have the 6sp. manual, though...so I can just downshift to get more power. The last hill was an 11% grade over about a half mile, had to pull it in second gear, but it did really well.

 

Yeah you should be fine, like everyone said, the hills will be the only things that "should" really give you a problem. Give some braking room too...I pulled a couple things like 3-4000 lbs, down to the tip of NJ,..I just hit the tow/haul and I was going home.

Remember " The Little Dak that could"?

 

Ive pulled plenty of cars on flatbed trailers 100 miles with no problems except for 1, but that wasent the dakotas fault it was due to someone hitting the back of the trailer and flipping it lol

 

pulled my brothers boat last year approx 50 miles. He had (sold it) a 26' rinker. He never took care of the trailer. Brakes were bone dry and the actuator (sp?) was rusted in place. So needless to say, trailer had no working brakes. Dak was able to pull it through the Adorondaks no problem Just don't be afraid to mash your right foot and don't expect good gas mileage

 

i pulled a buddys 79 gmc fullsize pickup with 12 inches of lift and 44 inch boggers on a 18 foot trailer and it did just fine. my buddy doubted the dak but i proved him wrong. the trip was a 250 mile trip. didnt get good milage at all but i did it. never felt that i was overdoing it.


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