Speaking of build sheets. I got that information from here. Just enter your VIN, click submit, and it gives you a list of how your truck came from the factory. Beware, it IS case-sensitive though, so, use capital letters.

 

Get yourself a Class III hitch, don't count on the bumper for sufficient support.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...cleid=20056108

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...eid=2005106628

 

The towing capacity of the truck dosent really have anything to do with what is safe to tow. The tow cap is upto 7000 something lbs with trailer brakes and With the right options (gearing cooling suspension hitch wiring). What you can safely tow tho (on a semi regular basis) is the lowest rating of 1 your truck, 2 your hitch, 3 your draw bar, and 4 your ball. Right now the highest rated hitch you can buy for a dakota is 5500lbs.(that im aware of). As far as what you can tow without damaging the truck goes I've pulled 10k across 2 states with my 3.7 when it was on 33s

 

Dakotaff, Thanks! That's actually what I was looking at purchasing. I would never tow from the bumper. Not even a Jetski haha.

So if the highest rated hitch is 5500. Am I cutting it too close with 5000 lbs?

 

I do have another question on this topic.

I'm seeing things about Weight Distribution Hitch and Spring Air bags. Are those both something I should have, or just one? Or not at all?

 

No you're fine with 5000. 5500 is the safe working load meaning 5500 lbs cant break it under any normal condition. The breaking strength is going to be alot more

For the weight you're hauling i wouldn't waste money on a weight distribution. The air bags will improve ride quality but arent required

 

Just note that air bags don't increase your towing or hauling capacity. They level the truck, but in the process actually puts more downward force on the rear axle and tires than would be there without them. They also don't really help with any porpoising of the front end. You didn't say what trim level you have, but assuming you have a crew cab Laramie, your max tow rating is 5750 lbs with 3.55 axle ratio on a 4x4 4.7 V8, assuming the tow package (mirrors, wiring, receiver, and transmission cooler). With 5000 lbs (maybe 5500 fully loaded) you have little, if any, room in the truck for passengers. You need to subtract their weight from your tow rating.

My owners manual for my 2011 says that I need a WD hitch for anything over a 3000 lbs trailer. I interpret that to mean more than 450 lbs hitch weight (assuming 15% of the total trailer weight). Since the hitch weight is the important factor, you could go up a little in the overall trailer weight depending on the weight distribution in the trailer and whether your TT is a tandem or single axle trailer. If you have too much weight behind the rear axle it lifts the front end to the point that you start to lose traction. I assume the engineers that designed the truck determined that 450 lbs hitch weight was the point where the front end still had sufficient weight to maintain proper traction and more than that was no longer safe. So, with your 5000+ lbs trailer, I think you'd be best off getting the WD hitch. You might be able to pull it. But, if you were involved in an accident and operating outside the manufacturer's safety recommendations, it might not go well for you in court.

If you get the factory hitch receiver (junkyard or online), you get a class IV receiver rated to 7700 lbs. https://www.factorymopardirect.com/o...QtN2wtdjgtZ2Fz

 

Great, thanks for the advice!
For the trim I have a SLT Quad Cab. The Camper I'm looking at is a double axle.
Just to note, the trailer I'm looking to tow has a MAX Weight of 5200. So I would never go over that. At most, loaded, the trailer would be 5000 pounds.

I'm getting mixed reviews for air bag installation, or just installing air shocks with helper springs. Air bags seems to be the pricey option when helper springs hold up to the same standard.

 

The basic effect of air bags and helper springs is the same: level the truck under a load. Both add the downward force that I talked about. I haven't done either, but in my research the primary difference I found is that the air bags allow you to return to the feel and ride of the stock suspension easily when you're not towing or hauling. The helper spring stiffens the ride a lot, making it pretty harsh when you're unloaded. I suppose you could take it on and off, but that seems like a lot of work. If you're only going to use the truck to tow the TT or haul loads, the helper spring might be best. If it's also a daily driver, I'd look at the air bags.

Tandem axle will help the trailer tow straighter and bounce less. My only concern with towing a 5200 lbs TT with my Dakota would be where I'm towing it. Up and down the mountain passes could be a challenge. The other concern would be some place with a lot of crosswinds (i.e., I-80 in Wyoming). That's a large sail behind you with a relatively light TV. Going slower and having the tandem axles on the trailer will help in both cases.

That said, without the factory tow package or its equivalent, you're limited to about 3500 lbs. According to the charts dakotaff posted, with the tow package, your truck is rated at 5650 lbs for towing. In practice, you need to subtract from that the weight of any passengers, cargo (boxes in the bed, etc), and accessories (skid plates, running boards, etc). So, you're sitting almost at the truck's tow limit.

 

I have 2000 dakota 4 door 2wd with a 4.7l v8 magnum with 157,000 miles on it.i just towed a 17,000 pound gulf stream coach with a bunch of stuff inside I would say total weight was about 18,050 pounds 8 miles going up and down hills with half flat tires and didn't have any problems. Now that's pull weight not tonge what. But that is still a lot of weight . So now you know what that v8 can pull. But also that is the same size motor in a have ton which are heaver truck so loose horse power because the have ton Is heavier.so in the dakota u have a v8 with less truck smaller truck more power.
So you shouldn't have any problems pulling any thing.