I suppose that towing can drag down your revs, so the heavier duty alternator makes more power at lower revs. Full size spare is needed because you surely can't tow with a donut spare. The wiring harness needs to be able to accommodate heavier trailers that would have more complex wiring. Heavy duty engine cooling typically would mean an additional radiator core. Load leveling suspension because you can't count on people having the right tongue weight.

 

All this is detailed in your manual.

What are you planning to tow? Your capacity and tong weights are reduced if you simply install a tow bar & hitch.

If it's a $700 option when new, rest assured it's not the same price dealer installed. You'd be lucky to get everything for twice as much. My guess is it's more like three times the price. It would be best to figure out what you're going to tow. If you haven't bought it yet, the dealer of the item will be able to help you determine the requirements to tow - for example, if you're going to tow something with ~100lbs of tong weight that is itself less then 2,000 lbs you don't need all the dealer installed items. If you want to tow the max 7,200lbs then you really do need all the items.

As far as the alternator, its not related to RPMs. If you were to engage the tow/haul mode it keeps your rpms higher. It's to provide power for the trailer lights, brakes, and probably to give someone who lives a certain lifestyle (i.e. work truck or RV-er) a power source they can connect to.

 

The website advertised "standard" towing capacity for all models except the R/T is 5000 lbs. I think standard towing capacity means the capacity with a weight distributing hitch. I haven't been able to verify this thru Dodge though. The owners manual states that without a weight distributing hitch the towing capacity is 3500lbs. So it seems that its the additional tongue weight that drops towing capacity to 3500lbs. I think if you add the load leveling shocks (SES), you could tow the 5000 lbs with a standard hitch (not the weight distributing hitch). The alternator and radiator should get you the upper limits of 6200 for the v6 or 7400 for the hemi. Other than that, you need any class IV hitch and a full size wheel/tire.

 

I got my 2011 durango citadel without the tow package and added it later. I got the hitch and wiring harness and installed it myself. I then had to have the dealer get the sales code to install in the computer so the taillights would work. I then towed a 1972 mercury cougar that weighs approx 3500 pounds on a full trailer from central texas to tucson az with no problems. Worked great

 

The alternatore alone is probably over $700!

 

This has been discussed before. All Hemi equipped Durangos have the alternator, engine cooling, and suspension. All that you need to get the full towing capacity is a hitch and wiring.

If you go to Dodge and build a Hemi dodge and add the $850 tow package and look to see what it consists of it only adds the hitch and wiring. If you add the tow package to the V6 Durango you get everything else added.

 

OK, I took another look at the website, it might only be the RTs that have the above items standard. That doesn't make much sense considering how much more the Citadel costs.

 

Gonzachus,
Take a look at post #6, our Citadel had the alternator and HD cooling, as well as the wiring. We were just missing the hitch, full size spare and load leveling suspension.

 

If you're using a weight distributing hitch, don't worry about not having the load leveling shocks.

 

Here is what my window sticker (2012 V6 Crew) lists as being added by the Trailer Tow Group IV:

• Engine Oil Cooler
• Heavy Duty Engine Cooling
• 220-Amp Alternator
• Class IV Receiver Hitch
• 7- and 4-pin Wiring Harness
• Rear Load Leveling Suspension
• Full-Size Spare Tire
• Steel Spare Wheel

I imagine the heavy duty engine cooling is probably a larger radiator, but the Engine Oil Cooler is a Laminova heat exchanger which transfers heat from the oil to the coolant. It's installed in the oil filter's housing. Maybe this is for the Pentastar only though?



Oil Cooler Thread