Hi there,

New user. I just bought a 2023 AWD Durango RT Plus, and the max tow capacity is 7,200 lbs. Going to be buying a travel trailer. Looking for advice from those that have towed without the Tow n Go pkg. Searched the forum and can't find the answer, so I apologize if it's out there and I didn't search the topic correctly. I do not have the Tow n Go (so I cannot achieve the 8700 lb max). However, it came with a brake controller and 4/7 pin. Questions:

1. What's the max length of trailer I should get to tow with the Durango? (Does it have sway issues after a certain length?) (I understand a truck is more of an appropriate tow vehicle but I wanted an SUV)
2. What's the website to find the max tongue weight? Looked many places. Most people say 10%, however, there has to be defined specs somewhere I would think.
3. Do I need to add anything to this vehicle to tow a 6800 lb (loaded weight) travel trailer comfortably? (different breaks, sway bar, etc?). I saw on the forum where a guy said that he would never tow without the Tow n Go pkg because with the Tow n Go, the Brembo brakes stop on a dime. I might be uneducated in this area, however, I figured if the specs state it has a 7,200 lb tow capacity, shouldn't the current brakes be sufficient, as the trailer brakes are doing most of the breaking?
4. There's not a "Tow" mode button, only "Sport" and "ECO off" button. When I tow, is there a certain setting somewhere in the cluster/other? Other than setting the brake controller, anything else I need to do/set/change prior to towing?

Thanks in advance for the education! I truly appreciate it! If there are questions I didn't ask and you would like to offer additional helpful advice/expertise, I would appreciate it!

 

I had a 2011 Durango Crew with the 5.7L V8 and initially I had a 17' travel trailer that weighed around 3500 lbs. I did have anti-sway and a trailer brake controller and the Durango did fine. As my family grew, I bought a 30' ultralight travel trailer that was 5600 lbs unloaded. Even with the anti-sway setup and weight distribution hitch, towing the 30' travel trailer was scary. Braking and acceleration wasn't really an issue, but the short wheel base was. I upped the torsion springs on the weight distribution hitch and installed air helper springs in the rear (even though it had the stock Nivomat(sp?) load levelers) but it still wasn't something I was comfortable taking on the highway for long trips, especially if there was a chance for side winds.

I should also add that I towed a 26' enclosed trailer with two UTVs with the Durango and with that I didn't even need anti-sway. The weight of the trailer and UTVs was probably in the 6000 lbs range and maybe it was the distribution of weight, but that setup towed perfectly fine without anti-sway or weight distribution. So it may have less to do with the trailer length and more to do with the distribution of the weight and location of the axles.

As much as I liked the Durango, I ultimately traded it in on a Ram 1500. I also switched to a Husky hitch with integrated anti-sway at the same time so I don't know if that made much of an improvement over the hitch with separate anti-sway and weight distribution, all I know is towing the 30' camper with the truck is a completely different (better) experience than towing it with the Durango. If you stick with something 20' or shorter you'll probably be fine with the Durango's power, braking, and handling. But make sure you understand the numbers when selecting your camper too so that you keep some margin over the gross combined vehicle weight (takes into account passengers, vehicle cargo, trailer weight, trailer cargo, and don't forget about the camper's water tank if you plan to fill the water tank.

Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you want to hear.

-Rod

 

Hi Rod,

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it. I will definitely get something smaller than I had planned to make sure it'll tow better. Thanks again!