Hey,

So here's my idea:

I will want to tow my rig, whenever i get it finished...
But, i don't want to have a full-size pickup for a DD machine, i also want to have the ability to carry 4 adults comfortably.
So, my old Dakota had a towing capacity of 6700 lbs, and i think if i get a trailer with brakes, it should be able to handle actually pulling it. And with the trailer brakes, they will do most of the stopping.

This won't be an every weekend sort of deal, maybe once a month in the warmer weather. I do want to get out west with the trail rig, but i may get a full-size diesel at that time.

So, ideas for and against?
What does a one-car, dual-axle gooseneck trailer weigh?
And do i even need a gooseneck in this scenario?

If your hitch is rated high enough, then go bumper pull - but I'd probably get an aftermarket hitch. Even the hitches on the RAMs are only rated for 5000lb without a weight distribution hitch.

The gooseneck adds weight, which is what you don't need. Don't forget to subtract all your luggage, person, snacks, etc from the GCVW, as well. No matter what, you're limited to towing whatever the difference is between your GCWR minus your truck's weight (with crap, people, fuel, etc in it).

Bryan

Hmm.... i'm pretty sure that you could get a Ram with a higher rating htan 5000 lbs.
The hitch on my Dakota was a class IV. Rated up to 10,000 lbs, even though the vehicle wasn't.

Bryan said the hitch is rated at 5K w/o distribution. Your hitch is rated for 10K with distribution. Like Brian said go with a bumper pull to keep weight down and even with a heavier hitch a distribution setup with sway control would be a good idea. A 16' tandem axle trailer weighs around 1400lbs, add that to the weight of your rig, the weight of your truck with gear and people then see where you are at. I think you will be ok. The trailer brakes will not do "most" of the braking just part of it.

Scott

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
Hmm.... i'm pretty sure that you could get a Ram with a higher rating htan 5000 lbs.
The hitch on my Dakota was a class IV. Rated up to 10,000 lbs, even though the vehicle wasn't.

:D

My RAM can tow 13,000lb, give or take, but the hitch is rated for 5k, 10k with WD, and anything over 10k they recommend a bed mounted hitch.

Bryan

I have pulled a 2-horse slant gooseneck a few times with a first generation v8 Dakota, and it really surprised me. It did quite well, unless you had a strong crosswind, then hold on!! All in all , it was a pretty good setup. The slant weighed about 5500 totally loaed, so it wasnt too bad.

One of my buddies I wheel with tows with a 98 Dakota x-cab,
V-8, 5spd.Bumper pull, 18ft dove tail twin axle car hauler. Loaded with a lifted 82 Toyota, loaded down with tools and camping gear.
We've got an 11,660 ft. mtn.pass, and 10,600 ft. pass between us and Moab. He is able to speed most of the way, speed limit is 75mph on I-70.Though I'm sure he's glad for the trailer brakes on the way down.:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

Originally posted by Jet
We've got an 11,660 ft. mtn.pass, and 10,600 ft. pass between us and Moab. He is able to speed most of the way, speed limit is 75mph on I-70.

And how fast does he take Vail pass? The speed limit of 75 happens once you're past the mountain passes. Pretty much flat except for the climb out of Grand Junction and into Utah.

Well, i just learned that the 2003 my Dakotas have rear disc brakes for the first time, so that will definitely help while towing.


Ok, so what i should be doing here is bumper-pulling, with a load distribution setup pulling a tandem axle trailer with brakes.

But, what kind of brakes? Hydraulic? Electric?
Which is better/best?

IMO, you want electric brakes on the trailer. I want a brake that I can manually control if the need comes up.

One of my buddies I wheel with tows with a 98 Dakota x-cab,
V-8, 5spd.Bumper pull, 18ft dove tail twin axle car hauler. Loaded with a lifted 82 Toyota, loaded down with tools and camping gear.
Hope he loads the tools and gear into the Dakota... I don't care how good your trailer brakes are, there's no substitute for more mass in the tow than the toad.

Randii

First I'm calling bullshit on a Dakota towing at +75mph with that load behind it. My '96 Dodge 2500 4wd 5.9liter V8/auto wouldn't do +75mph with 6x12 U-Haul trailer behind.....

Second, it sure would be nice if my truck weighed more than my trailer but then I'd have a 14,000 lb truck..... My 7300lb Dodge 2500 4wd CTD tows my 14k 36ft 5th wheel Patio Hauler just fine.

Brian

go gooseneck! I had a 89 dakota v-6 ( $1k in go fast shit) longbed with a gooseneck hitch, pulled 4500# on a daily basis, brake shoes last around 10k and that is with trailer brakes, go electric over hydraulic disc brakes $350 a side but they are awesome. my dakota stopped quicker with the trailer on then empty just crusing... th best thing of all doubble takes from truckers seeing a small pickup towng a 18' goosekneck trailer loaded with mowing equiptment pass them.

~Nate~


BTW >nvrfinsh< if I held it aginst the rev limiter in 3rd it would cruse @ 82 on flat open ground

Well, i have no problem believing that the Dak could tow a decent load at 75+ mph. I personally towed a junked car at 65 one time, but at that speed, i was already over the speed limit on some back-country roads, so i didn't push my luck. :D

And i will make sure to be stuffing any extra equipment in the truck, and not on the trailer. The only concern i still have is the short bed in the quad-cab Dak.
It's only 5'3".

But, from seeing pics of gooseneck car trailers, the actual gooseneck part of it doesn't look like it goes much past centre of the hitch and ball, so maybe there really isn't any concern with the setup and my short bed?

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
so maybe there really isn't any concern with the setup and my short bed?

What you need to watch are sharp turns and interference between the GN and the cab! :eek:

Bryan

Originally posted by Oxjockey


What you need to watch are sharp turns and interference between the GN and the cab! :eek:

Bryan

Ya, i'll definitely be watching the tight turns.
Actually, that uncle of mine htat i mentioned earlier got a little rubbing on his cab and his camper trailer. But, the front nose of his trailer sticks out a little ways in front of the mounting position of the 5th wheel...

Originally posted by The Adam Blaster
The only concern i still have is the short bed in the quad-cab Dak.
It's only 5'3".


The biggest thing that would worry me, and I have seen it happen since the newer short wheelbase rigs have become in vogue with all the high-zoot cowboy kind, is the fact that the distance form the front of the deck, to the end of the hitch is greater than the available bedspace in front of the hitch in the truck.

What happens is if you somehow get rearened, real, real , hard, and it happens to shear the ball of the plate, or breaks the plate in general, you are going to have a gooseneck hitch in the back of your head. I saw this happen a couple of times recently here in town, where goofy shit horse breeders are towing there fancy 4 horse slant with a new Ford Supercrew, and decided to slam on the brakes in front of a semi. Not very pretty.

Well, i ws at a Dodge dealer a couple days ago, and grabbed a brochure.
The dakota that i want is only rated at pulling a mx. trailer weight of 6050 lbs, so it just ain't going to cut it...

Noew, i think i will look for a mid to late 90's 2500 Ram, and diesel would be good too.

I'm still calling bullshit on +75mph on anything but a downhill:flipoff2:

Where is the axle in relationship to the front of the bed on a Dakota Quad Cab? I think the axle is far enough forward on these midsize crew cabs that you may not be able to properly mount a goose neck hitch under/in the bed. I use a Reese 5th wheel hitch with rails that bolt thru the bed floor into the frame - the rails are ~18" apart & run perpendicular to the frame. With a set up like this you may not be able to correctly position the hitch relative to the axle.

Brian

I will buy the +75 mph, given the power to weight in a 5.9 Dak. The same motor in a 2500 dodge will pull the truck, which weighs considerably more, and the trailer at that speed, so the Dakota should do the same, since there is less weight there.

Well, unfortunately it doesn't look like i'll be able to take some pics of me doing 75 with a fully laiden trailer, in a Dakota.
:flipoff2:

I had a 95 5.2 extra cab dakota and then a 5.2 durango- towed my 4000 lb Jeep on a lightish trailer several times across route 40 to New mexico and a bunch of times around here in the hills.

I was out running many trucks and even giving diesels fits- 80 was no problem on the open road, would downshift to third on the bigger hills. first off the dakota was about 3700 lbs and the durango 1000 more where the 3/4 ton trucks are 6700 ish. Most of my buddies had heavier trail rigs, heavier trailers and hauled more junk. I was pushing a lot less air too (low trailer).

a 2-3000 lb headstart has to be part of the equation. Get a 5.9 full size dodge and it will be a pig towing, especially with the 3.55's. Love the Cummins 2500 I tow with now:D