Anyone towing with a Durango with the 4.7 V8?

Im looking at one of these tomorrow to use as a tow vehicle for my Supra 20ft SSV. Anyone else towing with that motor/tranny? Any problems? Its a deal I dont want to turn down. 2001 Durango with 84,000 miles for $3500.00

I used to tow my 2004 Supra 22SSV with that motor in a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 as well as in a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. You can feel your boat back there and your tranny will not like it over long distances, but it will do the job.

If you are buying a tow rig, get something else. If you ahve it and need to make do, fine.

Buy a full size 1/2 ton truck at the minimum for towing duty. Should be able to get a good extended cab chevy 1500 for that price.

Anthony,

I had a 2000 Dodge Durango 4WD with a 4.7 in it. Generally loved the vehicle and drove it to 205,000 mi. However, the one thing I didn't like about it was its towing capability. In general it did fine but going up any long grade, especially when the temperature was above 90, I had to be watching the temp gage like a hawk. The 4.7 just had to work too hard towing up hills. Ultimately, it was it's undoing:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/591039.html

Then again, I notice you live in Minnesota. Not many long mountain grades (1-5 miles) there. You may be OK but again, just OK. I'd skip it for a different machine.

I had a 2000 Dakota Quad Cab with that engine. I sold it with the engine running well at 115,000 miles. The only problem I had was the power steering pump not working well and making noise. I flushed the power steering twice and it was fixed. I thought it was a good engine and I'm glad I bought it instead of the pushrod V8.
I didn't tow much with it but it was used to pull a 30' flat deck trailer some. You could tell it was there but it did not seem stressed.

Oh, I ended up with a 2004 Yukon Denali, all-time 4WD with a 6.0 (360 ci) and love it. Temp gage never moves. Out of your price range, I paid $13,000 for it. But, you can find something similar, '96 or 97 through maybe 2001 for far less (around $5K?).

has anybody ever towed 4-5K lbs boat and trailer with the durango 5.9l or the 5.7L hemi engine?

I just bought a 95 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 5.9L and it tows great. Can't even tell my boat is back there. I paid $2900 for it. It runs great, but I'm having to rebuild the front end suspension. So long story short, you can spend around $3k on a used tow vehicle and then another grand fixing it up, or you can spend around $5k and you'll be set for a while.

(Message edited by nauty on January 11, 2009)

had an 01 durango with the 4.7 in it. It was the biggest piece of •••••• have ever owned!!! Do NOT PURCHASE A DURANGO. I had constant overheating problems when towing so bad that after two radiators and a new fan clutch and assembly, I just took the thermostat completely out. The motor will tow fine the suspension on those trucks however will leave you wishing you bought something else. I will never own another dodge gas burning vehicle ...EVER. Do yourself a favor steer clear of the durangos

we had a 05 durango with a hemi. it towed the boat just fine. only down side was that it was a 2wd so it sometimes slipped at the ramp.

I forgot to mention that the brakes wear out fairly fast on those trucks whether you tow or not.

I used to tow with a Dakota 4x4. Towed the boat great, although it felt it going over any mountain passes. Never had any problems with it. But gas mileage kinda sucked..... like 13 mpg by itself & under 10 mpg while towing.

My Avalanche with the 5.3 gets better mileage in a bigger & heavier rig.

lots of opinions here.. wow.. well I have an 02 ram with the 4.7 and just rolled 135k. It is lifted on 37" tires and regeared to 4.56. I will say this it pulls my 07 vlx just fine. I know its there but it does get the job done I have towed it across 2 states and 4 mountain passes no stopping with out problems but I will agree that on hot days you will need to keep an eye on the temp gauge. If it where me personaly I would shop around a little more. the market has bottomed out on fullsize rigs.

(Message edited by liljohn on January 11, 2009)

Thanks for all your info guys. I would like a PU truck but to stay in the price range I want, I would have to settle with either something with really high miles or really old. The reason I am looking at the 4.7 is because this vehicle could easily turn into my daliy driver for the summer and that damn 5.9 sucks the gas big time. I generaly use my boat on local lakes with in 20 miles of my place so im not too worried about driving long distances. The main reason im looking at Dodges is because 2 of my good friends are former Dodge mechanics. Thanks again guys!

Anthony,

I had the Durango with the 4.7. A friend of mine had the 5.9. There was little, if any difference in mileage. I think it's cause the smaller engine had to work harder. If I did it again, I would buy the bigger engine. I thought the smaller one would save me gas, but apparently NOT.

I have an 03 Dodge Dakota with the 4.7 V8 and it "works", but I don't trust it over mountain passes. Just towing to and from the lake it works fine.

2002 Dodge Daktoa with the 4.7 as well as the Heavy Duty Tranny (essentially just stronger internals and a cooler) with 3.55's in the rear end. Tows my 85 Comp TS6M very well, power to boot.

Anthony,

I towed my 2001 launch with a 1999 durango with the 5.9 and it did just fine. You are in minnesota and there are no mountains or giant hills for you to conqueor so the 4.7 will be just fine for you and 20ssv.

Just picked it up boys! It just has to last until I sell the Supra. If anyone is looking for a 06 Supra Launch 20SSV give me a shout. I wont post it in the classifieds until spring. Has everything and plenty of extras like external ballast and upgraded electronics, tandem axle trailer, perfect pass, gravity 3 ballast system, wake plate. Asking 34k. Thanks again for all your input on the Dodge 4.7 guys. Hope she works out.

Tony 612-702-6239
megatmoe@hotmail.com



(Message edited by megatmoe on January 13, 2009)