Tow rig ratings, Boat, and trailer weights. Dodge V6 Pentastar

[bluesman280 99]

Hey guys,

 

What does the FS 33 and the FS 44 weigh in at dry, including trailer?

 

Planning for the future.......I am looking at a new tow rig and can see a boat upgrade also in the future.

 

Anyone using a Dodge Durango or any other Dodge/Jeep vehicle with a V6 Pentastar for a tow rig, and what size boat are you pulling?

 

I presently have the SV233 and estimate it at around 6000 lbs. Currently pulling it with my 1997 GMC Z71 or my 2006 Denali pickup. Both pull it fantastic, but occasionally we have 6 people, 1 more crew than the 5 passenger trucks holds.

 

Have been looking at the Dodge Durango with the V6. Rated at 6200 lbs.

 

Normally I would just go straight to the 5.7 Hemi(rated at 7500lbs), but I already have 2 GM trucks with mediocre gas mileage and was considering the Durango V6 so I would at least have one vehicle in the house with reasonable fuel economy.

 

Has anybody been pulling their boats with the V-6 Durango?

 

 

[souperfly 41]

I would recommend against getting anything that will be maxed for towing. Something that might be tough to find, but would fit the bill and get decent fuel mileage, an older Ford Excursion with either the 6.0 or more preferably the 7.3 diesel. They can tow a house, get 16+ mpg and hold 8 + people. The really tough to find Excursions are those with the 7.3 PowerStroke, but are well worth it as that engine is bulletproof.

Edited August 5, 2015 by souperfly

[Stretch 409]

If you want a smaller suv nasmith ran an eco diesel grand Cherokee with his fs44.

 

This is always fun. It's doable with a lesser vehicle if you want. Especially with a tiny tow to a great ramp. Some will say rock what ya got, others say you need a semi. Make sure you're comfortable towing your load and haul out.

 

I wouldn't do a v6 gasser unless it's got turbos blowing in its face hole.

 

I would recommend a Touareg or a Eco GC *if you really want gas mileage *

Edited August 5, 2015 by Stretch

[Lak3surf3r 714]

The grand cherokee diesel towed fine, but dont expect that penastar to even make it up a 2% grade without overheating. I used my loaner durango penastar to tow my fX22 and iI had to stop twice in less than a mile on a very slight hill. Then on a real hill that was only a mile long I had to stop 8 times lol. That vehicle cannot handle these boats, I even had a 2013 overland GC with a Hemi that struggled big time on flatland with my FS44.

[viking 491]

I've got an 05 Yukon Denali with the 6.0L. It tows great everywhere. But I will tell you I tried a new lake out this year with STEEP ramps and the pucker factor hit when the 226 started to pull the tow rig across the gravel on top. It was fine and would be a non-issue if everything was paved entirely here but being there is alot of gravel around our lakes the ramps get scattered with rocks. My wife wants an XL now

But she's been trying to find reasons to get a new SUV......LOL

[bluesman280 99]

The grand cherokee diesel towed fine, but dont expect that penastar to even make it up a 2% grade without overheating. I used my loaner durango penastar to tow my fX22 and iI had to stop twice in less than a mile on a very slight hill. Then on a real hill that was only a mile long I had to stop 8 times lol. That vehicle cannot handle these boats, I even had a 2013 overland GC with a Hemi that struggled big time on flatland with my FS44.

Well that narrows it down pretty fast........sounds like the Pentastar is out. Knew I was running a fine line trying to do it with the V-6 and the 6200 lb weight rating for SV233.

I guess the 5.7 hemi would be the better choice with the 7500 lb rating, but sounds like it might even have its hands full if we upgrade the boat in the next couple years to an FS 33.

 

The Centurion web site has the FS 33 listed at 5300 lbs, plus I am guessing around 1500 lbs for the trailer....so 6800 lbs. Load it up with gas and toys....still under the 7500 lb rating, but probably close to the limit. The Hemi would probably work for around home on the occasional flat lander trips to the lake.

 

The F-450 motorhome with the V-10 may be my only choice for the mountains if we head for BC for some fun in the sun.

[Lak3surf3r 714]

Well that narrows it down pretty fast........sounds like the Pentastar is out. Knew I was running a fine line trying to do it with the V-6 and the 6200 lb weight rating for SV233.

I guess the 5.7 hemi would be the better choice with the 7500 lb rating, but sounds like it might even have its hands full if we upgrade the boat in the next couple years to an FS 33.

 

The Centurion web site has the FS 33 listed at 5300 lbs, plus I am guessing around 1500 lbs for the trailer....so 6800 lbs. Load it up with gas and toys....still under the 7500 lb rating, but probably close to the limit. The Hemi would probably work for around home on the occasional flat lander trips to the lake.

 

The F-450 motorhome with the V-10 may be my only choice for the mountains if we head for BC for some fun in the sun.

The Hemi tows it but you have to floor it everywhere to get up to speed. Same went with my 2012 1500 ram with a 10k rating that only stopped the boat better, and got rid of that quick too. neither hemi model got more than 6mpg towing the boat or 16mpg street driving. My 2012 cummins gets better than both at 11ish towing my FS44 and 17ish in town.

Edited August 5, 2015 by nasmith342

[stoked 1,039]

Well that narrows it down pretty fast........sounds like the Pentastar is out. Knew I was running a fine line trying to do it with the V-6 and the 6200 lb weight rating for SV233.

I guess the 5.7 hemi would be the better choice with the 7500 lb rating, but sounds like it might even have its hands full if we upgrade the boat in the next couple years to an FS 33.

 

The Centurion web site has the FS 33 listed at 5300 lbs, plus I am guessing around 1500 lbs for the trailer....so 6800 lbs. Load it up with gas and toys....still under the 7500 lb rating, but probably close to the limit. The Hemi would probably work for around home on the occasional flat lander trips to the lake.

 

The F-450 motorhome with the V-10 may be my only choice for the mountains if we head for BC for some fun in the sun.

 

We tow with a Supercharged V-6 Range Rover that is only rated for 7700lbs and it tows just fine. Except for steeper hills and the gas needle falling fast, you wouldn't even know the boat was back there. So I think you would be fine with a rig rated for 7500lbs, but then we're also not going through mountains...

[h20king 794]

All you guys towing with undersized rigs with hitch receivers not rated for the load are leaving yourselves in risk of losing everything. Get in an accident and someone gets hurt you leave yourself at risk of getting sued. I have said it more than once it is not a question if a smaller rig can move the load the question is can it stop the load in an emergency situation. If you can afford a 100k boat you can afford a proper tow rig.

[rockballer 162]

I tow with a 14 SRT GC. It's the 6.4L and have absolutely no issues with towing. have towed it up mountains with no issues and it actually screams past the diesels on the hills. Well it does now that it's supercharged. The 14+ GC's come with a new 8 spd transmission and is bulletproof. The 13's still had the old 5 spd and only rated for 5,000 lbs. Those won't and shouldn't be used to tow with for our boats. The 14's and up are rated for 7500 lbs.

[DarksideR 1,679]

All you guys towing with undersized rigs with hitch receivers not rated for the load are leaving yourselves in risk of losing everything. Get in an accident and someone gets hurt you leave yourself at risk of getting sued. I have said it more than once it is not a question if a smaller rig can move the load the question is can it stop the load in an emergency situation. If you can afford a 100k boat you can afford a proper tow rig.

Some of what you said makes perfect sense... some. If the truck is rated to tow "X" amount of weight, and the boat and trailer is under that amount, there should be no worry about being sued. That being said, I think it totally depends on where you live. If you've got a lot of hills or mountains you'll be driving up and down, you're out of your mind to get within 20% of your max tow weight. Personally, I'm right on the cusp with my setup. Which brings me to your last statement. Personally, I've reached deep down into my pockets just to be able to afford the boat I have. Any further down into those pockets and I'll be touching my toes. Right or wrong, that's where I'm at. Eventually I'll get a proper tow rig. But for now, I'll just have to make it work with my little half ton.

[bluesman280 99]

All you guys towing with undersized rigs with hitch receivers not rated for the load are leaving yourselves in risk of losing everything. Get in an accident and someone gets hurt you leave yourself at risk of getting sued. I have said it more than once it is not a question if a smaller rig can move the load the question is can it stop the load in an emergency situation. If you can afford a 100k boat you can afford a proper tow rig.

I agree.....it is better to be safe than sorry. There are lots of rigs out there with the power to pull it, like you say vehicles tow rating also takes in to count the vehicle weight and stopping ability.

 

That is why we are looking at vehicles with suitable ratings before we buy a new vehicle. The new wheels are mostly being used as the wife's everyday driver for around town, but I am also considering making sure it is rated for towing the boat if and when required.

 

The hitch and vehicle are both within the rating limits on my present tow vehicles and the Durango should be fine at the 7500 lb mark for our present boat at 6000lbs. But also have to consider the possibility of a future boat upgrade.

That being said, I did notice the guy before me only put on a 3500 lb hitch on the motorhome and I will have to get that upgraded to tow the boat.

[Stretch 409]

It should be noted that a hemi Durango is not a great option for gas mileage which you spoke about originally. But.. I'm not sure what suv other than an excursion is

[souperfly 41]

I hate to beat a dead horse, but if you are looking for fuel mileage (16 mpg +) , towing capability (11,000 lbs) and max seating capacity (8+); you are looking for a diesel Excursion. There really isn't a better option than that.

 

Good luck in your search, what ever it is you end up buying!

[Lak3surf3r 714]

Remember that most bumper pull hitches are only rated at 5000lbs so we are all illegally towing. My 2012 cummins 6.7l 2500 is rated at 18,000lbs but if you look at the manual even my class 5 hitch rating still says 6000lbs max. The real rating is for a 5th wheel in bed receiver. Technically I shouldn't even be pulling my FS44 with my cummins lol. also a lot of these rating are based off sway control systems in use too. Here is a good read on towing capacity and safety.

https://goldengait.com/customer-resources/trailer-tips/towing-safety/

[Troy 234]

Our Excursion gets 19 mpg on the Highway and 15-16 mpg around town. I keep my foot out of it and 70mph or less. It's a beast.

This last picture was at the beginning of the season before we put new tires on the Ex.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited August 7, 2015 by Troy

[h20king 794]

Remember that most bumper pull hitches are only rated at 5000lbs so we are all illegally towing. My 2012 cummins 6.7l 2500 is rated at 18,000lbs but if you look at the manual even my class 5 hitch rating still says 6000lbs max. The real rating is for a 5th wheel in bed receiver. Technically I shouldn't even be pulling my FS44 with my cummins lol. also a lot of these rating are based off sway control systems in use too. Here is a good read on towing capacity and safety.

https://goldengait.com/customer-resources/trailer-tips/towing-safety/

not sure what the stock rating is on my 3500 because I have a super hitch installed. My rating is 1500 lbs tounge weight 15,000 Lb trailer weight. If I was to use a weight distribution hitch the numbers are even higher.

[Bongo Fury 640]

Our Excursion gets 19 mpg on the Highway and 15-16 mpg around town. I keep my foot out of it and 70mph or less. It's a beast.

This last picture was at the beginning of the season before we put new tires on the Ex.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Troy....that shop is out of sight!!!! I think ot might be worth $1M here.....lol... Awesome! Rig is sweet too!

[bluesman280 99]

Ya, what he said ^^^^^. Nice looking shop.

 

Toughest part is keeping the wife happy on this one. This is her main run around the city vehicle. She would prefer something with 3 row seating but wants it small enough for her to get around the city easy. She is coming out of a 2008 GMC Acadia which makes for a great set of wheels for her, so I have to cover those bases first. She hates driving my trucks around because they are harder to park and she thinks they are too big. Full size SUV's are also too big in her world.

 

The towing is secondary. Happy wife, happy life......or in this case get her a new vehicle I can live with and she is happy with, so I can justify a possible boat upgrade next year.

Worst case, I can keep using my trucks as tow vehicles for now and upgrade my truck if I need to when we do a boat upgrade.

 

Most of the crossovers are rated too low for towing, most of the SUV's are too big to keep the wife happy.

 

Ended up going with a new 2014 Durango with Hemi.

 

The Durango ended up being a strong contender to keep the wife happy, had 3rd row seating, rated to pull the boat, downside I lose out a bit on the gas mileage.

 

Most of our towing is all flat land around here, so it should be able to handle the boat when I need to use it. Worst case, if I need a few more HP I can always chip it and throw on the cold air intake, or follow Rockballer's lead and supercharge it. (All good ideas probably void warranty though)

 

My 97 GMC Z71 ends up being the main tow rig most of the time anyways. Has a topper on the back and is usually loaded up with all the toys we will ever need for a day on the water..... 2 wakeboards, 2 kneeboards, 6 surf boards, 8 tubes for the kids to pick from, a cooler full of beverages, and a cooler full of snacks.

[bluesman280 99]

Remember that most bumper pull hitches are only rated at 5000lbs so we are all illegally towing. My 2012 cummins 6.7l 2500 is rated at 18,000lbs but if you look at the manual even my class 5 hitch rating still says 6000lbs max. The real rating is for a 5th wheel in bed receiver. Technically I shouldn't even be pulling my FS44 with my cummins lol. also a lot of these rating are based off sway control systems in use too. Here is a good read on towing capacity and safety.

 

https://goldengait.com/customer-resources/trailer-tips/towing-safety

Everything I have in the driveway pulls the boat just great, and has pulled our various boats and trailers over the years with no issues. I had always gone by the tow rating.

Now that I have educated myself a bunch more on tow ratings and hitches, we probably all should be running equalizer hitches. Used to have one for my old truck and bumper pull trailer at 5000 lbs, I guess A guy should be rigging one up for the boat as well.

 

Funny how that works, the boat weighs a 1000 lbs more, but pulls way easier. Feels a lot lighter back there, but I know my old trailer was a lot heavier on the hitch weight which probably made it feel heavier.

 

This started off as an upgrade to the wife's wheels, but now I am going to have to upgrade the motorhome hitch and look for an equalizer hitch suitable for our Hydraulic brake coupler.