skyblueclipse
NJ
New Member
Joined: 07/14/2010
View Profile
 Offline
|
Okay, my husband and I recently bought a 35' jayco travel trailer (2010 32bhds). We took it about 1.5 hours away and had some slight swaying (no hills). We are realizing it is way too big for our 2008 dodge durango (limited with tow package). The durango has plenty of power to tow it but we are obviously worried about the wheel base/swaying issue. Even with breaks on the trailer, equalizer sway control hitch, etc...after reading this forum, I realize we have made a huge mistake. I guess it is more the length than the weight...then again...we are newbies. We hope to one day travel out West etc... so we want to be able to tow comfortably and safely. We are one of those poor naive souls that listened to the tt dealership that said we "will be fine". Famous last words. I am embarassed and disheartened. We agreed we would buy a different tv but now realize that is not an option. With carseats and possibly their friends when they are old enough, we want to keep the durango. We are both teachers, so taking a monetary hit like this is insane for us but we have no choice. I have lost hours of sleep and again...I am very embarrassed after telling family etc... Here are my questions...
1. Am I correct in saying I need either a new TV or new TT? (Please be nice)
2. Are there any TV's that seat 6+ people that could tow something this large?
3. If no to #2....can you think of an appropriate tt that would fit this layout (u shaped dinette, queen bedroom with door, bedroom with bunks to sleep 4, basically a similar layout to our current tt).
4. Any advice to how we should approach the tt dealer. We want to email her first. Look, I know we screwed up and were totally taken, but what can we do to minimize our loss? We aren't argumentative people and I don't want to get "taken" again.
Thanks for your help, go easy on me 
|
John Wayne
Long Beach, Ca
Senior Member
Joined: 02/13/2001
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
How about a FORD Excursion with a diesel or V-10 (used). Or a Dodge max van.
* This post was
edited 07/28/10 07:25pm by John Wayne *
John & Carol
01 31'Sea View single slide, F53 V-10
96 Toyota 4-Runner auto 4x4 (Remco, M&G brake system)
KF6HCH
|
Godsey97
Dayton,Ohio
Senior Member
Joined: 06/04/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Sadly, like you stated, you were victim of a "misinformed dealer". We had both a Chevy 6 cylinder trailblazer and a Chevy Tahoe with tow package. The salesperson started trying to show us what we could tow with the trailblazer and kept getting bigger and bigger in size until he was wayyyyyy off base...
QUESTION 1. IMHO you will need one or the other, you are at or above the safe limits with your current set-up.
It would not hurt to speak with the owner of the dealership and replay your concerns. They might help you out.
At out dealership, we bought a Hybrid TT and used it one year and realized it was not for us. We went back before the next season started and told them our situation. They gave us what we paid for the unit as trade on another and then still came down considerably on the next one. Of course we bought last year holdovers on both times.
As to your layout question, we just traded in our 2008 Keystone Cougar 29BHS. It had a queen bedroom up front and 4 bunks in the back. It had a standard dinette, but the 2010's had a U-shapped dinette instead. It was an "X-Lite" model so it was lighter weight and only had a 29' house (32' with the tongue). I would not want to tow it with a Durango though. So they are out there, but I have not seen one with 4 bunks and a queen bedroom any less than 29 feet, but I can be and often am wrong (according to DW, LOL).
Getting a TV to haul 6 and tow your current unit is going to put you in the Chevy Tahoe/Ford Expedition range I am guessing. Maybe a gently used Suburban would be nice.
Don't give up.
Talk to the dealer owner, or someone who has authority to make decisions so you don't get caught in the game of the salesman running back and forth. And remember, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but you do not have to get taken advantage of.
|
2chiefsRus
USA Somewhere
Senior Member
Joined: 09/08/2004
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
 Online
|
I'm a little confused - yesterday you wrote the post copied below - what happened since yesterday?
RE: Maiden Voyage!
Oh and the Durango has a tow rating of 8,890 and yes I took into consideration the weight of the people (besides driver) and the weight of our gear, the tongue rating, the axle ratio etc... We are well under and we have a great hitch set-up...everything went wonderfully....I have done my research...we are well aware. Again, we plan on getting a new TV so we can go up mountains out west at some point without compromising the health of our tv.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Fulltime since October 2007
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what will be left.
|
skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
Senior Member
Joined: 12/17/2003
View Profile
|
I guess my first suggestion is to consider tweaking the hitch. There is really no reason your Dodge, provided the numbers you posted are correct, shouldn't be able to safely tow this trailer. I would guess that you may need a tire upgrade, possibly (most likely) a hitch adjustment but it is extremely rare for any tow vehicle manufacturer to have trailer LENGTH as a specification for their vehicles. the wheel base of your Dodge has already been taken into account in setting the WEIGHT ratings for that vehicle. Sounds like you're giving up too soon. For what it's worth, your trailer SHOULDN'T sway even with NO anti sway system attached so if it is then something is not right. Fixing the problem will probably give you the confidence to tow up to your actual ratings. Good luck ./ Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR -
2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
|
|
|
SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
Senior Member
Joined: 07/28/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
That's really a tail wagging the dog syndrome I fear.
We have friends we used to go camping with all the time that got into that situation with an older full size Bronco (Reborn about the size of an Expedition) pulling a fairly heavy 28' TT. They white-knuckled it for awhile and finally replaced the TV with a Suburban. The longer wheel base and weight distribution hitch solved all the issues, with easy seating for 6.
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
|
skyblueclipse
NJ
New Member
Joined: 07/14/2010
View Profile
Offline
|
Since yesterday, we realized that we don't want a pick up truck.... And the more I keep reading on this forum, the more freaked out I get, I thought I was good...now I know I'm not.
|
surveyorjp
Missouri
Senior Member
Joined: 09/05/2005
View Profile
|
35 feet is too long for a Durango. You need a bigger tow vehicle, or a smaller trailer. Good luck, and sorry for your situation and the cost it will take to make it right.
2005 Surveyor SV-291
1995 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT 4x4 5.9L V8 (87,000 miles)
|
kknowlton
southeast Idaho, formerly IL/WI border
Senior Member
Joined: 05/27/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
My personal opinion is that you probably do have too much trailer for your Durango, but Skip has a good point - see if you can get the hitch adjusted. We have had to have ours tweaked a bit; it's still probably not quite perfect, but at least we feel more stable than we did at first when our TT was new. See if the dealer can help; if not, perhaps there is a place around you that specializes in hitches (we have something called Master Hitch around here) and give them a call. Some, if not all, WD hitches need to have a certain torque to work properly, and not all RV dealers are fully aware that this is necessary.
And keep your eyes open for that "gently used Suburban" or some such larger SUV. Good luck!
2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7L V8 w/ tow pkg, Equal-i-zer
2008 Flagstaff 831RLSS
|
PapPappy
Wilmington, NC
Senior Member
Joined: 12/23/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Skip is probably right....they don't set the specs with the wheelbase in mind, but it's also true, the longer the wheelbase, the less the trailer will effect the TV.
Getting the rig "set up" may be something that the Dealer will do for you, if you explain what is going on.
Also, are you sure that this isn't a case of nerves because you are now towing a large trailer behind you....the TV will act differently, and that is for sure! You will hear of people on here, who will tell you that they don't even notice their trailer behind them.....but that is usually because they have way more truck than they need. You on the other hand, are closer to the limits, and you are not familiar with driving such a large rig.
I know that the first time I was driving our MH, and a truck went by, I freaked out....but by the end of the day, I wasn't even thinking about it.....and nothing changed....just my attitude.
There are things you can do with the TT that may help. The way you load it, will effect the way it will handle, so you want to try to get the weight on the hitch to the correct ratio. I'm sorry, I don't remember the numbers/ratios, but it will have an effect.
Happy Camping
Bill & Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris / GS MJ
Dogs: Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie, Annie, Maggie, Tugger & Beau
RIP: Cookie, Foxy & Gidget @ Rainbow Bridge.
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April 2008 FMCA# F407293
The Pets
|
|
|
|
