Show us your tow rigs!

[2kwik4u]

Hopefully I'll be around at the Shelbyville meet next year. My father lives in Charleston, IL, so I have no real excuse to not show up at least for the day! Maybe we can have a GM Fulsize/Jetboat picture made at some level

 

[2kwik4u]

Got her out to throw some Recreational Fuel (90 Octane, no Ethanol) and Stabil in her. Also gave her a quick wash down. Of course wanted to try out the new tow vehicle as well......WOW what an upgrade from the Trailblazer SS. Not quite as much torque, but overall a MUCH more pleasant experience towing!

 

[Rainmakr]

Got her out to throw some Recreational Fuel (90 Octane, no Ethanol) and Stabil in her. Also gave her a quick wash down. Of course wanted to try out the new tow vehicle as well......WOW what an upgrade from the Trailblazer SS. Not quite as much torque, but overall a MUCH more pleasant experience towing!
View attachment 65614

Nice setup!

 

[PEARCE]

I know a few of you on here have a Durango as your tow vehicle. I know of at least one that is a R/T which has a v8 Hemi. There's no question that the R/T can't handle a 230/240 sized boat. We're starting to think about getting a SUV that can handle secondary towing duties of our 230 and accommodate the four of us plus our 60lb. lab on trips. It will also serve as my wife's daily driver. The size of a vehicle doesn't bother her at all. She has truck and trailer duties when we're playing with the Yamaha.

My question for the group is:

Will a v6 Durango in say GT trim handle our 230 comfortably?

I don't need to set any land speed records or anything. I just need it as a backup to the Ram or when we want to bring the boat when the truck has camper duty. The reason I'm thinking v6 is for the daily gas mileage. Does it feel underpowered? Some v6 powered SUVs that I know are 3.5L v6s are real dogs with just passengers loaded in it. I also know the Hemi will be way more fun to drive.

Just looking for some advice and insight. Thanks guys.

 

[2kwik4u]

I know a few of you on here have a Durango as your tow vehicle. I know of at least one that is a R/T which has a v8 Hemi. There's no question that the R/T can't handle a 230/240 sized boat. We're starting to think about getting a SUV that can handle secondary towing duties of our 230 and accommodate the four of us plus our 60lb. lab on trips. It will also serve as my wife's daily driver. The size of a vehicle doesn't bother her at all. She has truck and trailer duties when we're playing with the Yamaha.

My question for the group is:

Will a v6 Durango in say GT trim handle our 230 comfortably?

I don't need to set any land speed records or anything. I just need it as a backup to the Ram or when we want to bring the boat when the truck has camper duty. The reason I'm thinking v6 is for the daily gas mileage. Does it feel underpowered? Some v6 powered SUVs that I know are 3.5L v6s are real dogs with just passengers loaded in it. I also know the Hemi will be way more fun to drive.

Just looking for some advice and insight. Thanks guys.

When I was searching for a new Tow Vehicle, I had a 24ft Yamaha in mind as a future boat for me (despite only having a 19ft currently). I purposely set my requirements for the vehicle at a minimum of 350ft-lbs of torque. Thats based on towing many trailers over the years, and knowing that I don't like the motor revving to the moon to maintain speed. We took my wifes Traverse to the lake once this summer with another family. It has a 3.6L V6 making 280hp/270ft-lb in it. With 4 adults, two kids, 2 coolers, and both the boat and SUV full of fuel it STRUGGLED badly to maintain 55mph on some of the roads to the lake. Several times dropping to second gear (of 6 available) and running at 6k rpm to maintain speed. It did it, but I wasn't real happy about it. Engine was loud enough that my passengers were asking if everything was OK. That was with a boat that weighs ~4k loaded up. I think I've read the 24ft boats are closer to ~6k loaded up.

In the Durango, the 5.7L doesn't cost a ton more to operate than the 3.5L in terms of fuel/maintenance/insurance. It will make towing easier in my opinion, and not cost a ton more to operate the rest of the time. Coworker has one of the 5.7L Durango's and it returns him high teens for mileage on a regular basis, and over 20 on road trips. Neighbor has a V6 Durango and gets only a few mpg better on overage. My wifes traverse gets mid-low teens regularly, actually being bested by my new Sierra already.

My point being.....will the V6 equipped SUV do it? Sure. Is it easier/more comfortable with the V8? Yes.

 

[Benny Sibbitt]

Agreed @2kwik4u

Look at the Horsepower and Torque numbers - keep those number in the mid 350's and should tow pretty comfortably

but still remember to look at tow rating numbers the Vehicle is rated for to ensure you have the proper suspension and tow setup

 

[PEARCE]

Thanks guys! @2kwik4u @Benny Sibbitt

 

[Earfixr]

 

[scot71]

I know a few of you on here have a Durango as your tow vehicle. I know of at least one that is a R/T which has a v8 Hemi. There's no question that the R/T can't handle a 230/240 sized boat. We're starting to think about getting a SUV that can handle secondary towing duties of our 230 and accommodate the four of us plus our 60lb. lab on trips. It will also serve as my wife's daily driver. The size of a vehicle doesn't bother her at all. She has truck and trailer duties when we're playing with the Yamaha.

My question for the group is:

Will a v6 Durango in say GT trim handle our 230 comfortably?

I don't need to set any land speed records or anything. I just need it as a backup to the Ram or when we want to bring the boat when the truck has camper duty. The reason I'm thinking v6 is for the daily gas mileage. Does it feel underpowered? Some v6 powered SUVs that I know are 3.5L v6s are real dogs with just passengers loaded in it. I also know the Hemi will be way more fun to drive.

Just looking for some advice and insight. Thanks guys.

My wife and I just purchased a 2017 Durango GT with the v6 a couple months ago. Although I've only pulled the boat with it once so far, It did an awesome job. The combination of the v6 and 8-speed transmission work very well together. It never felt like it was working hard at all. I'm not sure what kind of mileage I am going to get while towing (since I've only done it once so far) but I can say that in normal everyday driving it is easy to get 25-26 mpg.

 

[d_coyne1984]

New tow pig! Traded in my 2011 V6 Grand Cherokee for a Ram 1500 with the 5.7. I can't wait to try towing the boat in the spring.

 

[scot71]

New tow pig! Traded in my 2011 V6 Grand Cherokee for a Ram 1500 with the 5.7. I can't wait to try towing the boat in the spring.View attachment 66631 View attachment 66632

You're gonna love it!

 

[SCP1]

New tow pig! Traded in my 2011 V6 Grand Cherokee for a Ram 1500 with the 5.7. I can't wait to try towing the boat in the spring.View attachment 66631 View attachment 66632

Your going to need a bigger boat, lol...

 

[d_coyne1984]

Your going to need a bigger boat, lol...

My thoughts exactly!

 

[2kwik4u]

Your going to need a bigger boat, lol...

I thought this exact same thing the first time I towed my AR190 with my new fullsize pickup........."Clearly I need a bigger boat now!"

 

[d_coyne1984]

You're gonna love it!

What size drop hitch are you using for your Ram?

 

[scot71]

What size drop hitch are you using for your Ram?

2" drop flipped over

 

[Benny Sibbitt]

IMG_0425

• Benny Sibbitt
• Dec 21, 2017

new tow vehicle

 

[Gadiel]

 

[Zarrella]

My new King Ranch

 

[scot71]

@Gadiel Did you get the Hemi or the V6? Ours has the V6 but I'm very impressed with how well it pulls the boat.