Got my Durango back today. A new engine in one week. Pretty good I think. Especially considering I had to deal with an extended warranty. Again, the engine failure has been a long time building. I just got my trailer last weekend so it had nothing to do with the failure.

Well, I will give it a test this weekend probably. So, stay off the road if you think this is dangerous.

Fourlix: I agree, it is more than just engine. I may end up eating crow on this whole thing but, I have got to give it a try. Hey, I still have 44,000 miles on my extended warranty[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] The trailer will be less than 7000 lbs. (probably about 6800 lbs.)loaded. What would you say as the max weight to tow with a Durango rated at 7300 lbs? How much were you towing with your GM? What engine and tranny rear end?

 

One thing about some trucks is they have a high gear. My Dodge has the off-road pkg (3/4 ton springs on a 1/2 ton, still got 1/2 ton axles though, plus other upgrades) so it gets 4:10 gears. Which is nice. My friends Dodge Ram 4X4 only has 3:55 gears, that kinda blows. My dads '97 Chevy 1500 4X4 only has 3:42 gears! You should see it pull grain wagons out of the feild. One day he pulled two 385 bushel grain wagons out hooked together. That is (depending on the grain) about 47,000 lbs!!!
Even in 4lo it was tough to get going. What's even worse is when he has one wagon with wet corn at about 25,000lbs at a stop sign trying to take off in 2Hi. That poor truck! To Chevy's credit it is still strong.
I liked my grandpas old '77 Chevy with with fulltime 4WD & 4:56 gears better.
My IH is pretty cool for pulling real heavy loads like a grain wagon from a get go. I have 4WD with auto locking hubs (yep on 1969 model!) with the granny gear 4 speed (1st gear is 6.3 to 1 ratio, lower than the big bad NV 4500 in the 3500 Dodges)I also have the geared NP205 T-case. (the best ever, imho)
You take off in 4lo 1st gear out of the feild. Get on the road shift to 2nd gear, then to third (still in 4lo at this time) Then push in the clutch & move the T-case to Neutral, let clutch out for a second, clutch again & move T-case into 2Hi. Now you are on the road move along in 3rd gear 2Hi. Works smooth like butter[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] New trucks just can't compare....
That shifting in & out of Lo to Hi at 2-3 mph sucks!!!!
On the other hand the IH isn't a good "tower" just "puller". The old school amenities on long trips & 4 wheel drum brakes with a closed knuckle front axle is alot of work ![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

i know what ur saying gottahavaraptor.... what about those old a$$ trucks with a thousand palletes loaded 20 ft high

 

OK, I read this thread for the first time. I got some really good #'s for you.

Dodge 2500 Ram Diesel with the 4:10 gears, pulling a 33foot Tahoe Toybox.

It'll do 75-80 on flat surfaces but once it starts climbing-FORGET ABOUT IT!

Get's 6-7mpg on avg. but when going up hill- HOW ABOUT 3MPG.

My buddies Ford doesn't get much better milage but sure does pull ALOT harder up the hills.

 

damn, 6-7mpg, something is wrong i think. I have a buddy with a 35ft fifth wheel toy box(14000lbs loaded) and he gets 9-11 with a mix of hills and flat(going out to sand mtn.) i get about that too but my trailer is only 9k to 10klbs, what does your tahoe weigh?

 

friend of mine has a 2001 dodge cummins 4x4 dually with an auto.
stock and empty he got 12 to 13 mpg.
towing a 30ft toy hauler to nevada he got 8 to 9 mpg
after coming back from las vegas with a new found 440hp at the rear wheels we still got 8 to 9 mpg going to glamis with the trailer. and going over the grapevine with a fully loaded trailer at 65mph is very impressive to me.

 

Well, here it is. . . I'm eating crow.

Bought the Excursion Tuesday night. Found a 2000 with 29,000 miles on it and the 7.3L diesel. I talked my wife into driving it to work so I am happy.

Actually, the Durango towed it up the hill pretty well. Had snow on the way to Sand Mt. so I went really slow anyways. On the way back I dropped the automatic into first gear and kept it at about 4 grand and it went right up the hill at 35 mph. It had plenty of torque in first but if it went into second it would lose speed and drop back into first.

The worst thing was actually once we got to Fallon on our way to Sand Mt. and we filled up on water. The Weekend Warrior carries 120 gallons at 8.33 lbs/gallon that is 1000 lbs. The Durango was practically resting on the axle. I brought the brochures for all the rigs up and by the end of the next day my wife was ready to get a new tow vehicle.

Not sure if this will be the vehicle for us in the long run but, it is a diesel and we got a good deal on it since it was used so, if something better comes out I will trade up.

We are heading to Sand Mt. the weekend of the 4th so, I will let you know how it does.

I cannot believe the thing has a 44 gallon tank. I should be able to make it there and back on one tank. I had to stop two times on the way home for gas in the Durango. Should make the trip much quicler.

 

3TV,
Wouldn't it be cool if Jeep would make a full size Grand Wagoneer again, but with a Cummins !!!!

 

The Excursion is based on the Super Duty pickup right? That's got to be a good thing. So that means V-10 or powerstroke diesel eh? We pick up our new crew cab Lariat Super Duty on Monday. I'm hoping my wife will like/drive it so I can get rid of what will be our extra Chevy, or just give it to Skyler, who is almost 14, and will be driving real soon anyway. A half-ton 4x4 Silverado king cab, short bed/camper shell is a good rig for a kid. Not much power to get him in trouble, Not enough seats for a party wagon, lots of steel to protect him, place to get laid.

 

Back to that battery subject for a second. I read that some people are switching to truck batteries on their toy boxes and I've got the same junk battery problem with mine. Which batteries are you guys switching to and about how much do they go for? Thanks!