Towing

[bigwhit86]

I want to by myself a 2013 sun tracker 18ft bass buggy, would my 2013 Dodge Journey Crew pull that with no issues or do I need to get a bigger truck for the job? Boat is about 2800LBS

[bigtsr]

Many different opinions on the tow weights governing DJs after 2010,

best bet is follow the manual and talk to the dealer.

You didn't say if you have AWD and or the mopar tow package.

[bigwhit86]

I just have the FWD no tow package yet got to get one put on

[Journeyman425]

Your Journey is rated for 2500 lbs. How far are you going with it? If it is mostly short distance local towing, you will be fine with it. Aerodynamics will not be a major factor since the height of a bass boat is lower than the vehicle height. The weight is not a problem for the powertrain to manage, but transmission and engine temps have to be monitored. If you are towing longer distances in hilly terrain then I would advise against it.

[sexyRTboi]

We just got back from a camping trip from SW Ontario to Cape Cod Mass. -- 4500kms roundtrip -- pulling our new 2800lb 12ft box Rockwood tent trailer. Other than the back end alil saggy (weight distribution hitch will solve that), my 2012 AWD R/T pulled that camper like a freaking dream !! .... we were somewhat nervous about it after reading everything on here but everything was perfect and took it very very easy for the first few hours, but once we settled into the grove of things everything went just awesome ! .... even going through the mountains in Vermont, the R/T didn't miss a beat ! Keep in mind we weren't gunning the engine, only had the cruise on through NY state where its mostly flat, through the mountains we stuck to the right hand lane, but our R/T just amazed us ! ..... we kept an eye on ALL the temps (trans, oil pressure, engine etc) ... none of them moved and SOMEHOW we averaged 11.3 L/100Kms

Don't know why everyone is so worried about towing with their Journey after 2011. I know the manual says 2500 but with 2 adults, our luggage and our camper Im sure our GVW was 3000lbs+ .... and not a single problem at all

... have fun fishin' !

[Journeyman425]

I think the tow rating belies the car's actual capability. Of course, as a dealer service manager I cannot publicly condone towing over the posted limits, but my experience was just like yours. The car showed absolutely no sign of struggle and handled the load with ease. Just like yourself, I monitored all the temperature values in the EVIC and yes, even the fuel economy did not suffer drastically. Now, my camper weighs less than yours and our trip was on level terrain but it was done in 90 degree weather with the A/C on. The nice thing about all this is that now I know that if we want to go a significant distance with the camper, there's peace of mind knowing the car is well within its design parameters rather than straining at its limit.

[Windancer]

This seems to be one of the biggest "bones of contention" with our Journeys. I know for 2009 & 2010 the manual suggests 3500# and the newer ones suggest only 2500#, I'll state right up front I AM NO EXPERT but as Journeyman425 said before me said He will not publicly condone towing over the limit, but the car seems more thancapable of towing more than it says. Now do you want to take that chance?

As DodgeCaCares states there are many things that are factored into a tow rating and it is a very good guideline to follow. It is not a Ram Truck so don't expect it to be.

Terry

Edited August 11, 2013 by Windancer

[webslave]

This seems to be one of the biggest "bones of contention" with our Journeys. I know for 2009 & 2010 the manual suggests 3500# and the newer ones suggest only 2500#, I'll state right up front I AM NO EXPERT but as Journeyman425 said before me said He will not publicly condone towing over the limit, but the car seems capable of towing more than it says. Now do you want to take that chance?

As DodgeCaCares states there are many things that are factored into a tow rating and it is a very good guideline to follow. It is not a Ram Truck so don't expect it to be.

Terry

I've towed equipment and RVs for a lot of years. Particularly right now, with "towing wars" going on (who can tow the most) between the manufacturers, for one to reduce the tow capacity of one of its vehicles means that they've discovered a problem with the old weights that leads to a "long term" issue (not probable in my mind since they haven't sent warnings out to previous purchasers to lower the weights they tow) or they've redesigned some element in the new ones that they know won't support the higher weight. You can monitor temperatures all you want...will oil temp or trans temp tell you that you are shredding the disc packs on the axles? Will temps tell you that you are reducing the frame integrity of a newly designed crash cage that gives the DJ its high crash rating? There are many, many things that are taken into the equations when determining safe tow ratings and not all of them are engine oil and transmission fluid related. You can chip transmission gears with stone cold transmission fluid.

Exceed the manufaturer's ratings if you like, it is your vehicle, but, unfortunately there are others on the road that may suffer your consequences as well. I currently tow a bit over 11,000 lbs, but, I do it with a truck that is built specifically and rated for well over that. I don't tow it with a RAM 1500 even though that truck is quite capable of getting it down the road; at least for awhile. Just because you can get away with it, at least for a while, doesn't mean that it is a good idea to do it. The owner's manual doesn't say "it would be a good idea for you stay at 2500 lbs or less, but, go ahead and tow what you want" is says the tow rating is 2500 lbs for this vehicle; no other qualifiers, just 2500 lbs.

[Journeyman425]

.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Journeyman425

[sexyRTboi]

being a nurse, I can assure you that not only my own, but also public safety is of utmost importance to me. If we had began towing our camper with the R/T and it didn't "feel right" ... I can assure you that I would be turning around and heading back home. With the brake controller as well as a weight distribution hitch and plain old common sense I feel the Journey, equipped properly, will have no problem towing our camper for many years to come without jeopardizing my safety or anyone else on the road for that matter ..... Not that its much to compare, but growing up, my family drove an 85 LeBaron (the talking car) with the little 2.2 engine and it hauled our 87 Lextra tent trailer all over the west coast and through the Rocky Mountains numerous times a year for 18 years ... all this with 3 kids in the back seat, and no such thing as a brake controller on it whatsoever and that LeBaron never required any work or breakdowns as a result of towing the old steel box on wheels. .... While I understand you're a towing guru, you're right, its my vehicle ... am I going to tow a 26ft, 8000lb travel trailer with it?? Hell no ... even I know what level of stupidity that is .... but towing in an acceptable range between 2000 and 3500lbs (properly equipped again I state due to the common issue of crappy brakes) there should not and be any issues whatsoever and we look forward to many more camping road trips with our R/T .......... If I had given in and listened to the "experts" on here than I would've continued with the fear of "I'm going to blow my entire engine system within a block" and would never had had the chance to experience just how awesome of a holiday vehicle the Journey really is.

Edited August 12, 2013 by sexyRTboi

[webslave]

You misunderstand... You state towing between 2000 and 3500 lbs could be an issue. It isn't an issue if your vehicle is rated to 3500 lbs. We are discussing a 2500 lb rated vehicle towing 3500 lbs. and more (if your trailer weighs 3500 lbs. and you have 4 passengers plus cargo, I can guarantee you that you are exceeding not only the tow rating if the car is rated at 2500 lbs, but, the GVWR of the car). Your maintaining that towing 3500 lbs plus cargo in a vehicle rated for 2500 lbs is OK. It certainly isn't. You are exceeding your vehicle's rating by nearly 30%. If a ladder is rated for 250 lbs. and you weigh 330 lbs; are you really going to climb that ladder, not only once, but, multiple times? If a bridge is rated for 2000 lbs, are you going to drive your 3500 lb car across it?

Nobody here stated that "you would blow up your engine in a block". Quite, honestly, that engine should easily haul 3500 lbs, even 8,000 lbs, but, the rest of the vehicle is the limiting factor and something in that vehicle has the safety engineers with MOPAR concerned enough to lower the rating from 3500 lbs. to 2500 lbs. There is a reason, if you choose to ignore it...I guess you know more about engineering (my wife is an Opthalmic Specialist (Masters, Bachelor RN) retired and engineering wasn't in either of her curricula) than those folks do.

I'm not a guru, but, compared to someone that will wantonly ignore safety ratings by the range that you are espousing, I would guess that I'm pretty darn close. It is possible to do it and just like I do with folks pulling a trailer at 75 mph on 65 mph rated ST tires, I'll let you go by and get far enough ahead that you aren't a hazard to me and will be off the road with the dust settling by the time I pass you, you can't plan for every eventuality, the safety engineers try and I do my best to follow their advice as accidents happen and I'd like to be well within the capabilities engineered in to my vehicle for my safety as well as those traveling in the vehicle with me and those other folks on the road. Again, I'm pleased that your engineering analysis of your DJ is so much better than MOPAR's; good luck to you and I hope you never have the misfortune to encounter the reason why the rating was lowered if it was for safety reasons.

[sexyRTboi]

I understand and agree with some points you've made, and I do consider you one of the gurus on here as far as towing as you obviously have many years of experience towing all sorts of campers and travel trailers. Our Rockwood is 2730lbs, than with two adults and two large suitcases in the back Im sure we're just a tad over the 3000lb range ... I was just stating that there did not seem to be any issue whatsoever in the capabilities of the R/T .... would I tow anything heavier than our current Rockwood? absolutely not simply because even I know we're at the limits of what our vehicles can do ... We do plan on trading in our R/T for a Gr.Cherokee Diesel in 2 years so towing will no longer be an issue.

No offence meant so I hope not was taken