Forest River Shamrock 21 SS tow with Dodge Dakota?

rccduncan · 03-13-2014, 06:18 AM

Greetings, We just purchased a Shamrock 21SS same as a Roo 21SS and are hopeing our Dodge Dakota 4x4 V8 4.7 Extended Cab can handle the towing of this rig. I have researched it as best I can and the dealer said of course it will tow the Shamrock with no problems but still I am concerned. The dealer is including a hitch and stabilizer bars etc. Anyone out there that has actually towed with a Dodge Dakota? If so your encouragement would be really helpful. Also I am worried the trailer will cause the rear of truck to sag. I would like some suggestions for beefing up the rear springs. We pick the trailer up tomorrow and we are going straight to our first camping for a test at a near by state park. Hopefully I will get some quick responses and sorry for posting so late. Rick

mhartzel · 03-13-2014, 06:34 AM

What year Dakota?
What axle ratio?
You can check the specs at http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/ once you have the year and axle information.

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rccduncan · 03-13-2014, 06:53 AM

Me again but having to just ad to post. I am receiving emails of questions but link not working.
The
Dakota is a 2001 model 70xxx miles auto with overdrive with a 355 rear end.

ChooChooMan74 · 03-13-2014, 06:58 AM

It could be doable. Here are a few good links.

http://www.leantorv.com

http://www.campinglife.com/tow-ratings-database/

We could use a little bit more info.

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Talonman · 03-13-2014, 09:31 AM

Big tongue weight on the 21SS, what is you max tongue weight?

**bikendan** · 03-13-2014, 12:38 PM

with only a 3.55 rear end, i would be very leery of towing the 21SS.

it'll easily weigh around at least 5500lbs. loaded for camping.

you need to look at the hitch weight and the Dodge's payload amount.
what year is the Dodge? look at that year's Dodge Towing Guide for exact specs.

ChooChooMan74 · 03-13-2014, 01:01 PM

I am having issues finding the information. There are six choices and so far I cannot find anything dor a 3.55 gearing.

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zs325RES · 03-13-2014, 02:50 PM

This might relate.
Last year my son-in-law had a 4 door Dakota with the same mechanicals and tried pulling their Passport Hybrid (very similar to your Shamrock) with it. He was very disappointed and he has towed many things, so plenty of perspective.
The truck handled very poorly and they used a quality WDH.
He promptly went shopping for, and bought a full sized Ram. Much happier now.

I hope this helps.

mhartzel · 03-13-2014, 03:07 PM

From the trailer life link, I dropped to the 2001 guide. Look on page 3.
Dakota Club Cab 4WD 4.7 V8 with 4 speed auto trans and 3.55 axle is rated to 4850#
With only a 150# driver and a full tank of gas.

Subtract your wdh weight, driver weight over 150, passengers, gear...

The listed "shipping weight" is over 4300 pounds for that trailer. In my opinion, not enough truck for the job.

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rccduncan · 03-13-2014, 03:46 PM

Door tag on the truck says GVW 5,620 lbs. Also have factory decoder for vi # and it states heavy duty front and rear shocks / front and rear stabilizer bars. I pick the trailer up tomorrow and the dealer is to install a load equalizing anti sway hitch. Now does this sound any better or do I need to not purchase this beautiful 21 SS trailer. I promise to pack lightly and my wife promises as well. Hurry with your replies............Rick

Sgt. Schultz · 03-13-2014, 03:57 PM

By brother had a 2001 Dakota with the 4.7/4spd - he towed around 5k lbs for a few years before trading to an f-150.
He did need to beef up the rear suspension (something like - Timbren Suspension Kits - 2001 Dodge Dakota - TruckSpring.com ) ,LT load range C tires & add a tranny cooler- the OEM was not sufficient for his needs -- the max tow for his 5800 GVW version was around 6000lbs if I recall.

If you haven't already done so, a flushed cooling system, fresh tranny & diff fluids would be a good idea as you it looks like you will be towing close to the max for the truck. You may find that a fresh set of shocks, LT tires and helper springs or air bags may also be in order.

I believe with judicious packing you will be well within the trucks specs with the trailer

Take your time and

rccduncan · 03-13-2014, 04:05 PM

I plan on all the things you have listed. I recently put a new radiator in / water pump / and clutch fan. At 70xxx miles do you recommend I replace the shocks? For sure I will be getting the air bags for the truck.
I just checked my owners manual and it says for my truck the extended cab 4 x 4 that the maximum tongue weight is 800 lbs. Sounds like a lot but I shouldn't be any where near that.
thanks again for all your help and encouragement. I NEEDED THAT !

Sgt. Schultz · 03-13-2014, 04:18 PM

Even without towing I would replace the shocks around 50K - see MONROE SHOCKS & STRUTS :: e-Catalog for some options
With regards to your receiver their should be a sticker that states the max. I believe the OEM was 500/5000.
Just a reminder the WDH setup at the dealer will not match what you need when loaded for camping so be sure to understand how to adjust the setup at home.

**bikendan** · 03-13-2014, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rccduncan

Door tag on the truck says GVW 5,620 lbs. Also have factory decoder for vi # and it states heavy duty front and rear shocks / front and rear stabilizer bars. I pick the trailer up tomorrow and the dealer is to install a load equalizing anti sway hitch. Now does this sound any better or do I need to not purchase this beautiful 21 SS trailer. I promise to pack lightly and my wife promises as well. Hurry with your replies............Rick

none of that stuff matters as much as the 3.55 rear end ratio.

since haven't posted enough info on your truck, like which model?(SLT, SXT and so on),i'll repeat what i said in an earlier post, READ the Dodge Towing Guide.
Dodge Towing Guide - By Vehicle
the Guide only goes back to 2002 but a 2002 SXT Club Cab with the 3.55 rear end, has a max towing capacity of only 3750lbs.

so NO, DON'T tow a 21SS with the Dakota if it's spec'd like the one i posted above.

rccduncan · 03-14-2014, 05:43 AM

Gosh Dan all that I haven't posted about my truck is that it is an SLT model. The tag on the door truly says 5,680 lbs GVW. The owners manual that came with truck says maximum tongue weight of 800 lbs. It's 5:25 AM and I pick the trailer up at 9:AM . After I check everything out I'll probably be on the road by 11:ish. I will be traveling to a near by State Park about 40 miles from here for a test camp of 2 nights. Some dual highway some 2 lane with average Missouri terraine (sp?). Anyways some hills and some straight flat stretches. The info above concerning 3.55 gears , heavy duty shocks , anti sway bars front and rear , etc are all from the vi# build sheet from Dodge. Woops did I mention 4.7 v8 45RFE transmission auto 4 speed? Also has the heavy duty rear brakes. Isn't the dry weight for the 21 SS at around 4,300 lbs? It seems to me that I might be ok if we stay light on our packing of the trailer and the truck. That said I still desire your input but I believe I am going ahead with purchase. If you are correct I'll be stuck and having to purchase a bigger truck. Bummer huh?!! Times running out, Rick

FourWheelers · 03-14-2014, 05:56 AM

I had a 2006 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab with the 3.55 axle and big v8 motor. SLT package. Hooked up my 233s Roo and had a tough time adjusting the weight distribution. Towed around the town and knew I was going to have trouble. All the research I did had me going over the rated weight capacity once gear was loaded.

Got a good trade in and bought a Nissan Armada. What a difference in towing. Had no problem on the highway!

rccduncan · 03-14-2014, 06:25 AM

Sounds good and I have a brother who recently retired from a Nissan dealership. Perhaps I too may need to make the switch. Rick

Dave Lyon · 03-14-2014, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rccduncan

Sounds good and I have a brother who recently retired from a Nissan dealership. Perhaps I too may need to make the switch. Rick

A good idea.............that's a lot of trailer for a 5600 lb. GVWR verhicle.

Sgt. Schultz · 03-14-2014, 07:41 AM

Some specs:
2001 Dodge Dakota V-8 Specs | eHow
4.7-liter, produces 230 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 295 foot-lbs. of torque at 3,200 rpm.
The club cab model can tow up to 6,200 lbs. with four-wheel-drive while the rear-wheel-drive club cab can tow up to 6,500 lbs
The club cab models have a payload rating of 1,750 lbs. with four-wheel drive and 2,000 with two-wheel drive
The club cab models have a 131.1-inch wheelbase
-
IMHO lock out 4th expect to run the engine around the 3k mark for RPM as noted make sure the WDH is set, this and having your brake controller set properly will make a big difference to your towing experience.

Came across this with regards to gears:

"It has to do with the ring gear (larger and being driven) and the pinion
(small and driver of the ring gear). So the pinion turns 3.55 times to
one turn of the ring gear for a 3.55 gear ratio and 3.73 times to one
turn for the 3.73 ratio and 4.1 times for the 4.1 ratio and so on.

Then for discussions stake, use 100 ft/lbs of torque on the drive shaft,
which turns the pinion gear, which then drives the ring gear (both
inside the diff pumpkin).

With a 3.55 gear ratio, that 100 ft/lbs become 355 ft/lbs of torque and
with a 3.73 gear ratio, that then becomes 373 ft/lbs and with a 4.1 gear
ratio that then becomes 410 ft/lbs and so on

Moving the TV and the trailer takes power. The faster you wish to
accelerate, the more power needed. The faster you wish to go the more
power is needed.

The transmission also has gears and ratios that go along with it. So
there is torque multiplication there too. It is between the engine and
differential, so it's ratios factor the engine torque, which then is
factored by the differential ratio.

A 3.55 vs 3.73 is just 0.18 difference and is small to most setups"

ChooChooMan74 · 03-14-2014, 09:30 AM

I still think it is doable. Not an optimal setup. I think the 3.55 is your enemy. If I could have my motor in a Dakota, or the new 3.0 V6, I would take that any day over towing with my Liberty, just to have a little more tow vehicle.

Just for reference, I have 3.73 gears, 335 ft*lbs or torque at 2000 RPM. My unit weighs about 4400lbs. I climb decent grades, foot to the floor, at around 60MPH, about 2700 RPMs.

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