Appropriate Mini lite for TV?

[karrun]

Hi,
I realize that this is probably a question that will elicit variable advice, but I am trying to figure out what would be the appropriate Mini Lite for our tow vehicle. Because we failed to do our homework, and because we listened to the used car salesman, we bought a Durango 4.7L with a tow capacity of only 5700 lb. I regret this every day. But we can't afford another vehicle, so this is what we have to tow with. It does have the tow pkg with (I think it is called) transmission cooler and a class lll hitch. We live in the flat midwest, but I would like the option of going west through mountainous areas. We're willing to add anti-sway bars, electric brakes, or whatever else we can after market to increase our tow safety.

The two trailers I am looking at are the Mini Lite 2503S with a dry weight of 4433 lb and the 2304KS with a dry weight of 4,098. It's just the two of us plus 3(!!) dogs. Floor space is a premium, hence the slide out requirement.

What do you think about these for our TV? Are we giving ourselves enough of a safety margin? I realize the more the better, but would be very interested in anyone who has any real world comparable experience.

[bikendan]

you need to tell us what the Durango's payload capacity is.
it's listed on the driver's side door sticker.

says something about "weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed ****lbs."

generally that will be more limiting than your towing capacity.

not sure where you got the weight numbers but they don't match those on the Minilite webpage. and the 2503S' GVWR is WAAAY over your towing max.

[Jhochst]

We like having a small TT. Rockwood 1905 with Murphy bed. We have bunk also. We love it. 3200# no slide though. Works for us

]68247[/ATTACH]



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[Jhochst]

Originally Posted by Jhochst

We like having a small TT. Rockwood 1905 with Murphy bed. We have bunk also. We love it. 3200#





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[Charliec]

Like Bikendan indicated you are looking at dry weights and need to be considering the GVWR rates. I have the 2504 that has about the same GVWR as the 2503 but my tow rating is 9800lbs. on a F150 with the V6. 3.5L Eco. My small emgine V6 pulls just fine but you are looking at 4000 lbs. less on tow rating. I agree with Bikendan that your payload capacity may further restrict what you can tow.

[rockfordroo]

My Silverado's good for 7500 lbs and I've been looking at the 2503S, which with a GVWR of 6538 lbs would leave me about 1000 lbs margin. But I'm still a bit leary.

I'd never do it with your rig.

[ChooChooMan74]

Looks like your "Tow Rating" is not far off from mine. Your vehicle is a bit larger, so it may handle better, but you want to go short, especially if you are new to it.

[karrun]

Originally Posted by bikendan

you need to tell us what the Durango's payload capacity is.
it's listed on the driver's side door sticker.

says something about "weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed ****lbs."

generally that will be more limiting than your towing capacity.

not sure where you got the weight numbers but they don't match those on the Minilite webpage. and the 2503S' GVWR is WAAAY over your towing max.

I got the dry weights of the TT from the dealer. I thought they were weighed before they left the factory and the dealer had the most accurate info? If I check the Mini Lite site, I see 4274 lb for the 2503S, lower than what I quoted.

Yeah, the scumbag used car salesman actually had the sticker removed from the door of the Durango before we took delivery. I got these numbers directly from Dodge.

AWD, 4.7L V-8 w/ 3.55 rear gear ration. Towing capacity 5700 lb, GVWR 6600 lb. Is that payload capacity?
I found this additional information. Can anyone help me make sense of what they mean?
Curb weight 5,117 lbs.
Front curb weight 2,799 lbs.
Rear curb weight 2,318 lbs.
GVWR 6,600 lbs.
Front GAWR 3,600 lbs.
Rear GAWR 3,900 lbs.
Payload 1,480 lbs.
Towing capacity 5,750 lbs.
GCWR 11,000 lbs.

[KenHwy61]

With strong language like "scumbag" you are going to give used car salesman a bad name! But seriously I don't think you are way off on the size of trailer you can tow. I'm sure a helpful number-cruncher from this forum will tell you exactly how much you can tow and the type of hitch best suited for you application

[jgroff]

just wanted to give some info with what I used my aspen to tow. I towed a rockwood roo 233s. had a dry weight of 4452 lbs. the aspen towed it really well. but I have the 5.7 hemi and full tow package with 7250 lb tow rating. I think length wise either trailer will be ok, I would be concerned about how hard the 4.7 will work. I had the same engine in an 02 durango and there is no comparison between it and the hemi. either trailer get your self a good weight distribution hitch. I ended upgrading the tires on the aspen as well to an xl tire. couldn't find an lt tire in the size I needed for the 20" rims.

[KDHfan]

Personally, I wouldn't tow either of those TT's with a TV that has a 5700# tow cap. But I'm sure others on here would do it, no problem.

Just my opinion here... But if it were me... I'd go back to the dealer you purchased the vehicle from and, in a very nice way, ask to speak to the owner and/or manager. I would kindly explain your side of the story and that you are not at all happy.
If the owner/manager is running any kind of respectful dealership, most of them will do what they can to help you out. Might have to increase your payment by $25-$50/mo, but at least you'll be towing with confidence that you're safe.




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2014 Toyota Tundra 5.7L CrewMax

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[Semperfi24]

I agree with KDHfan's opinion on seeing if the dealer can help you out. You made it clear that you arent in a position to get another tow vehicle and you are trying to match a trailer to the vehicle, so if you do nothing with the dealer, your situation remains the same. If you try to work something with the dealer, and he cant help you out, your situation remains the same. BUT, if the dealer can help you out, you improve your situation. Point is, approaching the dealer about your situation could improve your position, but it wont make it any worse... That might have been the long winded way of saying it doesnt hurt to try, lol

[karrun]

Originally Posted by Semperfi24

I agree with KDHfan's opinion on seeing if the dealer can help you out. You made it clear that you arent in a position to get another tow vehicle and you are trying to match a trailer to the vehicle, so if you do nothing with the dealer, your situation remains the same. If you try to work something with the dealer, and he cant help you out, your situation remains the same. BUT, if the dealer can help you out, you improve your situation. Point is, approaching the dealer about your situation could improve your position, but it wont make it any worse... That might have been the long winded way of saying it doesnt hurt to try, lol

Well, we bought the SUV a year and a half ago. I agree that if we had gone in shortly after that, they may have done something about it, but at the time we had our pop-up and weren't so concerned about towing capacity as we are now. We were disappointed and felt we were misled, but like I say, it wasn't so much an issue, and we weren't very knowledgeable about the towing limitations as we are now that we have begun to look for a bigger vehicle.

[Old Bill]

I would like to recommend you take a good look at the Flagstaff 21FBRS. Like yourselves, it's just the DW and I (no pets) and this unit has lots of floor space, lots of storage, all the necessities, and has a dry weight of only 3800 lbs. We pull ours with a 2013 Nissan 4x4 pickup, 4.0L engine, tow package and we're rated to pull 6100 lbs. We had 5 trips last year up and down the foothills of Missouri and our truck pulled it without any problem.
P.S: We use an Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution/Sway Control Hitch. Never towed without it, but don't want to either!

[Mountndream]

+1 for the Flagstaff 21fbrs (rockwood 2109s is the same). I tow with a 4.8L Chevy and have had no problems. Even took a trip to the Smokey Mountain NP and was fine.

As far as room for dogs, we have a 60 and 49 pound dog that sleep under the overhang on the bed. Its never seems crowded to us

[karrun]

Originally Posted by Old Bill

I would like to recommend you take a good look at the Flagstaff 21FBRS. Like yourselves, it's just the DW and I (no pets) and this unit has lots of floor space, lots of storage, all the necessities, and has a dry weight of only 3800 lbs. We pull ours with a 2013 Nissan 4x4 pickup, 4.0L engine, tow package and we're rated to pull 6100 lbs. We had 5 trips last year up and down the foothills of Missouri and our truck pulled it without any problem.
P.S: We use an Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution/Sway Control Hitch. Never towed without it, but don't want to either!

Thanks for the recommendation. I had looked at those before, but really liked the Rockwood Mini Lite because it had a couch and a dinette. Do you miss having a dinette?

[mkillora]

We have a Mini-Lite, 2109S and pull it with a Toyota Tacoma; 4 liter, with a tow package. The towing capacity of the truck is 6,500 lbs and I figure that the trailer, fully loaded is aprox. 5,000 lbs. Therefore a "safety" margin of 1,500 lbs. We also have a WD hitch with sway bars. We've trailered about 20,000 miles with this package; over prairies and mountains and have never had any issues. That being said, I do wish the truck had just a tad more h.p. as well as weight. Thinking (very reluctantly), of moving up to a Toyota Tundra but don't want a bigger vehicle and also the fact that the Tundra doesn't come in a 6-speed, manual transmission, which I have now.
Judging by the specs of the truck you currently have, I would stick with a trailer like the 2109S, with it's weight and length (aprox 22 ft.). Anything bigger and I think that you're looking for problems.
The 2109S is a great small trailer for two people (and one small dog, who loves it as well).
Good luck!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by karrun

AWD, 4.7L V-8 w/ 3.55 rear gear ration. Towing capacity 5700 lb, GVWR 6600 lb. Is that payload capacity?
NO

I found this additional information. Can anyone help me make sense of what they mean?
Curb weight 5,117 lbs.
Front curb weight 2,799 lbs.
Rear curb weight 2,318 lbs.
GVWR 6,600 lbs.
Front GAWR 3,600 lbs.
Rear GAWR 3,900 lbs.
Payload 1,480 lbs.
Towing capacity 5,750 lbs.
GCWR 11,000 lbs.

where did you get these numbers? did you take your VIN to a Dodge dealer? they can use that to get some real numbers.
the Payload of 1480lbs. is payload capacity but that sounds high for your smaller v-8 Durango with AWD.

you didn't post what year it is. also, which package SLT, SXT, Limited? usually makes a difference.

[Old Bill]

Originally Posted by karrun

Thanks for the recommendation. I had looked at those before, but really liked the Rockwood Mini Lite because it had a couch and a dinette. Do you miss having a dinette?

Not at all. We almost always eat outside and, if the weather is bad, we sit on the couch with our TV trays in front of us and watch the news while we eat.

[karrun]

Originally Posted by bikendan

where did you get these numbers? did you take your VIN to a Dodge dealer? they can use that to get some real numbers.
the Payload of 1480lbs. is payload capacity but that sounds high for your smaller v-8 Durango with AWD.
you didn't post what year it is.

I got it directly from Dodge customer assistance by putting my VIN into a web site. It's a 2005 with $125k miles. its an SLT. Those are the correct numbers provided by Dodge.