Towing Tips

[68rt]

Hi All,

I'm interested in towing my 68 Coronet R/T to various events. Want to use a enclosed trailer and really don't think my current 6 cylinder truck will handel the load. I'm looking at a Dodge Ram 1500 with the small V8 4.7 automatic. Only towing a couple time a year, nothing major. Will this truck do the job! Thanks

 

[Cranky]

Actually, I'd go for something that's more heavy duty. It doesn't matter if you only tow one time a year. If the tow rig isn't up to the task, it only takes one time to kill yourself with it and you have to consider the weight of the trailer and the car and any gear you will carry in the trailer and truck and that includes passengers. Enclosed trailers are not exactly light either...

 

[67 B-body]

Stopping is the most important thing in my opinion.... Electric brakes on trailers take a lot of the task from the vehicle being used to tow the load.... You might not win any races towing with an SUV or 6 cyl truck,,, but I have found it to work out okay in flat country....

 

[Budnicks]

Not an ideal combo with the 4.7ltr. V8, but if you only tow a few times & not too many steep grades, it will tow fine, load levelers/air bags help allot too... along with like 67b-body said, Trailer brakes are a must have.... The old slant 6 engine, has far more torque/grunt than the 4.7ltr V8 does too.. both will work if need be... Hell I had to tow with a old POS 80's S-10 with a 60* 2.8ltr V6, but 95% was on flat land/hwy, my other tow rig Power Wagon was torn down & I wasn't going to miss a race in Sacramento, so I used one of my many companies shop trucks, for towing to a couple of races in Sacramento & Sears Point from Concord, it wasn't ideal, by any means, but it got the job done.... Hell I towed all over the country with an open "Big Tex" dual axle trailer/with electric trailer brakes, with all my tools & all my spares parts, camping equipment, in the bed or strapped on the trailer with the race car & towed with a 76 C-10 1/2 ton step side with me, Rob & Jim in the tiny cab, for a couple years, before I finally got a real race trailer & a really good tow rig.... get R' done

 

[moparpoor]

RUN RUN very vast away from the 4.7 and towing!!! My friend owns the same style truck. He towed his 67 gtx in a 24' enclosed trailer and it was a nightmare. 60mph at best following a truck,any grade at all it would just fall on its face! I think he got around 8mpg. A 1500 with a 5.7 and a good towing package will handle the job. this would be bare minimum!

 

[Rt jam]

The longer the truck, the more stabil it would be while towing.

The 4.7 is not going to like the wind resistance of an enclosed. Step it up.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

I've got a 2001 Ram 2500 Quad Cab with 5.9L Magnum engine (360 cid) pulling a 24' enclosed trailer and it is JUST adequate at best. A Cummins diesel or the V10 gas Magnum would be better suited to the task.

There is a HUGE difference between pulling an Enclosed trailer versus an open Flat Bed trailer, I've got both and I only use the enclosed when absolutely necessary.

 

[kb67mopar]

Hi All,

I'm interested in towing my 68 Coronet R/T to various events. Want to use a enclosed trailer and really don't think my current 6 cylinder truck will handel the load. I'm looking at a Dodge Ram 1500 with the small V8 4.7 automatic. Only towing a couple time a year, nothing major. Will this truck do the job! Thanks

Go diesel or hemi and stay away from the 4.7. I had one in my dakota and there is no way I would have pulled an enclosed trailer with that. My hemi tows a car on a car hauler just fine and an enclosed is even heavier.

Personally if I were to do it all over I'd buy a cummins diesel. Better fuel economy empty and loaded, better resale and better towing all the way around.

Electric brakes are an absolute must. Tekonsha makes a good inexpensive controller. Just stay away from anything time delayed...use the accelerometer based units they are much smoother.

 

[kb73rr]

I agree 100% with the trailer brakes. That's essential. However, I'll give that 4.7L some credit.

I had a 3900lb (total weight with trailer) 19' deep-v boat that I towed with a 2005 Grand Cherokee 4x4 4.7L engine and factory tow package. All together I've pulled it at least 10,000 miles and it actually did OK. I was getting 12mpg with the cruise set at 72 and tow/haul on. However, that's in Michigan and it's really flat here.

You probably wouldn't do so good with the extra weight and wind resistance, but if it's only a few times/year you'll get by. One thing I've learned with over 30+ years of trailerable boat ownership - it's a bitch when your choice of primary vehicle is dictated by occasional towing requirements.

 

[67 coronet]

my old tow rig was a 77 dodge w300 dually extended cab with a warmed over 440 and granny gearing.worked pretty good.bought a 2008 1500 with the 5.7 hemi and it tows that trailor so much better then that monster ever did.(27 foot trailor)even gets better mileage then the 4.7.

 

[kb67mopar]

I agree 100% with the trailer brakes. That's essential. However, I'll give that 4.7L some credit.

I had a 3900lb (total weight with trailer) 19' deep-v boat that I towed with a 2005 Grand Cherokee 4x4 4.7L engine and factory tow package. All together I've pulled it at least 10,000 miles and it actually did OK. I was getting 12mpg with the cruise set at 72 and tow/haul on. However, that's in Michigan and it's really flat here.

You probably wouldn't do so good with the extra weight and wind resistance, but if it's only a few times/year you'll get by. One thing I've learned with over 30+ years of trailerable boat ownership - it's a bitch when your choice of primary vehicle is dictated by occasional towing requirements.

Not saying the 4.7 is a waste of space (well it is in a Ram, might as well be a v6) but my little Dakota was respectable. However, we are not talking about 4k lbs, his trailer is going to weigh around 3k by itself and the car another nearly 4k. The total of nearly 7k is getting up near the towing rating of my 5.7 hemi which is 8500. The 4.7 struggles to pull an empty Ram around reasonably (I have drove at least one). For an extra couple thousand in investment get the hemi, its worth every penny not to mention the issues with 4.7's spinning rod bearings especially right around 2000 and 2001.

to each his own but I thought the 4.7 in my dakota which I warmed over with HO cams was still less potent than I would have liked...a big step up in feel over the 318 but not good at towing a car.

 

[64BEL]

We've towed our 7000lb camper all over the country over the past 13 years. Last summer we towed it to Ohio in 106 degree temps with the A/C cranked. No over heating, no problems. Of course, 7000lbs isn't all that much of a challenge, but the wind resistance of essentially towing a garage door down the road can be. In my opinion, you can't beat a Cummins for towing.

 

[Crizila]

Probably not going to be enough truck. Make sure the truck is rated for the GVWR. Probably in the 10,000 lb range for that application. Hitch will have to be a class 4. I tow in hilly country. BIG B body and open 18" trailer Combined weight is around 5700 lbs. My tow vehicle is rated for 7,000 and has a class 4 load distribution hitch - 2 5/16" ball. I tow with a 2010 Jeep grand Cherokee with a 5.7 Hemi in it. Tows good, but does grunt up long steep hills.