2011 Dodge Durango ->16XRB

Brandonhyl · 01-28-2016, 08:21 PM

Hello,

New to the forum! 32 years old, married, two boys (5)(2), & living in the Midwest

I just purchased a 2011 Dodge Durango with the Penstar V6 Engine. It also has the Trailer Tow Group IV that includes: Heavy-duty engine cooling, Class IV receiver hitch, 4- and 7-pin wiring harness, rear load leveling suspension, & full-size spare tire. It said it is rated to tow 6200 lbs and has a GVWR of 6500.

I am interested in the Jayco Jay Feather 16XRB: 2016 Jay Feather 7 16XRB | Jayco, Inc.

It has a dry weight of: 2845 lbs with a GVWR of 3500 lbs

Three questions:

1) Has anyone had experience towing with the 3rd Gen V6 Dodge Durango with tow package?
2) Based on what the Dodge Durango can tow, do you think the 16XRB would be more than suitable?
3) If I wanted to go up to the next sized trailer 19XUD, could I?: 2016 Jay Feather 7 19XUD | Jayco, Inc.

It has a dry weight of: 3530 lbs with a GVWR of 4250

I don't want to push it, but would like to get feedback from those that have experience with similar vehicles.

I appreciate any help.

- Brandon

gtsum2 · 01-29-2016, 08:47 PM

Good for you trying to match the tv to an appropriately sized trailer. What does your yellow payload sticker say on the driver door jam? This is the weight that can be carried in the vehicle (all the family, luggage, etc). You must also add in the tongue weight of the vehicle. Figure around 13-15% of the trailer gvwr.

oldmanAZ · 01-29-2016, 08:56 PM

Welcome to the forum and happy trailer shopping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtsum2

Good for you trying to match the tv to an appropriately sized trailer. What does your yellow payload sticker say on the driver door jam? This is the weight that can be carried in the vehicle (all the family, luggage, etc). You must also add in the tongue weight of the vehicle. Figure around 13-15% of the trailer gvwr.

X2

The TV payload is often overlooked and is often the limiting factor.

Brandonhyl · 01-29-2016, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtsum2

Good for you trying to match the tv to an appropriately sized trailer. What does your yellow payload sticker say on the driver door jam? This is the weight that can be carried in the vehicle (all the family, luggage, etc). You must also add in the tongue weight of the vehicle. Figure around 13-15% of the trailer gvwr.

The load capacity of the Dodge Durango is 1,200 lbs. The tongue weight max is 620 on the Durango. Thank you for your help!

gtsum2 · 01-30-2016, 06:36 PM

Load the family up in the Durango and go weigh it at a cat scale. Whatever it reads, subtract that from the durango gross vehicle rating. That number is your leftover payload...compare that to the estimated tongue weight of your camper...take 15% of 3500 = 525lbs on the smaller trailer...do same for other one and see where u are at. Good luck!

Brandonhyl · 01-31-2016, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtsum2

Load the family up in the Durango and go weigh it at a cat scale. Whatever it reads, subtract that from the durango gross vehicle rating. That number is your leftover payload...compare that to the estimated tongue weight of your camper...take 15% of 3500 = 525lbs on the smaller trailer...do same for other one and see where u are at. Good luck!

I did an estimation on weight of the Durango per vehicles tested weight on Edmunds. I added families weight plus added an additional 150 lbs for whatever we might haul with us. My number came to 5,536. The gross weight is 6500 - 5,536=964. They say the tongue weight on the small camper is 350. I am not sure I understand what numbers I need to crunch with the given info above? By the way, I do plan on going to the CAT scale. I am trying to do some ballpark estimations to see if I am in the realm of being able to tow a TT. Thank you again for your help.

gtsum2 · 01-31-2016, 12:26 AM

Sounds like you should be good to go. Get a good wd hitch and spend the time to set it up and have fun!

Brandonhyl · 01-31-2016, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtsum2

Sounds like you should be good to go. Get a good wd hitch and spend the time to set it up and have fun!

Great! I will keep you all posted.

SparkDr · 01-31-2016, 07:22 AM

We, as a group, tend to overdo the numbers here on the forums. From what I see, your numbers look a lot better than others. A couple of other things to take into consideration along the way: (1) Terrain - flatlands or mountain towing? Your tow rig will feel the difference and so will you. (2) The sail factor - TT's cut a big swath through the air and a 5k TT pulls a lot different than a 5k contstruction trailer load of bricks. Respect the numbers but don't get obsessed with wringing every last pound out of your calculations. Shop smart and enjoy.

gtsum2 · 01-31-2016, 07:24 AM

Good advice above

Brandonhyl · 01-31-2016, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparkDr

We, as a group, tend to overdo the numbers here on the forums. From what I see, your numbers look a lot better than others. A couple of other things to take into consideration along the way: (1) Terrain - flatlands or mountain towing? Your tow rig will feel the difference and so will you. (2) The sail factor - TT's cut a big swath through the air and a 5k TT pulls a lot different than a 5k contstruction trailer load of bricks. Respect the numbers but don't get obsessed with wringing every last pound out of your calculations. Shop smart and enjoy.

I will stick to mainly flat areas in the Midwest for now. However, at some point I'd like to take a camping trip out west. I certainly do not want to over do it on the TT. The 16XRB seems like the best option from the two to be well under my tow capacity and hopefully cause less headache down the road (no pun intended). I'd like to get one of the new Jayco's with the Sway Command. Do you all feel like that is more hype than help? I like the concept and feel like with that and sway bars, it will provide some added security while towing.

SparkDr · 01-31-2016, 08:01 AM

I love the idea of the sway command and looked at some of the aftermarket pieces already. My 2016 was an early build and does not have the prep package as standard. I'd let the dollars be my guide. If you can negotiate the full package into the deal, why not grab it? Dealers love to toss in goodies to close a deal. It sounds like a nice peace of mind accessory.

oldmanAZ · 01-31-2016, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandonhyl

snip....
I'd like to get one of the new Jayco's with the Sway Command. Do you all feel like that is more hype than help? I like the concept and feel like with that and sway bars, it will provide some added security while towing.

IMHO, Jayco's Sway Command is too new to know much about. Some are getting it, but few (no?) JOF member reports so far. It seems it could be a worthwhile anti-sway backup if things are getting seriously out of control. Anti-sway as part of a WD hitch should be the primary way of controlling sway.

One thing not mentioned so far regarding sway is your tires and their inflation. Tire sidewall flex can be a contributing factor so be sure your TT and TV tires are inflated to their maximum pressure shown on the tire. Some members on this forum have upgraded their TV tires to a higher load range to reduce sway.

Brandonhyl · 01-31-2016, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SparkDr

I love the idea of the sway command and looked at some of the aftermarket pieces already. My 2016 was an early build and does not have the prep package as standard. I'd let the dollars be my guide. If you can negotiate the full package into the deal, why not grab it? Dealers love to toss in goodies to close a deal. It sounds like a nice peace of mind accessory.

I contacted Jayco and you are correct, they started shipping trailers with the sway control on Jan 4th, 2016. Do you know if the sway control adds to the MSRP on the late build 2016-17 Jayco's?

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