Anyone tow with a dodge 4.7l
 

Need to replace my aging truck. Looked at a 2002 dodge ram 1500 last night with a 4.7l engine. Dodge claims 7800 towing capacity. The 912-6 on my flat trailer probably weighs in at 4k.

Specs on the motor are 230 hp and 295 torque (more than the 5.9 in the old truck).

Anyone use one of these, or have any advice in dealing with dealers on used vehicles?

John - not directly on point, but I tow routinely with a '99 1500 with a 318. Your motor has better specs than that. I've towed at or near capacity without an issue (skidloader). I'd want trailer brakes on anything more than 3000 lbs or so.

Rig tows great, mileage sucks bigtime when towing, but you knew that. If it were in the budget and I was towing a bit, I'd look for an older diesel (the newer ones are very expensive) only because of the mileage issue.

Greg, thanks for the input. Driving the 4.7, the seat of the pants dyno says it has tons more get up and go, might be the rear end ratio. I only tow my car 4-5 times a year, so I'm not as worried about mileage towing as I am weekend trips in the thing. I'll either swap the brake controller out of the old truck, or find a new one.

That is one thing I love about the new truck (2002+) 4 wheel disc brakes. They finally put real brakes on the dodge.

Was looking at dodges web site and they are offering 5k cash back on 05's, makes them look temping, but hate to take the drive it off the lot value hit.

I'll never get a Dodge till they bring back the "slant-6".

tic-tic-tic-tic-tic........

John,

FWIW, I've got an '02 with the bigger engine and have towed several heavy loads; it's a good tow rig. I think most trucks in recent years have the tow package intalled anyway, but look for it on a used truck; besides a somewhat hidden hitch and pre-wired electric, you also get improved cooling for all fluid sytems and heavier charging circuit.

You might put on your best negotiation face and have a 2nd look at the '05's. It's nearly '06 (IS '06 in dealer years), they still have '05s on the lot, truck sales are slowing due to fuel prices, and the '06 have recieved a minor update. They need to move those "old" trucks and there might be a quite a bit more than $5K to your advantage.

I was thinking the same thing, and there is a dodge dealer across the street from the place with the 02 truck. Good to get them competing with each other.

I have the 4.7 in my Jeep GC. It's plenty of engine for towing your 914, but i would recommend you have a tranny cooler for any long distance hauls. Trans is definitly the weak link in Chrysler powertrains.