[Toaster]

Has anyone used one for towing a 2H?

[airhorse]

Doesn't even look like it has a hitch, which means no factory tow package, which means you are going to need to add things...

[DakotaTA]

I have a '99 Durango with the 5.7 engine. It will pull the house off the foundation. However...Durangos (and Dodge pickups) have a nasty habit of the front wheel falling off at inopportune moments which is well known, but no recall was issued. Cost me $1400 to have the front end rebuilt. The transmission quit shifting and had to have the controls bypassed as it blew out 2 replacement control things. The A/C has developed a leak under the dash and doesn't cool. Needless to say, in a '99 I won't be fixing it. Oh, the rear end went out at about 80K. The truck has only 119K miles on it now. The brand new Michelins on it are worth more than the vehicle itself. I'll never buy another Dodge.

[ThisTooShallPass]

NO. Absolutely not.

[airhorse]

Find a nice used Diesel Excursion...

[ThisTooShallPass]

I NEVER haul with anything less than 3/4 ton.

As has been said on COTH hundreds of times, it is not the pulling, it is the safety in STOPPING.

[atr]

The old Durango was ok for lighter duty towing, but the newer shape has a rather shorter wheelbase and you'd be in serious trouble if the trailer started swaying for any reason (horse getting antsy, high winds, tractor trailer blowing by you on the freeway, brake failure on trailer, sudden slowing or stop, particularly going down Hill, swerving to avoid hitting something... those kinds of reasons...)

[walknsound]

No way.

[cutter99]

Not advocating this, but one trail head I park at has an older Durango parked there pulling a ****4 horse slant load trailer****!!! I about mess my britches every time I see it!!!

You can't fix stupid!!!

[jenarby]

I pulled a very small ponderosa stock with one horse locally with mine. It is a 2002
RT model. I only did it a couple of times and then my transmission started going wonky
I wouldn't recommend it. Truck was plenty to pull and stop the trailer with one horse but
not at the expense of killing my suv. I agree....look for something bigger. The most I pull with
it now is a fishing boat. :-)

[soloudinhere]

I NEVER haul with anything less than 3/4 ton.

As has been said on COTH hundreds of times, it is not the pulling, it is the safety in STOPPING.

Oh please.

This is a body-on-frame SUV with more than enough available power with the larger engine, and with a weight distributing hitch is PERFECTLY CAPABLE of towing an aluminum bumper pull trailer. Even without it, but it just makes the trailer sway easier to cope with.

It IS long enough, it IS powerful enough, and it DOES weigh enough.

This particular example is not a good one but there is an available factory tow package. We had both a '99 and an '03 and had some issues with both but towing wasn't one of them. If you're interested, OP, I would pop over to the Durango Owners Club board-- the guys over there know EVERYTHING there is to know about the common issues and fixes for these vehicles.

And no, I've never had problems stopping. In that vehicle OR in my '07 Hemi Jeep that I tow a 2H bumper pull with, no problem.

[Unfforgettable]

Sorry, but having had the nightmare trip from hell with a Durango (5.9, tow pkg.) and one horse in an aluminum trailer...white knuckles all the way....there is no way I would ever, ever do it again. There's a difference between "can pull a trailer" and "safely pull a trailer". I've pulled rigs of all sizes all over the country, from eight horse slants to horse vans to two horse bumper pulls, and that's not a vehicle I would consider.

[ThisTooShallPass]

THIS ^^ Amongst other things.

So go, "Oh please," yourself Soloudinhere.

[AKB]

I have a Chevrolet Tahoe that came equipped with the towing package. It does well with the 2 horse trailer except at high speeds (above 55mph) or in high wind. It is perfect for local towing. For long distances, I borrow the daughter's truck.

[soloudinhere]

THIS ^^ Amongst other things.

So go, "Oh please," yourself Soloudinhere.

Anecdote =/= data.

I have never been "white knuckled the whole way" and I pulled with a Durango for 7 years.

So do we cancel each other out? Or do you take this random stranger's internet experience over mine simply because you agree with her and not me?

Seriously. Don't ever go to Europe, you might pass out seeing what people pull with over there.

[SaturdayNightLive]

Seriously. Don't ever go to Europe, you might pass out seeing what people pull with over there.

Ah yes, the favorite defense of stupid towing set-ups.

I've lived in Europe and they don't have the same kind of trailers we do. The trailers over there are so light that we *pulled them by hand to the hitch* instead of backing the vehicle up to the trailer. They also have a different braking system because trailers in Europe are designed to be pulled by small vehicles.

That is not the case here in the US, unless you go out and buy yourself an imported trailer.

Hauling with a large SUV (Suburban, etc) can be done safely. Hauling with a Durango? Accident waiting to happen. But that's okay, soloudinhere, you can commiserate with the other COTHer who killed her horses with an inappropriate tow vehicle when the inevitable happens. I'm sure she'd appreciate the company.

[Unfforgettable]

I wouldn't tow with a single cab, short bed 1/2 ton pickup either. The wheelbase is too short.

My white-knuckle trip? Interstate almost all the way, and every time a semi would pass, it pushed that rig all over the road. Every shift the horse inside made was felt in the Durango. On downhill stretches, the trailer felt like it was pushing the vehicle...not a safe feeling at all. I'm especially glad it was summer and the roads were good.

[wildlifer]

All one has to do is search tow vehicles on this forum -- you'll find more than you ever wanted to know, including why the Durango makes me shudder.

[joiedevie99]

Depends on the trailer. There was a Durango (5.7L Hemi, factory tow package, 4.1 rear axle) that was rated to tow over 8000 lbs. That would pull a small two horse fine. A new Durango, or one that isn't properly eqiuipped with all three required features would pull a Brenderup or similar European style trailer fine, but not an American style trailer.

[Emily&Jake]

I have a friend who's rig (well, parent's) is a Durango. They haul a 2h BP trailer, usually only with one horse in it, but I've seen two. I can't say if they've ever had issues, as I've never talked to them regarding this set-up, but it seems to work just fine.

The scariest set-up I've seen so far was a Jeep Grand Cherokee hauling a 2-horse slant load with 2 or 3 horses crammed in plus dressing room, etc..... Now, I'll be hauling VERY RARELY, and only short trips with my Jeep GC, but with just one horse. (And at most, my trips will just be to go get hay.) And only until I can get my truck (gee! A 1/2 ton at best!) in a few months.