I own a 2014 Durango SXT AWD V6 with factory towing package. Absolutely love everything about the vehicle. I currently use it to tow a 3000 lb pop up camper, and it does great. I even got 20mpg while towing it on a two day trip to Boston a few weeks ago. Absolutely no issues.
Anyway, I'm currently looking to upgrade to a small hybrid camper, 20-24' in length, around 3800 dry, and around 5000 totally loaded. All the trailers I'm looking at fall well within the limits of the manual, including GVWC, tongue weight, total camper weight, etc etc. I picked the Durango over many other vehicles because of the tow capacity vs. fuel economy.
So anyway, my concern is that little column in the book that I knew nothing about until after I bought the vehicle, the frontal area limit. For the V6 it shows 40sq ft. What exactly does this mean? The RV salesmen, naturally, said a. No idea what that is b. Don't worry about it c. That's only the area of the trailer exposed above and around the actual vehicle.
If the frontal area limit is really 40 sq ft for the trailer itself, I don't think anything outside a pop up will fall within the guidelines. I'm a "by the book" kind of person and I'm very hesitant to spend big money on a trailer that my D can't pull safely. I will not be upgrading the vehicle either. Just not happening. I feel like I should be able to get by with lots of campers that meet all the other requirements other than that "frontal area".
So, what say you? What's the deal with the frontal area?
In case anyone is curious, the trailers I'm considering are: Jayco X18D, Coachmen 21TQX, or Forest River Surveyor 224t. Thanks very much for your help. The last thing I want to do is cause harm to my Durango. It's too good a vehicle to risk!
Anyway, I'm currently looking to upgrade to a small hybrid camper, 20-24' in length, around 3800 dry, and around 5000 totally loaded. All the trailers I'm looking at fall well within the limits of the manual, including GVWC, tongue weight, total camper weight, etc etc. I picked the Durango over many other vehicles because of the tow capacity vs. fuel economy.
So anyway, my concern is that little column in the book that I knew nothing about until after I bought the vehicle, the frontal area limit. For the V6 it shows 40sq ft. What exactly does this mean? The RV salesmen, naturally, said a. No idea what that is b. Don't worry about it c. That's only the area of the trailer exposed above and around the actual vehicle.
If the frontal area limit is really 40 sq ft for the trailer itself, I don't think anything outside a pop up will fall within the guidelines. I'm a "by the book" kind of person and I'm very hesitant to spend big money on a trailer that my D can't pull safely. I will not be upgrading the vehicle either. Just not happening. I feel like I should be able to get by with lots of campers that meet all the other requirements other than that "frontal area".
So, what say you? What's the deal with the frontal area?
In case anyone is curious, the trailers I'm considering are: Jayco X18D, Coachmen 21TQX, or Forest River Surveyor 224t. Thanks very much for your help. The last thing I want to do is cause harm to my Durango. It's too good a vehicle to risk!
