I am considering getting back into drag racing after about 20 years. What would a good tow vehicle be? Do 4.7 Durangos work well? How about a V6 Dakota? I know it might be underpowered but I am alot more patient in my old age and drive slower. Would this save some gas money or just be slow? I have also considered a full size van. While it would use alot of gas I could save on hotel rooms sleeping in it.

I am going to be re entering singlehood here soon so money is a definate consideration but I am going to do things I enjoy again.

What do you guys think would work for a low buck tow vehicle?

Thanks alot

Tim

Get a used cummins!

It really depends very much on how much weight you will be towing and if you need to be able pull a hill or two on the way. I now have a 2002 3/4 ton Cummins TD and would never go back to a gas motor for a tow vehicle. I used to tow a 68 Coronet on an open trailer with a '71 Fury Wagon and while it was OK for a 50 mile trip one way, when I took the car on a 200 mile tow it was miserable. The wagon's rear suspension was not firm enough to prevent sway and the 360 V-8 was not happy with the load. With the Cummins I pull a 8,000# travel trailer with ease and the mountain passes in Washington don't slow me down at all. You can never have too much tow vehicle!
BTW I am 64 and am building a drag rig again, too!

I assume you are talking 1/2 ton pickup or SUV. The 4.7 would do fine with an open trailer. With a 4.7 shorter gears will help with pulling power since its not a real high torque engine: 3.9X or 4.1X. The 5.9 with 3.55 gears works well also for towing but wouldn't be the gas mileage champ.

A V6 will probably hurt you on gas mileage since it will be floor boarded about half the time... and slow.

My Wife Tows with Her 4.7 Durango, Her Trailor loaded is 5,000lb. It does ok if Your not in a Hurry. Personally I would stay away from V-6s You will just run the nuts off them.... I Pull My Goose Neck with a Cummins, I feel they are the Best Towing Vehicle Hands Down.. something to consider is a 94up V10 Ram. with Gas prices rising I belive one could be bought pretty cheap.. It would be alot of bang for Your Buck

Wow,, you sound like me. Split with the wife after 23 years and the first thing I did was to start racing again. Went through 3 tow vehicles before I got the right one. Are you using a open trailer ? Closed ? What length ? What do you plan to take with you ? Weigh everything,Trailer,Car,Tools,Fuel,ETC. You will be suprised what you come up with. I started out with a Jeep Grand Cherokee,1/2 ton Dodge,3/4 ton V10 Dodge,Then the truck that I should have had first. 1 ton Diesel dodge.From the begining had a 24 foot enclosed trailer with a 7000 lbs rating.I was always at the limit or over.
Used Diesel dodge trucks can be had for a good price. I just got a 1 Ton 92 4 wheel drive with 260,000 miles on it for 3 grand. Found it on local Craigs List. 1 owner everything works and was well maintained. Take your time and do some looking. I also feel safer with something that can handle a load and will stop with ease.
Sorry for the long rant but this is what I went through. Oh and just remember that you don't mind going slow but the other crazy ass drivers out there WILL cut you off,pass when they shouldn't and slam on the brakes in front of you because you held them up for a minute or two. So get out there and have some fun damn it !!!!!

You might look at V-8 van... like you said you can
sleep in it.... a EQ hitch for any of them and you
should be set

I have been towing my open trailer and race car with 1-ton cargo vans for years. I currently use a 2005 Ford E-350 with the 5.4 engine and 3.73 gears, 4-speed OD automatic. This works just fine. I am not a fan of the Ford 4.6 engine for towing, but around town on flat roads for short distances it might be minimally acceptable, but not recommended IMO.

For many years (~1997-up, including 2005) the 5.4 in the cargo vans was the 2-valve version, not the 3-valve version that comes in many 1/2 ton (F-150) pickup trucks. The 2-valve version is a lower rpm engine, good for towing. It makes about the same peak torque as the 3-valve (350-365), but at ~2500 rpm not ~3750 rpm. Of course, the 3-valve makes more peak hp (~300 hp at 5000, compared to 255 hp at 4500 rpm.

I used to have a 1994 Dodge B-350 with the 5.9 engine and 4.10 gears, A518 (4-speed OD auto). With the open trailer, it worked fine too.

I have slept in the back of my van at multiday races a lot over the years; as long as the track has showers. Cheap... LOL

How far will you have to tow? If it's only a 100-150 miles round trip, I wouldn't sweat it too much with an open trailer under 5000 lbs. Use an equalizer and 4 wheel trailer brakes with a Prodigy controller. Drive near the limit, and let the "in a hurry to get nowhere" crowd blow by. Remember, after you hook up the trailer fully loaded, only you will be the final judge on how safe or reliable it feels. A 3/4 ton minimum, is the desired deal, but a budget is a budget.
Good luck!
Leigh

I have a 1999 Ram 2500 V-10,that I tow my 32ft trailer with my 1970 roadrunner in it.Tow's nice just don't expect any kind of MPG.Mine get's 7-9MPG with trailer.

Thanks for all the replies guys! I will be pulling my 64 Dodge on an open trailer. Two tracks are local to me, Great Lakes Dragaway and Wisconsin International Raceway, I am in between them. No long trips this year, staying local.

I will keep an eye out for a used diesel truck but I also like the van idea. Then I will have a place to live down by the river!

I hope to be able to start racing by the end of June.

I tow with a 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi. It's at the GVWR limit with my rig, but it tows good, especially if you are flat landing. Hills it's ok - you will be in 3rd gear a bit. Mountainous terrain, it's hurtin a little and you will be in 2nd gear at times. Still a good trade-off vehicle though. A load distribution hitch is about manditory if you are near the GVWR.

V8 Durango and an open trailer. Buy a twin or full size air mattress, lay the second and third row seats down and there you have it. Tool box attached to the front of the trailer and room for a quad in front of the car.

You've been given good advice, can I add a little more
for you to chew over?

Diesel truck (what ever is your favorite & price) then
add a cab over camper (8ft) with a wet bath. Then you
have a place to sleep and also cook and take a shower.
If you shop around a used camper can be had for a fair
price. If you go bigger than 8 ft then you get into
hitch extensions and the price goes up FAST. Just ask
how I know this.

My tow rig is a 2004 Ford F350 diesel with 9'-11" cab
over camper and I tow a 18 ft open car trailer with 4
wheel electric brakes.

Also make sure what ever vehicle you buy has (or add)
a brake controller and that the car trailer have 4 wheel
brakes on it.

Don't know if you have other transportation, but just remember what you are stuck with when you are not towing, which is 95% of the time.

My

Get an '02 or older dodge diesel. Stay far far away from the ford 6.0, 6.4 and even the chevy duramaxes. Though they do work well, when they work. When they break, they break the bank. And they will break. The '03 and newer cummins trucks need to have 5-7 micron or smaller fuel filters in them and have them replaced frequently (as in every to every other oil change). When the injectors go bad, it's 3300 or more to get them replaced where I work, and we're reasonable.
If you can find a 3/4 ton gas powered truck, (I'll probably get flamed for saying this) the general's offering with the 6.0 gas motor isn't a bad truck. When dodge quit offering an engine over 350 cubic inches in pickups, I kinda lost interest. The V10's sound like they belong in delivery vans (IMO) and tend to like the gasoline. I simply hate the way ford engineers any of their newer crap. Don't get me wrong, they do tend to last fairly well, but the 2 valve heads like to blow spark plugs out if the threads show any sign of abuse (not to mention they flow less than 170 cfm stock, not a real power maker there) and the 3 valve heads use some super deep special spark plug that gets carbon around the base and breaks off when you try to remove them. Way to go ford engineers.
So, to summarize, (again, IMO) if you get a diesel, the only option is a cummins and if you want a gasser, I prefer the generals with the 6.0 LS motor.