[Chrysler300] Trailering a C-300

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

Not to get defensive, but the 2005 4X4 Durango with 3.92 axles has a rated
towing capacity of 8,650#.  And it fits in my garage, which was an important
point.  It weighs over 5,000#, so nearly matches the weight of the 1955
C-300 and trailer.  The Durango is 18" shorter than the C-300, 3" narrower,
has a 7" shorter wheelbase and a much tighter turning circle.  

I feel the Durango could also handle an enclosed trailer, especially one of
the lightweight aluminum frame jobs.  If I ever get a concours Platinum
paint job on the C-300, I might have to consider an enclosed trailer, but we
are happy with the open trailer and the Durango.  Yeah, they both have
hemi's.

And you are right on speed.  I touched 85 on a steep downhill run by
accident and brought it down to 75 ASAP.  The trailer tires are not rated
for that speed.  The Durango has a TOW-HAUL mode that locks out fifth
overdrive and changes the shift point, but does not generate enough
compression braking in direct drive and I manually downshift to third to
save the brakes on those long downhill runs in the west.  On the uphill 6%
grades the tranny downshifts clear to second and the hemi raps up to 5500
RPM and holds the speed pretty good--and the gas gauge visibly drops on
those hills.  

After we got out of CA, the interstate speed limits were generally 75 MPH
for any kind of vehicle/trailer combination all the way to Iowa.  In CA, the
limit for all heavy trucks and anything with a trailer is 55 MPH.  Yeah,
right.  RV's are licensed as cars and can drive the auto speed limit if not
towing a trailer.  Our RV does not have the hitch or towing capacity for a
heavy trailer.  We do successfully tow our Jeep "flat" on all four wheels
behind the RV.

This diatribe is meant to be helpful to those of you considering a tow
vehicle for your 300.  The hemi-rango does a good job for us, especially
with the 3.92 axles.  And, we can seat seven for side trips at 300 meets.
See this rig at Mesa in a couple of weeks.  We can carpool over to BJ and
see the high rollers being hustled by that cute brunette.

And, yes--some may say we may have too many gas guzzlers and way too many
vehicles for two people.  At his point, my philosophy continues to be: too
many cars, too many cubes, too much torque, too much horsepower is just
right!

C-300'ly,
Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of JoeyPilot
Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 10:06 AM
To: John; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Trailering a 300D

John, you are right, the listserver does have vast experience in towing. I 
would like to add my .02 cents also. Do not buy or use a trailer that cannot

carry 7000 pounds. My car trailer is 20' and my G fits good on it without 
overhang. The trailer in my opinion must have brakes on all wheels. And just

as importantly, you must use a vehicle that can handle the kind of weight 
you are going to pull. That is the car and the weight of the trailer too. 
Mine weighs 2000 pounds itself. The Durango has lots of go with the Hemi, 
but is maxed out at 6000 pounds tow capacity. You will be over that with car

and trailer together. Even my 1/2 ton Silverado is rated at 8600 pounds 
which is better; but a 3/4 ton truck is the ticket. And lastly, don't drive 
too fast, that just spells trouble regardless of setup. Good Luck!


Joe Schmitt
Everett, WA



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John" <spiers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 7:15 PM
Subject: [Chrysler300] Trailering a 300D


>I am considering buying a used 16' x 6-1/2' car hauler to carry my 300-D 
>home to Florida from South Carolina. I've picked this particular trailer 
>because the price is right- I didn't want to spend $5,000 on a custom 
>enclosed trailer I'll hardly use.  The trailer has a 12 inch high fence on 
>the front and sides, and none at the rear
>
>  From the vast experience of the members of this listserver, am I going to

> be able to load a D on a trailer of those flatbed dimensions and a 12" 
> high fence around the front & side perimeter?  I know the overall width of

> a D is 79.6", but the front tire track is 61.2"
>
>  Importantly, the bumpers will NOT be on the car.  I think this will 
> affect both the maximum width and the amount of front overhang ahead of 
> the front tires.
>
>  Thanks,
>  John Spiers
>
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