Towing Questions

strum456 · Feb 27, 2012

As long as you arent hammering on it, I think the engine and trans would be ok for occational use.

I am a bit concerned about you being able to balance the load with 10 percent toung weight and keep the jack and safety chains from dragging. Those 2 wheel drive chevys sit low and have soft springs. You might need to consider air bags. A friend of mine uses them on his chevy for the same reason when pulling a camper.

jeffsw6 · Feb 27, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
I drove one maybe 2005 5.3L with 3.42 gears and the 4 speed and it would not pull a sick ***** out of bed.

I'm not sure if I would go that far, but it is no torque monster. Mine doesn't produce much below 2500 RPM or so. For light trailering it is great.

SMOKEEATERFF said:
If it squats to bad or sways I will look into a wd hitch. How much do they run? Never looked at buying one.

Just W/D will only set you back a couple hundred bucks, maybe less. W/D and sway control gets expensive, like $500ish for Reese. The other thing is sway control rigging takes some time to hook up.

Diamondpilot · Feb 27, 2012

SMOKEEATERFF said:
It's got one front weight and the fluid in the tires has been removed, no wheel weights. I may try to get it weighed.

My guess is its about a 5,000# tractor then.

Chris

Diamondpilot · Feb 27, 2012

jeffsw6 said:
I'm not sure if I would go that far, but it is no torque monster. Mine doesn't produce much below 2500 RPM or so. For light trailering it is great.

Just W/D will only set you back a couple hundred bucks, maybe less. W/D and sway control gets expensive, like $500ish for Reese. The other thing is sway control rigging takes some time to hook up.

Like I said, it was a 3.42 gear with a 4 speed, different beast from what he has in his 2011. I am used to 3.73 and 4.10 geared trucks and there is just no comparison. When I buy trucks the first thing I look at is where the engine makes its torque. If it does not make 80% below 2500 rpm its not for me.

As for WD hitches I can get them all day long shipped to your door with a anti sway system for around $250. Look at Putnam. American made, better paint and finish than Reese, and a great company to deal with. Used them for years for all kinds of towing needs. This is a 10,000# WD setup. Heavier setups are a little more.

Chris

sld · Feb 27, 2012

About the W/D hitch issue, the max tow rating is WITH the W/D hitch, right?

So, if you don't use one your tow rating is quite a bit less than 9700#?

That is the way I have understood it on my vehicles but I have been wrong before.

SMOKEEATERFF · Feb 27, 2012

My truck has the Z71 appearance package, I think it sits a little higher than regular 2wds. Don't know if there is an extra leaf spring or not. I do have the dic to watch the tranny temp.

jejeosborne · Feb 27, 2012

If your trailer weighs 8000lbs, you need about 800 lbs tongue weight MINIMUM. You will need a WD hitch for this load to be safe. I have been caught in the rain on a quick trip when I didn't use mine and I could tell my stopping distance was greatly shortened. Skidded the front tires on my truck with little effort. Not to mention everyone flashing their lights at you at night because you're nose is high.

Diamondpilot · Feb 27, 2012

sld said:
About the W/D hitch issue, the max tow rating is WITH the W/D hitch, right?

So, if you don't use one your tow rating is quite a bit less than 9700#?

That is the way I have understood it on my vehicles but I have been wrong before.

Yes, like I said before most have a much lower rating without the WD hitch versus with.

Example is my 2 trucks.

2008 Nissan Titan 4x4 has a tow rating of 9,500# but without the WD its 6,000#.

2006 Ford F-350 4x4 Diesel has a BP tow rating of 15,000# with WD, but its only 12,000# without. The tow rating for 5th wheel and GN is about 18,000#.

Chris

deerefan · Feb 27, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
You are right but my guess, and this is me going off older GM products, is your hitch has a rating itself. It will be something like 6,000# and 600# of tongue weight for standard pull and 10,000# and 1,000# tongue weigh with a WD hitch.

The guys pulling 8,000# on the factory hitch without a WD hitch are asking for trouble. Been there done that. I tow a lot, about 150 miles a week for the last 20 years and have done just about everything stupid possible.

Using a WD hitch changes the way the load is applied to the hitch. The GM hitches are pretty decent but are far from the best out there. For your purposes I would keep the factory hitch and go with a WD setup.

By the way me calling the 5.3L gutless a fact, not a opinion when compared to Fords 5.0L V8, Toyotas 5.7L V8, Nissans 5.6L V8, and Dodges 5.7L V8. These base V8 engines from all the other manufactures make tons more torque and HP than the 5.3L. It is what it is. Don't get me wrong, the 5.3L is a fine engine that gets good mpg and is reliable but just not the best tower. Yes, I have never owned one but have driven and rode in them and I tow enough to know whats what. Granted, this is all in 5.3L 4 speed trucks and SUV such as Yukons with either 3.73 gears or 4.10 gears. I drove one maybe 2005 5.3L with 3.42 gears and the 4 speed and it would not pull a sick ***** out of bed.

Chris

While i appreciate your opinion, you are not comparing apples to apples. Three of the four engines you listed are the best gas engines avaulable from that particular manufacturer. The 3.5tt would be the best from ford. The 6.2 from gm compares to all these engines power wise nicely. The 5.3 is not the base motor or top of the line either. Kind of in the middle, thought definitely more common than the 6.2. I could not agree with you more regarding the wd hitch. It makes a huge difference, especially in load handling.