Trucks/Towing Power

[Alan D.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

Brad if you use the truck other times of the year, my Durmax gets 19 town/ 23 hiway is that so much worst than your Ford V6?

[Ray K.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

A rear axle ratio of 3.73 or 4.11 offers a substantial improvement in the torque / towing values of all vehicles. However, the real factor to consider is the GCVW -- Gross Combination Vehicle Weight Rating -- what the towing vehicle weighs and the weight of the towed unit -- and what capacity the towing vehicle is rated at.

Ray

[Patrick H.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

All good advice but to tow a car in an enclosed maybe 1 or 2 times a year is it worth spending 20K more for some monster you don't need and twice the fuel year round? Safety vs. cost I guess. Thanks all. Brad.

Yes, but they're right.

I've used my 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 (half ton) pickup with a 5.3L to tow a Corvette in an enclosed trailer several times. Boston, Bowling Green, and others. I've also used it to haul an open trailer with a Corvette. Once, maybe twice a year maximum.

Having said that I would want nothing less and usually wished I had more. If I hauled cars more often I'd suck it up and buy a larger vehicle or attempt to borrow one from a friend. My engine/trans can still be screaming when I try to go over hills such as those in upper NY or KY, and it will slow down when I go up them as well. I can't imagine doing it with a V6 as you suggest unless you have an open aluminum trailer or spend big $ on an enclosed Trailex trailer.

Hauling my pop-up camper from MI to Yellowstone and back last year (3500# unit) was easy for me but still kept the engine/trans working at times. Double this for a Corvette + trailer and it becomes real work.

Good luck with your decision.

Patrick

[Stuart F.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

Up at Indy for the Pace Car Registry get together last week I saw one enclosed (and loaded) rig pulled by a new Jeep Wagon with the Hemi V8 do a 4 wheel burnout in the Radiison Hotel parking lot. I was impressed.

My son pulled his 08 Pace car on a U-Haul trailer to and from (Orlando - Indianapolis) with his 07 Tahoe trough the hills of Kentucky w/o any problem. The aero on the C-6 seems to help as he had no bug hits to speak of.

BTW, it was a fantastic event. The organization done by Bruce J. and the folks from the Registry was great. The same could not be said about the IMS though. Nice to see The Shooter up there.

Stu Fox

[Jim L.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

All good advice but to tow a car in an enclosed maybe 1 or 2 times a year is it worth spending 20K more for some monster you don't need and twice the fuel year round? Safety vs. cost I guess. Thanks all. Brad.

Your reluctance to pay extra for a capable tow rig is understandable; I felt the same way back in my V6 days. Couple of things:

1. If you plan to pull an enclosed trailer, even once, you absolutely positively need a stout tow rig.

2 When not towing, and when driven conservatively, a Diesel truck will turn in 20 MPG or more.... probably on par with a gas engine truck, and in any event not awful.

3. It's not like a Diesel truck is useless when not towing. It's still a truck and can always be used for truckish type tasks.

Jim

[William L.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

I don't think anyone is saying that these lighter and smaller vehicles cant pull and get you there. The point I think some are missing is how safe do you want to be. I don't care how many time's you tow it only takes one bad situation and you will wish you had done things a little differently. It's like playing Russian roulette 5 out of 6 times everything will be OK. The question is when will that 6th time pop up?? Maybe never, maybe the 1st time.
Bill

[Dick W.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

I have used about everything imaginable to tow with. From a '52 IH panel (92 hp) to a built LS 6 in a dually. I have towed in probably half the states. I won't talk about the larger vehicles I have used. As Bill said you can tow with about anything, but do you care about your hide and your car? A rule of thumb I heard a long time ago makes a lot of sense. "Your tow vehicle should weight as much as what you are towing". This is a good rule with pull type trailers, not as important with 5th wheel trailers. Electric trailer brakes are marginal, at the best. In a panic situation do you want the trailer pushing you all over the road? The longer the wheelbase, the more comfortable you will feel towing. With a short tow vehicle, you always have the "tail waggin' the dog feeling".

[Ken J.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

Guys;
I tow with a GMC 4500 Hauler with a chipped up Duramax at about 475/525ft.lbs. and an Allison Auto. Heading to Gettysburg from the west, I was passing cars going uphill in the mountains pulling a 20' Aluminum with a 67 inside. It gets over 11 MPG in economy mode and makes the trip nearly as enjoyable as the show. It sure beats the F-350 it replaced in
all scores.
Ken Joseph

[Doug F.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

i used to tow with a 1/2 ton GMC with the 454, i recently replaced it with a 6 liter HD Chevy, what a difference, i didn't even need the trailer brakes anymore, then i made the mistake of borrowing my buddy's Duramax with the Allison Auto, even in the mountains you hardly know the trailer is there

[Joe R.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

Started with a Blazer with a 5.7, second was a 3/4 T Surburban with a 454 and now a Dodge Dually with a Cummins Diesel. You cannot tell there is a trailer behind you unless you look in the rear view mirror. Over 250,000 miles so far!

You could not tear the Dodge Dually from my dead cold hands!

Not an observation but experience talking!

JR

[Peter J.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

I have used my 5.3 Silverado to tow a few different Corvettes for hundreds of miles on open trailers without any problems and then I hauled a Corvette for an acquaintance in an enclosed trailer that broke down on the way home from Carlisle and it scarred the hell out of me on the I-95 when I passed an eighteen wheeler. My truck has the tow package but I will not haul an enclosed and weighted down trailer again with it.

[Terry M.]

Re: Trucks/Towing Power

As Joe stated (even if not in so many words)

Size does matter when towing, and bigger is better.