Will My 6 Banger Truck Pull My Car??

[turbocody]

I have a 2003 GMC Sierra and i just bought a car hauler and i would like to know if it's safe or ABLE to pull it. trailer weighs 2400#, car weighs about 3500=total of 5900#. the book says it will pull 9500# but i'm not sure if your supposed to subtract the weight of the truck against that or not?? the truck has the Vortec v6, with handling/trailering suspension package. but the only thing i can think that i need to add to the truck is a TRANNY cooler and a brake controller for the trailer brakes. what are your thoughts on this?? ohh...truck weighs about 4000#

Cody

 

[Bescurred]

if its extended cab u might beable to get away with it, but if its not, i doubt it man.

 

[turbocody]

crap....it's a single cab. but what does that have to due with anything? stabilization or something. my truck has a trailering suspension if that means anything.

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by turbocody
I have a 2003 GMC Sierra and i just bought a car hauler and i would like to know if it's safe or ABLE to pull it. trailer weighs 2400#, car weighs about 3500=total of 5900#. the book says it will pull 9500# but i'm not sure if your supposed to subtract the weight of the truck against that or not?? the truck has the Vortec v6, with handling/trailering suspension package. but the only thing i can think that i need to add to the truck is a TRANNY cooler and a brake controller for the trailer brakes. what are your thoughts on this?? ohh...truck weighs about 4000#

I wouldn't.
While you might pull it on flat ground, serious grades, will be no fun. Not to mention an emergency braking situation. Hauling down from 75 takes alot a brake *mass*. You have to have enough brakes to be able to absorb lots of heat to shut that rig down.

 

[turbocody]

ok, let's say i get one of those superchips power programers to give me that little extra power and i already have 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes w/trailer brakes. is that still not enough? cuase it will kinda suck if i can't make what i got work

Cody

 

[1ARUNEM]

Occasional use and it should be fine provided you have trailer brakes..

Pull with it alot and you will be rebuilding a trans..

HTH..

 

[Chris Wh1]

I tried pulling a 69 GTX(4000 lbs) with an 87 regular cab, short bed S-10 and with the short wheel base, it was a pain in the ass. I ended up turning around and goin back home after about a mile, and then driving the car 50 miles on slicks , i wouldnt even try it. Just a suggestion.

Chris

 

[equalizer442]

just go out and buy a old beater pick up truck with a v8 like a ford f100 or a chevy silverado

 

[d0n_3d]

i don't think ANY V6 truck can haul 6000 lbs!!! let alone alot of the older V8 trucks...gotta have 250 or more horsepower i say to pull something like that decently...

 

[insane6]

The truck is capable , the power will be disappointing, just don't expect to run with the flow of the traffic. Trailer brakes work great for the extra stopping power, trying to stop will be where the accident happens. I have a V-6 supercharged Tacoma and it pulls it ok, not good, but ok it is just the brakes that suck.

 

[gnxtc2]

I had a '91 Toyota PU X-tra cab SR5 5speed with a V6. I did some mods to the Toyota also. I rented a U-Haul car trailer and towed my car to the track about 1 hr away. The Toyota was fine in town but once I got onto the Turnpike forget about it. It didn't have enough power to keep up. I was able to barely maintain 55-60mph. Everytime I braked, the trailer's surge brakes activated all the time. I then bought a PSD.

You'll probably be able to do it but you will get tired of doing it. The V6 doesn't have the power of a V8 or diesel.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[tjthorson]

Well, I think you should be OK. Its not going to be pretty pulling away from stoplights.

All you guys talking about the trans and stopping and so on - that doesn't matter. Its a full size pickup - period. If he had the v8, it would still be the same trans, rearend, and frame.

The difference in weight between a 4.3 and 5.7 is less then a passenger weight, so that has nothing to do with it.

If you are going short distances and not through the mountains, it will be OK. Don't expect to run 70mph on the highway (I wouldn't do that with a shortbed truck anyway), always check the trailer brakes before leaving, and change your front pads on the truck once a year. The full size 1/2 ton Chevys have brakes that are too small (IMHO) for the truck, and they go through pads quick.

I would look into a heavyduty radiator and engine OIL cooler - a trans cooler is a must, v8 or not.

 

[UNGN]

Back in the bad old days, I used to tow 5000# car/trailer with a 100 HP AMC eagle. Sure the speed limit was only 55 back then, but it worked OK if you didn't have to keep up with traffic.

It will suck, but if you take it easy and have a properly equipped trailer, it will work for local towing.

No way the truck is rated for 9500 lbs, though. It would have a trans cooler and LT tires with load range D or E if it was.

I guess about 1/2 that.

 

[cwelk87gn]

I have a 97 f150 LWB with the big V-8 (5.4) and it pulls OK but not great. If I were to do alot of towing I would look into a big block powered truck of some sort. Remember the most important thing isn't going...it's stopping.

 

[QuickWrench]

Just my .02...

I pulled my '87 T on a heavy trailer with my '97 F150, which had the 210HP 4.2 V-6/automatic. Did this about 10 times, from my place to Norwalk (~200 miles round-trip). Acceleration wasn't great, and the bed sagged some, but once I had it up to speed, it would pull at 80-90, no problem. I did invest the ~$200 in a weight-distributing hitch, which helped out immensely, and I HIGHLY recommend it. If you tow once without it, then install one...you'll immediately know what I'm talking about.

NOTE: The key is in how you allow the transmission to shift. While towing with a lighter-duty truck/drivetrain, ALWAYS keep the truck in third gear (1:1)....NOT overdrive. Yes, you'll be sailing down the highway at a higher RPM than you're used to, but bear in mind that the SHIFTING is what will kill your automatic transmission when towing. The added engine speed won't hurt anything; it will just diminish your mileage slightly, and it will keep the trans line pressure up. You'll also find that keeping the V-6 in the fat part of its power curve will allow greater control of the load, especially when passing.

Since your truck has the trailering package, be SURE to use the tow/haul mode 100% of the time, while the trailer's attached. This will up the line pressure, and raise the shift points.

...and of course, make sure you invest in a decent brake controller for the trailer's brakes. A good unit is less than $100.

BTW, I now have a 2000 GMC 2500 4x4 Extended-Cab, Long Bed, with the 6.0 LS1 V-8. No more problems in the towing department.

 

[TClassic]

While we're on the Topic, how about my '98 Mercury Grand Marquis (rear drive with the 4.6 V8). I realize I'll need a Tranny Cooler, and MAYBE a rear gear swap(2.73)????

I was going to get a Truck but this car only had 27,000mi on it last Oct. when I bought it.

 

[QuickWrench]

While we're on the Topic, how about my '98 Mercury Grand Marquis (rear drive with the 4.6 V8). I realize I'll need a Tranny Cooler, and MAYBE a rear gear swap(2.73)????

I set up my father's '87 Lincoln Town Car to tow his 21' Thompson boat. If it could live, with its lousy TBI 302, you'll be fine.

Your Marquis is a full-framed, V-8-equipped, heavy car. The rear gear change would help, but I don't think I'd worry about it. Your 4.6L should have plenty of torque to get things rolling.

Assuming a ~5000Lb rolling load, you'd need the following items:

Must Have
1. Inertia-actuated trailer Brake Controller, unless your Lincoln has a plug-in for the progressive brake pedal switch. Ensure it's properly adjusted, so the trailer's not jerking the car too hard.
2. Class 3 Receiver

Should Have
3. Weight-Distributing Hitch
4. Rear coil spring Air Bags [just like your GN/TT]
5. Auxiliary Transmission Cooler

The total cost of all 5 of these items should be around $500 - $600 plus installation costs, if you'll have them installed. Again...be sure NOT to tow with the car in overdrive, and keep a close eye on the car's maintenance. Consider an upfront and annual transmission fluid change by a vendor who offers a Wynn's-method complete fluid evacuation. Newer evac machines can recover over 90% of the old fluid, including from the torque converter, versus ~25% using the traditional pan drop/drain. It should cost around $110.

 

[FlyinGN]

I had a friend who used to tow is TTA on a 2000 lb trailer with a Ford explorer 2wd with a 4.0 v6 and it was ok.. Id say that you can do it..

 

[Slow91z]

Dude we used to pull a roundy round car, decent size trailer, and ALL of the tools, and pit crap in the bed (the truck was squatted in the back BAD), in a early 90's Toyota, pickup, extended cab, V6, 5 speed.

It got the job done, no speed records, and brake early.

Also I pulled a 78 camaro, on a trailer that out weighed the car, in my 76 step-side chevy, with a 350 that probably made less horsepower then your V6...It worked.

And my boss now pulls a Large boat with his 4.3L 96 chevy, extended cab, 2 wheel drive...Point is you have a full size truck, with proper equipment you can pull what you need to pull, just not quickly.

 

[turbocody]

cool deal, thanks for all the tips and comments. BTW, the vortec v6 is rated at 200hp@4600 and 260ft@2800. is this a good rating for a v6?

Cody