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can I pull a toy hauler?

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91jimmy4me

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I want to buy a toy hauler but the only thing I can pull it with is my Jimmy. There is a 21 footer I really have my eye on but the thing weighs 6000 pounds dry. When I put my quads, water, and gas in it, it will be more like 7500 pounds. So what is the most I can tow with my Jimmy?

It is a 5.7 with the 3.73 gears and factory towing package with oil cooler and extra trans cooler on the front of the radiator. It has 33x12.5x15 BFG A/T's on it. and it is the 700r4 trans. I have done a KN filter, high flow cat, and a flowmaster delta flow 50 series muffler.
 
You could probably do it for awhile. Towing in OD is a no no though. The trans might take the abuse for awhile but you are most likely going to waste a 700R4 pulling 7500lbs around, especially if you live in an area with hills or worse yet real mountains.

Harley
 
Thanks for the quick reply!

I live in Vegas so mountains aren't really a factor. We would be using this mainly to go out to Dumont Dunes and there is one grade that is pretty long going over Pahrump. It lasts about 10 miles and it is the only grade there and back.


Would dropping my gear ratio to 4.56 help or should I go back to the stock tire size of 31"?
 
Anything to give the motor more mechanical advantage (lower gears or smaller tires) would help. Adding another tranny cooler and an external tranny filter would probably help too.

The main concern with the truck would be roasting a transmission and rear axle. A trans temp gauge, trans cooler, and external trans filter will help alot. If your tranny temps get to high you are going to waste a 700R4 and that is expensive. $1000 for a cheap rebuild (which won't last). I paid $1600 for my last 700R4 rebuild with a 2yr warranty. Next time I am putting in an SM465 manual tranny or maybe a Th400.

Harley
 
Yep, and an anti-sway bar helps alot too. We used to use one on my K5 when we hauled a 16ft travel trailer with it.

Harley
 
When i was a kid my parents had an '89 suburban that we pulled our camper with (cant remember exact length but it was pretty long, 25-30'?), but anyway we pulled it all over the country with the ol burban, up mountain passes in 100 degree heat and everything, the truck over heated bad and we even had smoke pouring out of the tranny onece but it just kept on going, and I bet that camper weighd more than 7500#. I say regear it and go for it!
 
The wheelbase should be the only real difference I would think, our burb was a half ton so it had a TBI350, 700r4, np241(?), 10bolts, not sure what gears it had though (i was too young too care). I know towing with a short wheelbase truck can be hell but it doesnt sound like you will be towing too far so I would say get some equalizer bars and maybe one of those sway bar things that hooks up to the trailer and then to your hitch (not sure of the exact name?). Its worth a try anyway.
 
Can you do it... yes... can you spend some money and do it better with load equalizing hitch and sway away ..yes,,, some air bags in the rear yes...

NOW can you do it safely... I personally do not think so... I tow about that same trailer with my v3500 crew... fully maxed built out for towing and thats about ALL it likes to tow comfortably... still could use more brakes and I have big brakes on the trailer and a like new rig...
Its not if it can tow it... its the emergency manuevers and other idiots around you...
my tow... oops two cents

cam
 
Why on earth would you want a 6000 pound trailer to pull 1500 pounts of stuff? a standard utility trailer with all your stuff on it would probably still be under half the weight of that trailer alone. Even a light box tralier would save you all the hasle of changing the truck around, killing breaks, transmissions, stopping for gas every 5 miles, ...
 
velocitiii said:
Why on earth would you want a 6000 pound trailer to pull 1500 pounts of stuff? a standard utility trailer with all your stuff on it would probably still be under half the weight of that trailer alone. Even a light box tralier would save you all the hasle of changing the truck around, killing breaks, transmissions, stopping for gas every 5 miles, ...
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Do you know what a toy hauler is?
 
You must be talking about one of those campers with the "garage" in the back. In that case, by all means leave it in 3rd and just take it easy if you don't have far to go.
 
I probably wouldn't do it. That is a lot of weight behind a blazer. You will have a hard time braking with that much weight and 1/2 ton brakes. I would say go for it if you upgraded to a 14BFF in the rear for the extra braking power and heavier rear end. I have towed 8K+ behind my 3/4 K5 but am not proud of it. It was unstable and now after seeing how much better my long bed quad cab dodge cummins handles the same load...I would never use my K5 again. Wheelbase makes a big difference when it comes to handling that much weight back there and especially spread out over 21 feet.
 
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