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how good is a k5 for towing ?

L

lokjaw777

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if i decide to take off my 4in lift and go back to a stock tire size (trying to tow a 18 fbrs micro lite...3200lbs) the 36 tsl's work for hitting the campgrounds around my area 3 within a 30 mile radius.and all flat but if i decide to go inland on a road trip that all changes..would a 33in tire even really help that much
 
yea i know ..........but i guess this would be the better question to have asked.all the peeps i know all have newer trucks so asking them is a mute point .......all they say is get a new truck.an with 36's being about 250(3 years ago i paid 169 apiece)just can't go that route right now.being that i now have a camper payment
 
well....since you have a camper payment and can't swing building your truck properly as a tow vehicle, i think your best bet is to bring it back to stock and install a tranny cooler.

it's very difficult to build a multi purpose vehicle that will fit all your needs. sell those tires and start over. priorities and "wants" don't belong in the same sentence, let alone on the same truck. first thing i'd do is find out what gears you actually have...factory 3.08's or 3.42's suck to tow with anyway, on a stock platform.

if your trailer weighs 3,200 lbs. how much does all the other shyt you're gonna put in the trailer and load the blazer with? it adds up quick. i'm not sure, but i think 11,000 lbs is maxed out for the whole shootin match with a properly prepped towing package. fwiw, Bill
 
I agree with figure out your gears. Going down to 33's STILL might be geared too high to tow worth anything.

You might actually have to go down to a stock tire size. Also, a little bit of planinng goes a long way. What good is a trailer you are making payments on, if you can't afford to tow it safely? I'd much rather have a well planned out rig, with a little bit older camper, where i was actually setup safely to tow it.

Where are you towing? Lots of hills? That will make a huge difference. My burb will tow boats all over the state.....but really doesn't like grades. Getting ready to regear to take care of that problem.
 
the most inexpensive "fix" for dilema is find a properly geared 6 lug(4.10 or 4.56) semifloat 14 bolt axle, swap those 36's for some good all terrain 33" tires and pull your front driveshaft till you get the scratch to regear the front axle. THEN you'd have a decent "looking" rig that is capable of towing your investment. still need a tranny cooler though.

i'm just trying to pass on what i learned(the hard way) some 25+ years ago. someone once told me that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. that pretty much sums up my whole life :eek1: till about 5 years ago.
 
Might be a good idea to go to some D or E rated tires too.
 
Stiffer sidewalls = less squirrelly handling = less chance of ass pucker moments while towing.

Then again I prefer the LT metric sizes due to their higher load ratings and narrower width for stuff I road drive regularly.
 
i have 342 gears 245 75 16 e rated tires .installed a lock up switch on my 700r4 too hold better in 3 gear. my travel trailer weight and jimmy loaded before leaving was 10500lbs.would tow ok until i reached about 60 miles an hour,over that it got scary. i had sway bars and anti swing bar. to new leafs pack in the rear. i ran that set up for 4 summers,fall off 2009 i bought a 1995 c2500. oh yeah i had 2 transmission coolers and a gauge it would run cooler lock about 165 degrees,unlock on big hills seen it over 200 degrees? but i have a6.2 with a bank turbo,the rpm is lower than a 350.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Stiffer sidewalls = less squirrelly handling = less chance of ass pucker moments while towing.

Then again I prefer the LT metric sizes due to their higher load ratings and narrower width for stuff I road drive regularly.
Click to expand...

Agreed.....but if budget and saving money is that name of the game.....c rated tires will be fine for a load like that.
 
Eh, some 265/75R16's would be cheap enough and you can get them in mud or all terrain flavor with at least a D load rating. Cheap 16x7 or 16x8 steelies can be had from Summit for under $75 each last I knew. Priced new 33's lately?
 
I can give you my personal experience and pain I went through.

I have an 87 blazer with a fresh rebuilt 350 with mild mods. Built 700R4 and had a 10 bolt with 4.56 gears and 35" BFGs. You can search my username if you want to see more about my experiences.

My boat is 21 ft and weighs about 4k lbs. Towing around town was fine add an incline and it sucked pretty bad. I had to drop to second gear in order to make it up a hill. It wasn't long until I munched the ring gear.

Fast forward to today and I have a 14bolt SF axle with 5.13s and it works great!! I can now take the same hill in 3rd gear and do the posted speed limit of 55 mph.

I don't think the 10 bolt can take the combination of large tires and towing. So either go to smaller tires or swap axles and gears otherwise its only a matter of time until you're in the same boat I was in. JMO
 
Keep your rig the way you like it and borrow a friends truck or rent one when needed.One of my friends has an 08 with a 6.0 and always owes me a favor now and then.
 
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