k5 towing

[d coenen]

l know this should be in the towwing section but i have 79 blazer 35 in tires 350 and 3.07 gears it takes me awhile to get it up to speed but i want to use it to tow a car trailer and junk cars, mostly smaller cars and the trailer isnt all that heavy its not like the heavyier duty ones. will i have to regear ? i mostly just offroad it in the mud ,snow. its not a daily driver. it also has 3/4 ton springs so it does have alittle lift thanks

 

[southernspeed]

I had 33"s and 3.07's and it was slooooow. Tim hooked me up with some 4.10 and that really woke it up!!

 

[pauly383]

I towed a car with 31's and 3.08's , was allright . I went to 33's with 3.08's , slow from a stop , but allright , I have since swapped to lower gears and still need lower . I don't imagine 35's with 3.07's are any better . Swap for lower gears , it will be way better all around , saves gas and will pull better to boot

 

[Pookster]

Will you have to?

have and have to are a really fine line. Effectively put, it will be really really sluggish, and put a lot of strain on the drive train. I've done 373's with 31's, 33's and 35's- with the 35's, unless I was doing 70, there was no way I could use OD. With 31's, It was almost always in OD.

Also, you didnt mention if you had an auto or a manual. If your not reaching lockup speeds, you might burn out your tranny. I'd invest in a gauge, and some coolers. I've got 2 auxiliary ones in addition to the one in my radiator, just to be safe. I've gotten them pretty hot, even when just doing mild off roading since there wasnt that much air speed to cool them off. Just my two cents.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

Towing with a Blazer with 35" tires is absolutely stupid. My old 35s were C load rating. You'd have to be a complete fool to tow with such a vehicle.

 

[RustyMule]

I towed a 4000 lb U-haul trailer through the rockies and across the country on 35's and 3.08's. Wow did that suck. MAYBE 35 mph up hills. The loaded semi's were passing me. It was all over the road and I was getting roughly 6 mpg. I couldn't even go over 50. And yes I am a fool but it was my only option at the time. I would definitely regear to at least 4.10's, 4.56's preferably for heavy duty stuff.

 

[d coenen]

well i can always use my father inlaws truck to the towing but my blazer is pretty slugish already with the 35s and 3.07. but if i get 4.10 s it should livin it up on the highway but what about on the trail i like mud and snow and the usual hill climb ? do alot of creek crosing with nothing but sand under the water . thanks

 

[d coenen]

could i find diffrent gear in a jukyard ? how do i tell what gears they are?

 

[87BrnRsd]

4.10's will make your engine spin more rpms on the highway, but will offer a large improvement of torque and acceleration. You will need 4.10s if you plan to tow with it. I wouldnt get gears from a junkyard. Just buy them new. You could buy new front and rear axles while your at it. It may be cheaper than buying gears and paying for the install. Plus you can upgrade to a 14 bolt in the rear so it doesnt snap a shaft while you are towing the trailer. You can tell what gears you have by looking at the stamp on the ring gear.
-Harrison

 

[rjfguitar]

Towing with a Blazer with 35" tires is absolutely stupid. My old 35s were C load rating. You'd have to be a complete fool to tow with such a vehicle.

I wouldn't go there, besides his drivetrain it should pull a lighter car on a small trailer fine. I pulled 8K behind my K5 on several occasions with 10" of lift and 35" boggers. It wasn' t smartest thing but actually did just fine.

Original Poster,
If you had only planned on hauling a car once than I would say go for it but since you want to do it a lot you will need to make some changes to that drivetrain. Your best option is to get a set of 3/4 ton axles with gears that are much better. Your second option would be to regear your current setup but unless you have really nice rims, thats a dumb option. You will eventually melt the th350 in it if it is an auto.
As for your question about lower gears and wheeling. Lower gears will help you in every circumstance you can think of, even fuel mileage.

 

[WantedaDodge]

complete fool, eh?

 

[gravdigr]

before you regear I highly suggest looking for a set of 3/4 ton axles. I got a complete junk 3/4 ton truck with no motor for about half the cost of new gears front and back not even counting the setup cost. Got a complete 3/4 ton drivetrain with 4.10 gears. That would be your best route.