Setting up K5 for DD/Occassional Towing Rig

[MrSchaeferPants]

So my new 85 Jimmy is going to be my DD which in the future I would also like to use to tow occassionally. What I want to be able to tow with it is probably a tandem axle car trailer about 18' or a bit shorter, somewhere around 2000lbs. (That's what trailer my buddy has and I like it a lot) and will probably tow max 5-6k lbs, K5s and the like. My buddy uses his trailer all the time for our rigs/parts trucks and his trailer works great, but a little bit longer than what I need. Hitch not goosneck.

I don't want a seperate truck just to tow occassionally. My Jimmy is stock now, in 2-3 weeks I'll be putting a new GM 350/290 crate motor in it. 700R4/NP208 both work very well. Before I look at trailers I'll be putting 4.10 3/4 ton under it since it'll be a DD. But for ocassional towing should I put in something lower? Or deal with 4.10s since it will not be that often I tow, and tow heavy?

Now it won't be used for wheeling, but I would like 4" suspension, and 33" tires, for the looks, and from what I've noticed working under this stock k5; ROOM TO WORK. (I could sit under my lifted Blazer ) It has swaybars up front and in the rear. How would the lift alter towing? Having to ditch the rear swaybar? How much I can tow, tow safely, having to use a drop hitch perhaps.

If it will make that big of difference I'll leave it stock height/tires. I know how the 7000+ weight affects my buddies Dodge 2500 turbo diesel (just trailered my now gone 86 K5) and going down hills is a bit scary, even with electric brakes on the trailer.

Just want some ideas to think about, personal experiances with K5 tow rigs and the like. This'll be way down the road, but want to get plans now. Engine'll be here in a few weeks, few months down the road I'll be putting in the 3/4 ton stuffs, running trailer wiring...etc. Trailer in a year.

 

[shovelbill80]

build a K30 for that kind of weight .
all kidding aside, that just too much weight for a K5. the factory rated them for like 6K, including the tongue weight on the truck....and that depends on what it is too. a 3K pound travel trailer will push a Blazer around in wind. you can get a 25' camper trailer with the right tongue weight under 6,000 lbs, but i sure as hell wouldn't want to tow it.
others will tell you they tow the moon and starts and all is fine...i seriously doubt most claims of bravaddo when "it tows fine" is in the same sentence as massive weight. the K5's downfall is it's wheelbase, not the power. upgraded axles for the brakes help it all to stop, not tow. be mindful of the tongue weight. trailer brakes and a trailer control are a must as is a good tranny cooler for the 700R4. if you want 33's go with a 16" rim, less sidewall flex. the highter it gets the less it can tow. you don't need 4 inches of lift for 33's either, 2" is just fine....pulling and towing are not the same thing.

here's a few threads that i stuck my $.02 into. i know i'm annoying to some, but if it helps someone from killing themselves or others i couldn't care less.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277452
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277419

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

here's a few threads that i stuck my $.02 into. i know i'm annoying to some, but if it helps someone from killing themselves or others i couldn't care less.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277452
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277419

Exactly why I'm asking. So I wouldn't mind keeping the height stock, tires as well, I thought of the ease of working under the truck with it being higher off the ground, but that's me thinking of it like a wheeling truck where I WILL be under there fixing things often

So how does the wheel base affect it? The same way turning sharp in like a Samurai would? Trailer will definitly have electric brakes. I see what a huge difference that makes on my buddies trailer/truck. If 6k is max, but is that a stock k5? With 3/4 axles, new springs and maybe those helper springs or whatever they're called, that aspect should be the same as having a 3/4 truck right? I don't plan on towing something across the state, but of course I know it isn't how far, and something can happen in 40 miles down the road or 4 blocks.

Better tranny cooling I already thought about, hell even right now the Jimmy has an engine oil cooler mounted. I dunno, Putting all of this in a list so as time goes on and I get stuff done, can kinda check the block, which is why I ask. Like the wheel base thing, I thought about the overall weight of the Jimmy, but wheel base I didn't think about. Stuff like that.

 

[shady]

When I bought my 85 k5 I looked around online and found somewhere that said the tow rating was only 4500#. Cant find it for a link though The wheel base thing is all leverage. You run the risk of wandering while towing heavy loads which easily becomes death wobble and carnage. Not really the death wobble we all think of, but the trailer whip kind.
Bigger brakes and axels will help stop and go but it does not make it a 3/4 ton. If you decide to do this then at least get a weight distributing hitch. it'll help some . I my self dont feel commfy towing anything heavier than 1000# less than the truck is rated for. Thats just me though.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Ya I hear ya. It's just I don't want this Jimmy to JUST be a DD. If I get a truck, might as well DD/tow that. Then what do I do with the Jimmy? It's too nice to turn into a wheeler, that's what my Blazer was for. I mean I could, but I'm still up in the air about what I want to build for a wheeler. Oh well, I could keep going towards what my goal is, and half-way through I decide F it and use it as a wheeler I'll already have a new motor and 3/4 ton running gear.

 

[shovelbill80]

i believe the max tongue weight for a stock K5 is 480 lbs, so using the lower end of a standard calculation of 10% then the safe towing capacity would be 4,800 lbs. i thought it was up near 6K.

a short wheel based vehicle has more limitations because the rear axle is the fulcrum point and it doesn't take much to lighten the steering and render the front brakes all but useless......kinda like the tail wagging the dog as well.....heavier axles will give you better brakes and keep from breaking things and wearing out faster. sell the blazer and get yourself a Suburban.......much better to tow with.

EDIT: i think it's 6,000 lbs with a weight distribution hitch