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short bed 3/4 ton and towing

supersize75k5

supersize75k5

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I have my 72, it is a 3/4 ton 2wd with a 454 and t-400 and I am making it a short bed.."dont ask why"


Anyways, if I keep the spring rate the same, as well as the general set up, should or can I tow my buggy once it is done?

I have been told yes by many, but I want to hear it from you guys. I will be happy as long as it tows better that a lifted blazer.

any input or comments are welcome /forums/images/graemlins/ears.gif

-thanks, shawn
 
Should pull fine. I have hauled pickups on my trailer with my 10" lifted K5 with boggers and haven't had a problem. The 72 probably would tow better than any K5.
 
I'd say it will be ok for pulling a 16-18' trailer as long as it is loaded properly. Longer trailers or poorly distributed weight will affect shorter wheelbases faster than longer wheelbases.
 
Have a similar question so I'm sticking it in this thread. My DD is a 85 3/4 ton 4wd. I was considering using it for towing my bigger truck. I'm probably gona end up building a trailer that my truck will straddle the axles so the trailer itself will carry the bulk of the weight. I was also thinking of making the trailer a gooseneck to get some more stability out of the entire setup. I'm not a towing guru so am I missing something?
 
I'm going to burst some bubbles here, sorry... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

You will have your hands full trying to tow a K5 buggy/truggy, period! Short wheel base non-extended cab trucks are going to tow like A$$ and I do mean like A$$. There just is not enought wheel base to pull a heavy rig steadly. I will tow it, but it's going to be very unsafe and very ugly.

I have towed with my K10 4x4 1972 truck, only one time, and I had a Toyota on the trailer on the back of my truck, and I almost went for a ride on it's own. Too hard to control.

I am not the towing police, but I would not recomend this setup to anyone.

And Shawn, I am not picking on you this time! /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif

Rob
 
/forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif



the reason I asked was to hear what was needed..I can always get rid of the 86 to get a long bed /forums/images/graemlins/pimp1.gif
 
cant...I want to daily drive what I tow with...a crew cab would hang past the drive way...other wise I pay for storage on it

they might consider a crew cab as two spaces /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
 
You "have" your shortbed while towing, Just get this
92_4.JPG
and tow the buggy and the short bed at the same time.

For those wondering, it is only 9K on ebay with a buy it now of 11K.
 
I don't know if this will help but I've done a lot of towing with two trailers one is a 18' car trailer and the other is a 19' coverted travel trailer frame made into a atv trailer that hauls 4 700 pound atv's. I've used my 92 F-150 ext.cab short bed to tow both and it tows them great as long as they are properly loaded. I have also use a 87 F-250 reg cab long bed and it will tow both with a more secure feeling than the F-150. I believe that is becuse of the bigger brakes and stiffer springs. I have also towed the car trailer loaded with a 76 K20 with a 83 F-150 with 6" lift and 35's. We didn't have the trailer properly loaded and at 65 mph the trailer swayed so bad it sent us across two lanes of highway and almost into the median. We almost learned the hard way you need 60% of your weight forward of the trailer axles. I also towed the car trailer with a 04 F350 Crew Cab Dual Wheel Diesel. It was pure heaven. You could pull the trailer 80mph and forget it's back there. Just so all the tow vehicles aren't Fords. Before I took apart my 85 K10 Long Bed I used it a couple of times to pull the atv trailer. It pulled it a little better that my F-150. But it had stiffer springs than my ford did. Just remember to properly load your trailer.
 
I used to have an '84 K10 short stepside that I converted to 3/4 ton and lifted 4". I pulled my 4K lb. Jeep on a car hauler trailer. Towed quite well actually. Buy my crew cab and towing will be one less worry on your mind.... /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I will be happy as long as it tows better that a lifted blazer.

[/ QUOTE ]

A 2wd 3/4 ton short bed will be better than a lifted blazer for towing any day /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif It will never be the greatest thing in the world compared to a crewcab dually though.

Have you thought about making an extended cab short bed out of the truck and keeping the wheelbase the same?
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I will be happy as long as it tows better that a lifted blazer.

[/ QUOTE ]

A 2wd 3/4 ton short bed will be better than a lifted blazer for towing any day /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif It will never be the greatest thing in the world compared to a crewcab dually though.

Have you thought about making an extended cab short bed out of the truck and keeping the wheelbase the same?

[/ QUOTE ]


I like projects but I would shoot my self in the foot on that one /forums/images/graemlins/screwy.gif
 
Well there are coach conversion companies that can do all the hard parts for you /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I have a short bed 98 4wd and tow my jimmy constantly. Keep the spring rate and spent your money on a set of Air lift bags, air them up when you want to tow, keep the ride comfortable when your not towing. Very easy project. I spent extra on the onboard compressor and guages for convenience. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a short bed 98 4wd and tow my jimmy constantly. Keep the spring rate and spent your money on a set of Air lift bags, air them up when you want to tow, keep the ride comfortable when your not towing. Very easy project. I spent extra on the onboard compressor and guages for convenience. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Do the Air Lift bags affect your rear tire clearance? I want some for my 1990 Burb, but I am afraid my rear tires will rub (33x12.50 on stock rims).

Thanks!
Richard
 
When you air up the bags it actually lifts up the entire truck bed giving clearance between the tires and the fenders. But without a load the rear will act like a big spring affecting drivability and stiffen the ride up substantially, but with a load the truck drives like a caddilac, and thats not an overstatement. /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
When you air up the bags it actually lifts up the entire truck bed giving clearance between the tires and the fenders. But without a load the rear will act like a big spring affecting drivability and stiffen the ride up substantially, but with a load the truck drives like a caddilac, and thats not an overstatement. /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry I wasn't clear about what I was asking. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have plenty of clearance for the 33x12.50 tires now. But the air bag kits I have seen bolt *outside* the frame rails, and it looks like they come very close to rubbing the inside of the rear tires. Since I have these 33x12.50s, I am worried that the bags/brackets would rub the inner sidewall. Do you know what I mean?

Thanks!
Richard
 
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