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Towing capacity and 700R4/4L60E

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BigBurban350

1/2 ton status
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Jun 9, 2002
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Location
Michigan
I have a 99' Silverado 1500 w/ a 4.3 V6 and I am almost certain its got a 4L60E. I need to tow a car hauler next summer (5000 lbs total). I am also planning a RMTurbo on the truck for more power and now my concern is the tranny. The truck is also already factory geared in the rear cause of the V6. If properly cooled will my tranny survive? A new truck is not in my budget and this truck will be paid off in about 10 months.
 
If you do not tow that much weight on a regular basis it should be fine. The V-6 will def lack on power but that is not the Tranny. Just make sure when you are towing make sure you are in D and not OD as the 3-4 clutch packs will slip in OD and will burn out.

Ira
 
I towed my old 86 trans am with a friends s10 blazer with a vortech 4.3 and it did great,not a lot of power but did it well.
 
Should be fine. As said. Get a good cooler, Tow in D, also Change the fluid at least once a year before summer and keep it clean! I have towed around 5K pounds a few times with my 89 K5/ 700R4 with no problems. I tow a 2500 pound boat thousands of miles all over the west every summer and haul 4 or 5 cords of wood out of the hills every year in a trailer. My orginal Tranny is still in great shape.
 
get a good cooler on it...

I put an aftermarket tranny cooler for an f350SD on my 700r4 and it's made a huge difference. Was only $40 for the kit, and it doesn't have a blue oval on it anywhere.

I ran it for "maximum efficiency" by putting it in front of the radiator/air conditioner and completely disconnected the lines from the radiator.

I pull 9k on a regular basis and this has helped more than anything else I've done to it. After about 250 miles or so before my truck would hardly go up a hill at all and I'd have to stop and rest the tranny. Now, the longest I've towed is 500 miles and it hasn't quit pulling yet.
 
Thanks for the replies. Depending on how things go, I will be towing only a couple times a month for the entire race season (I live in Michigan and I am guessing down south its a different story)
 
like they were saying get a big cooler. Over the summer i towed a car hauler about 200 miles empty and another 200 with a 74 k-5 frame and body on it. This was towed with my 93 s-10 blazer. I just took things easy and kept it at about 65-70 mph. I had my laptop hooked up to my PCM to keep track of the tranny temps and with my cooler i maxed out at 180. Also keep it out of drive it does not change the fuel milage that much i was able to get 15 mpg rather than my normal 20
 
I used to pull a 12,000 lb boat (33' venture, god that was a sweet boat) about 50 miles with a 1/2 ton burb 2x a week and the 700R4 lived..... just pay attention to what your vehicle is telling you, and get a BIG tranny cooler
 
1979jimmy350 said:
like they were saying get a big cooler. Over the summer i towed a car hauler about 200 miles empty and another 200 with a 74 k-5 frame and body on it. This was towed with my 93 s-10 blazer. I just took things easy and kept it at about 65-70 mph. I had my laptop hooked up to my PCM to keep track of the tranny temps and with my cooler i maxed out at 180. Also keep it out of drive it does not change the fuel milage that much i was able to get 15 mpg rather than my normal 20
Click to expand...

What cable did you use? I've been looking for one of those thingys.
 
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