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What are your opinions on a burban tow truck

down4thakrown

down4thakrown

1/2 ton status
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Now I got the blazer running. And after taking it on a 300mile round trip and hamering on it ... I was thinking on trips like this it would be alot easier on the tires and nerves if I were to tow it on long distance trips like this. So I got this 84 k20 burb in my yard I've been debating on what to do with. I already got a th400/208 that will be going in it and I'm thinking of selling the 350/700r4/208 to fund a 5.3 swap. Then put 4.56 gears in it. I'm planing on towing the blazer with this (6200lbs). You guys think it would make a decent tow truck or would it be pushing it. Trailer will have brakes and I'll probably put air bags on it too.
 
I know a guy who used a 80's C10 Suburban with a 454/Th400 in a bind,to tow his car trailer and a full sized cars and trucks around,and ended up liking how it handled the load so well,that he started using it all the time--he even hauled a few full sized GM trucks back to NH from North Carolina with it..he put e range 15" tires on it and used a receiver hitch with the anti-sway bars..

He noted the Burb had a tighter turning radius than his 3+3 Dually ,which was a plus in tight quarters and city driving..his dually only had a 350 & SM465 ,so the Burb was much easier to drive,and the 454 didn't bog down on hills..fuel mileage was no worse either..(the Burb probably had highway gears compared to the Dually)..

A 4x4 Burb with 8 lug axles should easily handle "most" towing chores,unless your thinking of pulling a 35 foot house trailer..
A 4x4 may not ride as smooth as a 2wd,but it'll be a plus to have when you might have to back that trailer up a slippery incline,etc..
 
I pulled my K5 twice with my old 1/2 ton 2001 5.3 Silverado. I was not a fan of how hard the 5.3 had to work to get the job done. I did it, but it was not happy about it.
 
I'm a fan of the suburban, and a stock height (or nearly) 3/4 ton rig is a very stable towing platform for the load you describe. A 5.3L with some selected upgrades could be a great choice, and combined with your 400/208, you could have a "stage 1" powertrain. Should that prove successful, "stage 2" could be the addition of a 4L80E.

David
 
down4thakrown said:
Now I got the blazer running. And after taking it on a 300mile round trip and hamering on it ... I was thinking on trips like this it would be alot easier on the tires and nerves if I were to tow it on long distance trips like this. So I got this 84 k20 burb in my yard I've been debating on what to do with. I already got a th400/208 that will be going in it and I'm thinking of selling the 350/700r4/208 to fund a 5.3 swap. Then put 4.56 gears in it. I'm planing on towing the blazer with this (6200lbs). You guys think it would make a decent tow truck or would it be pushing it. Trailer will have brakes and I'll probably put air bags on it too.
Click to expand...

Been there......done that. In Style....!!!! :waytogo:










SBC350/TH350 - Not exactly what anyone would consider an "ideal" towrig setup, but it went 1000 miles each way from CA to Moab, UT.....and then 3100 miles (one-way) from CA to NH......

DSC02041.jpg


I crossed the Sierras and the Rockies (slowly) and it took me a couple of waterpumps and a set of rear tires, but I had a lot of fun and got a lot of "thumbs up" from people on the highway.


-G
 
down4thakrown said:
What gears were u running Greg? That looks awesome!
Click to expand...


That was a 3/4-Ton Burb (C20) with an Eaton rear axle. Pretty sure that setup came with 4.10s....

The setup looked awesome rolling down the road, but it didn't set any landspeed records. :haha:


-G
 
My pops had a 85 3/4 ton Burb growing up with 350/700R4/NP208 and 4.10 gears and we went all over the country pulling a 28' camping trailer. Not sure what the loaded weight on the trailer was but I'm betting it was a good chunk more than a K5 and Big Brown never had any problems except for a few steep grades that we had to take pretty slow. That truck was also his DD so he was willing to trade an occasional slow climb with the SBC for the better mileage during the rest of the year. Doing a 5.3 swap would put you in kinda the same boat where you'd have good power with decent mileage the majority of the time but occasionally have to take it slow because it doesn't have the torque of a 6.0 or BBC.
 
I'm alright with going slow. I'm pretty sure if I had a trailer start to walk on me, the wife would never ride in a truck with a heavy load again lol
 
And the burb has 4.10s now so I'll most likely see how it does b4 haveing the gears done
 
down4thakrown said:
And the burb has 4.10s now so I'll most likely see how it does b4 haveing the gears done
Click to expand...


I will add that the trailer used for the cross-country trip had electric brakes and a high-quality load distributing hitch as well.... The C20 had a good "tow package" setup (larger radiator, etc)

The load out back was pretty stable and easy to control, but it was also around 10,000Lbs. That's still a tough assignment for a small-block Chevy.


-G
 
And I know everybody likes picsflagwaver
Also in the last pic, do you guys think it came with the trailer wireing harnesses mounted in the bumper like that, from the factory? :cool1:

IMG_20160201_165451938.jpg

IMG_20160201_165442305.jpg

IMG_20160201_165344198.jpg

IMG_20160201_165434978.jpg
 
The only draw back to Bourbon towing is no 5TH-wheel ability. I sure do like that old Bourbon of Greg's. I had a one like it back in the late 70's to early 80's. It was a 1968 c30 / 396 / FF 14-bolt. I sold it to a guy that was restoring an original 1967 396 Corvette Stingray, and wanted the engine and trans for the restoration. That engine and trans is still in that Stingray to this day. Do not know what happened to the Burb.
 
Is the roof only thing keeping it incapable of a 5th wheel? Mine has a salvage title so I'm really considering cutting roof off to beable to use a 5th wheel. What about frame? Im sure I can build a headache rack outta tubing and maybe make a soft back cover to close off cab?
 
I saw your other thread. I have seen a couple squarebody "avalanches" and they didn't look too good. It can probably be done right, but really think it through before the hacking begins.
 
down4thakrown said:
Is the roof only thing keeping it incapable of a 5th wheel? Mine has a salvage title so I'm really considering cutting roof off to beable to use a 5th wheel. What about frame? Im sure I can build a headache rack outta tubing and maybe make a soft back cover to close off cab?
Click to expand...

Cutting the roof would be the only option for 5th-wheel. A 3/4-ton frame has enough beef to it for towing. I think installing a Corp. FF 14-bolt would help. I am pretty sure Subs since 1974 only came with semi-floater 14-bolts.
 
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