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Who think's I'm crazy?

Who thinks I'm crazy?

  • Total voters
    34
  • Poll closed .
R

RustyMule

Registered Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2004
Posts
73
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Location
Westford, MA
I'm about to embark on a grand journey across the country with a trailer, a wife, two cats and a chinchilla. We're gonna go up from the bay area to Seattle and then over all the way to MA over the course of 10 days. I just want to know who thinks I'm crazy towing a 4000lb U-haul trailer with a 75 K5 running an old 355, 35's, 3.73's, 14bff, 4" /shackle flip lift (and some rust) roughly 4000 miles. I am starting to wonder myself!
 
Sounds like fun. Of course I just got back from a 3500 mile trip with four other guys in my 'Burb so maybe I am crazy also.
 
I wouldnt' worry about it, 4000 lbs isnt' that much. Just as long as your motor/drive train/brakes have been maintained alright, you should be fine.
 
I'm tryin not to think about the price of gas right now. :yikes: I should have left a month ago when it was 75 cents cheaper!!! Oh well, it's times like this that make me remember that the gas pump shuts off when it reaches 50 bucks. Ahhh...memories. I vaguely rememeber paying 25 bucks to fill up many moons ago. Its just about triple that here now. Deisel here I come!
 
Doing any tourist stuff ?? If you plan on passing through the Black Hills, (I-90) I'd be happy too show y'all the sites.
 
I think we are planning a little Black Hills/Devils tower/Badlands detour while were passing through. I'll let you know when and maybe we can hook up. Thanks for the offer.
 
i think you'll make it. when u say "old" tires what do u mean,cuz u really dont wanna blow out a 35 while pullin a trailer. just make sure you check your fluids. and you should be alright. good luck :thumb:
 
Sounds like fun to me! Hopefully your chinchilla isn't as freaked out about car trips as mine is. She loses her mind!! Good luck, and try not to look at the dollar amount on the gas pumps! Should make it a better trip.

--Adam
 
RustyMule said:
I think we are planning a little Black Hills/Devils tower/Badlands detour while were passing through. I'll let you know when and maybe we can hook up. Thanks for the offer.
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Ya gotta check out Spearfish Canyon. You can go back to the interstate via Deadwood/Sturgis.
 
xtrmjoe said:
This should not put much more stress on the rig than a few weekends on the trail. Hopefully you will have your trail supplies with you just in case.
Why dont you do some acetone testing for us, I mean if you have to drive that far why not get us some great feedback.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134890&highlight=acetone
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That's an outstanding idea... and while you are at it, if you happen to be on I-94 passing through Wisconsin, make sure to stop in at Waterloo and say hi. =)
 
Huh??

I dont know why anyone from CA would want to come to MA!--nothing here but rotted trucks,too much traffic and road rage,and lots of bad attitudes!...

One thing you might do while your here--look for Dana 60's in the junkyards--maybe you can score one and sell it on the west coast--might make enough to pay for your gas!.... :crazy:

You will probably make it ok--A K5 towing a trailer is a full time job though--I drove my 72 K5 with a dual axle U-haul about 400 miles--it felt like there was no "straight ahead" to the steering,I was always correcting it right to left,felt like it was wagging its tail slightly constantly---maybe it was the trailer,or the way the hitch was set up :confused: --I liked my long wheelbase pickup for towing better,but the K5 did ok--its easier to turn around than a pickup,thats for sure... :crazy:

Hope you have an uneventful trip!--Good Luck!.. :laugh:
 
I am actually not from CA. I just moved here a couple years ago from - can you guess? - MA. I grew up in Westford. And you have no IDEA how much traffic sucks here in the Bay area. I will drive into Boston ANYDAY, but driving to work out here pisses me off to no end. I can't wait to get back and drive like an A-hole again.

And if anybody up there want some rust free body parts.........hmmm......
 
I dont know why anyone from CA would want to come to MA!--nothing here but rotted trucks,too much traffic and road rage,and lots of bad attitudes!...
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Traffic? Ha! I'm from Cali and if I drove around in your area I would probably wonder where all the cars are at on the road. :D

Rusty Mule,

You need a check list. I see no reason why not to go ahead with older iron but make sure it's in decent shape first. Greg72 knows all about towing across country with some old iron. :grin:

1. Make sure all tires on both truck and trailer are in decent shape. If it looks like a maypop than it will pop.

2. 4K isn't bad, but it is a decent amount for a blazer. Make sure you have a brake controller with good brakes all the way around. If it's a surge setup on the trailer make sure it's working properly. With that many miles to travel you will probably make at least one panic stomp on the brakes and will be glad you have good brakes.

3. Make sure u-joints and all steering is in ok shape, not like new but not a lot of slop either.

4. LEAKS! I have learned a small leak can be a PITA on a long trip. Having a small power steering leak isn't bad when driving the vehicle 20-30 minutes a day, add a 1/2 quart once a week. Try driving hours and hours for that trip and see how often you wind up refilling reservoirs.

5. Make sure your auto transmission is staying cool because towing that far will test your cooling system with both the tranny and engine.

6. Make sure belts are relatively new. I lost a belt and it knocked off everyone. Water pump stopped turning, engine got hot, I was stuck along the road. Don't let a worn belt cut your trip short because of an overheated engine or dead battery.

7. Anything else that you can think of that I haven't.

It seems like a lot but if I was going to attempt a trip like that I would be dumping a few hundred bucks into the rig here and there to minimize problems. What ever you fix isn't just for the trip anyway, you are still going to drive it after the trip is complete right?

Get the rig ready or the AAA card, one of the two. :doah:
 
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