Hitch upgrade for V20 suburbans

[MuddiGGEr25]

I was wondering what would i have to do, if anything to fit this hitch


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cht-14082


on my 88 suburbans, because it was the one on the donor truck i pulled axles from,  i still have the 87 style frame and body so is there any reason it wont fit? or modifications needed? my current V20 hitch is only rated for 400lbs dead weight and 4,000 WC, and 1000lbs Tongue with WD hitch and 9,500 with WD hitch, i was hoping to increase the dead weight capacity, i dont intend to actually tow 12,000lbs with a 6.2l lol, the biggest trailer is around 8,500 lbs, so im still within specs

[Irish_Alley]

well your curb weight is something like 5500 or so. so you can have 1k lbs tongue weight and still be under your gvwr.

[MuddiGGEr25]

well your curb weight is something like 5500 or so. so you can have 1k lbs tongue weight and still be under your gvwr.

 

Its hilarious you think my curb weight is that light lol i rolled across a scale right after harvest and with just me, wife, full tank of fuel, and tools, and a sub in the back we were 6,300lbs, i know the rear axle is rated for 6,000, the front for 3,800, and the door says 8,600GVWR but since the burb has a good sized overhang im sure the weight actually transmitted to the rear axle is closer to 1.5x the tongue weight, so if i am sitting in my safety margin i could probably hit the 1000lb tongue weight and still have a little wiggle room in the burb itself for gear.

My trailer wont have that kind of TW when im done, and total wet weight will ideally be under 8K.

I know the truck frame/axles/tcase/trans and springs can handle the load as shown in the picturesi dug up on various web pages showing what chevy recommended for GCW and loaded trailer weight in 1973 and 1983 (ps these might be useful for other projects people are on so i posted them below)

The C20 and K20 AFAIK were identical frames, and the differences being the amount of rear springs with the package ordered, and the front axle/spring types, according to gmhertiage booklets the C20 and K20 both had identical rated front axles and springs, so everything should have been equal on the 3/4 suburbans, and the K30 used the same Tcase as the K20 so i know thats not a weak link either.


I want to increase my hitch to a class IV, so that i have have more dead weight capacity like the regular K20 pickups, the one i took my axles from had the hitch rated for 1000/10,000 and 1,200/12,000, so i know they exist, but i do not know how to make one fit on a square body suburban.

I am fine with drilling a hole or two to make them fit, i know from reading other forums that the frames are darn near identical except for a body mount and the burb has about 8 or 12" at the rear that angles down, i havent looked under my trucks recently though...


According to the orange picture the burbs in 1973 could have a GCW of 14,000-15,000 if they had the 454 and 4.10 gears, my 350 tbi in my mud truck is dumping out way more TQ (around 400-430ft-lbs, than a stock 1973 454 after all that emission BS screwed them up) which would leave a trailer capacity of 8,000-9,000lbs


I probably will get a WD hitch, but it would be nice to know that the hitch could handle such a load without needing the WD hitch if i end up somewhere i dont have it with me.


EDIT i couldnt upload the said pics bc it was 100kb too large so here are links:

[Irish_Alley]

fixed your image. use the img code in the "preview" or go back and look at it by clicking "modify" and seeing what i did. but i wasnt too far off with the weight. my crew cab cummins with my tools weighs 7440.

[MuddiGGEr25]

thanks for fixing that, its been so long since ive been in school, i forgot about embed codes  but anyway, i still havent gotten any info on whether ill need to modify my rear frame to accept such a hitch to allow 1,000lbs of tongue weight.


I know the axles, springs, trans, tcase, and engine are all capable of it, and im fairly sure the frame should be too since the section modules were very similar on the V20 suburban and the K20 HD work truck i used for a donor.

I could either modify my frame or drill holes, but all i can find for pictures are "representative of item" and not the actual items

[1967KaiserM715]

Yes you need to mod rear frame, only available hitch for suburbans is class 3, this hitch accounts for the downward arch in the rear of blazer and suburban frames, if you try mounting the hitch you want the hitch would point down at an angle.

If it were me, I would create some solid wedges to account for the angle and create side plates to further tie the receiver to the frame


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[MuddiGGEr25]

looks like ill just stick with the the stock hitch for now, 9,500lbs should be enough rated capacity for the time being.

The only other reason for installing the heavier hitch was i have been looking into towing OTR travel trailers for a couple companies out of indiana, and all i need is a 3/4 rated truck with a hitch rated for 12K WD. The suburban would be ideal as it has lots of room to set it up as a sleeper/camper.

But not going to be pursuing that for a while yet so maybe ill end up with a quad cab P/U instead so i can haul 5'vrs too.

[Irish_Alley]

i would check into how much the companies use goose necks