vehicle towing

[cwilson jr]

i believe i asked something general to this months ago to get an idea, but now the time has come and i will be moving in a matter of days.  i will be pulling a 2800-3000lbs. cavalier on a 650lbs. (empty weight) car dolly.  and add in probably around an extra 1000lbs. worth of weight between the items in the bed and interior of car.  so we're talking around 4650lbs. max i'd say an extremely long distance and up long steep grades when i hit the appalachians on I-77.  (i had issues on this trip before, but i had the bed absolutely loaded and was pulling a 6x12 cargo trailer that weighed 1800lbs. empty and had that thing well overloaded the max weight i'd say.)

do you guys think i can pull this off without issues or is this asking to much of this old pickup.

i have an 85 k10 with a 350 and a class III hitch.

[Lt.Del]

What gear ratio do you have?
I don't think you'll have a problem personally but I hope you have an external tranny cooler mounted to the front of your radiator.
A piece of advice, don't be afraid to knock the trans to L2 to keep RPM's up when going up a steep hill.  Depending on your rear ratio, you can still do 55mph in L2 and you won't be killing the engine and trans.  If you have OD, definately take it out of OD when on inclines so the trans wont be continuously switching gears and to keep RPMs up.

Also, don't burn your brakes out on long declines, again, L2, let the engine slow you down. 

I pull about 7k lbs when I go camping.  My 30' camper trailer loaded with camping gear.  I have the 91 sub w/ 350 and 3.73 gears and I don't have problems.  Sometimes I am doing 70mph+.  Going over the blue ridge mountains at Afton Mt I do have to kick it into low gear for about 4 miles getting over the 3k foot mountains. 

[Stewart G Griffin]

Should be no problem;  i flat tow (tow bar) my cavalier sometimes(when the truck was running) and i have a 2.56 rear in the truck.

1)By the way, depending on what yr cavalier, they only weigh 2500;  i can confirm this because one of my jobs had a scale in the yard.

2) the reason why the truck is not running now has nothing to do with my towing/hauling.

[cwilson jr]

i don't think i mentioned it does have OD and a LWB, if that makes any difference.  how would i find out what gear ratio i have?  it already has some kind of tranny or oil cooler mounted.  i think it came with a towing pkg.  not positive.

[Lt.Del]

follow your trans lines to the radiator and see if they split to a different cooler for the trans as well.  An oil cooler is nice, but, won't do anything for the trans....transmission heat is what kills transmissions.

They only take an hour or two to install and only cost about $30.  If you dont have one, it is a very wise investment if you pull with your truck.

[Stewart G Griffin]

1)CONCerning rear diff gear ratio, pls refer to this very anal, drawn-out (that's just the way i am) thread:
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=3785.msg44011#msg44011

Other ways to tell, assuming the gear(s) have not been changed are:
a) if, at the dealer, you have some good parts people (people who actually enjoy their job), then you can give them your vin# and they can look it up on the computer as to which gear the truck came with.

b)The "Service parts id" sticker in the glove box or innerfenderwell should list an RPO code for the rear axle.  There are charts that list what the rpo's stand for, if you get that far.

i went thru exhaustive research trying to figure out which gear i had, so i probably know a thing or 2 about the topic.

2) what yr and model is your cavalier?


3) Also, while gearing is real important for towing, i would say ultimately RPM is real important too;  Do you have a tach?  You might have to downshift into D, L2 or 1 if nessesary to keep the rpm above lugging level just like the Sgt. said.

[cwilson jr]

it appears that the stock cooler on there is definately for the trans.  also i have a seperate truck camper towing sticker, but all the info on that has since faded.  in the one corner i see something about 925lbs., but there must be a digit missing or i believe it might say that is the tongue weight, if that makes sense.

1) the only code i see on this is on the options list and it lists a 1GQ1 standard rear axle code.  does anyone know what this means?

2) i'll be towing a 93 z24 cavalier

3) no tach

[eventhorizon66]

http://www.73-87.com/7387info/7387rpo1.htm

http://www.73-87.com/7387info/7387rpo2.htm

GQ1 just means standard non-posi diff.

You never said what trans you have.

[cwilson jr]

is there anyway to actually find what ratio i have without jacking it up and spinning the wheel?  would this information be posted or stamped somewhere else on the truck?

[Stewart G Griffin]

If it says "GQ-1" standard axle on the "options list" (?), then you got a 2.56 rear gear.  Not good for towing, but good for mpg.

So, assuming the gear has not been changed, there's no need to open up the cover.


2) a 93 Z-24 will be about 2750ish and no more.

i wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Blue 82]

What about your brakes
have you taken a look at your front pads lately?
I hope your tow dolly has brakes
Surge brakes would be nice, how bout electric brakes?

I installed a Tekonsha Pilot brake controller
The digital display is nice, find the setting that works empty, and then loaded, sure saves brakes and trailer tires.
Sure there are more sophisticated units out there, but this one works fine for me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Tekonsha-Pilot-Brake-Controller-NEW-DIGITAL-Readout_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem350169152604QQitemZ350169152604QQptZMotorsQ5fRVQ5fTrailerQ5fCamperQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I  like these kinds of transmission coolers better than the tube/fin type.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OIL-COOLER-19-ROW-HEAVY-DUTY-NEW-TRANSMISSION-COOLER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem120393360017QQitemZ120393360017QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

An engine oil change before hitting the road might not be a bad idea either.

[Lt.Del]

925 lbs would be the tongue weight.  You should have no problem there.

If it is a camper special, it is built for towing.  You probably have a 3.50 or 3.73 rear even lower (4.00+ )or something in that neighborhood.   You should be good to go.

[cwilson jr]

If it says "GQ-1" standard axle on the "options list" (?), then you got a 2.56 rear gear.  Not good for towing, but good for mpg.

If it is a camper special, it is built for towing.  You probably have a 3.50 or 3.73 rear even lower (4.00+ )or something in that neighborhood.   You should be good to go.

i thought i would have better gears as well, but it definately has the "standard axle" code on the options list.  if i do have the 2.56, would i still be able to tow my forementioned load through the mountains without a hitch?  (no pun intended)  he he.
i have a manual brake controller, but it looks like i'm going to have to go with a u-haul dolly now as of now, and they do not have brakes.  would this be an issue?

[DnStClr]

Hope I'm not preachin to the choir, but any time you tow a load can be an issue if your brakes are not good. If I'm not mistaken, you are required by DOT laws to have trailer brakes when towing 5000lbs or more  The towing package on your truck probably refers to a wiring, trans cooler, and hitch package.  Like the others, I'm not sure if the towing package includes an upgraded dif. ratio. On my tow vehics since 1996 it has always included a dif capable of heavy duty towing, but I've always bought 3/4 ton trucks to tow with.
 I would open the dif case cover and count the gear teeth. Less than an hr. and you're done- plus you get a chance to add synthetic gear lube to the differential. Better for towing.. Good luck with your move.