Towing Question

[jay6776]

Hi all I know this has been asked a lot and I have read a lot of post. I have a 85 c10 short bed with a newer vortec 4.3 v6. And a manual 3 speed also I am going to be installing air helper springs. Do you guys think this will be OK for towing 16ft car trailer car or jeep on it? I know a long bed would be better but don't have one. And I have read I should be using trailer brakes. Mostly towing short distances but might have to tow longer at times. Or  would it be better to sell the short bed and find a long bed?
Thanks Jay

[zieg85]

Talking from experience, probably will burn the clutch trying to get that combo moving if you have a 2.73 gear like I think you do.

[jay6776]

yeah it is 2.73 just looked today lol. So start looking for a long bed

[jay6776]

Talking from experience, probably will burn the clutch trying to get that combo moving if you have a 2.73 gear like I think you do.

What if I put a TH400 init ?
Thanks

[zieg85]

TH400 would save a clutch but still would struggle to get moving.  The gear is just to high for towing IMO

[Stewart G Griffin]

i'm not so much concerned about short bed and 2.73, although these factors are important and i'll get to those in a sec.

What i'm mostly concerned about these days is can the 10 bolt axle take the weight?---specifically the axle bearings?   Do you want to tow a jeep on an open 16 ft. trailer?   How much tongue weight is that?   The tongue weight is probably pretty high to begin with and every time you go over a bump it multiplies many times over.

My friend just seized her rear axle by trying to tow a 16 ft. enclosed landscaping-type trailer using a 1/2 ton ramcharger 4x4.  i don't know much about 8 3/4" mopar axles but i do know they are not full floating.

i think that is one of the factors you have to be careful about when towing any sort of weight and this is one of the reasons why i feel a 3/4 ton truck is the minimum to tow something like a car trailer.

HOWEVER, there is a GM engineer who tows a 73 chevelle with 16 ft open car trailer with a 4.3 v-6 short bed.  But i believe the truck has 4:11 rear gear.   So maybe a 10-bolt can take the weight?

i will try to find the link, but many here probably know who he is.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Well, here's one link:   i don't have time to do more research right now
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=342926

While i think a longbed/longer wheelbase will be more stable for towing, i don't think it is a deal breaker not to have one.   My friend towed her 16ft enclosed trailer no problems handling wise with a short wheelbase dodge ramcharger.  Well, no problems until the rear seized............

The 2.73 ratio, on the other hand, just is not good for towing.   The last time i tried towing serious weight, the truck really struggled up hills and even on mild upgrades it was struggling.  This was with the 305.  i have a 2.56 rear gear and i was towing a 16 foot open trailer with a chevette----which is NOT a heavy car----and i was still struggling.

Now i WAS able to flatbar tow a cavalier no problems.  So i would say anything under 3000 lbs. total might be doable with high rear ends.

[jay6776]

Yeah dont really know the weight would think atleast 4000.
Thanks for the help
Think I'm just going to sell my 85 and get some thing better for towing.

[zieg85]

Be more like 5000 lbs.  C20 would do better but a 3.73 or 4.11 would be cheaper if you like your truck and don't do much highway driving

[Irish_Alley]

im going to add this. we've towed a car trailer and another lwb. with a blazer on 38 with no issues. and sm465. dont think it had 2.73.
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=33169.0

[jay6776]

im going to add this. we've towed a car trailer and another lwb. with a blazer on 38 with no issues. and sm465. dont think it had 2.73.
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=33169.0

thanks

[jay6776]

Be more like 5000 lbs.  C20 would do better but a 3.73 or 4.11 would be cheaper if you like your truck and don't do much highway driving

I just worry about were the hitch bolts to the frame. Just does not seem strong enough for all that weight. Would be better if it was boxed. Like the truck but think its time for a change

[Irish_Alley]

as long as you dont exceed your hitch/ball rating. i dont see an issue

[zieg85]

FWIW A class 3 hitch/2" receiver or better bolted to a frame will be fine.  1/2T and 3/4T frames are the same so unless you have a rust bucket with really weak rear springs I wouldn't worry about the frame at all.

[Captain Swampy]

I've pulled a 450 Case dozer (11,000#) on a tri axle trailer with mine. No, I don't recommend doing that. Anyhow, your truck is fine, but would really benefit from lower gears. Maybe you could find a full floating rear axle with lower gears to swap into your truck. It really depends on how often you'll be towing. If it's once or twice a year, just leave things the way they are and take your time when towing. You could switch to synthetic oil. The short box doesn't concern me at all. If your going to tow a lot, I would definitely want lower gears, trailer brakes, and possibly a V8.