Hello again. For the past 8 years I've been building my 1979 Blazer up to the point that I'm seriously considering towing it. It has a 454, 38.5 SX tires and soon to come 5.13 gears. I'm not only concerned about mileage, but I don't want to wear my Super Swamper tires in pavement. (buying expensive tires usually ends up in conyugal arguments) Now my wife needs a new car to replace her 1994 Geo Tracker. It's simply too small and uncomfortable to drive and the interior sucks. I have a friend who's offering me a 1996, 2 door, 2wd Yukon with a non-vortec 5.7 TBI engine in it. It has 61,000 miles a 4L60e tranny, and apparently 3.07 gears in its 10 bolt axle. All for $2000. It's been mantained wonderfully well and has used synthetic oil all its life. The interior's confort is like night and day compared to the Tracker, so my wife fell in love with the car. There's no snow over here, so I don't think I need 4wd. Now for my question, can this rig tow my 6000 Lbs Blazer? I'd be using a dual axle, single wheel trailer from a friend which looks heavy as well. This would be only once a month for maybe 400mile round trips across the mountains in my country. Will the tranny hold? would I feel the TBI engine too weak? Should I install a set of 3.73 gears? I also have a friend who could sell me a 6.2 engine, but that't too much trouble because I'd have to swap tranny as well, and the only other OD tranny is the 700r4, which is not so great for hauling. And if I'm not mistaken, the 6.2 is a dog. All your opinions welcome.
Oh, yea forgot to mention, my friend's trailer has brakes. Also, I'd be considering a propane kit for this truck too, so mileage wouldn't be a concern ($3.66 gasoline vs $2.02 propane waytogo)
Go back and check your intro I left a message there and go for the biggest gears you can get,within reason of course,if your considering propane but from what I have heard its less efficent than gasoline so more of a loss in power if not properly set up.
Would that tahoe work for adequetely towing your K5? In a nutshell...no. Do you have a D60 under your K5? big heavy bumper? winch? How heavy is it? My K5 with 3/4 gear, stock bumpers, no winch, and light aluminum wheels weighs about 5,300lbs. You are going to be at least 7,000lbs with the trailer and K5 combined. I actually have a very similar setup, as our sled trailer weighs about 7k and my dad has pulled it with his '98 1/2ton Burb. You will find that the gears are WAY too high. As you already know, 3.08's are stupid, they are still to high with the Tahoe empty. Next is the engine, my dad does have the Vortec 350, and it is barely adequet in the mountains, the motor has to work hard to lug it up those big hills. 2nd gear gets a work out. IMHO, the TH700R4 is better than it's wrap, and the electronic version just gets better the later it is. It should be fine, especially with synthetic oil. Swap to 4.10's, and it should do the job.
IMHO, the 10 bolt is definitely not up to the task. See if you can find a semi-float 14 bolt with your bolt pattern (I'm assuming the 2WD is 5 lug?). The 2 door wheelbase is a little lacking to tow something as heavy as your K5, but it could be done (it has and will again be done). You'll want to plan your stops ahead of time as I bet that K5 is pushing 6500 lbs or so. I'd estimate you'll be towing 8000-8500 lbs with the Yukon. I'm not sure if that's within it's guidelines or not, but if it is, it's just barely. I think you'd be better off with a 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup but it's your dollar
Woops, Thanks to MBbryson, I just caught that the Yukon is a 2dr and not a 4dr as I was figuring. I would pretty much rule the truck out then. it's just plain to short really, you would have to stiffin up the rear springs, swap the ring and pinion, be shy on power, and have a nervous trip. Take it from experience man, I've towed 8K with my K5 with an identical wheelbase as your yukon, it's not fun and would beat up my nerves and brain to the point of likely ruining the fun of the trip for me if I was going 400 miles a month. Look for a 1996 or later Chevy with a vortec 350, better gearing, and definantly more wheelbase. I wouldn't rule out a 1/2 ton, as long as you aren't above 7,500lbs. IMHO, a 10bolt rear should be fine, but finding a heavy half ton with the 14BSF in the back would be preferable. I do believe these late model 1/2tons are up to the task for pulling a small fullsize (meaning something like a K5, not a crew cab long bed) as long as the trailer is light itself and has excellent brakes since these newer pickups have more power and bigger brakes than older traditional halfs, BUT..... if you are going to be in the mountains and ESPECIALLY rough weather a bigger 3/4ton is the choice with better suspension, gearing, bigger brakes, and likely has more pulling power.
