Tow Vehicle???HELP

[jsz]

I have a 2000 Chevy Silverado with a 5.3 and the 3.73 rear end. It can tow 8800 lbs. I found a great deal on a new Silverado crew cab with the same 5.3 but a 3.23 rear end. It can only pull 6600 lbs. I figure my total load is about 5000 lbs. (boat, trailer, gear) I'm wondering if the 1600 lb. difference is cutting it a little too close if I'm using it as my main tow vehicle and my main route is through the desert. I'd really appreciate any input from any of you that have a similar setup.

[smendez]

What did you use as the weight for your boat? I used 3800 lbs for a 21V and 1200 lbs for a trailer and came up to 5,000 lbs right away.

You then need to add the weight of the tower, any lead ballast you may have and gas (I think this is 8 lbs / gallon), then your gear.

Not to discourage you as I still think that you may be ok, but you may be closer to the total towing capacity of that new vehicle than you think.

[Beau McCrory]

stay with the 3.73 rear end or just tell the dealer to offer you something as good in the higher towing end. That good deal won't mean squat out there in the desert overheated!

[yllis]

It's not a great deal if it doesn't meet your needs. It might be a good deal for the dealership, but make sure you get what you need.

If you tow a lot, you want the 3.73. If you are looking for mileage and don't have to tow hill, then the other might be better. You really have to decide what suits your needs better.

When I got my F350, I opted for the 3.73 over the 4.10 because I didn't tow that often. I have an 11 1/2 foot camper and my 22V and it does just fine. It does even better with the predator power chip I just put in though.

Good luck,

Yllis

[ghollow]

You sholud be fine. We pull our 22 foot with a Yukon XL with the same engine and rear end and have not had any problems. Most of our towing is through the hill country in texas. Be sure the new truck has a transmission cooler.

[Tequilasun]

I second the transmission cooler.

[raythompson]

Absolutely get a transmission cooler. Not the kind that is integrated into the radiator, but has a seperate cooling core. You may also want to consider a seperate engine oil cooler to get the heat out of the inner most parts of the engine.

I have both and consider them well worth the investment.

[jsz]

Thanks for all the input guys.

SMENDEZ- I found a 2002 waterski mag buyers guide that said a 21V was 3450 lbs. (I thought that was with the tower). I called extreme trailer and they told me 1250 for a dual axle w/ brakes and pivot hitch. I don't have any ballast but I figured 300 lbs of misc junk would put me close to 5000. I didn't think about the 40 gallons of fuel.

Like some of you said I would have probably been fine with the 3.23 but I ended up buying a 3.73 with oil and trans coolers. I haven't towed with it yet but I alredy feel more comfortable.

It still seams a little wierd to me that my 2000 X-cab 5.3 is rated at 8800 and the 2005 crew cab 5.3 (with the same rear end and 10 extra horses, 295) is only rated at 7600. I know the crew cab weighs a little more but I didn't think it should take 1200 lbs off the towing capacity. Oh well.

By the way, how much do towers weigh???

[Tige M.D.]

a tower with no speakers is probably not much more than 50lbs. (small tube extreme phat tower) i've seen some speaker sets that are heavier than the tower alone.

[Will5150]

Boat Weight

JSZ, I would bet you're low on the boat's weight. I talked to Tige and they're is a huge amount of variance in the weight of each boat. If you look at the 2004/5 specs the 22V ( which has the same dimensions as your boat and mine) now weight 4000 lbs(aprox). I would bet without any stuff in the boat and a full tank of gas I am sitting at 5600lbs. on the trailer. Laod it up with all of the crap, and it's around 6000. I pull with an f-150 with a transmission cooler and towing kit and it does just fine.

[smendez]

jsz:

I think you made a wise decision. You won't regret it.

[anhaney]

TOW ABILITY

I am a professional automotive technician and I teach automotive repair as well. I would say you are pushing it a little close but I do the same thing with my truck which has the 5.3 extra cab. What I did to handle the load was added a $75.00 trans cooler and a $75.00 electric fan to the front of my radiator. This keeps the trans cool and the A/C actually works with less load as well because I added cooling capacity. This increased the life span of my A/C system as Well. If you want to take even more load of your engine add a product call ICE32 to your A/C system. This will help as well. If you take a few precautions you should be just fine. The 5.3L engine tends to knock when it is cold. That is due to the fact GM built that engine with no piston skirts. If it is knocking when cold I suggest you let it come to full tempature before driving and towing anything. Hope this all help. All those parts can be picked up at a local CARQUEST AUTO PARTS store. Check CARQUEST.COM for your nearest store.

[Boarder_X]

anhaney

Thanks for the info on the 5.3. I have it, and lately (winter) it has been knocking in the morning. I thought it was getting ready to die, like my POS F150 did. I was not looking forward to the bill. I put some fuel system cleaner in, and that didn't seem to help much. However, I feel better now.

Thanks. Robb

[jsz]

thanks for the info on the 5.3. I'm sure a large portion of us tow with one.

[Boarder_X]

anhaney

When I had my Ford, there was a code on a sticker, on the drivers side door. ... In my Chevy, how do I know what rear end I have? Thanks.