4.3l V6 towing Q's

[96RedCav]

I have an opportunity to pick up a tandem axle car hauler with a winch for a good price.

Problem is, I have never towed a loaded car hauler on a 4.3 with a 5 speed..

Will it hold up?

Oh yeah, FIRST

 

[Sully]

not sure about the 5spd, but we dragged a car hauler with car on it in the wifes 4.3 with an auto. Its how we knew to add a tranny cooler to the thing. It does it fine now, and there wasnt any big deals with it before, just wanted the cooler as $100 insurance for a tranny that cost much more than 100 bucks.


The only thing I would also mention, is that we had an open air hauler, not an enclosed. My truck with the bigger motor, better cooling, bigger brakes, etc will drag an enclosed fine though it is not rated for it.

 

[dropped93]

i would do it. i work with a guy thats got a v6 nnbs and tows with it all the time. hell my dad used to to a 16ft car hauler with a windstar all the time

 

[barebones 1500]

hey, you've seen mine do it with the Bravada on a couple occasions. yeah i complained about the clutch but a hauler will not sling-shot like a chain does. also if you get one then i can borrow it so do it

 

[96RedCav]

I'm thinking about it, It's the open hauler that Joey has, The one that picked up the motor for the Z24 for me and bought my old black sedan.

****** part about it is I have been waiting for him to put up his truck for sale, and he does with the hauler after I buy mine fml haha. He has the black standard cab short box k1500.

Towing a car on a chain will feel different than a trailer, I think once it gets moving it will be fine, Just worried about the clutch on take off while fully loaded..Just thinking out loud..All in all, it would be killer to have a tandem axle hauler with a winch. No more tow chains, riding in a dead car trying not to rear end you, or pushing a vehicle. Sounds like win to me.

 

[barebones 1500]

hell yeah. the only thing i do different is i give a little less gas on take off. lets the clutch grab better and even if it does spin a little bit it is not that loud.

 

[rico47635]

One thing you need to take into consideration when contemplating towing is the rear end your truck has in it. Find out what the gear ratio is. Some rear ends are better for towing than others. You are also correct in wondering about your clutch. If your truck has the right rear end under it, my suggestion to you would be to look into upgrading to a heavy duty clutch. The V-6 should be fine, but I wouldn't expect to go down the highway at 70mph while pulling a loaded trailer. Make sure your brake system is in tip top operating condition too. Being able to pull all the weight in the world won't amount to a hill of beans if you can't get the truck stopped when you need to.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about the rear end choices in Chevy trucks. The only one I am familiar with is the 3.73. It would be plenty adequate enough for towing.

 

[chevy_man]

Have fun with that. I ***** about how slow my 350 is just hauling an empty trailer. Do you guys live in places without any hills? I have trouble holding 70 with a 6.0 towing 5K lbs on a lot of hills around here.

But it would be a good excuse to put a cammed and tuned 6.0 into your truck.

 

[6.5winmag]

I have an opportunity to pick up a tandem axle car hauler with a winch for a good price.

Problem is, I have never towed a loaded car hauler on a 4.3 with a 5 speed..

Will it hold up?

Oh yeah, FIRST

i have a 98 awd astrovan,and i pulled a 5,000lb trailer ,and the van was loaded with equiptment
from northern mich to stanton ariz and back.we put 6,000 miles on it.i dropped the shifter down to the next drive,and had no trouble at all & we avged 15 miles to the gal.i filled all oils with amsoil.

 

[sewlow]

4.3 w/ a 5spd. Gertrag? Probably 3.08 rear gear. If you take your serial # to a dealership (eww!) they can give you a printout of the original codes & equipment for your truck. FREE! Which is always a good price.