Hi everyone,
I'm new to this forum and have a towing question, so forgive me if it is a repeat.
I have a 1989 GMC 2500 4x4 with a 5 speed manual transmission and the lighter duty 6 bolt hubs. I got the truck as a gift from my dad and would like to get it to tow better without spending a ton of money. The truck has a freshly rebuilt TBI 350 motor and currently has 285/75/16 tires and 3.73 gears. I use the truck for wood hauling in the winter and would also like to use it to pull a trailer weighing between 5000 and 7000 lbs in the summer. I pulled 5000lbs last weekend and I had a hard time getting the truck up to highway speeds and it really struggled up hills.
right now the effective gear ratio with the 3.73 gears and 285's is about 3.46:1. In order to get it to pull better (i'm not expecting miracles) I would like to upgrade to either 4.10 or 4.56 gears. I don't expect diesel results, but it is clear that an upgrade is needed. Would 4.10 gears with the 285's be enough gear? Or would the 4.56's be a better choice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm new to this forum and have a towing question, so forgive me if it is a repeat.
I have a 1989 GMC 2500 4x4 with a 5 speed manual transmission and the lighter duty 6 bolt hubs. I got the truck as a gift from my dad and would like to get it to tow better without spending a ton of money. The truck has a freshly rebuilt TBI 350 motor and currently has 285/75/16 tires and 3.73 gears. I use the truck for wood hauling in the winter and would also like to use it to pull a trailer weighing between 5000 and 7000 lbs in the summer. I pulled 5000lbs last weekend and I had a hard time getting the truck up to highway speeds and it really struggled up hills.
right now the effective gear ratio with the 3.73 gears and 285's is about 3.46:1. In order to get it to pull better (i'm not expecting miracles) I would like to upgrade to either 4.10 or 4.56 gears. I don't expect diesel results, but it is clear that an upgrade is needed. Would 4.10 gears with the 285's be enough gear? Or would the 4.56's be a better choice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.