1/2 Ton GMC 5.3

[Kachina26]

I've got a 2001 1/2 ton GMC which used to tow my 21' Carrera with no problem. Question now is how will it do with my new 26' Kachina? Does anyone Tow 25' or better boats with the smaller rig? I will mostly be towing around town in Havasu as that's where I leave the boat most of the time. However, once in a while I will want to go exploring to new lakes. I just want to know what to expect. New truck out of the question, even with my employee discount it's just not gonna fit in the budget.

[NOCTURNAL]

I have used my 2002 Tahoe with the 5.3 to tow a 25' Commander boat. Most of my towing occurs in LHC because the boat is stored there. Last summer I broke the transmission by shearing a gear. I don't know for sure if it was caused by towing the boat, but a 1/2 ton may get burned out quickly if it has to work that hard.

[Dr. Eagle]

How much does the boat trailer combo weigh?

[Kachina26]

sales brochure says dry weight 4000 lbs, doubt if that includes trailer.

[Back To Havasu]

Just a guess that if your boat is 4000 llbs dry, that with trailer, fuel, gear, and the weight of the passengers and their stuff in the truck, you're in the 6500-7000 llbs range. Your truck, if it has the trailer tow package, and 3.73 or lower gears, will probably tow the boat, but my guess is that it will put a lot of wear and tear on the drivetrain, suspension, and brakes in a short period of time if you tow long distance. :confused:

[Kachina26]

Well, I don't tow too far as I keep the boat in LHC. I just want to go other places from time to time.

[77charger]

IMO even though the motor might have the power to to the job the trans will be the weak link as far as only around towm in havasu that would be fine bu tfor exploring other lakes another truck will be a better choice.
I think the tow ratings of the newer trucks is pretty high for what they can actually tow

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by 77charger
IMO even though the motor might have the power to to the job the trans will be the weak link as far as only around towm in havasu that would be fine bu tfor exploring other lakes another truck will be a better choice.
I think the tow ratings of the newer trucks is pretty high for what they can actually tow
Yes I would agree that the trans would probably be the weak link. But if you keep its oil clean, change it more often than recommended, and don't try to pull it all over the west up grades, I bet you will squeak by for a while.
You may want to oversize the trans cooler, otherwise just take it easy. The Diff is another place I have had issues with Chevy over the years. I put 2 diffs to 1 trans in 145K miles, towing 5000 pounds or so in my old 1992 Suburban.
I think the towed weight will probably be in the marginal area for the tow rating, and I disagree...the old tow ratings were pretty optomsitic IMO...

[Kilrtoy]

You are asking a lot of that truck.....

[Dr. Eagle]

Originally posted by Kilrtoy
You are asking a lot of that truck.....
I agree, but as long as the trips are short...he should get by for a while...
I had one guy look at my offshore boat at 9500 pounds and ask if it would be OK to tow it with his 99 Tahoe. I told him maybe for a few miles to the ramp and back (about 4 miles) but if he wanted to go anywhere else with it he was asking for trouble. And if he waited too long to replace it with a new rig, it would fall apart.
I don't think this is quite so extreme. The boat/trailer are at least 2000 pounds lighter, but it is still a stretch. But if the new truck isn't in the budget, it isn't in the budget....

[Wicky]

Put some overload springs on it and go!!!

[rivercrazy]

I tow a 25 Shockwave that is supposed to weigh about 4300 pounds plus the trailer. I think my towed load is in the 5500-6000 range.
I regularly pull this rig with a 2000 Toyota Tundra V8 4X4. I've had zero problems towing this load. No overheating, no transmission or rear end issues, etc. The truck tows it great. No swaying or braking problems. The truck now has 118K miles on it and its still going strong.
I think your fine with your rig with the plans you have.

[77charger]

dave you have a manual trans right? big difference between a manual and an auto whwn it comes to heavier towing.IMO that is the weak link in the 1/2 tons auto trans(at least first to go in the driveline )no matter the make

[Havasu Cig]

We had a 2000 1/2 ton Suburban that we used to tow our Mach 26 from time to time with the same motor and it pulled it with no problem. it was not our primary tow vehicle, but for occassional towing or short distance (like you are doing) I think it would work fine.

[Kachina26]

Originally posted by Havasu Cig
We had a 2000 1/2 ton Suburban that we used to tow our Mach 26 from time to time with the same motor and it pulled it with no problem. it was not our primary tow vehicle, but for occassional towing or short distance (like you are doing) I think it would work fine. That's the kind of experiance I was looking for. Did you ever pull the hill outside of Needles with it?

[Havasu Cig]

No, but we pulled the grade on the 10 east towards Havasu and it pulled fine.

[rivercrazy]

Charger- Its a 4 speed automatic. The fluid changes since brand new have yielded very bright red color with absolutely no burnt smell at all. The tranny doesn't slip or run any differently than when it was brand new. Never had to add a drop of tranny fluid or engine oil since we got the truck (between regular changes)
I pull the I-40 grade often with this rig as well as the Cajon pass and the passes through the 14. No problem with these hills. I pull the steeper sections of I-40 and Cajon in 2nd gear at 3800 rpm at 53-55mph with about a 1/4 throttle. The truck doesnt labor at all. Never had a problem overheating either even in 115 degree afternoon temps.
I bet with the 5.3 V8 in the Chevy and 3.73 gears, you will see even better towing performance than my 4.7L V8.
Bottom line I think small block trucks do a pretty good job with 4500-5500 pound towed loads if properly equiped. Just be prudent in towing practices and you will be fine. Don't use O/D, don't lug it and let the gears hunt, upshift in anticipation of hills, change your fluids often, etc.....
Now if your going to tow long distances very often, just bite the bullet and get a 3/4 ton truck with a diesel. The gas mileage will be substantially better with the diesel. I get about 18 non towing with my Tundra and about 9-10 towing. The diesel will spank the gas motors in towing mpg

[BOBALOO]

I've got a 25' Eliminator Eagle and started the thread about launching with 2wd. We were in havasu a couple weeks ago and had no problems towing our 4000# plus boat with all the extra stuff in the boat and truck. Our truck is a 2wd 2001 silverado extended cab with the tow package and supposed locking differential. I added some overload springs when I had the old boat but took them off because the ride was too rough. The only problem was retrieving the boat from site 6 which is slippery even where it is dry. A new truck is'nt in the near future so this one will have to do. Enjoy your new boat and I don't think you should worry too much.

[Kachina26]

Originally posted by BOBALOO
I've got a 25' Eliminator Eagle and started the thread about launching with 2wd. We were in havasu a couple weeks ago and had no problems towing our 4000# plus boat with all the extra stuff in the boat and truck. Our truck is a 2wd 2001 silverado extended cab with the tow package and supposed locking differential. I added some overload springs when I had the old boat but took them off because the ride was too rough. The only problem was retrieving the boat from site 6 which is slippery even where it is dry. A new truck is'nt in the near future so this one will have to do. Enjoy your new boat and I don't think you should worry too much. Cool, thanx alot. I wasn't worried too much about the mechanical issues so much as how it would perform, as you can see I AM Mr.Goodwrench, so maintaining and repairing is not an issue. I get real good rates on labor LOL. As for site 6 I gave that up years ago and just bought the yearly pass for Windsor, it's worth it. 25 Eagle is very close to what I have size wise, good to hear you do well with your truck as it is the same one I have.