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Author Topic: Towing  (Read 14974 times)

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GTRS Fiero

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Towing
« on: August 29, 2019, 08:47:39 pm »
If my vehicle says it can tow 9,800 pounds, that means that the combined weight of the trailer and whatever is on the trailer, plus what is in the bed of the truck, plus the passengers, should not exceed 9,800 pounds, right?  U-haul says my truck cannot pull the car trailer.

They say my wife's Tahoe can.  So, I drove out the 6.2L truck, which looks the same as the 5.3L truck.  Towing capacity on the 6.2L truck is over 11,000 pounds.

How much should I be towing?  In other words, am I risking damage to my vehicles, if I tow my Fiero on such a trailer?  I figured the weight of the trailer and Fiero combined was about 6,000 pounds, or about equal to the weight of my truck.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2019, 09:41:17 pm by GTRS Fiero »
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scottb

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Re: Towing
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2019, 09:16:35 pm »
Shouldnt be a problem with a full size truck, but I would want working brakes on the trailer. I have towed several Fieros with my Expeditions
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2019, 09:23:16 pm »
Both full size trucks.  The 6.2L truck has a brake controller for the trailer, but the 5.3L truck does not.  I'm only going about 400 miles.  Without the brake controller, I believe that the trailer brakes do not work.

I towed the Fiero about 2,000 miles with the Tahoe, and no brake controller.  Same trailer.  No issues, but trailer brakes are certainly nice to have.  The Tahoe is sbout 3 feet shorter than the other 2 trucks.
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Fierofool

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Re: Towing
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2019, 10:35:34 pm »
UHaul has some peculiar rules about the tow vehicles.  They will not rent anything to be towed with my Explorer Sport Trac, but they will rent to someone driving a regular Explorer SUV.  Both versions of the Explorer were available with 1.5 inch receivers for the V6 vehicles and 2 inch receivers for the V8 vehicles. 

Pulling that much weight, I would certainly recommend having a brake controller.  Even with my old Dakota Club Cab with a 5.2 V8, pulling a Fiero on a tow dolly, rounding a shallow curve in the rain at 35 mph resulted in a near jackknife when I decelerated.  Many brake controllers have a slide lever with which you can actually apply the trailer brakes without applying the vehicle brakes.  Very useful, sometimes. 
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2019, 10:48:17 pm »
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MikeMac

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Re: Towing
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2019, 11:21:21 pm »
I've towed several Fiero's on a tow dolly with my Toyota Highlander AWD with a 3.3 V6.
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Fierofool

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Re: Towing
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2019, 11:27:44 pm »
I've towed a lot, too, including through the mountains.  With both the Dakota and the Sport Trac.  One scary incident with each one.  The Warrior Project car started to whip on me at expressway speeds.  The common thing in both incidents is that both were being towed with the rear wheels on the dolly.  It allows the front wheels to change direction if there's the least bit of play in the steering. 
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There are three kinds of men:

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2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2019, 11:39:19 pm »
Ah.  I tow with the Fiero on a 2-axle dolly.

I towed a loaded 2-horse trailer through Denver.  Really, no issues, but I tried to take it easy on the turns.  Not sure how the horses liked the ride.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2020, 10:44:34 am by GTRS Fiero »
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2019, 11:54:03 pm »
It occurs to me that the trucks have a much lighter rear end, and get more tail happy than the SUVs.  Surely, as long as the Fiero is all the way forward on the trailer, no issues.
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NoobKevin

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Re: Towing
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2019, 08:36:40 am »
The Uhaul car carrier has a brake system built into the tow boom. I have carried several different kinds of vehicles using an 04 Ram 2wd. I have also towed a Fiero using the 2 wheel dolly through Chattanooga to Woodstock GA with no problems. Same truck. Truck has the tow package which is only extra cooling. I would think that a GM 5.3 would be fine. Check the tow weights for the hitch. Most trucks are using the bumper hitch numbers.
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MikeMac

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Re: Towing
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2019, 11:37:30 am »
Quote from: GTRS Fiero on August 29, 2019, 11:39:19 pm
Ah.  I tow with the Fiero on a 2-axle dolly.

I towed a loaded 2-horse trailer through Denver.  Really, no issues, but i tried to take it wasy on the turns.  Not sure how the horses liked the ride.

A 2 axle dolly? Or a full trailer?
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Fierofool

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Re: Towing
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2019, 12:59:50 pm »
There is a wheel lift dolly that goes under the rear wheels.  One axel set is placed in front of the wheel, the other behind the wheel.  They are then connected together and a handle or lever is used to raise the axels off the ground, lifting the rear of the car.  Wrecker services often use them when they use wheel lifts on the front. 

If you have a vehicle that's an automatic, you can put the front wheels onto the regular tow dolly and lift the rear with the speed dolly and tow it much as if it were a trailer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsnbBUnjojE
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There are three kinds of men:

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2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2019, 05:56:17 pm »
I use a full trailer that happens to have 2 axles.
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Towing
« Reply #13 on: August 30, 2019, 06:05:41 pm »
Here's a pic:
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NoobKevin

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Re: Towing
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2019, 08:21:28 am »
Heading east?
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