Tow Vehical???
 

Would a 93 chevy 1500 with a 305 V8 tow a steel trailer with my 3rd gen on it? I am not doing a ton of race events (Time trials) but I want to use it to drive to the further away events?

Total wight will be around 4500 pounds, capacity of the truck is around 8000 lbs.

Any thoughts?

Chevy trucks are crap. Just my personal experience. I think a nice Repu would be better suited for the job, slightly modified of course

It should be fine, especially if you don't haul up big hills. A 350 would be a better choice, but I'd worry more about the tranny than the engine.

If it's outfitted with all the towing accessories and you stay away from big hills or mountains, you should be ok. Of course verify all that - IIRC the tow rating of 8000 lb includes the weight of the truck, which is probably 4000lb alone. And the tow rating changes depending on the tranny, 2wd/4wd, etc.

But I don't recommend approaching that limit at all. Just because it fits in the rating doesn't mean it won't be a rig that will piss off all the drivers waiting behind you. A lot of people drive a rig near or above the rated limit and think it's all good, until the one day the light goes red and you can't stop.

Honestly, for loads near/above 5000 pounds there is no substitute for a 3/4 ton rated vehicle and 5L or bigger engine. They don't cost much more and they are much safer than any 1/2 ton truck.

Dave

There is also no substitue for the torqe and economy of a nice diesil engine.

ok, and this fool is towing what??

Most any 1/2 ton truck will tow an open trailer that is less than 5K pounds loaded. Just prep the truck like you would the race car. I've seen guys pull 24' enclosed trailers with 1/2 ton trucks. They just don't do it for very long.;)

I think he wants the truck to tow his race car, not the other way around.

yeah, you should be fine. I have a P.O.S. conversion van I use and its fine, it has 175k on it too. i would suggest putting an aftermarket trans cooler on it, or anything for that matter. Trans are suppose to run around 30 degrees cooler than the engine so the factory cooler on the bottom of the radiator is already not enough. Oh yeah, don't use overdrive either, that little gear cant handle that, she'll be cooked in no time....good luck on the track!!!!

No no no... you want something simple... like this...

+1

Thanks for all the info, I know a bigger truck would be better and a diesel would be the best. This is what I have and the amount I plan on towing doesn't warrant me buying a new truck at this point.

I just wanted to know if it would be okay.

Range Rover would also work. :)

Then I suggest you go back over the numbers on the door jamb sticker and see that it's legal. The truck will pull the load - the question is if it will stop it or control it. Check the tongue weight vs. axle weight, total combined weight, etc.

It would be BAD to get into an accident of any kind while towing an illegal setup - I imagine the cops and insurance companies would take a *major* dump on you.

Dave

youll be fine..but by all means check the numbers again before you break something or hurt yourself.

I tow a 24ft enclosed trailer with my IT-S car, spare wheels and tools with a 2001 F-150 6 cylinder. Never had a problem, and I dont anticipate having one....but then again I'm in Florida where the highest mountains are made out of trash

2000 FORD Ranger flare side short box with a 4 L, manual 5 speed, tandem axle (with elect brake) 1st gen RX-7 ITA/7 race car to: Mid Ohio, IRP, Grattan, Gingerman, Gateway, Road America, Blackhawk & some place new this year which will be Hartland Park. 20 mpg @ 70 mph in cruise............Hmm, love the mileage. :icon_tup:

ps: Get the car weight location correct so that the trailer don't drive the truck.

Definately stay away from hills, trans cooler, and make sure brakes are always functioning and you'll be fine.

I towed for 3 years with a 90 2wd F150 (302). Open trailer (15", dual axle), rx7. Towed through the mountains of PA with it a couple of times. Guy I bought it from towed his stock car with it (on some 24+ feet long open trailer with box on the front...trailer had to be 3k lbs before the car). Truck never failed (did warp an exhaust manifold once). Never had braking issues. My only real complaint was that it simply didn't have the power to get the job done (always meant to try putting a 4.10 rearend in it).

FWIW, I now tow with a 2500 Silverado (with the 6.0 litre gas engine). Total overkill for an open trailer, and I love it. I was always a Ford bigot, but I like this Chevy better than the F250's I drive/ride in.

The 1500 would likely work, but you might want to consider that a 2500 probably has better brakes, better capacity, tougher tranny, etc.

I tow an FD on an open trailer with a 1990 Ford F250. The engine is a 351, tranny is a 5 speed manual. This has plenty of power for this setup. If it were an enclosed trailer I would want more power. ( My featherlite 18ft trailer is probably 1300-1400 lbs. An enclosed trailer would be more like 3400 lbs)

Something to consider is where you will be towing. I regularly go over some low passes, and have been able to keep it in 4th gear up the hills. With the 305 you might be getting up the hills a little slow, say 45 MPH. Depends on the hill of course.

The beefier brakes found on a 3/4 ton truck are nice to have as well.

I think that someone has mentioned it already, but make sure you get an electric trailer-brake controller and that the brakes all work. The Tekonsha Prodigy unit is a good buy.

Go to www.improvedtouring.com and look around the forum. They have a subsection on tow vehicles.

While bigger is better for tow vehicles, a Chevy 1500 should be more than enough. A tranny cooler is a must though. FWIW, I tow my FC track car and steel trailer with an '04 Explorer. You need to baby the tranny a little when you tow, but it should be fine. Follow the owner's manual recommendations here.

-b

My Dad has a '93 F150 and we towed a open trailer with a Le Car on the back with no problem. It has a 302. Up hills were a drag but no real issues.

I bought a '84 E150 a while back, 351 4 barrel and am going to use that as my tow vehicle for my '79 IT7 car.