towing capacities..........

[mattydjakd]

Just curious to know if anyone knows the approximate towing capacities for 6 cyl for ford, chevy and dodge, all 4x4.......

[mattydjakd]

full size, no little compacts.......

[UNISCAPER]

The engine size does not justify what towing capacity you will have. It is the size of the truck, GVW, brake size, spring capacity etc.

I had at one time, a 250 cu in six in a C-30 Chevy dump truck...It would take 4 miles pulling a load to get to 55 MPH....The truck could handle 2 tons of gravel with no problem, it just was no speed demon. Around town, it worked very well. On the highway, it was aweful.

Now, if you took a 1/2 ton truck with a 6 cylinder, loaded it like that, you would crack springs, frames, axles, etc....
I would much rather have a truck that took forever to get to speed than one that you could not stop under load. 1/2 ton trucks should not be used as serious pull trucks, as they do not have the carrying or braking capacities 3/4 ton trucks do. I will not pull or carry with any truck under a 8600 GVW.

[pottstim]

My 2002 Silverado 4x4 is short bed regular cab V6. I have the 5 speed manual transmission with a 3.73 rear end, and the truck is rated to tow 4,300 lbs. If my truck was an automatic, it would bump the max towing capacity up to 5,300 lbs. This information is coming right out of the 2004 Silverado brochure.

[The Good Earth]

What are you planning to pull? My get around truck is a '93 K1500 4x4 with a 4.3. The truck is perfect and paid for. That's why it is still working. I installed a set of Airlift Super Duty airbags on it because it sagged a whole bunch. Moving light equipment with it is great. I wouldn't go pulling a 95 XT with it or anything but little stuff is fine. I'm hauling down a 500 Polaris with a york rake and drag mat tomorrow on a 16' trailer to a job. I'll unhook the stuff so I can go knock out a little Christmas shopping while the kids play on the frozen dirt!:D

[mattydjakd]

thanks for the replies........im just lookin to pull a 10' single axle landscape trailer with two 52" walk behinds on there........i'm just curious to see what is recommended..........i had an f150 with the 4.9 straight six....pulled a 10' with a bit of heavier load than what is listed above and while it did the job...it did struggle on some hills.......just tryin to get an idea.........i would like a 6 too for gas mileage reasons.......

[UNISCAPER]

A 6 pulling a load will not get much if any better milage than a V-8, because your foot is farther into the wood than with an 8.

I have a 454 in one of the pick ups, it gets 10MPG loaded or empty. The C-30 we had with a 250 six, got 10MPG empty, and 7MPG pulling a load. I had 2400 miles to test both of them when we moved from Illinois to Ca. Another falocy is mini trucks like S-10, Rangers...They barley get 2 MPG more than a full size truck, it is the aero dynamics that throw the equation off.

[mattydjakd]

so for the extra $, you would opt for the V-8's?, the base V-8's should suffice I am assuming.......no need for the large ones......??

[The Good Earth]

The point about gas mileage is right. Also you might consider resale value. A v-8 is gonna bring better resale than a 6. For your plans I would certainly get the v-8. No question. I would also get a set of bags. Those things a worth every penny.

[mattydjakd]

this may be a dumb question....but what do you mean with "a set of bags"?

[The Good Earth]

Air Bags. Suspension assist. Greatest thing since sliced bread!

[pottstim]

Originally posted by mattydjakd
so for the extra $, you would opt for the V-8's?, the base V-8's should suffice I am assuming.......no need for the large ones......??

If I had it to do over again, I would have opted for the optional 4.8 liter V8, which is a $700 or so option. My 4.3 does well pulling the mower and trailer, but when I load the trailer down with mulch it really works hard. Do yourself a favor and upgrade to a V8 if it is within your budget. If I remember correctly, the 4.3 V6 and 4.8 V8 are rated about the same for city and highway mileage. This is another reason I wish I would have gotten the V8. One thing that I will say about the 4.3 is that it is a tried and true engine. Between my folks and I, we have owned 5 vehicles with 4.3's and they have been excellent with the exception of leaky valve guides in the '90 Astro.