Too high of gears to pull a trailer?

[Vanhalen1985]

I'll be getting out of the military the end of this year and driving back to indiana. The trip is approx. 2000 mile. I have a 72 k10 with 307 diffs. Is it unreasonable to think I can pull a car carrier with Honda civic on it? The car will be crammed pack with my belongings so total weight on trailer will be roughly 3000lbs with about another 1000lbs in the bed. Running 33" tires and a th350/350.

[trac209]

Unless you have a weak 350 I'd say you should be ok.

[darush01]

I'm no expert but I've pulled 6,000 plus pounds with a worn out 305 no clue what gears were in it but I say you'll be fine just use common sense

[dbash]

Thanks for your service! Check your brakes prior to your trip, don't get in a hurry and easy on the down grades.....

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by dbash

Thanks for your service! Check your brakes prior to your trip, don't get in a hurry and easy on the down grades.....

X2. Nice board name by the way

[Wizo]

My two cents; thank you Sir for serving our country. we appreciate you doing that.

[hugger6933]

Thank you for your service. Millions of Chevys and GMC in the 70's and very early 80's did the exact thing you are talking about. All day, every day. You will be fine. Good luck Enjoy the road trip. Jim

[Vanhalen1985]

Thank you for the replies and thank you for paying your taxes. Glad too hear my plan isn't too asinine. I think I'll do some dry runs in the local area prior to the big day to gain a feel for how she'll perform.

[jocko]

Good luck on the trip, should work out fine. You might find it a little annoying going uphill, but it's doable. Wish I was moving back to Indiana! By the end of the year, the snow will have melted, maybe. Or be back again. Where in Indy?? VH was indeed the band back in that time frame.

[Vanhalen1985]

Originally Posted by jocko

Good luck on the trip, should work out fine. You might find it a little annoying going uphill, but it's doable. Wish I was moving back to Indiana! By the end of the year, the snow will have melted, maybe. Or be back again. Where in Indy?? VH was indeed the band back in that time frame.

Scottsburg, 30 miles north of louisville on I-65. One of my favs next to ZZ Top!!!

[jocko]

Originally Posted by Vanhalen1985

Scottsburg, 30 miles north of louisville on I-65. One of my favs next to ZZ Top!!!

Nice! Good friends in Paducah and Evansville. I was a "northerner" - grew up in Gary. Ah, Gary... Don't miss it.

[bigmac73]

i would think you would be fine and get a decent MPG with those gears, unless you hit some foot hills or Mountains,

[JGray]

Thank you for your service! I did something similar a number of years ago - moved from Seattle to Phoenix driving a 72 K10 SWB (350/4 spd/3.07 gears), pulling a 71 K5 Blazer using a tow bar. It worked okay, though we did have trouble overheating when we got to northern Arizona due to hot weather and a tired motor in the K10. We ended up disconnecting and drove both rigs separately the rest of the way.

I've also towed a +/-3000 lb boat with the Blazer (350/350/3.07 gears) and it did okay though was a dog on the hills - usually a second gear pull.

edit to add: 32" tires

[cheyenne shortstep]

My 72 short stepper with 3:08's was my regular [daily] tow rig, I towed 3/4 tons, 4x4's, big block Impala's, you name it I towed it. Had to get a bit of a run at some grades such as west bound I-8 out of Ocotiilo but always made it.

[lowrollin70gmc]

You should be fine, but you're going to be at more than 3000lbs for a trailer, most car haulers are in the 1500-2000lb range empty. Just make sure to keep an eye on your gauges, and adding a trans temp gauge may not be a bad thing. Also ensure that your cooling system is in good shape for some of the uphills you may have to pull.

FYI: When I EASd I used a 70 El Camino w/ 350/TH350/3.08s with a Sportster in the bed to tow dolly my 63 Chevy II from San Diego to South Dakota. Pulled just fine, but trans temp got a little high in the mountains so I had to stop a few times to let her cool down and I ended up doing a lot of I40's hills during the night when it was cooler.