Tow Rig Opinion?

[johnnywagon]

Its obvious that its time for me to step-up and get a car trailer for hauling the Blazer as its getting to be more "off-road only". What I'm wondering is if my 71 Chevy 1-ton Van would be OK for the job? Im not worried about power (that can be "upgraded") , I'm more curious if the standard wheel base van would be heavy/stable enough to tow such a heavy load. Ironically the only towing I've done is using my Blazer as the tow rig. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks,

[scotto0609]

DDDDDDUUUUUUAAAAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

[Blue_71]

any pics of the van? the one ton should be fine, as long as the camper body isnt too heavy to begin with (reason i asked for pics- to see the camper). i have hauled 7-8 tons behind my 89 light duty K2500 multiple times. a dually doesnt become a requirment untill you get into a huge amount of weight in my opinion. between my 89, and my dads 94 dually, the ONLY difference i see in towing, is the diesel in his truck versus my worn out 350

[Burt4x4]

One of the main factors is going to be the trailer you have. If you have or get only a 7K trailer, two 2.5K axels, then your van will do most the work. Save up and get a 10K trailer, two 5.2K axels, then your van will handle the load no problem. You may want to get some rear airbags just to help keep your load level, if your van sags in the back at all. And a brake controller for the trailer bakes.
Other than that as long as the van is a good runner you should be fine

[hilbilly]

Blue_71
Your talking about pull'n goosenecks. I'd guess that be a little hard w/ a van

[johnnywagon]

This is the only picture I have right now. The van is currently buried under 3 feet of snow. Its the green hi-top van. The blue van was just a motor donor for another project.

I have a line on a late 70's one-ton dually 4x4, but I dont want to take on another project, not to mention I already have too many rigs in my "fleet".

Thanks for the trailer advice, Burt. Good to know. Once I get a trailer I will use the van for now and see how it does. I might be crazy but if it all works out I might try to convert the van to 4x4??

[abebummy26]

If you convert the van to 4x4 you will have the same problem all over again lol.

[Blue_71]

good point hilbilly weve pulled 8 rolls of hay (which is whats loaded on my truck in the pic) on a flat bed 4-wheel wagon with both those trucks also, both by the bumper. the 4 wheel wagons have no tongue weight though, just dead towing weight. i honestly think it takes a huge amount of weight to need a dually though, no matter what kind of trailer

[qksilver]

your van shouldn't have any problem pulling that load, make sure the rear brakes are adjusted properly.
Tongue weight would be your major concern, too much or too little will cause problems.
drive smoothly, use 4 or more straps, crossing the rear ones to stablize the load, cross your safety chains between the van and trailer, if something comes apart the chains would cradle the tongue and put a trans cooler on the van
the rest is common sense!

[cobinder]

Yeah what qksilver said.

[hilbilly]

Blue, i agree.
I also only pull goosenecks, you could'nt give a bumper hitch car trailer after the last 5 years of only hook'n up to a gooseneck.
My only suggesion is get a trailer that is as low to the ground as possiable.

[johnnywagon]

Thanks everyone, I've easily doubled what I thought I knew about towing from all the suggestions.

[Blue_71]

defintly true on the low to the ground, that trailer hooked up to my truck is a pain in the butt to get a vehicle or tractor on! if i ever buy a trailer of my own it'll defintly be low.

i also agree on the gooseneck, i hate hauling anything pulled by the bumper now i wonder if i could make a gooseneck truck bed trailer? hmmm....

[68K20 x Drill]

In a year of daily towing a 5000LB roller on mountain roads to and from job sites, I never once wished for a dually. The big block truck made a better job of it than the small block. Unless your trailer is really a monster, the '71 should do fine.

[vtblazer]

x2 on the 10K trailer thing.
When I dumped the 7K 16ft trailer for the 10K 18ft trailer, that alone made a big difference.
Tandem trailer brakes are a must as well.

Tires on the tow rig will make a huge difference too, go 10ply and never look back.

Another great mod/addition is a load leveler system, a 4-way torque control set up makes for an easier, more controlled tow.

The van will do fine but just make sure the ass end is up to the task.