Towing capacity of S10?

[jh...@hotmail.com]

I've got a 1998 S-10, 2.2L, 3.73 gears. I want to pull a 2,500lbs car
on a car carrier behind it.

Question is... can I? Edmunds and others rate the 'towing capacity'
at 5,500 lbs. But my sales sticker has a box on it that reads
'maximum tow rating for this vehicle is 2,000 lbs with appropriately
rated trailer hitch'. That's big difference.

So can I do it safely?

[Gary Glaenzer]

more to the point, can you get it rolling with a 2.2 and 3.73's, and can you
stop it safely (electric brakes with proper controller would be a good first
step) ?

it all depends on how far, terrain, and how much you're willing to push the
S-10; if it was my decision, I wouldn't get out the proverbial '10-ft pole'
to not touch it with........

<jh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3a62d577...@news.earthlink.net...

[Dean Dardwin]

You answered your own question, i.e. "But my sales sticker has a box on it

that reads 'maximum tow rating for this vehicle is 2,000 lbs with
appropriately rated trailer hitch'".

If you want to tow, buy a properly equipped tow vehicle with the factory
tow package.

Dean

[jason]

Don't even try towing a car on a trailer with a 2.2 ......just go read
the bumper...it says something like "max tongue weight 200 lbs"

[Mike]

Yeah, that's for a bumper hitch. But even with a hitch properly rated, the 2.2
won't budge a car on a trailer...

jason wrote:

--
----------------------------------------------------
Reach me by ICQ. My ICQ# is 8023912 or,
* Page me online through my Personal Communication Center:
http://wwp.icq.com/8023912 (go there and try it!) or,
* Send me E-mail Express directly to my computer screen 802...@pager.icq.com
* You may visit my Personal ICQ Homepage: http://members.icq.com/8023912
Download ICQ at http://www.icq.com/download/
For adding similar signatures to your e-mail go to:
http://www.icq.com/email/emailsig.html

----------------------------------------------------

[scott]

How far are you towing it? 2 miles or 2000? If it's a short distance,
you aren't trying to go fast,
the terraine is flat, you'd be ok. Otherwise you could roast your engine
and transmission.

Personally, I wouldn't tow over 1500 pounds with it, if that.

[Richard Bonnett]

The specs you got [5500] are not true.
The specs are closer to 1700-1800 total load [ trailer and cargo].
Chevy requires brakes on trailer for 1000 pounds or more .
The bumper dead weight is typically 200 pounds [ 10 percent of the max rating
of the load] ...The bolt-on trailer hitch specification should be no less than
2000 pound capacity, however your load should be a fraction of this for safety.

Your engine has about 120 horses and the larger engine does have the 5500 pound
capacity. Even if you changed your rear axle ratio you would only gain 200
pounds
more load capacity.
Do not try to haul the load even for a short distance or time.
Borrow someones truck that can do it or rent one.
safety first...

[ae2...@wayne.edu]

Although the advice below is well founded, my experience has been that an
S-truck CAN tow rather well. I currently have an '86 4-cyl/4-speed 2WD
pickup, and my last truck was an '85 4-cyl auto 2WD. Both did
surprisingly well towing all sorts of vehicles, including a full-size van
and several 4x4 blazers. This is from the bumper hitch, mind you!

There is a camp that has concluded that a stock S-truck cannot tow. Who
could argue with them, after all the factory does list the towing capacity
at something miniscule like 1500 lbs! I just want you to know that,
however these figures are derived, in practice you can exceed them
considerably. Stopping distance is decreased somewhat, but not as much as
you'd think. Acceleration, as you'd expect, is nil. It took me about 1/2
mile to get up to freeway speeds with a tow-dollied 4x4 blazer behind me,
but I did nonetheless make it up to speed. I probably haven't been making
friends with my clutch, but the truck is at 133K with all original
driveline components so I couldn't have worn it out THAT much.

Anyway, your experience may vary, but I want people to know that it IS
possible to tow with an S-10!

[.ron.]

I don't think I'd waste my time trying renting one would probably be your best
bet. My brother-in-law has a '98 S10 with the 2.2/auto and that thing has
enough trouble trying to get itselfs up to speed, much less any extra weight.
Should of gotten the 4.3..I can't even count how many times we've towed with
it, but we've never had a problem.

[Mike]

I knew it was possible to tow with an S-truck. I know they're very capable
vehicles. However, knowingly exceeding the tow rating is highly ill-advised. If you
get into an accident while towing (and exceeding the tow rating) could possibly be
bad for your driving record. About the bumper hitch, if it's the type with the ball
in the bumper itself, bumper integrity has quite possibly been compromised. The tow
ratings are there for a reason, kinda like speed limits (do you exceed those, too?).
Those of us that have replied with the advice to NOT tow with the 4 Cyl. S-10 have
done so in case he does decide to try it (by taking SOMEONE'S advice) and then has a
problem. It's for his/her own safety, and with a load like they were wanting to tow,
brakes on the trailer or a truck with a better braking system is a MUST for the
safety of the person towing and for all on the roads they travel. The tow ratings
are well-founded, the S-trucks have a relatively soft frame (not to say it's not
strong), and abusing it (by towing too much) is just asking for trouble.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. BTW, my folks are summertime travelers, and I traveled with
them, they tow a 26' trailer within the tow rating of their truck, and have ALWAYS
followed tow ratings and they NEVER had a problem with a vehicle they used to tow...

ae2...@wayne.edu wrote:

--

[seeray28]

Just because you can pee on a sparkplug doesnt mean you should.

<jh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3a62d577...@news.earthlink.net...

[Fritz Kocher]

The 5,500 rating is for a 4.3 V6 equiped S-10. My old safari was rated at
5,000 or 5,500 with the
V6. Your 2.2 sound about right at 2,000.

Fritz

"seeray28" <seer...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Vvt96.168$032....@eagle.america.net...

[Scott Moseman]

Would a 4.3/Auto S10 with proper receiver hitch, be able
to tow a 3500-lb car on a trailer that includes brakes?

Has anyone done this before? And I am talking towing on
a rare occasion, not a regular pattern. The land is also
pretty flat around here near the coast, too. :-)

Scott

On Thu, 18 Jan 2001, Fritz Kocher wrote:

: The 5,500 rating is for a 4.3 V6 equiped S-10. My old safari

:

[Jermafenser]

I pulled a '77 Chevette behind my 1988 4.3L S-10 recently, no problems since
I was driving timid while towing the car. I used a U-Haul car carrier. It
will be a little slow on the hills but don't risk speeding up - you might
overheat the engine. I contiuned to drive at the same speed, when going
downhill, i let it "coast" (foot off gas).

"Scott Moseman" <sco...@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:Pine.BSI.4.30.010119...@fingers.shocking.com...

[Richard Bonnett]

it depends... the trailer weight added to the load [ the car being
hauled, etc...] must be less than a certain number. My earlier post
went into infinite detail on this.
The rear end axle ratio of 3.73 and the above must match.
If you have the 3.55 or whatever, then the answer is no....since the
safety margin is exhausted. You said short distances on flat terrain...
that's appealing...
The gas in the tank of the car hauled is part of the weight factor..
Look at trailering guides from the chevy web site... This is being
redundant .
*A prior posting asked about a 2.2 liter with3.55 rear...answer...no way
Ho-say!
*this posting 4 liter but no information about rear axle...nor weight of
trailer..
>>>some trailers may be 1000 pounds! <<<
so try the math and the web site for Facts...

[Munkey]

One big NO! I've got the same truck as you (2.2, 3.73's), and trust me, you
won't like it at all. I work at Thrifty Car Rental and we also rent out
U-Hauls, so one night we had an auto transport (car carrier, not one where
only front or rear wheels are on trailer) and it needed to go to another
office across town, so I figured its only a few miles I'll just hitch it up
to my truck and save me some time. Even with the transport empty I had a
hell of a time getting it there and could smell my clutch burning. If its
just down the road, get a friend and a tow strap, save time and money.

<jh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3a62d577...@news.earthlink.net...

[Richard Bonnett]

for future reference.....munkey,  please tell us about how much weight is the car transport that carries entire car instead of only 2 wheels?
Also, if you know about how much weight is the other one which does only 2 wheels.
This topic comes up for many applications and these weights are essential to know
in order to not overload your tow vehicle.
I  know what boat trailers weigh but car hauling is another thing.
I often wondered  about hauling a rented bobcat or small backhoe for projects.
In this bulletin board, many s-10 owners are trying to haul boats and less often other cars/trucks.  It comes to getting essential numbers and applying some safety factor
road conditions like steep hills..

[shave...@gmail.com]

Hi guys; I'm new here. Read a lot & learned from this site. Thank you. I have '96 Chevy S-10 LS Crew Cab w/ 4.3L Engine @ 160,000 Mi. I'm in MT. Looking for about 2 yrs. for a camper/ TT to 'get out' for the winters. My bumper states "200 # Tongue, & 200# weight. LOTS of Q's please. Ex.- Went to Snowy mtns for firewood one year. We loaded her up to top of topper. Drove down mtn; brakes wouldn't hold. Stopped; put it in 4x4 low. She crawled about 5 mph down mtn; no brakes. My baby doll! Got on highway, had plenty of power; but looking @ sky- ha. Drove back @ 45 mph; got home, & she was good. Needing to get out MT winters. Getting too dam old. Weighted my truck @ scale; weighed 4100 #'s 1/2 wet.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

With the proper weight distribution hitch, up to 6000 lb trailer can
be towed with a V6, equipped with proper brakes. 5500 on the 4 banger.
Make sure the weight transfer is correct -about 10% of trailer weight
on the hitch, or you will be all over the road. The equalizer hitch
will keep the nose down.. Not over 1600? lbs total load on the axles
including passengers and fuel.

[m.l.econst...@gmail.com]

I loved your comment, my s10 will be getting a small cargo trailer on monday because of you.

[kamika...@gmail.com]

I have a 4.3 5 speed s10. I hooked a single axle flat trailer on it with over 3000 pounds of slab wood evenly distributed. If you can unhooked the hitch and keep the trailer level by hand with ease it doesn't put any actual weight the the truck at that point your just dragging 3000 pounds behind it. So if you use a car dolly you shouldn't have any issue towing any vehicle behind an s10. The eight sites on the dolly's axle.