Gear Ratio and Tow Capacity

truckguy82 · June 9, 2020

12 minutes ago, swathdiver said:

I know two guys with Yukon Denalis that tow 10K and 16K pound boats for short trips down here in Florida and they do it without any problems; until the DOT pulls up!

Yeah, I mean that makes a lot of sense

our tow ratings would likely be a lot higher if hills didn’t exist

as long as you have trailer brakes and your tongue weight isn’t too high (which I suppose could be mitigated by airbags and stiffer shocks, i’d imagine you could tow 30k lbs safely below like 50mph

Barman84 · June 11, 2020

On 6/9/2020 at 9:16 PM, truckguy82 said:

My buddy is a contractor that tows around a 12k lb trailer almost everyday.

His tow rig (8.1 suburban) blew the trans and he started using his 2011 avalanche with a 5.3 and 3.08’s.

all he did was install a trans cooler, airbags, and a brake controller and he says it tows the thing just fine. He’s actually not going to buy another tow rig.

So considering the avalanche I believe is over 6k lbs, total weight is like 18k lbs. I think you could manage just fine even if you had 3.08’s.

Professional hauler my well you know... facts any law enforcement can legally pull you over and ticket you for being overweight all day. Any professional will know that. And pulling 12 thousand pounds with 3.08s and a 5.3 isn’t going to be fun at all trans cooler or no. It’s not just the transmission that overheats. It’s the rear end the motor itself from overworking so now your oil temps are up.

its just all a chain reaction. Also, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Your professional towing buddy should know the brakes aren’t even setup for that weight... yep trailer brakes cool what if they take a crap?

KARNUT · June 11, 2020

For 20 years I towed a gooseneck trailer that had vacuumed over hydraulic brakes it was 7500lbs. It had two 10000lbs axles. My equipment was 14000lbs. I used 3/4 and one tons. I did demos and delivered eq. I did demos for DOTs all over the U.S. It was legally registered and went through the scales. I averaged 50K miles a year. Never a problem or ticket. My combo was registered for 35K. The only thing that stop me was the eq got bigger. You sit at my old shop it’s not unusual to see that type of set up arriving daily. The trick is the properly set up trailer.

Edited June 11, 2020 by KARNUT

truckguy82 · June 11, 2020

46 minutes ago, Barman84 said:

Your professional towing buddy should know the brakes aren’t even setup for that weight... yep trailer brakes cool what if they take a crap?

Lol at thinking the oem brakes on a 6k lb avalanche can’t stop a 12k lb trailer once.

please let me know how a 2020 1 ton pickup can safely tow 35k lbs when it weighs 7500lbs. Do you know how they get their tow ratings? Well one test is braking without the trailer brakes.

If you think his avalanche towing 12k lbs is more dangerous than a 2020 3500 towing 35k lbs because of the brakes, you clearly don’t understand the physics of braking.

His brakes are just fine for a flat area. He’s not going down mountains.

truckguy82 · June 11, 2020

If lose trailer brakes, doesnt matter if you’re towing 80k lb semi, a 1 ton at max capacity, or an overloaded avalanche, you are equally screwed in all conditions.

infact I’d rather be in the avalanche in that scenario