Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

[artificialreef]

Hi folks, I bought a boat right at (over) my trucks limit. Truck is a 95 K2500 with a 5.7l. I think the rating for it is 6500lbs. My boat is rated at 5500lbs. Triple axel trailer is prob 2300lbs. I bet i am at 8500lbs loaded up maybe more. It has the 4l80e transmission (good stout tranny)and i think the 350ci is under rated. I dont want to go to a gooseneck and was thinking about dropping a 1 ton rear axle in it to try to increase the weightrating. Would i be better servered going with a wdh (hate the hassle) or the rear axle upgrade. Or both. The boat is a 1983 Tiara 26.5 w/twin 470s. I just thought i would throw the upgrade question out there and see what sticks. No one in the commercial print world will comment because of legal ramifications. I just want an honest opinion that is not going to quote the manual. I drove it home when i bought it with the truck on i95 180 miles. Didnt feel overwhelmed with it.

 

[1Crazymechanic]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

How far do you pull the boat? The 1 ton rear end would def help, potentially an airbags setup?..I might even recommend a dually setup w/
the beefier suspension, it really depends on how far you are towing it. Good Luck!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

Unless your truck is one of those goofy 6 lug 3/4 ton trucks gm did (actually more like a half ton with 2500 badges) it likely already HAS a 1 ton rear....most 8 lug 3/4 and 1 ton both have full floating 14 bolt rears... some older ones had d60's or d70's It's possible that some 3/4's may have had semi floating 14 bolts but they are still pretty robust.

As long as you have the latter of the two, that truck should be FINE to tow that boat and I suspect that you are over estimating your weight.... hit up a truck stop and get it weighed.... make sure you have e rated tires and inflate them to max.

 

[bitterboater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

You might want to go to a heavier rated hitch (not knowing what you already have). Possibly install an airbag suspension system over the rear axle.
To ease the towing, you need to maintain 10-15% tongue weight, and keep as much weight over the trailer axles as possible.

This is one of the questions I think is possibly always being asked in the reverse order. Getting going is the last thing to worry about.
That 350 will move that boat, no problem. It might use more gas than a larger engine, than again it might not. Depending on how low your rear axle is geared, and how aggressive you drive it while towing, etc. etc.
Stopping that boat(good truck brakes, as well as trailer brakes) and maintaining trailer stability (sway) are far more important.

I think that your truck may be OK to tow that boat.
If your worried about it, trade it in on a 1-ton diesel.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

If you felt the truck handles the trailer fine I doubt you need to change anything. I would weigh the rig full of fuel and passengers. I will bet you are not over the weight rating of the rear axle or the GVWR of the truck . If you are not, then there is no problem. Make sure your tires are rated for the weight, they should probably be load range E. I'd make sure you have a good aux. trans. cooler on the truck. Other than that you should be fine.
You won't know anything until you weigh it but it's probably fine the way it is.

 

[artificialreef]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

It has the 8 lug but i believe its a semi floater. Only going 2 miles once a month. All my tires are over rated for the weight. Tires are the least of my prob. Would putting in the full floater reduce or increase my tow rating due to the added axle weight? Taking into consideration the 5.7l?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

wouldn't make any real difference by itself.... you don't need anything more

I towed my boat (without engines or drives) 1000 miles through a blizzard and some mountains with a 3/4 ton suburban and had no trouble.... my boat with the trailer weighs 10k lbs... without the engines it was about 8k lbs..... I towed a 10k lb fifth wheel and a jeep on a towbar behind it a few thousand miles with a 94 k2500 before I got my dually.... I was definitely hauling way more than I should have @ about 14k lbs but I still had no trouble (I was lucky)

You also need to not confuse GVWR with tow capacity.... they are not the same.... GVWR is what the truck plus passengers plus cargo (in the truck not behind it) can weigh. I think the tow capacity on that vehicle is 11k lbs with WDH and something like 7.5k or 8.5k without... 2 miles at low speed I wouldn't be afraid to tow 20k

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

Your tow rating won't change no matter what you do, it's tied to your VIN. Your towing capacity can be increased with axles and suspension as long as your frame can handle it. You haven't mentioned what class hitch you have. Gonna need a class IV.

 

[artificialreef]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

yes sir, the hitch is not the question, its HUGE. I am questioning the rig being rated at 6500lbs. and pulling 8500 and anticipating the first thing to break.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

2 miles, twice a month, low speed... you are fine. I've seen relatively light weight john deer 316's and 318's serve as yard tow vehicles put on more miles than that!

If anything, beef up the brakes. stay far, far away from slotted or drilled rotors, they do nothing and usually make your braking worse. Go with good fluid, change it often, and some relatively decent brake pads. Obviously make sure your trailer brakes are in good shape.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

yes sir, the hitch is not the question, its HUGE. I am questioning the rig being rated at 6500lbs. and pulling 8500 and anticipating the first thing to break.

Ok as a person who regularly tows 10KLbs + I will tell you I would first get airbags on your truck, absolutely the best money you will spend to haul plus sized loads and retain your ride quality, get the bags with the on board compressor and add a secondary storage tank for on board air to pump tires and stuff up as well. Your in Florida so I don't think it gets any flatter, I can see a tranny temp gauge would be a nice addition that will tell you if a tranny cooler will be needed. Keep track of your rear wheel bearings they will tell you the story of your rear end, I agree that your 5.7 should handle the load just fine provided your not trying to break any speed records. Brake Mods, I'm not sure you will need added cooling in your braking system since your truck should only be responsible for 20%/30% of the load on the trailer at most, the trailers brakes should be able to handle almost all of the weight on the trailer. Unfortunately when you do brake some of the load weight is transfered to the towed vehicle but there is nothing that can be done about that.

One of the things you get with a 1 ton truck is bigger brakes, but if you swapped a 1 ton axle obviously you will get the brakes with the axle. When it comes down to nuts, bolts and $$$$ you may be better off just swapping a used axle from the bone yard, but thats only the rear end, it doesn't take the tranny into account, nearly all modern 1 ton trucks come stock with an additional tranny cooler just for safety purposes regardless if it needs it or not.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

It has the 8 lug but i believe its a semi floater. Only going 2 miles once a month. All my tires are over rated for the weight. Tires are the least of my prob. Would putting in the full floater reduce or increase my tow rating due to the added axle weight? Taking into consideration the 5.7l?

If you are only towing 2 miles twice a month,I wouldn't do a thing to the truck. You just towed it 180 miles with no problem.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

yes sir, the hitch is not the question, its HUGE. I am questioning the rig being rated at 6500lbs. and pulling 8500 and anticipating the first thing to break.

Nothing is gonna break... you are FINE

assuming you are gonna travel 30 mph you are looking at 2 miles a month and IF you are talking year round 24 miles a year..... I towed a LOT more weight, say 1.6 times the weight, a few thousand miles at soooo we'll say 3000 even at roughly twice the speed..... a little math says it will take 250 years at the same weight or 400 years at your reduced weight and 800 years at half the speed to put the same stress on your truck I did to mine in a couple months...

EDIT: before the hating starts.... OF COURSE there is a bit of humor intended and I'm using the term "math" loosely :facepalm:

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

If you are only towing 2 miles once a month,I wouldn't do a thing to the truck. You just towed it 180 miles with no problem.

heck, it'll take you 7.5 years just to double the miles you already put on it LOL

btw the full floater has bolts on the hub to remove the axle shaft and the semi floater doesn't.... quick way to tell which you have

 

[geneseo1911]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

I have a '97 K2500 with the 9.5" (semi-floater) axle, and a 5.7L. I pull a 450 bu. grain wagon. It weighs about 35,000lbs loaded. Now, there's no tongue weight, and I pull it at 25 mph in 4-low, and use a cushion (Schuck) hitch, but trust me, the truck will pull the load with no problem. This is actually a fairly common way of moving grain.

The worrisome part is stopping, and the fact that pulling something that much heavier than the truck tends to push it around. That is the main reason we go slow. Your 8500 lbs is about the same as the truck, so I wouldn't think it would be too bad. Especially going two miles, I wouldn't think twice about it.

As far as if you need a heavier axle or springs, I'll add this. I had 3500 lbs of seed corn in my bed this spring, and the springs were just on the overloads. I drove it 7 miles home on rough county roads with no problems (although I would probably make two trips next time!). These trucks are way under-rated.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

2500 rated at only 6500 pounds?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

2500 rated at only 6500 pounds?

Was kind of thinking the same thing... My little kia suv is rated higher than that.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

http://www.campinglife.com/towratin...el=K2500+Pickup+(4WD)&min_tlimit=&max_tlimit=

7500 with a 4.10:1 axle ratio.

Will be less with a 3.73.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

Heavy duty brake pads...high heat capable....and make sure your electric trailer brake's are in top condition. After that watch your engine temp and change your tranny fluid according to the service manual in extreme duty conditons or severe. If you have a floating rear axle you should have enough frame and suspension to manage the weight....maybe syntheic oil as well..

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can i increase my tow rating on my K2500 by swapping..

Heavy duty brake pads...high heat capable....and make sure your electric trailer brake's are in top condition. After that watch your engine temp and change your tranny fluid according to the service manual in extreme duty conditons or severe. If you have a floating rear axle you should have enough frame and suspension to manage the weight....maybe syntheic oil as well..

To go 2 miles? maybe get a 100 gallon aux fuel tank too?