Can I tow with a boxed S-10 frame?

amen brother!!

 

A stock S10 with the 4.3 has a 6000 lb towing capacity if I remember right. so if you add a V8 and box the frame you could pull more. As far as stoppong. Get a disc brake rear out of a bravada and a better kit for the front along with trailer brakes and you could probobly do it.

 

I am in the exact same position right now.I am building a 54 chev truck to tow an airstream.I am thinking of boxing an S-10 frame with a full-size blazer rear.My other thought is duelly with wider back fenders.

 

I towed a 5000# open trailer with various cars or tractors all over the east with a 1991 S-10 Blazer 4.3. never had a bit of trouble. It had a class 3 hitch and was rated for the weight. trailer had dual axle brakes and I always took the time to balance each load.

 

A stock S10 w/4.3 is rated at about 3500lbs max, mostly due to the brakes and suspension components. The rear end is lighter duty than most, but it can work if used correctly and not all the time. Towing puts twist force into the chassis, which the boxed frame won't mind-most trucks have never had boxed frames. Like everyone has said, stopping is the big issue and that takes big brakes and similar suspension components to handle the weight. I tow with a 99 Chev 1500 up to 7500 lbs and that is the limit for the vehicle. My 78 3/4 ton will pull most anything, but stability comes from the wheelbase as much as the strength of the components, and the short WB will be nervous with the 7K lbs that combination will weigh. The total the brakes on both units have to stop will be in the 10,500lb range, plus the weight shifts forward under stopping load, so 4 wheel brakes on the trailer are crucial as well as good steering and front end parts. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable with the combination.

 

Well, I drove this all the way from Florida to STL. It is a 2000 Dodge Dakota 2wd with a 4.7 V-8, extended cab short bed. I think the truck has a 6000lb towing capacity and the trailer has brakes on both axles. It had plenty of power with the V-8. Dakota's are quite a bit bigger than a s-10 but still no 1/2ton pick up. It pulled great and stopped decent. I think I went about 60 the whole trip. Had a good hitch too. If you were to do it with an s-10 I would look for an extended cab for a little more wheelbase. I don't think I would do it though.

 

This is the only way that I do it.

 

Brakes would be the thing I'd be most worried about. The 4.3 front springs can handle a V8(hell my 425 Caddy mtr didn't even make the springs drop any in my project), the rears should be upgraded to handle the weight of the trailer & it's load. BUT the frames thickness between a 1/2ton truck & a S10 is so small that you would have to mic it to see it. Now if your International is wide enough I'd go w/a full size truck frame for the bigger brakes all the way around, BUT frame wise the S10 frames are wider then the full size truck frames...joe

 

I tow with my 48 all of the time......but never a 5000 pound car. I usually just pull a small hot rod around (999) or stuff I've bought. I can tow a small car with no trailer brakes but it is no fun. You have to be very aware of your suroundings and no panic stops. With the trailer brakes it would be a walk in the park.

The thought of a big car behind my truck does scare me. I wouldn't worry about the frame as much as the car throwing me around.

I like Lullabelle's dually idea. That and maybe a little longer bed than the standard 48 short bed.
Clark

 

im not saying i recomend this but i towed my chevy truck home with my 90 dakota it was about 70 miles round trip and i was impressed with how well the truck did it has the 3.9 which is completly worn out and took forever to get to speed but i never once felt scared during the trip i have a good hitch and the trailer has brakes the only thing i would have done differnt would be to move the truck back further on the trailer it probably would have handled better but i defintley wouldnt want to tow like this everyday it would never hold up

 

That boxed frame I think would hold up, BUT I don't think what's bolted to it will, I'd find a 3/4 ton frame and running gear to tow something that heavy. I towed an empty 2000 lb trailer with a swb s-10 once, no fun!

 

I think the S-10 is the same frame as the Astro van. I pull a lot of thing with my Astro including an trailer with a Anglia on it.??

 

I'd air bag the rear for towing with a load like that. I'd also go with a dana rearend out of say a jeep so you do not have to shorten it. Then dic brakes front and rear with a good master cylinder desized to handel that kind of use. Class 3 hitch with a bars and you should be ok aslong as the engine and trans can handel the load.
Dutch

 

I`ve towed several vehicles 40+ miles with my `87 2.8 long bed s-10 and 18 foot, double axle, open trailor. I just load tongue heavy (to put weight on truck and prevent swaying from side to side), and keep in mind that I AM PULLING A HEAVY TRAILOR !!!!! I just observe a safe for the circumstances speed and following distance and have never had any problems.

 

If I wanted to tow a 5000lb Caddy on a regular basis, the trailer would have 4 wheel electric brakes no matter what truck was doing the pulling. I had a brake failure once, on the truck, the trailer brakes saved my ass. MY.02

Craig

 

You're not pissing me off - not by any means. Hell, unless anybody can tell me that there's a way to make that setup work, and work safely, I'm siding with you.

~Jason

 

LOL! I was just checking out one in the parking lot at work today!

~Jason

 

Of that, there is no doubt. I'll be working on the Caddy off and on, and would be needing to get it to various places for paint, media blast, etc while I work on it. I thought that a rebody of my IHC would be pretty cool, and I could get the Caddy from point A to B until the drivetrain was done and back in it. Besides, it seems like it would be a fun build, but as I would actually be using my truck to do truck things with, I wanted to make sure I had it on a stout enough chassis - hence, the question was posed.

Anybody got any suggestions for an alternate, beefier chassis?

~Jason

 

I once towed a 87 nissan car with my dads old 93 s10 extended cab. The Nissan was on a tow dolly. You definetly knew it was back there. The brakes were great on the truck, but I wouldnt want to tow and actuall full size trailer with any type of vehicle on it with the s10. If the truck weighed more and had better braking maybe tow a small trailer with a VW on it....lol

 

Yet another reason I decided to ask y'all. I did the same, and trust me, I found religion pretty quickly.

~Jason

 

gotta give you credit for asking dude! i tow with a e-350 big block van that has 12" brakes and with a moderate load have been pushed through intersections because i neglected to hook up the trailer brake. the long wheelbase and wide track width makes a big difference when towing. towing with underated equipment is asking for problems.

 

Doesn't much matter how big the equipment is if the user doesn't pay attention to what's going on. When you're towing if you drive like you're not and use your brakes like you're not of course you're going to get into trouble. So I still say you can do it provided you use a weight equalizing hitch with the bars and good brakes on the trailer. Just so you don't think I haul now with a lightweight here's a pic of my rig going over the Big Horn Mts. in Wyoming on U.S. 14 that most people think is a bad road for towing. When my wife and I travel to Az. I pull a 30' travel trailer, no problems there either. Those who complain of continuous white knuckle hauling experiences are doing something wrong.

 

Don't do it. I've done it, but I was an idiot. I would never do it again. That load seriously outweighs your S-10. It is not fun.

I'd never tow again with anything less than 3/4 ton full size.

 

I have an old f150, and I don't like pulling a car trailer with it. I much prefer my stepdad's f-250. The bigger brakes and longer wheelbase seal the deal. my wore out 302 gets up to speed ok, but stopping is scary. I use it to haul dirt, mulch without problems.

 

You know, I live a few miles from the Kansas City Ford plant. They have a huge lot across the street from my kids' daycare FULL or racks with truck frames in 'em, brand-new, stacked 20 tall. That kind of thing makes a guy wonder... it's not every day a guy gets to see several models of brand new Ford frame all right there, exposed.

 

The original frame I'm trying to match is a pretty long wheelbase - the K-3 was sold as a 113" or 130" wheelbase, of which I have the latter (with a bed to match).

There's a guy on http://www.oldihc.org that put his on an '80 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 chassis.

~Jason

 

Good - be freaked out. I wouldn't do it - not the 5K car anyway.
I had a V8 extended cab S-10. I hooked a 1500 lb car trailer to it and drug a standard cab, long box S-10 to the yard behind it. I went to stop at an intersection and the loaded trailer pushed me through the intersection. I know that junk S-10 on the trailer weighed a lot less that 5000 lbs.
Another friend was in a pinch and had to use a standard short box S-10 with the same kind of trailer to move a 57 210 sedan about 50 miles - it ended up off the road, jack knifed and in need of recovery - Bad things - really bad things. This guy is a really competent driver, too, as I am sure you are.
Its about this old rule of thumb: The tow vehicle needs to outweigh the loaded trailer by 750 lbs minimum. Go rent a 3/4 truck or van for 30 or 40 bucks for the day, or do you have friends with bigger trucks? ALWAYS use trailer brakes - surge brakes help, but are obsolete. Go to electric brakes. If all this is too fancy for you, think about what is at stake - you really want to loose that load? even if its junk, what it hits probably won't be - until you hit it.

 

Exactly. I really, REALLY don't want to lose that load.

Years ago I saw a story where a guy lost his '60 Cadillac - a fresh restoration, mind you - when his trailer jackknifed and broke free, sending it at highway speeds into a lake on the side of a 2-lane highway. One of the main reasons I'm asking these questions is that from the moment I saw that mind-searing image of the dude crying on the side of the road, I swore up and down that that would not be me one day.

~Jason

 

My .02 is this. How much does the S10 weigh? How much does the payload weigh? I think that 6000 tow capacity on an S10 should be more like 3000. Sure you could haul it down the street but towing any significate distance is going to eat the S10. With all the mods you plan on making and the time and cost involved, I think you could get a larger vehicle and save money and fuel in the long run. Consider this. That S10 is going to be a maximum capacity all the time. That's bad on the vehicle and horrible on fuel. If you have a larger engine, say a 454 with lots of torque, you will actually get better fuel mileage because that torquey 454, or other bb motor, isn't working as hard to do the same job. Right now everyone is trying to sell the big motored trucks in order to down size and you can get a good deal on one. I bought a dually Chevy extended cab with the 454 FI motor a couple months ago for $500 bucks, no shit. Motor is fine as well as drivetrain. It had a little problem that the previous owner couldn't figure out but I could see the problem wasn't serious and fixed it with little problem and expense. He was tired of messing with it and just wanted it gone. My good! Look around before you go to all that trouble. I don't mess around with tow vehicle cuz in this case, bigger is better. Good question and I hope it works out for ya. Remember: Safety first!

 

I tow a 2000 # tilt deck trailer with electric brakes behind my 79 chev lowered shortbox fleetside. I have towed tractors on the trailer, and aside from feeling heavy, no problem. I use a hitch with torsion bars to level the load. I have pulled this unit through the mountains going to the west coast 1100 miles one way. No problems. You are using an S-10 under a 49-50 type pickup so your wheelbase should be around 118 inches. Not a really short unit. Air bags would help, equalizer hitch and electric brakes on the trailer are all a plus. I have scaled my unit and was running 12,000 punds going down the road truck, trailer and car on trailer. Tows fine, stops fine, just a tad underpowered. My trailer has 2 5000 # axles. Hope this helps. It is all in what feels right. My unit is stable and feels good going down the road. I wouldn't hesitate taking it anywhere. I have been towing with this rig since 98. Pat.