H2 Towing a 38'???

[Chris Sunkin]

I'm not sure how much better the 4l65 is but the trucks that I've owned with 4l60's needed them rebuilt about every other tire change. And they rarely towed or even carried loads.

[Mbam]

Back in the day I used to tow my 36’ Cig with a 1975 Blazer, power wasn’t a problem as we put a big block in it. Equalizing hitch, sway control, vacuum/hydraulic brakes. Good to go – Right?

Not sure of the exact year, early 80’s or so Jim Gaffig (rip) and I were on the way to Florida for our annual winter sabbatical. South on 75, early AM, just after sunrise, just north of Macon. I was sound asleep in the back (Gaffrig driving, no rear seat, plenty of room to spread out) when I was woken up by being violently thrown from side to side as we fishtailed across all 3 or 4 lanes.

Once we finally screeched to a stop and I realized we were both alive & uninjured I was able to retrieve my glasses. I looked behind us and there was the boat lying on it’s side in the median. So we get out & take a look, we are OK, boat is still on the trailer (don’t get me started on tie-downs, we had 8 thank g-d) even though everything is on it’s side. Blazer is just about over, all the weight is on the 2 wheels on one side.

State Trooper shows up, asks who was driving. Gaffrig (who was still a Chicago cop at the time), does not hesitate to raise his hand. This Trooper is a big guy, 6’6” or so. He stands next to the boat, reaches up as high as he can and says “How wide is this boat……boy?” (a 36 is 9’6”) says” I think you have enough trouble right about now” and get’s back in his car, “I’ll call a tow truck for you” and leaves.

Readers Digest version – don’t do it. We were lucky, boat was not damaged, took out a few tires/wheels/spindles but with the help of some unbelievably kind people in Macon we were able to fix it in 1 day and get back on the road.

That was pretty much the last time I used the Blazer to pull the boat on an interstate (well, there was that race in Grand Haven, but we went slow). Around town was OK as long as the brakes worked, just hairy on the road.

oh, reason for the story, H2 looks about the same size as that old full size Blazer to me

[Lake Rat]

In my opinion it all depends on the kind of trailer brakes. I think we all agree the H2 will pull it but it's not designed to stop it. If you have electric/hydraulic you will be OK if you are super careful. With that brake set-up the trailer will stop the truck. By now you've probably already made your decision but if not, be careful! My 2c

[pookie]

Cars and trucks have gotten dramatically better and safer over the years. A 60's heavy duty compares about to a modern 1 ton in its power, stopping ability , steering components, etc. Unfortunately, during that same time period, people have decided to drive much faster. I now consistently see fully loaded rigs travelling over 80 mph sharing the road with tiny fuel effecient subcompacts and leaving little or no following room. As someone on this site likes to say "laws of physics apply universally". That holds true of kinetic energy which increases directly with mass and exponentially with speed (mass times velocity squared).

[VinMan]

I would not want to be behind the wheel of an H2 if a 38 ft boat on a trailer started swaying heavily at highway speeds.

Theres a guy near me that had a huge Sonic (48'?) hooked up to a jacked up H2. Hopefully it was just for display purposes...

[Croozin2]

This discussion arises several times a year. My eye-opener was towing a 311 Formula with a 1500 Suburban. As many have stated above, wasn't too bad getting it rolling. But, the first time you have to make a "panic" stop, you just may buy the farm. Take it from me - I've got first hand experience. Doesn't matter how good the trailer brakes are, they aren't intended to compensate for an overloaded tow vehicle

My next biggest concern was the lateral movement of both vehicles. I bought a 3500 Chevy dually and can now let the wife tow the Top Gun with absolute confidence. You just have to ask yourself, Is the risk really worth the reward???? It's not just you that you are putting in danger.

OK, stepping down from my soap box.

[pookie]

Originally Posted by Croozin2

This discussion arises several times a year. My eye-opener was towing a 311 Formula with a 1500 Suburban. As many have stated above, wasn't too bad getting it rolling. But, the first time you have to make a "panic" stop, you just may buy the farm. Take it from me - I've got first hand experience. Doesn't matter how good the trailer brakes are, they aren't intended to compensate for an overloaded tow vehicle

My next biggest concern was the lateral movement of both vehicles. I bought a 3500 Chevy dually and can now let the wife tow the Top Gun with absolute confidence. You just have to ask yourself, Is the risk really worth the reward???? It's not just you that you are putting in danger.

OK, stepping down from my soap box.

How much do the topgun and trailer weigh?

[Croozin2]

Originally Posted by pookie

How much do the topgun and trailer weigh?

Mine is a little lighter than a standard Gun - around 8500lbs plus aluminum trailer. Usually tow as light on fuel as possible but still I would have to think in the neighborhood of 10.5 - 11Klbs. Never actually ran it across the scales.

[satisfactionII]

Of course everyone's H2 will pull a 35-38-chit a 42 foot boat. But it is not safe. No braking, short wheelbase, once the b1tch starts to sway your hosed.

[offshoresteve]

I use my H2 to tow my 28 Skater. It tows it well,however I would not tow a much larger boat.My Skater weighs 3,200 +2,200 for trailer = 5,400lbs. 2005 H2 rated for 6,700lbs.So I still have enough room to take on 1300lb of fuel