anyone tow a 382 with a gas K-3500? impressions?

gottahaveone · 10-14-2009, 09:38 AM

have a 1998 K-3500 crewcab/longbed with 454. your basic foo-foo stuff headers K&N bilsteins winch f/glass shell. have heavy duty receiver, 2 and 5/16 ball., airbags, BFG all terrains, loaded with all options. new radiator, heads done up, granatelli MAF, redneck mudflaps, stock ride height, all new poly bushings thruout suspension, oversized finned tranny pan,oversized finned rear diffy cover, blah blah.

i have towed a fully loaded 38 ft toyhauler to and fro to san felipe, baja for the 1000 race, and this damn thing was loaded with crap. not sure what it weighed but it was about as aerodynamic as a brick. 75 was really its max with that damn thing behind us, and that was downhill with tailwind. lol.

anyone tow a fully loaded 382, with fuel water beer tools spare tires jack etc with a k-3500? what are your impressions?

any tidbits and gems of knowledge? anything i should change?

would a chip help?

seafordguy · 10-14-2009, 12:35 PM

I've towed my Cafe Racer with a 1997 3500 6.5 Turbo Diesel Dually - My impression was that it was way too little truck to get it going or to get it stopped. I assume a Formula 382 would be comparable weight.

t500hps · 10-14-2009, 12:42 PM

I've been looking at campers and briefly looked at those big toyhaulers. 38 footers loaded down are hitting 15,000lbs. I have a 382 and tow it everywhere. With fuel, etc I'm also hitting 15,000lbs with only slightly better aerodynamics......I would expect the boat to tow like that camper did, and if you didn't like it, you won't like towing the boat either. Being a 3,500 it would seem the truck could handle the weight so who cares if it takes forever to get to speed.....how does it STOP!!??!!

tx911 · 10-14-2009, 01:36 PM

Put a afterarket transmission cooler on it, The pan with the fins help cooling very little. The main reason for automatic trans failure is heat. that is why most HD trucks have a trans temp guage now.

gottahaveone · 10-14-2009, 01:38 PM

actually since i have towed quite a few different goofy trailers in my day, it wasnt too bad stopping the toyhauler as long as you were coherent of traffic and braked early. once on the road with it , it cruised fine at 75mph. you knew any faster wasnt wise. toy hauler had torsion bars mtd to hitch.

my question from towing a former 26ft cruiser is do twin engined 35-38 botes on a 3 axle tend to be ass wandering due to so much weight at stern of bote?

thanks

Run_em_hard · 10-14-2009, 02:02 PM

Towing that weight at that speed is just asking for trouble. Relax, take your time, slow down and get your family there in one piece.

t500hps · 10-14-2009, 06:49 PM

I tow at 75 and it's as stable as without.....but I'm using a trailer built for 18,000lbs and have a dually which really provides lateral stability going down the road.....much more than my previous single rear wheel. If the trailer is stout and built balanced for the boat you won't have that azz wandering you mentioned like with the 26 (which may have been a tandem axle). Spend some money on the trailer...it will make getting to the water a much more pleasant experience!!!!

jeff32 · 10-14-2009, 09:46 PM

I agree. pulled my 357 hitting 15000 lbs with great pleasure and confidence with my single wheels 3500.

gottahaveone · 10-14-2009, 10:39 PM

hey thanks. in regard to tranny cooler..........come on, i live in freeking hell here in arizona(native). tranny and oil cooler installed , as well as new HD radiator.

re: the ass wander with the 26ft bote. it was a 460 kingcobra w/80 gal fuel,25 water, 500 gallons beer! it was a pig on a dual axle, towed at the time with a 3/4 ton 4x4 surburban with another big block we built. kind of weird when semis blew by in fast lane. got real weird when fuel tankers went by in fast lane. dont know why except way fuel tankers cut thru air. wasnt ever comfortable with that combo, hence the duallie(doolie) 4x4. sometimes boat launches around here get pretty slimmed out with algae and mud/sand and dropping that puppy into 4 low sure is nice.

towing the toyhauler really was my limit. on highway drove very comfortable with a/c cranking in the middle of june one year for the baja 500. in traffic in town, obvious PITA! avoided towns and just got fuel on offramps to avoid the headaches.

i tow a dual axle car hauler trailer with my score class 8 chev truck on it and dont even know its back there with the doolie(duallie). we use a 18 ft dual axle trailer to haul furniture/move kids to college and back,all my friends when they get divorced and have to move their crap out,quad hauler,wood hauler, refrigerator washer dryer hauler,dirt bike hauler and all around camping/hunting trailer, and with the k-3500 i have to pinch myself sometimes to remind me i have a trailer behind me.

thanks for the input. trailering made easier.

wannabe · 10-15-2009, 02:02 AM

If the boat and trailer are set up correctly you should not have much wander from the stern except when the semi's go by/ I would stay at 65 mph or so. The 382 on a trailer will weigh about 15,000 lbs so braking is your key. Make sure the trailer brakes are in good order.

Wannabe