H2 Towing a 38'???
 

My wife had to take my Dually today and I need to trail the boat about 100 miles tonight. Anybody ever use an H2 to pull a 38'? I would assume for the short distance it shouldn't be an issue.

I used my H2 to pull a 39' before from Miami to Naples. No problem at all. Give yourself plenty of room to stop!

i pulled a top gun with mine...pulled fine....stopping was a diffrent story....be smart about it and you will be fine

Thanks! I didn't think it would be an issue but figured I'd get some input.

I think you guys have lost your mind:eek:

thats insane. Wait another day for the dually.

No chit...doesnt the H2 sit on the same chassis as the Tahoe?

I used my H2, (supercharged bigger brakes) to tow my 35' Nordic, within the first hundred miles it destroyed the transmission. Hummer covered the tranny, but said they would not cover another one.
I did not have stopping problems, or a power problem, but the tranny is the weak link. Also with it's low tow rating it is liability lawsuit waiting to happen.
Sold the H2, replaced it with a 650

Yep with a higher center of gravity. It would be a cold day in hell before I used an H2 to pull or "STOP" a 38 Formula. Is stopping still important these days? It appears to be a pretty big deal.:evilb: :evilb: :evilb:

I think brydman pulls his 46 skater with a h2?

Hauls it like nothing...

Hummer H2=Tahoe ???? Check your insurance ?? Might not cover you if there would be a problem. Wait for the Dually not worth someones life, I have on question why does your wife have the boat pulling machine??

The h2 frame is not the same as a tahoe. It is a frankenstein frame. The very front end is from a 2500 series and the very rear end of the frame is from the 1500. The middle part of the frame is big box like nothing else. If you know anything about trucks they are something to look at underneith if you get a chance.

used a H2 to pull a 34' SeaVee which weighs major...no problems

Wheelbase to short and not enough breaking power but if you are super careful, I am sure you will make it.

Gregg Reichman

The easy answer is, to know what the vehicle is rated to tow and what the trailer and boat wiegh. also consider tongue wieght for each.
I have a 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8 rated at 6500lbs and I pull a 5500 lbs 23' Powerquest Conquest. The boat looks too big for the jeep but the numbers line up and it drives and stops very good.

When all else fails go by the manufactures recommendations that way when it all ends up in court, it's not you looking stupid.

in the 1970's we used to pull 38 to 40ft v bottoms around miami all the time with K-5 blazers and full size bronco's. just don't drive it like you stole it.

very good point-Prime food for the ambulance chasers.

I have a 2006 H2 Limited, and it did not like pulling my Donzi 26 ZX I sold, They are only rated to pull 7,500 Lbs, it is because of thier wheel base and hight, They are terrible vehicles for Towing in my opion, but other then towing it is the best SUV I have ever owned. I have 2 in the last 3 years and would not buy anything else for my Family

Have Z71 Avalanche which shares platform with H2 and Suburban. Good handling and easy pulling my 6,000 lb. Century with steel EZ-Loader from Ft. Lauderdale to Ohio...

I have had 3 H2's and 1 H1. Last Sept, I used my H2 to haul my 28' Eliminator Daytona (6500 lbs) to inside storage - that was scarey, sluggish, swaying, etc..

Got rid of the h2, went to and International MXT in April of last year - now can cruise down the highway at 65mph without even knowing there's a boat behind me.

Liked the H2's very much (so much I had 3) - but when it came to towing, it felt like we were using the wrong tool for the job.

You summed it up perfectly.

My EZ-Loader trailer has anti-sway bars and I have load-equalizing hitch for my Avalanche that improves overall handling along with a heavy steel trailer that tracks like it's on rails...

And the rear axle is a tiny little corporate 10 bolt.

Pesky Varmint

H3 has the 10 bolt, H2 has a 14 bolt rear axle.

Did you use the H2 to pull the 38'? How did it do and have you tried again? Nice to have a conclusion. :D

My apologies. I stand corrected. But still not 14 bolt, and
still a 1/2 ton axle:

http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/roadtes...fications.html

2003 4x4 of the Year


Hummer H2



About half of you reading this are wondering why we didn't name the H2 4x4 of the Year. When you read through the spec box it sure looks like a winner. Those numbers got our judges excited as well but after driving the H2 in some real-world situations we learned some things that brought us back to reality. For starters, visibility in the H2 leaves much to be desired, and acceleration is never "exhilarating." Every judge that got in the H2 thought the 6.0L sounded good, but that it didn't have enough snot to move the Hummer with only 4.10 gears. We think GM should have given this rig 4.56 gears or a Duramax to get its heft moving. Once underway in the H2 we found that the seats are good, but not as comfortable as the ones found in other fullsize GM trucks. Of course the H2 does offer rear seat heaters, something no other truck in our test could match, but the judges had to rank the cargo capacity in comparison to an Excursion. When we climbed underneath the truck we started to notice that all is not as it seems with this Hummer. The media has portrayed the H2 as a ¾-ton Tahoe with a different sheetmetal wrapper. It turns out that while there are many components shared with other GM trucks the H2 uses its own unique frame with an extra front crossmember. Even the body is made of thicker steel. We don't know how many people have caught on to it yet but the H2's 9 ¼-inch AAM front differential is cast with more ribs, and mounts differently than it does in a 2500 HD Silverado. Maybe this is a sign that the H2 will get a front locker down the road? We don't know. We can tell you that the H2 has the best underbody protection of any 4x4 in the test. On the trail the Hummer didn't perform as well as we thought it should with a rear locking differential and four-wheel traction control, and judges were critical of that. The H2 is without question the best off-road vehicle GM has ever sold, but there was just too much competition this year to let it take the title.



General

Manufacturer: Hummer
Model: H2
Base Price: $48,065
Price as Tested: $53,465
Options as Tested: 1SB Adventure Series air suspension package (floor mats, tool kit, radiator and grille brushguard, black luggage rack, rear air springs, air compressor), AM/FM stereo with six -disc in-dash CD changer, leather seating surfaces, third-row seat, chromed exterior door handles, chromed exterior mirror caps, tubular taillamp guards


Engine

Type: OHV V-8
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 6.0/364
Bore & Stroke (inches): 4.00x3.62
Compression Ratio: 9.4:1
Induction Type: Sequential, multiport fuel injection
Fuel Requirement (octane)/Capacity (gallons): 87/32
SAE Peak Horsepower: 315 @ 5,200 rpm
SAE Peak Torque (lb-ft): 360 @ 4,000 rpm


Transmission

Type: 4-speed automatic overdrive
Model: 4L65E
Ratios: First: 3.06:1; Second: 1.63:1; Third: 1.00:1; Fourth: 0.70:1; Reverse: 2.29:1
Transfer Case

Type: 2-speed, full-time with central diff-lock
Model: Borg-Warner 4484
Low-Range Ratio: 2.64:1


Axles

Front Type: IFS with AAM 9 ¼-inch centersection
Rear Type: AAM 9 ½-inch with Eaton E-locker
Hubs: Automatic
Ratio: 4.10:1


Suspension

Front: Upper and lower A-arms/torsion bars
Rear: Live axle, 4-link with track bar and self-leveling air springs


Steering

Type: Power-recirculating ball
Turns Lock-to-Lock/Ratio: 3/15:1, 13:1 variable ratio
Turning Radius (feet): 43.5


Wheels

Size (inches): 17x8
Material: Cast-aluminum


Tires

Size: LT315/70R17
Brand: BFGoodrich All-Terrain


Brake System

Front: 12.8-inch discs with ABS
Rear: 13-inch discs with ABS


Weight (pounds)

Curb Weight: 6,400
Advertised GVWR: 8,600


Mileage

EPA Estimate (city/hwy. mpg): N/A
As Tested (mpg): 7.11


Acceleration

Standing ¼-mile (seconds @ mph): 19.36 @ 75.55


Braking

60-0 mph (feet): 152.57


Dimensions (inches)

Wheelbase: 123
Overall Length: 189.5
Overall Width: 96.75
Overall Height: 77.5
Front/Rear Track: 69/69.75
Front/Rear Overhang: 33/34
Minimum Front Ground Clearance: 10.5


Likes

*35-inch tall tires
*Heated rear seats
*4-link rear suspension and selectable locker


Dislikes

*Not geared low enough
*Visibility is poor
*Sticker price


Bottom Line

A monster truck that you can own

Stock 2003 H2.

I own three transmission shops I would not do it.!!!

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.

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

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

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).

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...

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.:D

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.

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.

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:D