thisistank

G$, You know how we do it dog!!

Pimpin aint easy!!!!

Wardey

I have a 2001 F350 4x4 lifted 5.5" and it has 35" Mickey Thompsons. No probs what so ever. Actually the truck handles a hell of alot better on the highway than it did stock. No body sway at all. Pay the money for a high quality suspension kit, use sway bars and you should have no problems. Wardey

fatdaddy

I tow w/ a Turbo Diesel Hummer w/ a 2 in. lift and 38 in. tires. A thing about the tires is that you should definitely go w/ the radials. I used to run Swampers but 6 ply couldn't hold up. I now run 38in. PJ Dirt Grip radials. All of these tires will really heat up while towing. Too much PSI is no good. Start w/ a low PSI.

boot

IF you go big and want to tow a gun it will get hairy !!
I have had many trucks with 8-12" lifts . One with 27" !!! YOur rear suspension will be the weak point .Big lift blocks are bad for torque ,you can blow them out of the U bolts (DON'T ASK HOW I KNOW )!! and big arched springs are not much better , They will wonder side to side from the play and the twist in the shackles . Cornering , pot holes, grooved roads , road edges ,etc. will be a real hand full with that big gun behind it at speed . I know a few guys that have turned um over trying to trailer things not near as big as that Cig. I got mine sideways with 12" lift and 44's pulling a car trailer with another truck on it . Went by a truck and the air off of it was enough to make me do about 3 or 4 zig zags . PLenty of guys get away with 4-6 " but much bigger and you need some REAL custom and STIFF springs . A center link on the rear would also be a big help to keep the rear from walking .

SummerObsession

This was exactly the responses I was looking for. I have seen and drove a truck exactly like I want to build in the Phoenix area. I think the lift kit is built there, but I will find out for sure. I know it is a very high quality (and expesive) kit.
The truck had 40" radials (I'm pretty sure) with a 10" lift and it drove just like stock or better!
The vehicle weight I was referring to was GROSS vehicle weight as printed in the GMC brochure.
It shows a 6084lb axle weight rating as well. I could not find a maximum trailer weight, but I think it is 12,000lbs.
I agree that tire sidewall would probably be one of the most important factors. I am researching this now.
I will tow probably 5-8000 miles per year.
I think if I can find a good weight distributing hitch and make sure the trailer brakes are in great shape, I would not have too much problem. My days of towing 85+ mph on the interstate might be over, though

SummerObsession

The truck I am looking at has the Duramax and an allison trans by the way.



Any dealers want to trade for an '02 Denali loaded (including sunroof) with 22,900 miles?

Neverfastenuf

Goodyear is releasing a 40" radial. It is the Wrangler format I believe. It was at the SEMA show. I think 37"s are about the limit when pulling large loads. I run King shocks which help tremendously. No, the truck will not handle a load like a dually, but for a single rear wheel application it works very well. The Chevy with an 8"- 10" lift looks real good with 37"s. My 02.

SummerObsession

Cord:
No, this is a 2003 2500HD witha duramax and an allison.
never: 37's look great IMO as well. don't know if 40's would work too well for me.

Fever500

I have a 2002 F250 PSD with a 6.5" lift and 36" Swamper 10ply Radials...

I towed my 29 fountain from NC to Havasu earlier this year..... I would advise AGAINST anything over 5" or 35" tires....

Here are my reasons...

Tire load...

Most of the tires on lifted trucks are not designed for the loads put on them by towing ... I got the 10plys because they were the highest rated tire I could find in that size. You might as well get a 1/2 ton pickup because that's what your REAL load capacity will be if you use the wrong tires!!

Even those tires were a handful while towing. Lot's of sway compared to the stock Steeltex's. Any kind of groove in the road turns into a white knuckle ride! I almost lost it in Arkansas... they had the left lane paved about 5 inches higher than the right ... no warning and I got over too far to the right.... I ended up in the left median after getting totally sideways lock to lock!!! Luckily the boat stayed on the trailer...

Hitch Load rating ...

I had a Class 5 hitch put on when I bought the truck... well with a 8"+ drop needed my towing capacity was reduced to 5000lbs... I had to get a pintle setup and put a 10k ball on that to get the proper drop and capacity. Even with that I'm still not too comfortable trusting my reciever.

Wind....

I got blown all over the road... from OK to AZ the wind was blowing about 20-40 mph ACROSS the road... It got real old real fast... It get's exciting when you are passing an 18 wheeler or two!!

All this adds up to Fatigue... with the tire noise the wind and the constant steering inputs... well it's not like cruising at 100mph in the beemer ya know?

Anyway... to answer your question... I flew out to Havasu for Labor Day and rented a boat instead of towing agin!!

Fever500

Oh and one more thing...

Tire pressure... whomever said to keep it low for tire temperature is giving BAD info.. Low pressure + heavy loads = HIGH TEMPS and BLOWOUTS Just ask the many Explorer owners!

I run my tires at 45lbs emtpy and 65-70lbs towing... per the Tire Manufacturers Specs....