Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
01-07-2007, 10:56 PM
#41
VIP Member
Re: Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
I'm going to change the class #3 hitch to a class #5 next week on my 2003 8.1L Avalanche, but the hitch guys sure are pitching a weight distribution system and what they are saying makes alot of sence. I'm thinking that for about $200 more it would be a whole alot better than air bags. Can anybody share their experinces with this system on a boat trailer?
I would definitely get the Airbags before I bought the WD hitch setup. I've done and tried all combinations.
I don't think your towed load is going to require a WD hitch setup. The Class-V hitch raises your Weight Carrying capacity to 12,000 lbs.
I was towing 2,000 lbs. more than you with my 2500 Avalanche, and I liked having the WD hitch setup. I did not have any issues with the surge brakes and the WD setup. However, after a while. the bars got to be a PITA.
Biggest advantage to the AirBags is they help you when towing and NOT towing. They become an adjustable anti-sway bar when not towing. The body roll is gone, and it handles/takes curves like a RWD car. You should be able to have them installed for less than $350, NOT including a compressor. I had mine installed with the air fitting/valve stems as my rear upper license plates bolts. I'd run 30 lbs. ALL the time, and 80 lbs. when towing.
01-26-2007, 04:53 PM
#42
Re: Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
Hey Guys,
I stepped in this argument on another thread a while back and may have ticked off a few people but here goes. I tow an older F402 Formula on a steel Target gooseneck trailer. Boat weighs 10250 lb dry according to Formula. 300 gallons of fuel is 2000 lb. 40 gallons of water in the tank is 250 lb. Gear like lines anchors etc. is 400lbs. 40 foot boat is now 13,000 lbs by itself. Add the steel 45 foot trailer which is at least 4000 lbs. My rig is at least 17000 lbs towed weight. I bought a 2001 GMC dually that is not rated for more than 16250 lbs in the bed, 12000lb on the hitch. Truck does pretty well with this load. I've got the 8.1 gas engine will the Allison and have no issues there it seems. Brakes do well also. The rear axle does heat up while towing so I need to change the axle juice every 6 months or so. It is a great tow vehicle. There is just one problem nobody has discussed. It isn't what you or the truck can do. Like byrdman said; it's what the other morons do.
Lets say the guy ahead of you two cars has had enough of the guy behind him (directly in front of you) tailgating the snot out of him. It's Sunday night on the way home from a long weekend and the traffic is flowing at 65 mph but heavy. Guy two cars up slams on his brakes because he is ticked off. Guy in front of you brakes and swerves but has no place to go. You gave 5 or 6 car lengths between you and that guy but his Camaro is able to slow a lot faster than you can. You slam on the anti-locks and the triple axle brakes on the trailer go squeeling into the night. With no place to move and not enough time to do anything else you have managed to peel off mph but still smash into the Camaro. NOT your fault!!!! Good thing you were in that 1 ton dually! You and your favorite girl are all protected in the cab of your 9000 lb pickup truck. You aren't hurt, she's not hurt. Trailer braked beautifully with no damage to the boat. But..... you just killed the guy in the Camaro. You were safe., driving under the speed limit, giving plenty of room. had all the right equipment. But....your truck just crushed and killed someone. Not your fault.
State police arrive at the scene. You are taken to the hospital to get checked out. Police close the road and wait for the accident reconstruction team. They arrive and the first thing they do is ask what happened. But no one saw that car that originally started this whole mess because he took off. The only witness to the guy with road rage that slammed on his brakes was in the Camaro. He's dead. Your dually ran into the Camaro. Hmmmm.... who is at fault? Ok it's an accident, No harm...no foul. That's what I have insurance for, right?
Second thing they do at the accident scene is get out the portable scales. They jack up every wheel on your rig and begin to tally the total weight and the towed weight. Guess what... you have 16500lbs on a Putnam class V bumper hitch rated for 16000 lbs. Truck is only rated by the manufacturer for 12000lbs bumper and only 16200 lbs in the bed. You are overweight. ohhhh.. but the Putnam hitch increased my tow rating. Not so fast. Ford says 12000 and 16200. Oh, and do you have your CDL license with you? Your insurance company is now facing a million dollar claim. You think you have insurance? Call your agent. Better yet call your insurance company underwriters. Do it before this happens to you.
Can our trucks handle the loads we are pulling? Absolutely, all manufacturer specs are conservative. Do we know what we are doing? Absolutely.. we have been towing boats for years. Is something like this going to happen to you? Cripes... one chance in a million. Does your insurance cover you if your towed load is even 100 pounds over the ratings published by the truck manufacturer or does it cover you if you don't have the proper licensing in the State you are driving your rig? NOT A CHANCE IN A MILLION!!!!
Food for thought!
By the way... I only tow my F402 without gas or water in it.
I stepped in this argument on another thread a while back and may have ticked off a few people but here goes. I tow an older F402 Formula on a steel Target gooseneck trailer. Boat weighs 10250 lb dry according to Formula. 300 gallons of fuel is 2000 lb. 40 gallons of water in the tank is 250 lb. Gear like lines anchors etc. is 400lbs. 40 foot boat is now 13,000 lbs by itself. Add the steel 45 foot trailer which is at least 4000 lbs. My rig is at least 17000 lbs towed weight. I bought a 2001 GMC dually that is not rated for more than 16250 lbs in the bed, 12000lb on the hitch. Truck does pretty well with this load. I've got the 8.1 gas engine will the Allison and have no issues there it seems. Brakes do well also. The rear axle does heat up while towing so I need to change the axle juice every 6 months or so. It is a great tow vehicle. There is just one problem nobody has discussed. It isn't what you or the truck can do. Like byrdman said; it's what the other morons do.
Lets say the guy ahead of you two cars has had enough of the guy behind him (directly in front of you) tailgating the snot out of him. It's Sunday night on the way home from a long weekend and the traffic is flowing at 65 mph but heavy. Guy two cars up slams on his brakes because he is ticked off. Guy in front of you brakes and swerves but has no place to go. You gave 5 or 6 car lengths between you and that guy but his Camaro is able to slow a lot faster than you can. You slam on the anti-locks and the triple axle brakes on the trailer go squeeling into the night. With no place to move and not enough time to do anything else you have managed to peel off mph but still smash into the Camaro. NOT your fault!!!! Good thing you were in that 1 ton dually! You and your favorite girl are all protected in the cab of your 9000 lb pickup truck. You aren't hurt, she's not hurt. Trailer braked beautifully with no damage to the boat. But..... you just killed the guy in the Camaro. You were safe., driving under the speed limit, giving plenty of room. had all the right equipment. But....your truck just crushed and killed someone. Not your fault.
State police arrive at the scene. You are taken to the hospital to get checked out. Police close the road and wait for the accident reconstruction team. They arrive and the first thing they do is ask what happened. But no one saw that car that originally started this whole mess because he took off. The only witness to the guy with road rage that slammed on his brakes was in the Camaro. He's dead. Your dually ran into the Camaro. Hmmmm.... who is at fault? Ok it's an accident, No harm...no foul. That's what I have insurance for, right?
Second thing they do at the accident scene is get out the portable scales. They jack up every wheel on your rig and begin to tally the total weight and the towed weight. Guess what... you have 16500lbs on a Putnam class V bumper hitch rated for 16000 lbs. Truck is only rated by the manufacturer for 12000lbs bumper and only 16200 lbs in the bed. You are overweight. ohhhh.. but the Putnam hitch increased my tow rating. Not so fast. Ford says 12000 and 16200. Oh, and do you have your CDL license with you? Your insurance company is now facing a million dollar claim. You think you have insurance? Call your agent. Better yet call your insurance company underwriters. Do it before this happens to you.
Can our trucks handle the loads we are pulling? Absolutely, all manufacturer specs are conservative. Do we know what we are doing? Absolutely.. we have been towing boats for years. Is something like this going to happen to you? Cripes... one chance in a million. Does your insurance cover you if your towed load is even 100 pounds over the ratings published by the truck manufacturer or does it cover you if you don't have the proper licensing in the State you are driving your rig? NOT A CHANCE IN A MILLION!!!!
Food for thought!
By the way... I only tow my F402 without gas or water in it.
01-27-2007, 10:28 AM
#43
Registered
Re: Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
Hey Guys,
I stepped in this argument on another thread a while back and may have ticked off a few people but here goes. I tow an older F402 Formula on a steel Target gooseneck trailer. Boat weighs 10250 lb dry according to Formula. 300 gallons of fuel is 2000 lb. 40 gallons of water in the tank is 250 lb. Gear like lines anchors etc. is 400lbs. 40 foot boat is now 13,000 lbs by itself. Add the steel 45 foot trailer which is at least 4000 lbs. My rig is at least 17000 lbs towed weight. I bought a 2001 GMC dually that is not rated for more than 16250 lbs in the bed, 12000lb on the hitch. Truck does pretty well with this load. I've got the 8.1 gas engine will the Allison and have no issues there it seems. Brakes do well also. The rear axle does heat up while towing so I need to change the axle juice every 6 months or so. It is a great tow vehicle. There is just one problem nobody has discussed. It isn't what you or the truck can do. Like byrdman said; it's what the other morons do.
Lets say the guy ahead of you two cars has had enough of the guy behind him (directly in front of you) tailgating the snot out of him. It's Sunday night on the way home from a long weekend and the traffic is flowing at 65 mph but heavy. Guy two cars up slams on his brakes because he is ticked off. Guy in front of you brakes and swerves but has no place to go. You gave 5 or 6 car lengths between you and that guy but his Camaro is able to slow a lot faster than you can. You slam on the anti-locks and the triple axle brakes on the trailer go squeeling into the night. With no place to move and not enough time to do anything else you have managed to peel off mph but still smash into the Camaro. NOT your fault!!!! Good thing you were in that 1 ton dually! You and your favorite girl are all protected in the cab of your 9000 lb pickup truck. You aren't hurt, she's not hurt. Trailer braked beautifully with no damage to the boat. But..... you just killed the guy in the Camaro. You were safe., driving under the speed limit, giving.
I stepped in this argument on another thread a while back and may have ticked off a few people but here goes. I tow an older F402 Formula on a steel Target gooseneck trailer. Boat weighs 10250 lb dry according to Formula. 300 gallons of fuel is 2000 lb. 40 gallons of water in the tank is 250 lb. Gear like lines anchors etc. is 400lbs. 40 foot boat is now 13,000 lbs by itself. Add the steel 45 foot trailer which is at least 4000 lbs. My rig is at least 17000 lbs towed weight. I bought a 2001 GMC dually that is not rated for more than 16250 lbs in the bed, 12000lb on the hitch. Truck does pretty well with this load. I've got the 8.1 gas engine will the Allison and have no issues there it seems. Brakes do well also. The rear axle does heat up while towing so I need to change the axle juice every 6 months or so. It is a great tow vehicle. There is just one problem nobody has discussed. It isn't what you or the truck can do. Like byrdman said; it's what the other morons do.
Lets say the guy ahead of you two cars has had enough of the guy behind him (directly in front of you) tailgating the snot out of him. It's Sunday night on the way home from a long weekend and the traffic is flowing at 65 mph but heavy. Guy two cars up slams on his brakes because he is ticked off. Guy in front of you brakes and swerves but has no place to go. You gave 5 or 6 car lengths between you and that guy but his Camaro is able to slow a lot faster than you can. You slam on the anti-locks and the triple axle brakes on the trailer go squeeling into the night. With no place to move and not enough time to do anything else you have managed to peel off mph but still smash into the Camaro. NOT your fault!!!! Good thing you were in that 1 ton dually! You and your favorite girl are all protected in the cab of your 9000 lb pickup truck. You aren't hurt, she's not hurt. Trailer braked beautifully with no damage to the boat. But..... you just killed the guy in the Camaro. You were safe., driving under the speed limit, giving.
Wannabe
01-27-2007, 03:52 PM
#44
Re: Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
Wannabe,
I totally agree. You are absolutely right about the distance but in heavy traffic we all know that every idiot going 50 mph out there is going to try to get in front of your tow rig even though you are running at 60 or 65. Is 10 cars lengths really our reality? Is THAT even a safe distance? My point is not that we are or aren't doing all the right things to be safe. If your truck manufacturer says 12000 lbs on the bumper hitch or 16000 lbs on the fifth wheel or gooseneck, you better not have a loaded rig that weighs 16,720 lbs. Can you handle it?....YES! Can your truck handle it? ....Yes! Are you insured by the insurance company that you paid $1500 per year to cover your truck and trailer for the top-o-the-line policy for the last 5 years without any claim history? NO! If you are over the recommeded weight, probably not. Those guys are not in the insurance business to pay out claims. They will find any reason to leave you hanging. Driving over the recommended load is a perfect excuse not to pay out on a claim. Being 10 car lengths or 15 car lengths back doesn't guarantee anything. Accidents happen but don't give the insurance company a reason to screw you. Look at all the people who lost their properties in Katrina. Anybody think they are getting what they deserve from their insurance carriers? I really like the looks of an Avalanche. I would love to have a 2500 Avalanche with the 8.1. Better gas mileage, can get through the car wash, fits in the garage, doesn't take out every cart corral at the food store. Bottom line...it's not rated by the manufacturer for more than 12000lbs in any configuration so it's simple. Don't listen to an idiot like me. Ask your insurance company. Then decide.
I totally agree. You are absolutely right about the distance but in heavy traffic we all know that every idiot going 50 mph out there is going to try to get in front of your tow rig even though you are running at 60 or 65. Is 10 cars lengths really our reality? Is THAT even a safe distance? My point is not that we are or aren't doing all the right things to be safe. If your truck manufacturer says 12000 lbs on the bumper hitch or 16000 lbs on the fifth wheel or gooseneck, you better not have a loaded rig that weighs 16,720 lbs. Can you handle it?....YES! Can your truck handle it? ....Yes! Are you insured by the insurance company that you paid $1500 per year to cover your truck and trailer for the top-o-the-line policy for the last 5 years without any claim history? NO! If you are over the recommeded weight, probably not. Those guys are not in the insurance business to pay out claims. They will find any reason to leave you hanging. Driving over the recommended load is a perfect excuse not to pay out on a claim. Being 10 car lengths or 15 car lengths back doesn't guarantee anything. Accidents happen but don't give the insurance company a reason to screw you. Look at all the people who lost their properties in Katrina. Anybody think they are getting what they deserve from their insurance carriers? I really like the looks of an Avalanche. I would love to have a 2500 Avalanche with the 8.1. Better gas mileage, can get through the car wash, fits in the garage, doesn't take out every cart corral at the food store. Bottom line...it's not rated by the manufacturer for more than 12000lbs in any configuration so it's simple. Don't listen to an idiot like me. Ask your insurance company. Then decide.
01-27-2007, 03:59 PM
#45
Re: Pulling with 8.1L Avalanche
On a lighter note BTW. You can get a HD 2500 GM SRW with a duramax and it is rated with almost as high a tow rating as a 3500 dually. Didn't have a 3500 without dually in the GM line before but that may have changed for 2007. Not as pretty as an Avalanche but might be legal.
