Good morning everyone.
We have a 1999 Chevy Blazer with 160,000 miles on it that can pull that can pull 5000 lbs.
We have used this vehicle for the last 4 years to pull our 1998 Grandview SP. Last week we decided to stop at the weight station and truly get a accurate weight of our trailer with everything we leave in it, except food, water and clothing, we also had a new roof placed on.
The sticker says 2295 dry weight, but it actually weighted 3300 lbs!
This was a big surprise for us, our vehicle weights only 4300 lbs.
So we are at a delima right now, we are thinking of purchasing a 2002 Ford Econline 150 van, V8 4.6L engine to replace the Blazer, mostly becuase of the weight issue and we also feel that our popup is to heavy to pull with a vehicle that only weights 1000 lbs more, and also the mileage and strain on the transmission.
Are we over reacting? Is is a good rule of thumb to have a vehicle that is half the weight of your towing equipment? The van can pull 6000 lbs. We feel that the van and people we have in it will be safer and much less strain.
We just feel that we may be overweight with towing/and the kids in the back seat and need some advice. We will be making our decision on the vehicle later today.
Thanks in advance,
Mary & Terry
[red][/red][red]Terry:D Mary:B, Chris:C and Nick:p, Indy and Daytona
We may not have much.... But together we have it all.....
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i honestly think that you are fine with the weight if i remember right your blazer is full size not a s10. aslong as you dont feel stress in the truck. i wouldnt worry. look at it this way. think about a mini van pulling a pop up and the weight then think of the size of your vehicle. or even look at my setup. i have a 2002 suzuki xl-7 with 3k towing and a 2008 jayco 1207 thats about 1880 dry. the people that have smaller vehicles do it like that all the time. i may be wrong but i think most of the people that tow pups have small TV. hope this helps.
derek
2008 Jayco 1207
2002 Suzuki XL-7 "Surprisingly Powerful Little Engine That Could "
Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller
I think the Blazer is marginal at best, and will probably peter out on you in the close future anyway.I keep my eyes open for a larger tow vehicle for sure.
Even though Chevy's are built like a rock and last forever, the S10 Blazer can only handle so much. By the time you add the rest of the stuff to the PUP and then load up the Blazer, you're kind of stretching things. If you have your eyes on a good replacement vehicle, that may be the best way to go before you bust something on the Blazer and face big repair costs. Don't know if the Ford van is as economical as your Blazer, but it will have more space for all your gear and passengers. With the low mileage it should last a long time.
I would be aware that the van is going to be pretty heavy, I have a friend at work that had a 2004 F150 with the 4.6 in it, He did not like the towing power in it at all, he said it really worked the engine. (He had a 18 foor pontoon boat) He traded up to an '05 with a 5.4 and has been happier with close gas milage, about 1-2mpg difference. But I would pay close attention to your Blazer if you end up keeping it.
For a pup, TB weight under tow rating should not be a huge issue, unless maybe for a small car. My tacoma is 3,950 curb weight and I pull 1 3,400 lb trailer. Probably approaching 4k with all the accessories.
Even if I turn off my brake controller, it has no issues controlling while stopping. With it, I could probably set it so I stop quicker...
Personally I wouldn't worry about the upgrade unless you are truly concerned about the transmission or the type of driving you do. Trading 160k to 49k may be a good idea even if you weren't pulling anything. That was the reason I made the trade last summer.
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