Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

[bekosh]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

The suspension and tires are soft and the brakes are adequate, but not really up to the rated load. They're set up for a good ride empty and without a trailer, which makes them good for what I do for work, but it also means they struggle a little in the towing department.

I agree that the stock tires are soft. This spring we switched to a tire with a higher load rating (Firestone Destination LE with a 107 load rating) and this made a tremendous difference in the handling when towing.

 

[Bronc Rider]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

I tow with my 3/4 ton or the wife?s half ton truck. In my opinion the TB tows like crap. We used my dads TB once because he needed my truck to move some stuff for his friend. We made a huge mistake thinking it would be comparable to the wife?s 1/2 ton so we left it at home. It?s not even close to a trucks capability. If I was coming from a car or another small truck I can see why some would think it was a good tow vehicle but, it?s not if compared to a real truck. The TB's brakes are rather weak, the wheelbase is too short and the power of the I6 or 5.3 is kind of a joke (5.3 in current trucks is more powerful). I would look for a good 1/2 ton four door pick up.
It has always bothered me that people spend the money on a boat but never on a proper tow vehicle. Some people even use cars. I find it funny if you ask them why, their response is always "it tows great". I bet they would be blown away if they towed that same boat with a truck.

 

[jkust]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

I tow with my 3/4 ton or the wife?s half ton truck. In my opinion the TB tows like crap. We used my dads TB once because he needed my truck to move some stuff for his friend. We made a huge mistake thinking it would be comparable to the wife?s 1/2 ton so we left it at home. It?s not even close to a trucks capability. If I was coming from a car or another small truck I can see why some would think it was a good tow vehicle but, it?s not if compared to a real truck. The TB's brakes are rather weak, the wheelbase is too short and the power of the I6 or 5.3 is kind of a joke (5.3 in current trucks is more powerful). I would look for a good 1/2 ton four door pick up.
It has always bothered me that people spend the money on a boat but never on a proper tow vehicle. Some people even use cars. I find it funny if you ask them why, their response is always "it tows great". I bet they would be blown away if they towed that same boat with a truck.

Interesting and true that a lot of it is about perceptions. My 6500lb tow capacity, fully tow capable Rainier to me is such a massive step up from my former minivan tow rig so I have some time before I feel I need more. I thought I finally upgraded to a proper tow vehicle but it is interesting to hear true truck owners think differently. I haven't thought the 5.3 is lacking in the power department and the hp difference I thought was pretty small between my suv and a 5.3 in a truck. I know the heavier torque management is an issue with the suv platform vs the heavier duty truck platform but that can be modified easily with a retuned PCM. Also as much as I would like a nice new Ram with a Hemi, it would have to be my wife's car and there is no way she would ever drive a truck.

Did you end up buying the Trailblazer?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

Not yet. Daughter announced marriage in Jamaica in the spring !!!!!
Money set aside for vehicle has been depleted somewhat as we have paid for the flights, resort, wedding extras at the resort, wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses etc etc.
Will be getting one but it will have to wait a couple of months till I get the money we set aside for a vehicle replenished again. I do not like financing vehicles hence the wait.
Thanks for your interest.

 

[marineguy]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

I have an Envoy. I towed my full cargo trailer from NC to PA and back and it did just fine. I didn't buy it as a tow vehicle, just something for the wife to run the kids around in, but we took it on that trip just to see how it did. It doesn't compare to my Yukon XL as a long-haul tow vehicle, but it's a lot sportier and a heck of a lot easier to parallel park. I have the Denali, 4wd (part time) with a locking differential and the 5.3L. I got 15 mpg pulling the cargo trailer and usually get 18-20 mpg.
These vehicles were designed with an active lifestyle in mind, and evey one has the tow package. The one thing I screwed up (but I probably would have bought it anyway) is that it has the 3.42 gears. I just assumed that with a tow package it would have at least a 3.73. I guess if I drove like an old lady I'd realize a slight mileage benefit, but it's kind of a fun vehicle to drive and I tend to be a leadfoot. There are a lot of things I like about it (ladder frame, powerful engine, air suspension, a true 4wd system, feels like a truck, but a comfortable ride, rear seats fold down easily, lots of storage compartments in the rear unlike most SUVs), and only a few things I don't like (3.42 gears, can't get BFG All-Terrain T/A in 245/60R18... that's it). I think it's rated to tow 6,000 lbs but I can't imagine that with a vehicle this small. I bet the 4.2L--which has almost as much power as the V8--with 3.73 or 4.10 gears would have about as much grunt as my V8/3.42. But the 5.3L with 4.10s would be a riot.
All of the equipment codes are listed on the glovebox door. You can download the translation on trailvoy.com and take a copy with you when you shop to see what she's got before you buy.

Oh, and one other oddity: no tow/haul mode.

 

[tboltmike]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

My daughter has an 05 TB 4wd 20 mpg highway no load. Burnt out the fresh air fan to the exhaust system just after waranty, light socket to low beam melted the connection, burns out day lights regularly.

I'll keep my F-150

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

I had forgotten about the head lights, I haven't had them burn out often, but you need to remove the grill to get at them, its not a quick and simple repair.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

Trailblazers can be a great tow vehicle for their size. However, that is one of their problems. They can tow much more weight than they can safely handle. They are relatively lightweight considering their towing ability. The I6 is a great towing motor (all inline engines are inherently better at towing than V-configured engines, all else being equal).

I've run several Trailblazers at work for towing. My wife also had a Trailblazer but we got rid of it due to too many electrical gremlins. In fact, the 2004 models had a lot of electrical issues, particularly with the dash cluster (almost every '04 Trailblazer I know of has had this problem). Usually you start with erroneous readings on the speedo, but you have to replace the whole gauge cluster to fix it. A LOT of 2004 GMC/Chevy trucks have had the same issue, as well as a few 2005 models.

 

[EASTERNSHOREMAN]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

YES

I have used my Envoy , to tow a 18 foot boat about 3000 lbs w/ no brakes on the trailer also a 24ft RV w/brakes . Power is not a problem but braking with the boat is . I make out fine however with the RV that has trailer brakes.

 

[jkust]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

I I think it's rated to tow 6,000 lbs but I can't imagine that with a vehicle this small.

Agreed, I can't imagine being comfortable towing up 6500lbs with my Rainier totally empty.

I bet the 4.2L--which has almost as much power as the V8--with 3.73 or 4.10 gears would have about as much grunt as my V8/3.42.

Not really true at least from the guys on the Trailvoy site...the v8 has a lot more torque but not much more hp and is easy to ad mods to.

But the 5.3L with 4.10s would be a riot.
I am like 80% sure the 5.3 wasn't offered with the 4.10 so your not missing out on much with your 3.42.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

If I remember correctly I've had an 01, 03, and 07 TB. The 01 (125,000 miles) had tail light issues, in fact every 01 TB in our fleet had the same problem. The 03 (120,000 miles) didn't have any problems, but the check engine light would come on after I would buy fuel in Canada and the belt tensioner bearing went bad right before I turned it in. The 07 (92,000) has been good so far.

I agree with TB's being rated to tow more than they can really handle, up to about 3,000 lbs its OK, after that you need to be careful because you can easily get into a situation where the trailer starts to control the show.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

All good info everyone. Very helpful.