Anyone Tow with a Trailblazer ??

[kenmyfam]

Got an option on a 2005 Trailblazer with 50,000 km (30,000 miles) on it.
Decent price and in extremely good shape.
Even if we get it I will be keeping the Jimmy for our son to use.
Anybody tow with one of these and if so what do you tow with it and how does it perform ??

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.
Ken

[High7eck Redneck]

My dad has a 2005 trailblazer with the factory tow package. tows his 18 ft larson just fine. (about 4,000lbs loaded) His has the awd option so no problems at the ramp. only thing is the factory did not connect the tow wiring. I had to buy 2 relays to activate the reverse lock out and the trailer power. Seats 4 comfortably. good amount of storage. gets pretty good gas milage.

[truckermatt]

does it have the v-8? i see many people tow with the trailblazer/enoys...

[pmat1]

We've towed our Thundercraft and our Bass Tracker behind my moms 07 trailblazer with the straight 6. plenty of power. you have to give it alot of gas at the ramp, or maybe i am just too used to stick shift. This summer we towed the bass tracker to canada with it, and it was like there was no boat; until you looked back

[kenmyfam]

This summer we towed the bass tracker to canada with it

You came to Canada and didn't come to see us !!!

Thanks for the info so far everyone.
I did forget to mention it is a 6 cylinder 4WD and has the tow package. The receiver looks like it has never been used.

[wellsc1]

Our 2004 Trailblazer with I6 tows great. First time put boat behind it, I didn't know it was there. Even my utility trailer just tags along without a hint it's back there. Yes, I constantly look behind me to see it's there and to also habitually keep watch on tires and cargo in the boat or utility trailer. Heck, I even pulled a few sapling tree stumps (up to 2-in. dia. or so).

Now the Trailblazer itself has some issues, but that's being addressed in the Trailblazer forum elsewhere.

Overall, though, very happy with the vehicle. It's a 2wd with complete towing package, including the electrical trailer connector (round, 7-pin) that required an adapter to connect to 4-pin straight connector.

[kenmyfam]

Our 2004 Trailblazer with I6 tows great. First time put boat behind it, I didn't know it was there. Even my utility trailer just tags along without a hint it's back there. Yes, I constantly look behind me to see it's there and to also habitually keep watch on tires and cargo in the boat or utility trailer. Heck, I even pulled a few sapling tree stumps (up to 2-in. dia. or so).

Now the Trailblazer itself has some issues, but that's being addressed in the Trailblazer forum elsewhere.

Overall, though, very happy with the vehicle.

Would like to hear the vehicles issues.

[Blujay96]

You shouldn't have any problem towing with it. I have a friend with one and they have always been very happy with it.

[wellsc1]

Would like to hear the vehicles issues.

Go to: http://www.trailvoy.com/ for issues. I don't want to hijack this thread, nor the entire forum talking about trucks.

Moderator, did I do good self-policing myself?

[jkust]

I have a Rainier which is a jazzed up Trailblazer. I bought mine specifically for towing my Chaparral which is a very heavy boat for its length. The vast majority of TB's have an I6 but I have a 5.3liter v8. That is because Rainier was the first of the platform to offer the 5.3 on their short wheelbase platform as an option while the others only offered the I6 up until a few years ago (the long wheelbase was the exception the the rule). There are several important things to consider on that vehicle for towing which is what lead me to the Rainier. Those would be the v8 over the I6, a locking g80 rear differential, 4wheel drive or in the case of the Rainier all wheel drive and the gear ratio being 3.42, 3.73 or 4.11. If you are going to drop the cash for a tow vehicle why not find one that has all the appropriate equipment for towing. The reason I went with the Buick over the others is all the options on the trailblazer (except the v8) are standard on the Buick. That means the odds of that trailblazer having the 3.73 or 4:11 and the G80 locker are slim. Most TB's I saw however do have 4wd. You can certainly tow with a 2wd, 3.42, no G80 locker, since lots of people do but my take is the Rainier tows extremely well in all situations I have come across. I can say I couldn't find a single Trailblazer or Envoy with all the things I wanted in a tow vehicle because at 36 years old I would have never thought of buying a Buick.

[Tonys-caravelle]

I have a 03' envoy xuv and its a I6 and i pull my caravelle with no prob. i have a stock hitch and have no problems

[roscoe]

I've had my TB for a year now, It is twice the truck as the old S-Blazer.
Sits firmly on the road, rides much better.

Friend of mine tows a 21'er with his, loves it.

[airdvr1227]

Got ya all beat. '06 TB inline 6 towing a Concept 228. Boat weighs 3700 dry, trailer weighs another 1000. It doesn't like it much but it does pull it and stop it. As for dragging it up out of the water...4 wheel low does just fine.

[bekosh]

I have the same vehicle that you are looking at.
2005 Chevy Trailblazer 4WD
4.2L I6 3.42 Axle 5100lbs towing cap.

With a bit more boat to tow.
1991 Wellcraft 216xl Eclipse 7.4L/Bravo 1
Total weight, about 4900lb fully loaded.

The Trailblazer does an adequate job towing the load. The inline 6 is OK but I could certainly use more HP. It will frequently have to down shift on uphill sections of highway to maintain 65-70mph. Brakes are good and it tracks straight and true under hard braking.

A cross wind or a large vehicle passing can sometimes cause sway at higher speeds(>70mph). Could use a longer tounge on the trailer or a WD hitch.

Fuel economy is 17/18mpg without the trailer. Closer to 9/10 when towing. Pretty poor for a 6 cyl.

Overall, it gets the job done but a larger vehicle or TB with a V8, would be nice. With a smaller load (<4k) it does a good job and is plenty of vehicle.

[kenmyfam]

And it's the same color as well !!!
Thanks for all the info. Seems like it is more than enough for what I plan towing.
Time to go negotiate a deal I think !!!

[jkust]

I have the same vehicle that you are looking at.
2005 Chevy Trailblazer 4WD
4.2L I6 3.42 Axle 5100lbs towing cap.

With a bit more boat to tow.
1991 Wellcraft 216xl Eclipse 7.4L/Bravo 1
Total weight, about 4900lb fully loaded.

The Trailblazer does an adequate job towing the load. The inline 6 is OK but I could certainly use more HP. It will frequently have to down shift on uphill sections of highway to maintain 65-70mph. Brakes are good and it tracks straight and true under hard braking.

A cross wind or a large vehicle passing can sometimes cause sway at higher speeds(>70mph). Could use a longer tounge on the trailer or a WD hitch.

Fuel economy is 17/18mpg without the trailer. Closer to 9/10 when towing. Pretty poor for a 6 cyl.

Overall, it gets the job done but a larger vehicle or TB with a V8, would be nice. With a smaller load (<4k) it does a good job and is plenty of vehicle.

Good post.... as a comparison to that I6, I tow 4000lbs, the V8 never needs to downshift, highway nontowing real life mileage is 18 and towing is 13. The v8 only has around 15 more hp but a lot more torque. I agree with the highspeed slight sway at times. The real beauty about this particular platform is they fit into the dime a dozen category used which is what interested me in it in the first place. My Rainier was $42,000 new out the door and I paid a lot less than that a few years old. The v8 more than gets the job done, sounds good and is extremely fast.

[180shabah]

Fuel economy is 17/18mpg without the trailer. Closer to 9/10 when towing. Pretty poor for a 6 cyl.

10,000lbs at 70mph - What did you expect?

[bekosh]

10,000lbs at 70mph - What did you expect?

It's not so much the 9/10 towing as the 17/18 when not towing. The TB with a V8 gets the same.

[ondarvr]

I've had three of them as company vehicles, put 120,000+ on all of them (well I'm at 92,000 on the third one). The first couple of model years had some electrical issues and a couple of recalls, the later ones are OK. I would say they tow OK, not great, at least for what they're rated for. The I6 is a little weak for anything even close to what its rated at, not that it won't pull it, it just that you have your foot in it all the time and the mileage is terrible with a load. 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. My GMC Sierra AWD van with a 4.3 was much better, so are both of the F150s I've had (one V6 and one small V8).

Consumer reports says they're terrible, not sure why, mine have all been comfortable and reliable, most of the other sales guys have them too, so they can't be that bad.

[pmat1]

I guess i didnt mention that towing with the tb, we can pass almost every car on the road, but we cannot pass a gas station

They do have their share of issues too... 120 miles after the warranty ran out, the fuel level reader went out. $600 to fix... Got one from the junkyard for $5.

[bekosh]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.