towing capacity vs hitch capacity

[gt]

2004 Trailblazer, I6, 3.42 gears, rated at 5100lbs. but the label on hitch says 400lb tongue/4000lb limit.

Why the difference?

New boat/motor/trailer, wet with gear right around 4000lbs. Am I safe? Will probably be getting a new vehicle this year or next, but really need this one to work for now.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Gary

 

[SNye45]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

You can get different capacity hitches.

I have a Class 4 tow frame with a 6,000LBS hitch and a 2" ball that is capable of 6,000 LBS

 

[bitterboater]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

2004 Trailblazer, I6, 3.42 gears, rated at 5100lbs. but the label on hitch says 400lb tongue/4000lb limit.

Why the difference?

New boat/motor/trailer, wet with gear right around 4000lbs. Am I safe? Will probably be getting a new vehicle this year or next, but really need this one to work for now.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Gary

Based STRICTLY upon the given information. Yes, you are good to go. As to whether your safe, only you can answer that one.
It would be a good idea to get a real weight on the boat equipped for the day on the lake so you have a real world figure to use when you get a newer tow vehicle or receiver hitch for your truck.

NEVER, exceed your vehicle towing capacity or receiver hitch capacity which ever weight is lowest.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

The weakest link in the chain is the towing limit on any vehicle. If the tow vehicle can handle 5100#, the hitch platform is 4000#, the ball mount is 400# and the coupler is 2500# (for example), 2500# is the limit. It may be that the hitch was not installed at the factory and is instead an aftermarket. If that's the case, your vehicle may not have a trailering package and as such, it will not have the 5100# towing capacity. "Properly Equipped" are the key words when researching towing capacity. That usually means tranny cooler, HD radiator, larger alternator, factory hitch platform and trailer wiring and in some cases larger brakes and/or tires.

 

[gt]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

This is the factory installed hitch/wiring, that's why I'm confused as to the discrepency. None of the Trailblazers came with external tranny coolers, but I will be adding one. I'm assuming at this point, the 4000lb is the weight carrying rating, 5100lbs requires a weight distributing setup? I've checked around, and can't find a heavier hitch for this vehicle, but still looking.

Thanks
Gary

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

I've checked around, and can't find a heavier hitch for this vehicle, but still looking.

You dont need to get more hitch. Your at or close to the max but still good.
Take some of the gear and haul it in the tow vechicle to and from the launch.
Then you even better off.

Now the really big question is, are the tires on the tow vechicle rated the same as the ones from the factory? These too can be the weak link.
The numbers are only as good as the lowest rated one in the package.
A distributing hitch will increase the capacity of the hitch, but again your back to the weak link.

 

[gt]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

bifflefan,
Good question. The tires are almost new Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos. Real good tires. As good if not better than original. From where I sit right now, I don't know the rating, but I trust my tire guy, know him well, he wouldn't undersell me a tire. I've owned the vehicle since it was new, and have towed a 2000lb rig a lot. Truck is well maintained, and I've recently installed rear airbags to prepare for the new boat. I also plan on installing a tranny cooler. I'm picking the new boat up in a couple months, hopefully the snow will be gone by then. Book weight on the boat/motor/trolling motor/trailer, plus batteries and full fuel is approx 3700lbs. I plan to weigh it after I pick it up.

Do you know if that 4000lb label is rating the receiver hitch itself, or is it indicitive of the vehicles suspension (i.e. the airbags will help)?

The drawbar and ball are both rated at 5000lbs.

I've felt comfortable with the 5100lb rating when buying the new boat. I didn't even know the hitch had a label on it til very recently. Found it by accident.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

This is the factory installed hitch.

My gut is that itt is the DEALER installed hitch but you COULD be right about the wdh..... If you are it should plainly say so in the same place that it says 4000.....

 

[Knightgang]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

In my mind, the 5100 rating is a combined number of your trailer weight plus any load inside the vehicle (persons/gear). Therefore it is reasonable to assume that a 4000lb trailer plus 4 - 200lb guys plus 400 lbs gear would be the top your vehicle is rated for...

The hitch on my truck is a Reese and it rated as such..

500lb tounge/10,000 capacily
1,500 tounge/15,000 capacity WD

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

My gut is that itt is the DEALER installed hitch but you COULD be right about the wdh..... .....

Wrong, ALL Trailblazer came from the factory with tow hitches and the tow package.
The max tow rating is indeed with a weight distributing hitch. Almost all GMs are rated this way.

To the original poster, are you "sure" it doesn't have a transmission fluid cooler?

 

[gt]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

TilliamWe,
No external cooler, just the usual internal cooler in the radiator. Just read on another site, that no Trailblazers came with external coolers. I can't verify that, just that mine definitely does not. I don't know about the later ones, but I remember hearing in 04 when I bought this one, they all came standard with the factory installed hitch and wiring.

Since it seams I'm marginal on the WC hitch rating, but in a little better shape with the WD hitch rating, I'm going to assume the drivetrain can handle the load (with the addition of a tranny cooler), but the suspension is the real issue. I'll see how much the airbags help. I've pulled enough different trailers with enough different vehicles over the years to know what good (and bad) handling feels like. I pick the boat up in a couple months, we'll see what happens then. Gonna hopefully be purchasing a new vehicle this year sometime, guess it's time to move up a class...

Appreciate all the input.

Gary

 

[bruceb58]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

A weight distributing hitch will help the handling way better than using air bags...and a lot safer.

What makes you think you need another transmission cooler? If the vehicle came with the towing package, the trans cooler that comes with it should be sufficient.

The hitches that come on the GM trucks leave a lot to be desired. I replaced the one that came with my 2002 3/4T suburban to a heavier duty one and it was a much cleaner looking install.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

Wrong, ALL Trailblazer came from the factory with tow hitches and the tow package.
The max tow rating is indeed with a weight distributing hitch. Almost all GMs are rated this way.

To the original poster, are you "sure" it doesn't have a transmission fluid cooler?

wouldn't be the first time my gut lied to me..... there was this one time and a whole cheesecake

 

[gt]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

Bruceb58,
I remember when I bought the vehicle, I wasn't impressed with the "towing package". Hitch and wiring is all it was. Normal size alternator, nothing about heavy suspension or cooler... But I had just totaled my old rig, and needed something new NOW... And at the time, my boat was only around 2000lbs.

Frequent a trailblazer forum, and the consensus there from folks who have supposedly "been there done that", recommend it for heavier hauls. I have to admit to myself, that for a 4000+lb haul, this vehicle is marginal, but it's what I got for now. If a $100 tranny cooler gives me piece of mind, and possibly saves me from a tranny breakdown/rebuild, it's cheap insurance.

I'm more concerned with the handling than the pulling. Trailer is a dual axle, with brakes on both, so that should help.

I did a lot of searching for hitches for Trailblazers, and have not found any from any of the majors (reese, valley, drawtite, etc) . Probably cuz all TBs came from the factory with a hitch, and there was no market.

Does anyone know if the WD setups work with surge brakes, AND a folding tongue? Guess that may be fodder for another thread..

Smokeonthewater, with the size of my gut, it lies a lot....

Again, appreciate all the feedback from everyone, this is great...
Gary

 

[Knightgang]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

I just gotta ask, why would a tow package include a heavy duty alternator? I have had four different trucks with tow packages and none of them had heavier duty alts than other trucks of the same make, etc.

I understand the Tranny cooler, wiring harness, suspension upgrade, but not the aHD alternator... Please explain...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

well one example would be rv's where the camper has a 12 volt system which operates and charges it's battery from the tow vehicle.... also more lights and electric brakes take a toll.... they can really pull alot of juice

 

[bruceb58]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

If that is what people are saying about the tranny cooler, it definitley wouldn't hurt.

Regarding the WD hitch, do a little research. There is a hitch out there that works well with surge brakes. The ends of the bars don't use chains.

I had my hitch installed in California by Eckharts. It was custom made but very reasonable. They had a pile of GM hitches that they throw away after putting a real hitch on the truck.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

I have a buddy with an '03 Trailblazer, he tows a motorcycle trailer and a boat that I'd guess weighs in at about 3,800lbs or so fully loaded. He replaced his hitch last summer after hearing a grunting noise while towing. There were several cracks in the main hitch tube, the bar that goes across the back, it was twisting out of it's side plates or mounting plates. He hung a brand new Drawtite under it and all has been fine since. At least he had the sense enough to look before it fell off, which is where it was heading. I also took one off of an '03 Suburban that did the same thing. The guy towed a heavy duty flat bed tandem axle trailer with a small front end loader with it for a year when it started to sag.
I installed the heaviest hitch I could get from Drawtite on that truck as well.
In both cases the hitch gave some warning and didn't just break, but if the noises and sagging were ignored, they both would have given way and dumped a trailer on the road.

I've driven my buddies Trailblazer with the boat attached, it actually does OK. It does better than I expected it to, especially on the ramp. On the highway its pretty well behaved with the load on it. We even used to to tow a rather heavy dump trailer full of topsoil and it handled that too, although not as willingly as it does the boat.
The only big drawback to that truck is the mileage it gets, both loaded and empty.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

well one example would be rv's where the camper has a 12 volt system which operates and charges it's battery from the tow vehicle.... also more lights and electric brakes take a toll.... they can really pull alot of juice

If the vehicle (in non tow package mode) comes with an alternator that is pumping less than 105 amps, then I can understand the upgrade in the case of charging a second battery on the camper... I say this because I have a Ford Excursion with a 6.0 PSD and a dual battery setup. The replacement alternator for that vehicle is a 110 AMP output... and it keep both batteries up very well...

As the the draw for the lights and brakes, minimal at best... I have towed with other vehicles that were not tow package set, and they have no issues with the additional pull of trailer lights or electric brakes...

Again, some vehicles may need a bigger alternator, but I bet that most trucks do not. Now, as for Pathfinders, Toyota trucks, Honda Ridgelines, Mini Vans, etc., I really do not know. My tow vehicles have been trucks and their standard equip alternators have been just fine...

 

[gt]

Re: towing capacity vs hitch capacity

Never understood the alternator thing either. Only reason I mentioned it was in years past, when looking at vehicles, the "towing package" almost always included an alternator upgrade. The camper explanation mentioned makes sense though.. I'm not even sure what my alternator output is.

Gary