Hey guys does any one know how much an 88 chevy S10 weighs?It is a short bed with the 2.5 and a 5 speed. It is bone stock no options at all. I have to haul it on the car trailer from Georgia to Ohio. Any last minute advice would be helpful also. I drive a 98 F150 Xcab ORP with 5.4 and towing package. Should not have a problem right? Thanks guys.

 

My guess is it would weigh around 2500 to 3000 pounds well in the range you truck can handle towing.

 

Load it as far back on the trailer as is necessary to ease the tongue weight.... you want the tongue weight to be around 300 lbs on that, I would think (figure 3200 lbs for the truck, 800 for the trailer times 7.5%) Just my ballpark... Basically, your truck on't have any trouble pulling it, but you generally want the tongue weight about 5-10% of the trailer weight... that'll give you the best handling of the combo.

Have a safe trip, and let us know how it goes!

-Joe

 

Just to let you guys know I pulled that S-10 to Ohio with no problem. I averaged 12.5 MPG. Thanks for all of your input. Love to haul those Chevys around!

 

I have a 02 Screw 4X2 with the 5.4 L engine. I want to tow my 1993 S10 Blazer 4X2 from Las Vegas to Portland, Oregon on a car dolly from Uhaul (approx 1200 miles). Would these same figures apply to me? Also, what kind of ball doo-hicky should I get for the hitch? For that matter, where do I get the ball doo-hicky?

 

lol.... Lawgrrl, you're obviously new to this towing thing...

U-haul will set you up with what you need... most likely, you'll need a good drawbar with a 2" ball. My guess would be a 2" drop on the drawbar. You'll have no problem with the weight, though. She'll handle a bit different, and won't take off quite as quickly, but she'll pull it no problem.

-Flea

 

Gee, Flea, how could you tell?

So is the doo-hicky called a ball or a drop? Should I buy one for myself or trust the one from U-haul? With it being a car dolly and not a trailer, do I still have tongue weight issues?

Thank you so much for this help!

 

Doo-hickey... that's classic...

The "doo-hickey" in question is called a drawbar; it's the square number you put into the reciever (trailer hitch) on your truck. I'd suggest going ahead and getting a lock for your drawbar. They usually run about $15-25 and it's cheap insurance. Plus you can just leave your hitch on all the time and have that little bit of a "buffer zone" in case some idiot decides to get friendly with your bumper.

Go into Walley-world (Wal-Mart) and wade through the automotive section. Look for a "doo-hickey" or drawbar with a 2" drop height and a good weight rating (at least 5000 lbs). Then grab the appropriate size ball (grab a 2 incher- they're the most common) with the same or higher weight rating. I went ahead and got a ball with a higher weight rating so that I know the trailer ball is not the weak link, should something happen. My "doo-hickey" is rated at 5000 with my trailer ball rated at 6000. It serves fine for all uses except when I pull our new horse trailer. It's a little on the light side for that, but the setup should be plenty of overkill for you. I used to not have the problem of worrying about that being too light duty, as I had a big pintle hook with a trailer ball (the kind of hitches dump trucks and tandom tractor trailers use) rated at 12K pounds, but dad stole it.... <growls> It is better, though, to have too beefy a hitch than to wimpy. In this case, size does matter.

When you go to U-haul, they will explain to you everything you need to know about your hauling experience, and they should help you get loaded up onto the trailer. You won't have the same issues as you would with a car hauler, but make sure that your truck doesn't look like it has a "nose-up" attitude after you hitch up the loaded trailer.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes! Ask away if you have any more questions.

-Flea

PS... you may need to buy some heavy duty spring clasps or threaded style D-rings so that you'll have enough room for slack in the safety chains. I know I needed 2 on each side for our new horse hauler to get enough slack in the safety chains to turn.

 

I may call it a doo-hicky but you're the one asking me for career advice.

I printed out your post to take it with me to the store and to have for further information.

Thank you again.

 

If you do decide to leave your doo-hickey sticking out of the back of your truck, take a long last look at your unscarred, unblemished shins.

The first few times you walk around the back of your truck without looking down, you will cry like a baby.

 

Raoul.... you should have seen when a buddy of mine smacked into my pintle hook... the look on his face was fairly close to someone getting a swift kick in the mommy-daddy button

-Flea

 

Okay, so I have been doing some internet special ed since I am a special needs hauler. So if my understanding is correct, my tow package that came on my truck is a Class III and has the receiving tube already on it. I need to go to the store and buy a draw bar (aka a ball mount) to put on a two inch ball with at least a 5,000 lb rating on it.

If I am right, this is the part where you say "By jove, Ms. Doolittle, I think you've got it!"

Hitches Online has special heat treated hitch *****. Should I get one? Also, do these things only come in chrome or can I get black to match my other accessories?

 

Go with what works.... I know some places sell a tri-ball mount that has a 1-7/8", 2", and 2-5/16" setup-usually in black. These carry hefty weight ratings, and usually hefty price tags. Personally, I like the looks of a black drawbar with that chrome ball... but that's just me (I'm a bit of a chrome freak if you haven't been to my website).

But it's a hitch ball, so go with what works, not what looks good. If it's cheap and it's in your weight range (i.e. 5K+) go for it!

-Flea