Towing with a trail blazer

I had a 98 S10 extended cab truck with a cap on it. I towed my sand rail from Charleston SC to Negaunee Mi. (just past munising). My tare weight was a tad over 4k (not counting cap). The truck was equiped with the 4.3L V6, 4 Speed Automatic and 4X4. I towed thru the mountians. I had no power issues whatsover. In fact, I was very impressed with the truck and its capability to tow. My only fear towing with the Blazer would be length. If you get too long of a trailer the tail will wag the dog.
 
my blazer hauls 2 quads from Gwinn, MI to silver lake sand dunes no problem, like maxout said though, slow up hills.

the trail blazers seem to be a bit more powerful than the reg blazers too, so that will help. (might just be me though)
 
Its more like pulling with a full size truck with a 10" parachute attached to the back. Alot of noise and $hitty fuel mileage.
They will do the job, real nervous when the wind is blowing and snowing. Dont be afraid to take it slow and get there in one piece. Haste is waste on the road.
 
JeepTherapy said:
I had a 98 S10 extended cab truck with a cap on it. I towed my sand rail from Charleston SC to Negaunee Mi. (just past munising). My tare weight was a tad over 4k (not counting cap). The truck was equiped with the 4.3L V6, 4 Speed Automatic and 4X4. I towed thru the mountians. I had no power issues whatsover. In fact, I was very impressed with the truck and its capability to tow. My only fear towing with the Blazer would be length. If you get too long of a trailer the tail will wag the dog.
i guess we all have different definations of what is decent at towing. my 4.3 blazer was a total dog towing my 2 place open (2000lbs) could barely get up to highway speeds in a resonable amount of time. i wouldnt even think of towing over 3,000lbs with a compact truck. it just isnt safe.
 
n2oiroc said:
i guess we all have different definations of what is decent at towing. my 4.3 blazer was a total dog towing my 2 place open (2000lbs) could barely get up to highway speeds in a resonable amount of time. i wouldnt even think of towing over 3,000lbs with a compact truck. it just isnt safe.

I agree!!! I didnt even like my buddies '99 S10 with the vortec 4.3 pulling a two place open with two sleds. Was a dog in drive, and revved like hell in 3rd.
 
yea they definitely get bad milage while towing, I'm lucky to get 13-14mpg. But hell I'm lucky to get 15-16 without it. It does rev alot in 3rd, but only if you forget to take it out of overdrive then it's fine. Btw the blazers 4.3 does have less horsepower then the 4.2 trailblazer but the torque numbers are very close. The 4.3 is all torque. I don't know what your talking about with a parachute being behind it. I barely notice a difference while driving. A couple of times while towing in the summer to my camp in the mountains I forgot the trailer was there and was flying through turns. finally remembered when I tried to stop on a dime to avoid creatures passing the road and the trailer tried to pass me! This is the third blazer I've had and they will pull anything. Just sucks up gas like no tomorrow. ;)!
 
I agree with n2oiroc and yamahaholic22. I had a 2000 Chevy Blazer 4.3L 4x4. I pulled a open 2 place 100 miles and I don't ever want to do it again. Has to downshift on even the tiniest hills. Gets crappy gas mileage when towing and it's very hard to see around the trailer with mirrors as Blazer's aren't very wide. Trailer has the feeling of pushing the Blazer around also. The TrailBlazers would be better that's for sure. How much better is the question. My Blazer only got 16-17 MPG during normal commuting. IMO that is ridiculous. That's why I'm getting a full size quad-cab pickup. Gets the same gas mileage as my Blazer, pulls better and has a box for sleds/motorcycles. My .02 I guess.
 
my blazer was a 98 zr2 (2 door lifted 31x10.50's) and it got me where i needed to go, but it definatly was iffy. i moved up to a 2004 tacoma xtra cab v6 and it was a ton better (biggest difference was the longer wheelbase and superior brakes) but still nowhere as good as a full size. i now have a 2006 tundra double cab v8 and i can finally just sit back on slippery roads without a death grip on the wheel! i do tow at a decent pace (75 mph) and do not use overdrive (not even on the tundra).

98 blazer 4x4 15 hwy, 9-10 with trailer
2004 tacoma 4x4 18-20 hwy 10-11 with trailer
2006 tundra 4x4 17-18 hwy 10-11 with trailer
 


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