So I have a 03' Chevy trailblazer LS, its got the straight 6 4.2 4WDAnd I'm looking at picking up a 2000 Jayco Qwest.Now the guy that is selling it says: 2000 Jayco Qwest pull behind travel trailer Equipment- Norcold propane/electric fridge, propane furnace, propane hot water heater, rooftop ac, 120-volt ac/ 12 volt dc electrical system, auxiliary battery, converter, panasonic microwave, kitchen sink, propane stove/oven, full shower with sink and toilet, front dining converts into bed, room for queen bed in rear, stereo, awning, weighs 4190#s. 24' OALNow after looking at NADA, they largest 2000 Qwest they made was a 20' ft, that weighed in at 1360lbs, I'm sure that is "dry" weight. so is the seller probably correct with the "4190lbs" weight? and can my TB LS handle that?I'm a younger guy, so this is a summer time, weekends sort of camping rig. I'm just worried that I'll blow a tranny, or something. :SAdvice? thanks!

Your trailblazer should handle it fine with the proper hitch setup.There are techniques when towing that will help reduce the stress on engine, tranny and other components. You may want to do some research on RV Forums using towing tips as your search.

Look at the door pillar on the driver's door and see if there is a sticker telling you how much you can tow and what the allowable tongue weight is. You can usually figure around 15% of a trailer's weight as tongue weight. For 4190# that put's you at over 600# and people have commented that the hitch on these small SUV's are usually rated at 600#.A dry weight of 1360 doesn't usually allow a loaded weight of over 4000# so I suspect one or the other number is wrong. The only way to be sure is to have the TT weighed at a truck scale. The TT may have a sticker, often inside one of the kitchen cabinets with the dry and max weights.

I believe the Qwest is a pop-up camper? If so, I can't see it weighing in at 4190#. If it is a conventional hard-top trailer, this is probably about right for a 20 ft unit.I have a 21ft Fleetwood Orbit conventional hard-top trailer. Dry weight is 3800#. I normally tow it behind a GMC Sierra 1500 with a 5.3L V8. The two are a pretty good combination. My wife drives a 2008 Chevy Trailblazer with the inline 6 and 4WD (sounds similar to yours). In a bind, I once towed the 21ft trailer home with it (about 1 hour away). I learned very quickly that even with a weight distributing hitch and sway bars it was not a fun to drive combination. Although it pulled OK on a straight, even surface it was scary into the turns and on the highway. I don't think the SUV had enough mass behind it to feel very confident. My advise to you would be to check the mfg spec plate on the Qwest itself. If it is under 3500#, you'll probably be happy. Much more, you'll likely be more comfortable sticking to the back roads when towing.

You will be fine with a unloaded Quest weight at 1360# I can't see carrying more then 1000# in the trailer. Your Trailblazer is more then adequate.MY POST COULD BE WRONG IF THE UNIT IS A TT INSTEAD OF A POP-UP.

The Quest line was everything from pop-ups to 5vers. It sounds like this is a 20' travel trailer. I wonder if the 4190# is dry weight, or GVWR? If it's it's dry weight, the towed weight will likely be closer to 5500#. I owned an '03 Trail Blazer with similar specs. I6, 4WD, 3:42 gear, and EXT. It was an excellent tow vehicle for smaller trailers, 4000# and under GVWR. And while it towed the trailer in my sig OK (4740# GVWR), I would not have towed it through mountains or on trips longer than a couple of hundred miles. Lots of downshifting on hills and in wind. This is, in part why I bought the Sierra. Here's what you need to know, your real towing ability. Not what people here are guessing at. Your owners manual has a chart that lists possible body configurations, with and without 4WD, and the different gearing options available. In your glove box is an RPO code list, you will have one of the following codes:GU6 = 3.42 RATIOGT4 = 3.73 RATIOGT5 = 4.10 RATIO 3.42 is the most common for the I6. While adequate, you really want the 3.73 or 4.10 for towing a bigger trailer. I'm not sure too many I6s came with 4.10. Finally, look at the weight sticker in your driver door. It will list your payload. If I recall, mine was just over 1100#. That sounds good, but it's not a lot. Once you subtract the weight of the loaded tongue and the hitch, you may only have a few hundred left for your family and "stuff" in your truck. As far as your transmission. Add an axillary cooler, make sure to change fluid and filter every 50k as specified in the manual. And use DEX VI, not DEX III as it came from the factory with. DEX VI runs cooler and is a far better fluid, and is backward compatible on the older transmissions. My Trailblazer had 160k on when I sold it, and the transmission was excellent. And I towed one trailer through mountains with it. The trick is to keep it from shifting a lot to maintain a reasonable temperature. agesilaus wrote:people have commented that the hitch on these small SUV's are usually rated at 600#.The GMT 360/370 family of trucks are not small SUVs. The EXT's wheel base is only a few inches shorter than a Suburban. They were considered mid-size and were also available with the 5.3 V8. The Trailblazer's dead hitch weight limit is 720#. The limit with a W/D hitch is over 900#, I can't recall the exact number.

can a 03' Chevy trailblazer towing 20' Jayco? | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

Campfire_Time
Explorer
Apr 14, 2015
Dewm wrote:

The diff is a GU6 = 3.42

With 3.42 gears, you'll most comfortable towing a 4000# GVWR trailer or smaller. Anything bigger and you'll be wanting a new truck in 12 months.

kennyzzz wrote:

if you are truck does not have towing package,

All GMT 360/370s had the tow package. An axillary cooler is still a good idea though.

Sport45 wrote:

I melted/plugged the cat on my '05 Envoy (4.2L 3.73 2wd) pulling a SB F-100 on a car hauler trailer.

Something else melted your CAT, not what you were towing. Most often its caused by a bad thermostat that's running a little cool. No codes, and the dummy gauge on the dash makes you think your tempt is normal. That's what melted mine, and a lot of others. Very common between 85-110k miles.
Campfire_Time
Explorer
Apr 14, 2015
spud1957 wrote:

I'm going to make a wild guess and say there is not cargo capacity label on his 2003. That wasn't legislated until 2005?

That is a wild guess. The sticker was on my '03, as it appears to be on the OP's truck. GM was doing this voluntarily before it was mandated. In fact, I think it was GM and Toyota who were pushing for the standard.

bikendan wrote:
i have seen very few positive posts from TB owners, about towing a full height TT.

You might look here: http://gmtnation.com/forums/topic/795-what-are-you-towing-with-yours/.

GMT 360/370s are fine towing vehicles for the right sized trailer. It's when people try to tow 26 ft trailers with them is when you see complaints. No different than someone trying to tow a 30 ft trailer with a 1/2 ton.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Apr 13, 2015
Seems really over priced at 5k to me. I believe the listed weight is dry weight. Is it M-240?

I would not tow it with our 04 Rainier 5.3 V8.

Tail will be waging the dog.

Seen too many short SUV's over powered and flipped towing TT.

Chris
Ryan_Elli1
Explorer
Apr 13, 2015
Our first TT was a 23" Flagstaff and we towed it with our 03 Trailblazer. No issues towing with a small Reese WDH. It was the Reese with the friction pads on top of the tongue. We didn't take it far but did many 1-2 hour trips. Good luck with he TT.
bikendan
Explorer
Apr 13, 2015
i have seen very few positive posts from TB owners, about towing a full height TT.
GaryUT
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2015
Our trailer is 20' long and weighs 4200 pounds ready to camp.

We towed it with a Trailblazer LS 4.2 with the 3.42 gears for 5 years. We don’t live in a flat state, so our towing included mountain towing.

You will need to install a transmission cooler on the Trailblazer.

Do not tow in overdrive, the overdrive clutch in the transmission will not handle the load.

I had the transmission serviced every year when we were towing with it.

The Trailblazer has P rated tires with squishy sidewalls. LT tires were hard to find in the stock size. I ended up using the highest load rated P tires I could find, and inflated to maximum pressure.

Replace the shocks on the Trailblazer, the OEM ones are probably worn out, they are also valved way too soft.

Check the sway bar end links also; the OEM ones are usually worn out by 40k miles.

Keep your speed to 60 mph or less, and expect to get about 8-9 mpg towing.

The short wheelbase on the Trailblazer is the biggest problem; expect a lot of movement whenever a truck passes you.

I never did feel comfortable enough towing with the Trailblazer to let my wife drive very much while we were towing with it.

Gary
kzspree320
Explorer
Apr 12, 2015
After looking at the TT, I would believe the 4190# weight is correct. The real question is whether or not that is the dry weight or the GVWR. I had a 1988 Jayco 25" TT and it was heavy for its size. I think the dry weight was about 4500# or so. Can you get the seller to take a picture of the weight label on the trailer and text it to you?? During that time period it would have probably been in a cabinet door if memory serves me. If its dry weight, you would probably be above 5000# ready to camp. I went to the Trailer Life 2003 Tow Rating guide and it looks like your Trailblazer with a 3.42 has a tow rating of 5200#. Hope this helps. Keith
Sport45
Explorer II
Apr 11, 2015
Pack a 3-lb shop hammer and a good sized chisel for the 1st couple trips. If it starts bogging down for no apparent reason use the chisel to open the front of the cat to let exhaust out.

I melted/plugged the cat on my '05 Envoy (4.2L 3.73 2wd) pulling a SB F-100 on a car hauler trailer. In hindsight I was probably 1000# over my 5,500# tow rating and the F-100 was setting a bit higher than the Envoy and caught a lot of wind.

I'm not saying you'll have this issue, but take it easy and be prepared. I was stuck on the side of the road a few hours waiting for my son to bring our F-250 so I could complete the trip while he limped the Envoy home.
kennyzzz
Explorer
Apr 11, 2015
Just remember the trailer weight is as much as your truck,,it will feel heavy when towing
if you are truck does not have towing package,, you must (should ) put a transmission cooler on it or you'll buy one after you replace your transmission, I have basically same weight trailer
I went with 600 pound bars with the weight distribution hitch.
truck stop the truck , trailer stop the trailer ..
make sure trailer breaks are working, adjusted..
just trying to help
Ps if you do buy it. that big front window is the best. the new trailers don't have them any more. I love mine ,,,when it's bad weather out and enjoying morning coffee looking out it.
Dewm
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
I talked him down to $5000.00, but its a 2hr drive away. So I'm going to go look at it tomorrow, but I wanted to get as much information as I could before hand.

(repost to transfer to 2nd page.

Ok got some more info.

The diff is a GU6 = 3.42

On the door post I have:
GVWR 6400lbs
GAWR FRT 3200lbs
GAWR RR 3400lbs
Payload 1385lbs

On the receiver I have this printed:
(Weight carrying 4000lbs)
(Weight distributing 7600lbs)

I know that the receiver isn't what the vehicle could tow...but at least my receiver is large enough?

Last but not least, Here is the actual craigslist post (with pictures) maybe someone could identify the jayco model.

Craigslist TT listing

Thanks again for all the help!