Chevy express Towing U-haul flatbed w/ 4650LB trailblazer

Iirc, a 2500 GM van is a 6 lug 7200 GVWR. I could be wrong. If as the birdie in my brain is going off, you would probably have the 4.8 or 5.3 in it. If it is an 8 lug 2500, you have a 6.0 V8.
Reality, ANY of those motors will move that trailer etc. My sons 1500 pickup with a 4.8/4L60 trans/3.42 gears moved my 5400 lb C2500 with his car hauler at a bit over 2000 lbs just fine. Yes some of the 3% freeway grades had him in the low 50mph relm in 2nd gear. Frankly to be expected, as one would need the 200-250hp that motor is producing at the rpm it was running in 2nd.
A 5.3 or 6.0 would be a bit faster, but still turning 4000+ rpm in 2nd gear. No overheating etc.

My 02 in this.

Marty

Didn't catch the 5 hours away part. Only 5 hours, the most economical, safest and easiest solution is to bring someone along to drive one of the rigs back home, if you can swing that.

thebrain wrote:
I didn't know a AWD can be towed on a dolly how is the the transfer case switched to neutral.
this traiblazor is my first AWD vehicle so I need to learn this stuff.are you saying I can switch the Transfer case to a neutral gear.
and tow the blazer on a dolley.

not sure what a toad is
Thanks

Toad = Towed Vehicle.

Unfortunately the AWD Trailblazer cannot be dolly towed like the 4x4 Trailblazer could be. The 4x4 version has a 4x4 mode selector switch, which includes a Neutral mode. The AWD version instead uses a silicone-fluid-coupling that's always engaged.

I didn't know a AWD can be towed on a dolly how is the the transfer case switched to neutral.
this traiblazor is my first AWD vehicle so I need to learn this stuff.are you saying I can switch the Transfer case to a neutral gear.
and tow the blazer on a dolley.

not sure what a toad is
Thanks

thebrain wrote:
Chevy express Towing U-haul flatbed w/ 4650LB trailblazer



What do you Guys think. and thanks for advice.

If you cant get another driver tow the Trailblazer on a dolly, they have a neutral position on the transfer case for using as a toad.

Gary

I would plug your combination into U-Haul's selector, and if it rejects it, it's probably best to find another plan. Besides assuming all the liability in the event something goes wrong, there is some merit to ensuring the tow-vehicle weighs more than the the auto-trailer once its loaded, since you can't use weight distribution.

Plus, it's unlikely the current owner of the van has installed a Class-5 hitch. It just doesn't make sense to put one on a van with a small motor. And that loaded auto-hauler will be well over the 5k rating of the stock hitch receiver (that's the non-weight-distributing limit).

thebrain wrote:
Chevy express Towing U-haul flatbed w/ 4650LB trailblazer

U-Haul flatbed weigh a LOT. You will likely be over your 6500 lb limit.

I would never tow ANYTHING over 5,000 lbs WITHOUT a weight distribution hitch AND good well maintained and properly adjust trailer brakes (except maybe locally and then my top speed would be under 40 MPH).

I'm waiting to hear back from the seller non engine size. I'm waiting on a image of the air intake sticker it revelves engine size, I'd like to verify engine size

remember this is a 03 express I'm considering for my new tow vehicle so far it's being advertised as a 2500 which is high mileage at over 250K miles.

if this is actuelly a 6.0 the 250K miles is less of a concern compared to the 5.3. or4.8

what about explaining to U haul what I'm towing Like do I legalley have to tell them what I'm towing to be covered by scumbag insurance co.

A 2500 Express chassis will handle it.
If it's the 4.8, it'll work hard at it.
My concern would be more hooking a 6000lb + trailer to an older vehicle I had no history or experience with and hoping to make it.

Idk if uhaul dollies are the same, been years since I used one, but last one was too narrow to haul a 1999 Ram 1500, but a 1990s Chevy 1500 fit on it tightly. Based on that, your guess that the track width of the van being too wide is likely accurate.
And uhaul is sometimes sticky on what they'll allow you to use as a tow vehicle and in my experience they won't rent to you if your trailer light hookup doesn't work. (I showed up with Chevy K2500 454, 4x4 once to rent a dolly to tow a 4 runner and they turned me away. Came back with a F350 dually cab n chassis from my construction site and they then "allowed" it.
Also got snubbed pulling in with a K1500 GMC, told them I was towing a civic (was planning on towing the GMC or the Ram 1500) and had to go borrow a buddies 3/4 ton to get it off their lot.
So check that before you make the trip.

As far as tow ratings etc, there's rvnet and there's the real world and lots of things get towed just fine that don't pass muster on this discerning site.

You must have the 4.8L?

Your hunch is correct that the conversion weight should be deducted from the towing capacity. The factory passenger version was 600 pounds heavier than the cargo version. A fancy conversion is probably more like 800 pounds vs a cargo van.

You are correct the Express is too wide to dolly. And too heavy. And wrong-wheel-drive. And too heavy to pull with a Trailblazer anyways.

The U-haul auto trailers weigh about 3,000 pounds, so you will be over your factory tow rating. But the good news is that the limit is powertrain-limited, not chassis limited (chassis maxes out at 10k). So there's nothing unsafe about pulling the TrailBlazer IF you have an aftermarket Class-5 hitch receiver. You'll just be slower on the hills, and you'll want to watch your temp gauge on long pulls. But do check your hitch receiver. The stock receiver is only rated for 5,000 pounds without weight distribution, which you can't use on U-haul trailer because of surge brakes.