TOWING W/ 96 CHEVY TAHOE

RHC · Post by **RHC** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:04 pm

Just acquired 96 Chevy Tahoe 4 dr 5.7Li, no tow pkg. Looking forward to purchase a 26X. Getting ready to have hitch installed, but notice markings in bumper step below the license plate indicating: 400lb tongue wt, 4000lb trailer wt limit.

What is tongue wt of 26X trailer? What is ball size? Is the electrical connector std? If not, what version/type should I have installed? Any experience using the bumper step vs hitch?

Thanks,
Renato

Chip Hindes · Post by **Chip Hindes** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:34 am

The standard trailer coupler takes a 2" ball.

The electrical connector is a relatively standard "flat four" incorporating, left flasher, right flasher, tail and ground.

The tongue weight is a complicated story. Depending on how loaded and equipped, the gross towed load on a Mac ranges from an unrealistically low 2800 lbs or so (bare boat, no motor, no options, empty); to 3500 lbs (specified "legal" maximum according to the owners' manual) to something over 4000 lbs (which I should point out again, overloads the trailer). Rule of thumb says tongue weight ought to be 10%, so theoretical tongue weight ought to range form a low of around 290 to something over 400 lbs.

Yet from experience and numerous reports on this website it appears that with special effort (i.e., leaving the fuel tanks empty and moving all portable items to the v-berth, you might be able to get 6-8%. Most experienced towers consider this too low for stable and safe towing.

Though with a monster of a tow vehicle you might be able to tolerate this, I don't think the Tahoe qualifies.

Jeff S · Post by **Jeff S** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:04 pm

You could help the situation by getting a hitch assembly installed that is at least a class III hitch (5k#/500# Gross tongue weight). This way you can select the right height for the hitch-no higher than level. I towed with my old Ford F-150 on the bumper (Class III) ok, but it was slightly higher than level which made for a reduced tongue weight and made it harder to launch and retrieve the boat in the water.

Buy the 2" ball (either way you will have to do this) and hook it up to the truck to see if it sits level. If it rides high (which I suspect it will) this will lighten the tongue too much and I would recommend a hitch assembly installed with a hitch receiver at the proper height. The bumper weight limit is probably ok, but it may cause your bumper to sag a little over time as it did my old truck (not bad, but it was noticeable).

I only drove short distances with the bumper hitch since it was too high and unloaded the tongue too much.

Jeff S

Moe · Post by **Moe** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:21 pm

Jeff S wrote:I towed with my old Ford F-150 on the bumper (Class III) ok, but it was slightly higher than level which made for a reduced tongue weight and made it harder to launch and retrieve the boat in the water.

Towing tongue high from the bumper also dramatically increases the probability of dragging the boat's transom on the pavement, in a dip or driveway.

--
Moe

craiglaforce · Post by **craiglaforce** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:09 pm

Agree, You want the ball to be on the low side if anything. I went down a hill which levelled off abruptly. My outboard motor hit the pavement and broke part of the fin off under the prop.

RHC · Post by **RHC** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 11:28 pm

Thanks all. What a great place to get useful info so quick. Just got hitch installed today. Now all I need is to find a good 26X for sale at a good price!

Tom Root · Post by **Tom Root** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 7:06 am

Sage advice offered in this thread. Something I'd like to point out though is to have your boat as level as possible, because if your trailor sits too high in the back, you can possibly lose a skeg on the motor, or worse, a rear cross member! Too low in the front, and weight and balance is way off. Both these situations can cause the trailor to sway, and that of course is a bad thing!

I have had good luck so far with a draw bar that Master lock makes! It is fully adjustable for height with the turn of an adjustment bolt. It can be flipped, end over end also, for various heights. I lock it to my reciever, and since I operate in salt water primarily, I have learned to ensure it is slightly loose in my reciever,

My other truck, I failed to do this, and have been unsuccessful in removing the drawbar from the reciever! It has seized up tight, almost like it is welded on! The only course of action I have at this point, is to grind a splittiing point at the bottom of the reciever, use a chisel, and widen the gap. After that, get it re-welded!

And yes, I have tried the heating method, hooking it to a big tree, and strap, and have had the wheels off the ground, in an attempt to get it off...no joy!

I even found the welder who installed the reciever....a class IV, and he said he'd charge me 200 bucks to remove it, and said that the splitting method is the only one besides charging me $300.00 for a new reciever!

Gotta love it!!!!

Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL · Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:11 am

Tom -
I had the same problem where I could not remove the drawbar from the receiver. I tried basically the same things you did to remove it, without success.
Try this, it worked for me. I backed up into the front end of a late model Cadillac. I had gone to the Post Office, got back into my van, and while I was looking at my mail the caddy pulled up right behind me. I backed up just as the owner was coming back from the Post Office. Still waiting to hear on damages. It was kind of a gold color but I don't think the color would matter.
Apparently hitting the back end of the drawbar forward broke it loose and I was able to pull it right out by hand.

Moe · Post by **Moe** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:28 am

From what I hear, the big BMW, Mercedes, Lexxus, and Infinities are also good for loosening hitches. Porsches don't have enough mass.

--
Moe

Tom Root · Post by **Tom Root** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 12:00 pm

OK, now that's funny, but actually mine was hit at 55+ MPH when I was standing at a standstill at a red light! The car was a 90's Ford Taurus....really! (Actually I just remebered Roger used this type of car as his tow vehicle in the X sales video

)

The final score F-250-#1,----> First place........ Taurus-0-last place!

When he (she?, it?) hit me, I was stunned for a minute or two, opened the door and painfully crawled back to find the drivers door open.....and the driver long gone!!! He was most likely an illegal alien, uninsured, bought the car from an owner who failed to let DMV know he sold it, and we still don't know his name. Two years later and many trips to the back cracker (Chiropractor) I am reminded on rainy days that I have vertabrea with damage!

His car was undriveable, it ran under my truck, and the drivers side fender was jammed into his punctured tire. There was blood on the windshield also, and hair imbedded into the large crack! I swear I didn't dispose of the body!!!!

Too many witnesses!

The truck had some scratches on the rear dock bumper, a spray can fixed that!

And no, that dang drawbar/reciever is still seemingly welded from the salt water corrosion!

The pin is freely and easily removed!

Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL · Wed Mar 23, 2005 12:12 pm

Tom - Seriously, try this, what do you have to lose. Remove the pin and hit the drawbar forward. If it doesn't work you are no worse off than before.
I had the pin out because I had been trying to remove the draw bar, and it got pushed in, breaking it loose.

Tom Root · Post by **Tom Root** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 12:23 pm

Bill, I appreciate the advice, I am tellin' ya, it's really on there, and many fabricators out here say the method I am going to do, is all that'l work! The next step is a new $400.00, 15K# lb reciever, that's my choice!

I took a 10 lb sledge, pin out, nope, it won't budge! And when I attached the drawbar to a 10' diameter tree, and pedal to the metal run on it, the video would have been a winner on America's funniest video's. It was almost like the scene in 'Animal House'? (I think it was that movie anyway) where the axle was torn off! My truck came off the ground a few feet in that attempt! Maybe somebody is playin' a joke on me, and welded it from the back side....huh?

Mostly I mentioned this, as it a good idea for those who are salt water sailors, to check their drawbar, or simply remove it! I do that now!

Moe · Post by **Moe** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 1:18 pm

I had that happen to a station wagon driven on salt-covered roads in one winter. Never could get it out and sold the car that way. Now I use plenty of grease and keep the bar in a plastic bag when not in use.

--
Moe

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:45 pm

Tom,

Try soaking the gap between the receiver and the drawbar with WD40. Try to get the red wand back in at the corners and soak it down good. Lube it morning and evening for a few days and smack it side to side, up and down, in and out with a hammer or sledge. If it's rusted up solid, it may take a week or more to get it loose but persistence should loosen it.

Hope it helps

Greg

craiglaforce · Post by **craiglaforce** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 3:27 pm

If you have airbags I think you are lucky they didn't go off when you tried to snatch the bar out.
Everyone says PB blaster is the best spray stuff for knocking things loose. I bought a can but haven't tried it yet. I always used to use liquid wrench with decent results. WD40 I'm not too sure about anymore. Seems the other stuff is better at penetrating and also protecting.

Don't forget to weat safety glasses or goggles if hitting steel with a sledge hammer.

How about renting a 90lb jackhammer and letting that loosen up the bar? Heavy shock/vibration sustained for about 10 minutes might crack it loose (and any loose dental work). A tool place could probably rent you a hammer and air compressor for not too much. might even try it at the tool place parking lot to save you another trip. A 1 hour rental might be pretty cheap.

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

TOWING W/ 96 CHEVY TAHOE

TOWING W/ 96 CHEVY TAHOE