I think I can, I think I can…
This 1998 Chevy S-10, with its bumper hitch, anemic four-cylinder, and overloaded suspension, was clearly not up to the task of towing this 2,000-pound trailer down the road as-was. But it was perfectly capable of moving it around the lot as said trailer underwent repairs.
So, who needs a big truck? Anyone towing this trailer, that’s for sure. Get 2.5 tons of vehicle loaded onto it, and you’ll be much happier in something like this beefed up 1-ton Chevy.
But if all you need to do is scoot around yourself (and perhaps a passenger) in leather-trimmed comfort*, with a light load behind you, this little truck will do you just fine. You’ll also be much happier with the fuel economy – its five-speed gearbox can easily get you 25mpg on the highway, exactly twice what you’d see in that 1-ton with empty trailer in tow.
* Leather interior on this unit comes courtesy of a low-mile Bravada whose transmission failed prematurely. All other S-10s offer cloth bench or bucket seating. Various other owner-installed options also shown. See your dealer for details.
Still, practical as they may be, it’s hard to look cool in a little truck – as this whiteboard illustration that appeared in my office around that time demonstrates. (In the coming days, the image took on a life of its own, being subjected to a variety of comical accidents… collision with an impossibly large deer, going nose-to-nose with an Isuzu Hombre, etc.)
For some weird reason, there seems to be a small number of people who seem to think that simply because its a pickup, it will pull anything. Keith, you obviously don’t fall into that category as you have right sized your towing rigs.
Perhaps one of the worst was the large fifth-wheel camper being slowly pulled by an S-10. Hope he had a spare transmission for its 4.3 liter V6.
However, for puttering around and doing (very) light chores, this red S-10 would be just the ticket.
Another thing said people often forget: just because you can get it moving, doesn’t mean you can stop it.
An acquaintance of mine once attempted to tow a trailer similar to this one behind his old Ford pickup – half-ton, 2WD, 300 I6, manual. Trailer was probably 4000# all told; truck had no trailer brakes and only a bumper-mounted ball!
Sure, he got it rolling… but bringing it to a halt must have been some kind of adventure. Afterwards, I noticed that his bumper had bent such that the ball was slanted some 10° forward.
I guess you weren’t around when I told my stories of what I used to tow with my ’66 F100 (240 six, three-speed without granny low, and unassisted drums), 1″ ball on a welded-up “bumper” that a PO put on. My biggest load was a double axle trailer with a full-size Bocat skid-steer loader. My rough guess was that the combined total of the two was around 7,000+ lbs.!! My truck weighs about 3400 lbs.
I had to pick my route very carefully; as level as possible. And I never got higher than 2/Hi (I have OD on all my gears), or about 30-35 max. It was pretty insane; I will never do it again.
But I used to do that kind of thing quite a bit during the time I was fixing up my rentals. One time, I took a bad route, and found myself on an uphill just where it came to a 4-way stop sign. I knew that if I stopped, I’d never get it going again. I slowed down, into first, to give the cars ahead of me time to get through. That worked out just right, as I was still chugging away in first, the hill pretty steep just then, and I never let off the gas for a second; just swung into the intersection and made a right turn – down a grade, of course. Kept it in first, and the engine was screaming.
I still have nightmares about that particular episode. And I gave hauling big equipment behind my poor old truck up. I rent a truck now!
That was a bit of a stretch but now there is new technology to put numbers on some of the fear and worry – a IR thermometer to read brake, diff, tranny, bearing and tire temperatures at the frequent stops to check the load.
People like you Paul are why Australian states introduced towing regulations thou shalt not tow more than the gross max laden weight of the tow vehicle and in NSW 75% of it,
I used to pull a tandem trailer with my Toyota MK2 Corona often loaded with a dead VW van aboard about 2&1/2 tons such is the needs of a VW repairman, tow it yep no problem stop? only with forward planning and a certain amount of luck reguarding traction and of course we saw my Hillman with 24cu ft of pine boards behind it, just because you can doesnt mean you should
What you describe is somewhat how I learned to pull trailers….’84 F-150 with a 300 straight six, bumper mounted ball hitch, and 3600 pounds of car on it. Trailer brakes? Of course not. I couldn’t indict myself right out of the box. 🙂
On the other hand, those that buy a one-ton to pull their john boat always make me scratch my head.
While Paul’s encounter above is more hair-raising, this did teach patience in towing. And pulling this combo in wet weather proved tough when trying to stop at an off-ramp.
I have seen an s-10 towing a similar sized trailer but I would defiantly not recommend it. I’ve also seen a late 90’s legacy wagon towing a 21′ tandem with an s-10 on it.
Older people will know that it’s possible and ever safe to tow with under powered rigs , you just have to remain on secondary roads ~ I only have elderly I6 powered Chevy/GMC trucks and all have been used to tow large heavily laden trailers hundreds of miles safely , I follow the guidelines taught to me nearly 60 years ago and have never had a towing mishap yet .
I see one of your trailer ‘ repairs ‘ was to delete the spare tire .
I really like the whiteboard illustration , the Mechanics where I work have done similar when someone bought a fart car car , teasing is good , it means they like you .
-Nate
The spare was just laying there loose while I figured out where to mount it. That trailer originally came with none – and with the ramps having no means of attachment, either!
I had planned on mounting it on the tongue, but there wasn’t enough room for both it and the toolbox/battery box I wanted to install.
At some point, I might make or buy a bracket to mount it along the side of the bed. But I usually just keep it in the back of the truck, right alongside the spare for the truck itself.
I hate traveling without a spare… that extra tire has saved my behind more than once over the years!
I’ve like these when they have the stepside bed. With the 19 gallon fuel tank and the 2.3 and five speed, they have bladder-busting range on the interstate.
In my fleet manager days I tried a couple of times to integrate small pickups into the fleet. The only units that worked out for us were Ford Ranger 4x2s with the 3.0 automatic. Everything else ended up costing more over the life cycle than a full size 1/2 ton GM with the 4.3 or F-150 with the 4.0. A lot of this was due to people asking the little guys to do things they weren’t designed to do, and I suspect some was deliberate (“why can’t we get real truck?”).
The biggest problem with the S-series was the engine selection. The 2.5 just didn’t have enough guts and the 4.3, while dead reliable, used just as much fuel as it did in a full size half ton. I finally conceded defeat and went with base line full sizers. I suspect most consumers came to the same conclusion, and it’s really too bad.
“the 4.3, while dead reliable, used just as much fuel as it did in a full size half ton”
True, true! I always hated that rather unfortunate fact.
I’ve owned three S-10s of this vintage, all with the 2.2 four-banger. They’re gutless, perhaps moreso than anything else I’ve ever owned… but if you’re content with their leisurely acceleration, you’ll get fuel mileage that rivals any midsize car of the day.
Of the three S-10s I owned, the only two I actually drove for any length of time were 5-speeds. But if you want a truly unsettling combination, get one with an automatic (such as my third one was). The motor’s gutlessness is amplified. Plus, the ridiculously high shift points are enough to make any uninitiated driver think something’s wrong.
(That third S-10 was a low-mile example that I picked up for a song, and ended up replacing the entire top end on – head and all – before it ran again. It was a solid little truck, but needless to say I didn’t keep it around.)
I’ve sometimes wondered what the new Colorado/Canyon trucks with their four- and five-cylinder Vortecs are like. Guess I’ll find out in a decade or so 🙂
I’d forgotten that the later models had a 2.2 not a 2.5. We tried a couple but they soon ended up as admin pool vehicles. They ended their days making runs to the post office, Staples or Tim Horton’s. I gave the Colorado/Canyon series a miss last time. The other problem I had with the small trucks was resale. Most of our half tons full sizers sold quickly to locals and often employees. The small trucks inevitably had to go to auction and went for a pittance.
I’m not in fleet any more, but I still have input into what we buy so I may suggest we try a couple of the new Canyon/Colorado after they’ve been out a couple of years and the final phase of GM’s R & D has been done by less cautious customers.
My truck. It’s gutless, but good for small loads that won’t fit in the car, and for errands. For me it’s actually passably comfortable out on the road. It’s been reliable so far and I hope I don’t have the head gasket/cylinder head problems that these sometimes do. The later ones like this don’t get the fuel mileage that earlier ones did, say pre-1996; I average 25mpg. I just hope it lasts; they’re getting a little thinned out around here.
I remember going to the Ford dealer for an oil change on my Fiesta and asked if a Ranger or other midsize truck was was due out but the dealer said that with the ecoboost engine making the full size F150 very gas friendly there was no need for a smaller pickup in Ford’s line up. While an F150 with mid to high 20’s is great, its size does not allow it to fit in the parking spaces at home. If you want a new small pickup truck now you got to pony up the big bucks and get a Tacoma
The same size pickup in other parts of the world would be rated to tow that even with a small load on it. Mind you they would have heavier spring rates, different gearing and possibly brakes. How is it Any different to a half ton pickup being rated to tow 10,000lb?
Having a heavier and/or longer vehicle in front of a heavy trailer can make a big difference.
Having towed identical rigs behind multiple vehicles on several occasions, I quickly realized that longer is better, and heavier is better, in terms of keeping that trailer under control.
Towed a motorhome on a beefy tow dolly once – weighed about 3.5 tons. First leg of the journey was from the breakdown spot to the shop, about 30 miles behind a regular Chevy G30 van. Any maneuver was downright scary.
Second leg was from the shop to the junkyard, another 20 miles – everything the same, but behind a extended wheelbase Express 3500 van. That went smooth as silk.
I could also cite the case of taking Grandma’s 28ft travel trailer to and from its winter storage.
Silverado 1500, 2WD/4.3/auto/regular cab/long box = did it*, but wasn’t fun.
C3500, 350/auto/regular cab/long box/SRW = did it with ease.
C3500, 350/auto/crew cab/long box/DRW = is it still back there?
* had to beef up the rear suspension first… tongue weight was a bit much for the factory springs/shocks.
I’ve seen people tow similar trailers with S-10 Blazers and such. It can be done, but I’m sure it’s rather nerve-wracking… and I feel for their transmissions, which will surely give out after a few seasons.
Longer tow vehicle helps I remember Landrovers being rated for 2 tons yep and they do it with ease but the SWB models get pushed all over the road LWB can tow 4 tons but not according to L/R.
I don’t disagree with you at all, just thinking of the relationship or discrepancy between a midsize pickup at around 3500lb that is restricted to 2000lb towing versus a half ton at 5000-odd lb that can tow 10,000lb – it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me!
One time a customer bought a brand new Rabbit PU diesel. It was towed into the shop with a fifth wheel hitch, about 700 miles on it and a seized engine. He had trailer brake control on it. He tried to use it to tow a 17 ft. 5th wheel. With 46 HP. He was not happy the dealership would not warranty the engine! I wish I had asked him what the MPG was while it lasted.
I sold my 1972 Dodge Coronet station wagon with a 318 and a Flite to my buddy who raced a Bilstein Rabbit, for $300. Aside from a trailer hitch and a set of Sears air shocks on the ass end, the thing towed without complaint. A much faster tow vehicle, also for a Bilstein Rabbit, was my other friend’s ’74 Olds station wagon with a 455. His only caveat was to slow down to 75 from 80 on interstate upgrades, otherwise the TH 400 tended to smoke copiously. Which means, a whole shitload. So it smoked, but it never broke. Who needs trucks?
Here’s one to ponder. A neighbor, about 30 years ago, pulling a speedboat, at least 20′, more like 25′, with a Pinto. I saw it several times, but just didn’t look right, with the boat being bigger than the car.
Earlier this fall I was stuck behind a couple of fellas in a very similar S-10 (although to give them credit, it was an extended cab) pulling a 25 foot Sportcraft boat. They were only going about 45 mph, and it was a quiet, rural two lane road, but I passed them as quickly as I could – I didn’t want to be anywhere near that rolling chicane.
You can barely see the truck but it’s an ’83 extended cab S-10 with a carbureted 2.8 and 700R4 automatic with a half-squillion miles on it. It’s quite a dog empty so you can imagine how much it and its owner enjoyed towing Mazdas and Nissans to the scrapyard 30 miles away.
Leaving the house before any weekend drivers woke up eased my nerves somewhat.
Inquiring minds want to know about the 3rd gen in the first picture.
A paperless pile I snatched for $300 at the time. Total Bondo buggy with a cheap paint job, junk interior (car had no side glass), and Camaro wheels.
Its only redeeming qualities were the mid-’70s Chevy 350 under the hood (total amateur job, but some of the top-end parts were worth money) and the NWC T5 they swapped in (obviously not used long, else it’d have been shot).
Being as it was, its only possible use was doing donuts in the parking lot… which it excelled at 🙂
All in all, the car was worth more dead than alive. By the time the last bits were gone, I was $700 in the black.
One time around 1973 I took a trip to Bass Lake, California. I saw more then one VW bus, 68 to 72 vintage towing ski boats with huge big block Chevys and tall pipes. We watched them launch and pull them out, engine screaming and clutch dumped. They actually seemed to pull them out quite well. Engine life, especially in the July/August heat must have been about 20-30k max.
I sometimes overload my little 3.0 Ranger to the point of getting the mudflaps dragging on the ground. However when I do, it’s low speed and not very far. Load/tow rating ? I don’t know them, I just use common sense.
Only once I had to tow something I knew would be too heavy for it and it was a 6 hours drive each way. Instead of pushing my luck, I rented a full size.
For all the rest, it is the right size for me, even if I overwork it sometimes.