Unlikly Tow Truck??

storeman

storeman

Known by Few
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Location
Whiteville nc
Just got back from Dixie. A 800 mile round trip for us down here on the coast. Anyway One of
the guys in our group who tows 2 Jeeps a V8 YJ on 37,s and a XJ on 36,s on a 35 foot trailer had his diesel let him down. So to my surprise he towed up with a 2005 Hummer H2 with the 6.0 GM Gas and 4l80E Transmission.

While I have this same combo myself in my 2001 GMC 2500 I have never considered towing that much weight through the mountains.

Too top it off he did it Without a brake controller, which I think is more crazy than the tow setup.

What do yall think about this? Would you tow with this setup through the mountains?
 
I wouldn't tow that much, truck is probably only rated to pull 8k or so. They don't rate vehicles by what they will pull, they rate them by what the braking system can safely stop. Especially without trailer brakes, you are ASKING way too much from your brake system.
 
I have a 2002 GMC Sierra with the same powertrain and mine is rated at 10,200 I believe. But that setup is probably pushing 12,000 lbs. I wouldnt tow it with my truck.
 
H2's are pretty slow by themselves from what I've seen. And they aren't known for their great fuel economy. While two jeeps and a trailer in the back will only worsen those things, that wouldn't prevent me from using it to tow. However, pulling that much weight with no trailer brakes is a great way to plow into something. You've got more weight suspended on the trailer than the tow vehicle, which is a recipe for disaster if you can't control it.
 
I dunno how the fawk they made it off of Black Mountain w/o a yard sale.
 
shawn said:
I dunno how the fawk they made it off of Black Mountain w/o a yard sale.
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I was real surprised he did it without a brake controller , I mean they are plug and play on most anything made after
2000. I would not tow one Jeep in the mountains without brakes much less two.
 
That's fucking nuts. If it had trailer brakes and was in a bind maybe but no way without. I would rented a damn uhaul and towed with it even though your not suppose too.
 
I won't even let anyone use my trailer if they don't have a brake controller. Actually, 95% of the time, I won't let anyone borrow my trailer anyway.
 
I know who you're talking about. But most of the trucks and toys he has are built but I'm unsure of what all he has done to the truck or hummer.
 
He might have a 231 with a doubler..............
 
bannerp said:
He might have a 231 with a doubler..............
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Well, I guess a YJ and an XJ could be double 231's. Thats the same thing, right?
 
"Can" and "should" are 2 different things. No way would I tow that much weight with an H2. Think of the legal issues if there were to have been an accident. Grossly overweight, no trailer brakes, etc. That is the part that few people think about.
Kinda like driving a 4wd in snow and ice. It'll go places (quicker) than a 2wd will, but it can't stop any faster.
 
No way!! I Recommend good working brakes on tow rig & on each trailer axle. Wait till someone pulls in front of you & hits the brakes or you blow thru a red light cuz you can't stop it in time. Or your tow rig front brakes catch on fire from all the heat & that was with working trailer brakes on one axle. Ask me how I know these things...
 
Are you sure it didn't have trailer brakes? Just because he didn't have a brake controller doesn't mean he didn't have surge brakes. Not that surge brakes would have made the difference in the other safety related areas (i.e. tail wagging the dog, over weight capacity of the vehicle altogether, faulty intelligence controller in the nut behind the steering wheel, etc.).
 
ManglerYJ said:
Are you sure it didn't have trailer brakes? Just because he didn't have a brake controller doesn't mean he didn't have surge brakes. Not that surge brakes would have made the difference in the other safety related areas (i.e. tail wagging the dog, over weight capacity of the vehicle altogether, faulty intelligence controller in the nut behind the steering wheel, etc.).
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No surge I no for sure. If he had a brake controller I would have never posted It would still be a overload on the H2 IMO


I think what happened was the AM he left for Dixie the Duramax he normally tows with broke down. He had few options and he picked one. The thing that surprised me the most was that he did not add a brake controller . It should plug right in. He is a smart likable guy that made a decision in haste
that happened to turned out ok. He must have driven cautiously though. Because with this setup you would not get any second chances. One good thing from where we live to Golden Mountain is all interstate except for
the last 3 or 4 miles.
 
storeman said:
No surge I no for sure. If he had a brake controller I would have never posted It would still be a overload on the H2 IMO


I think what happened was the AM he left for Dixie the Duramax he normally tows with broke down. He had few options and he picked one. The thing that surprised me the most was that he did not add a brake controller . It should plug right in. He is a smart likable guy that made a decision in haste
that happened to turned out ok. He must have driven cautiously though. Because with this setup you would not get any second chances. One good thing from where we live to Golden Mountain is all interstate except for
the last 3 or 4 miles.
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Well, what I have lacked in common sense, I've made up for in luck. It's gotten me through 41 years on this planet. I've done some dumb things (flat towing a Scrambler on 36" tires home 20 miles behind a lifted 4 cyl Jeep Wrangler with a 5 speed, 33" tires and a Lock Right in the rear. That was the closest to death I've come since the road I had planned on taking home was closed, so the detour took me down a LARGE hill with a traffic light at the bottom. As I careened out of control and unable to stop, hoping that the light would turn green. Fortunately for me, no traffic was crossing the intersection because I stopped halfway through. It was a learning experience for sure and it definitely made me wise up. What's funny is most people that know me well don't believe that the story is true because I'm known as "Mr. Cautious".
 
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