10K to much to????

[TJ's GMC]

So my 64 GMC is a 3/4 ton as you all know. My question is....is 10,000 pounds really to much for it to tow? I've towed over 10K with my 77 and never had one issue. These trucks were built tough and built to last. Had some nut trying to tell me my 64 wasn't capable of towing 10K "safely." My answer was....Well...I did it and had no issues at all. Did 55 MPH no problem...and heck...stopped the load without trailer brakes with ease! Truck was very stable....and that's with 50 year old suspension and steering! Oh yeah....bardon bumper hitch to.

So my question, anyone know what the advertised towing capacity was?

[jrmunn]

TJ,

I can't tell you how much it will tow, but can let you know about a couple issues I have with my 64 GMC 1500 with a 305E V6. My Bardon style bumper connects to the frame with welds along two relatively thin pieces of sheet steel. When I added a 2 inch receiver for modern hitches, the welder cautioned me about pulling "too much" more than a 2-horse trailer (probably about 6,000 pounds fully loaded). So check how your bumper is connected for pulling heavy loads. My other concern would be relying on your truck brakes to stop heavy loads. My stock drum brakes are not that great at stopping the truck without some weight in the back. When a quick stop is needed, rear's will lock while front wheels stop the truck, so I am not sure the truck is heavy enough to stop a heavily loaded trailer without brakes, although the trailer should add weight to the rear. But all my trailers have their own electric brakes that work.

JRMunn

[TJ's GMC]

Originally Posted by jrmunn

TJ,

I can't tell you how much it will tow, but can let you know about a couple issues I have with my 64 GMC 1500 with a 305E V6. My Bardon style bumper connects to the frame with welds along two relatively thin pieces of sheet steel. When I added a 2 inch receiver for modern hitches, the welder cautioned me about pulling "too much" more than a 2-horse trailer (probably about 6,000 pounds fully loaded). So check how your bumper is connected for pulling heavy loads. My other concern would be relying on your truck brakes to stop heavy loads. My stock drum brakes are not that great at stopping the truck without some weight in the back. When a quick stop is needed, rear's will lock while front wheels stop the truck, so I am not sure the truck is heavy enough to stop a heavily loaded trailer without brakes, although the trailer should add weight to the rear. But all my trailers have their own electric brakes that work.

JRMunn

Thanks for the concerns, both great points. Luckily I live in a rather quiet area, and most of the towing I do is on the back roads so the need for quick stopping is rare....BUT, it has happened. We are looking into getting trailer brakes. My 64 has the same issue...rear tires lock up without hesitation. Sometimes all it took was the roads being damp and the rears would lock. haha I think that's more of a system problem in my case. I'll take a look at the bumper for sure. Rarely will I tow that much weight with this truck as the 77 c20 is used for the heavy stuff mostly. 77 was down getting a new engine so I was using my 64 for all towing.

[bluestreak1854]

I once had a 65 gmc 305e v6 with automatic 1/2ton long wide bed pickup that i pulled a 580ck backhoe with. tong weight lowered rear bumper considerable but it pulled just fine-- stopping was a whole different story. backhoe and trailer were way more than 10 k

[TJ's GMC]

Not bad for a half ton. haha I got a darn good load of dirt in my 66 short bed stepper with coils once, didn't squat to bad...but you knew the load was there.