Mileage with trailer?

[BeachJester]

Here's a question I am hoping someone here can answer.

This summer, I am going to be driving across the country, moving back to my home state of Arizona and leaving Florida behind. I am not going to be going directly across, as I have some people I want to see that are going to make the trip more roundabout. But, as I AM moving, I will be towing a U-Haul trailer behind me truck.

My question is this....how much does a trailer affect your gas mileage, and does anyone know what kind of mileage I can expect for my 2000 LS 2 dr 2WD with a relatively full (furniture, books, clothes, etc.--equivalent to say a one bedroom apartment, no appliances) trailer being towed behind it?

Secondary question...for any of you that have hauled trailers, how tough is it to disconnect/reconnect them? For, say, while I am in a town visiting friends and want to drive somewhere and leave the trailer in their driveway while we are out, etc., etc.

Anyone who has actually towed a trailer behind a similar Blazer, feel free to bless me with your wisdom.

Thanks!

:-)

Jester

[Rmbodie]

Well, Well, Well , The keys get pretty hot don't they . I would say you might get around 10 mpg . Maybe lower if you use a trailer with a larger surface area than the rear of your Blazer . I frequently pull a trailer with my old one . Just a flat steel deck one for a couple of 4 wheelers . I get 16 with it and about 21 w/out. But I have engine mods other than stock designed for power not economy . If you do not already have a 2 inch receiver hitch . I strongly recomend it over the clamp on type that uhaul will try to rent you . You can buy one and install it yourself for under a $100 .
Real simple to disconnect and with a second set of eyes to guide you reconnection is easy too .
Your hauling weight will not be much of a factor unless you go thru cities instead of interstate . Give alot of extra distance for stopping .
You might even be better off renting a van and pulling your Blazer behind it .Rob

[biv343]

Back when I still had my snowmobiles, I'd get about 12 MPG when pulling a 2 place enclosed trailer. That's probably the same or a little more surface area than a U-haul, but maybe not as heavy.

[BeachJester]

Actually, when I had my 89 Blazer, the plan was to rent a full U-Haul truck (van, whatever) and haul the Blazer behind it, as I was not fully confident in the 89 making it all the way to Zona (and that was when I was planning on going directly there, unlike my current plans which are more roundabout). With the 2000, I am just going to haul a trailer...and save about $3000 in the process. (Good reason, huh?) And with the amount of stuff I have, a full U-Haul truck might be a bit overkill. Besides, the mileage you quote me is actually a bit better than what U-Haul told me I could expect with their vehicle towing mine, so I still come out ahead.

And yes, some people consider the Keys hot. I am from Phoenix. Therefore, I am NOT one of those people. Occasionally it gets a bit warm here. That is all.

:-)

Jester

[Cailen]

You may already have it in mind, but definitely top up your tranny fluid before the trip, and maybe consider doing a tranny service if one hasn't been done in a while.

[billibong]

When I hauled a Uhaul trailer from NJ to MD in my '99 I got about 12MPG. Luckily it was pretty much all highway the whole trip.
I drove from California to Harrisburg, PA 2 years ago in a Budget 24' van hauling my Brothers Dodge Stratus behind us. We averaged about 8-9 MPG for that trip, and the tow dolly they rented us you couldn't back up with. It is articulated where the front wheels of the car sit, whick makes the dolly want to go one way, and the car another. Not a method I would recommend to anyone.
Unhitching and rehooking the trailers are really easy, especially if you have someone spot for you.
Definately top of your tranny, and keep an eye on it and the engine temp if you do not have the tow package for your truck.
Good luck on your trip.

[hunter01]

U haul is going to want to inspect your tow hitch before they rent you a trailer. You also have to have a connector installed for the trailer lights. You can get them at any auto parts place. The wiring harness should be under the bumper. I rented an 8X12 for in town for a day and It cost me $30. Depending on the time of year It could cost you a lot more. (back to school etc.)They recommend you don't exceed 45 mph. At 60 mph It started to get a little wobbly, forget about doing 70. I've heard people recommend that you should take the transmission out of overdrive when towing, I don't know if this is important or not. Also make sure to put some of the heavier items in first, you want 2/3 of the weight in front of the axle. Don't forget to bring a padlock for the trailer if youre going to leave it somewhere.

[MT-2500]

Also unless you have a tow package/tow haul switch.
No towing in overdrive. Check it out in your owners manual.
MT

[OverBoardProject]

Originally Posted by hunter01

I've heard people recommend that you should take the transmission out of overdrive when towing, I don't know if this is important or not.

Very important.
A former boss of mine burned his new Chevy's transmission out by towing a trailer while in overdrive.

And of course the dealer said no warranty because of this.

You will probably want to consider installing a transmission oil cooler first.

And what I do when I'm traveling is contact some forum members that I've never met along the way and see if we can arrange a meeting.

Good Luck with your move

[chcknugget]

Rlith said there was a way to upgrade the non-tow package to the tow package... Doesn't the tow package just modify the shift points and include an extra transmission cooler?

Where under the bumper is the harness? Do I have to remove something to get at it, because I can't seem to find it otherwise.

[hunter01]

The wiring harness should be zip tied and taped to the chassis cross member inside a piece of black wire loom. 4 wires black yellow green and white

[Southern Comfort]

Most rental centers have the necessary wiring harness, hitch's and balls for most if not all domestic trucks. Of course, that have those huge prices to go with it. I was told by several Uhaul places here in Tennessee, they would not rent me a trailer because I didn't have a full size truck. What I didn't know then,
The regular 1500 Chevy truck, has the same heavy duty tranny my truck has. I have a 1999 S10 ZR2 4X4 Truck. Knowing what I know now about these transmissions, I wouldn't haul any thing over a 100 mile trip. But that is my opinion. The sun shell reaction gear is where all the torque is going to be applied too. They are weak from the manufacture and the cost of a rebuilt transmission compared to the price of renting a truck and tow dolly, might be worth taking in consideration. Again, this is only my opinion. Good luck on your trip.
SC

[OverBoardProject]

I might post pic's in the next couple of days, if the weather gets better here.
But what I do to stop the wires from dangling when I don't have a trailer on is I've zip tied one of those key chain shacklen to my wires and I just hook it onto the far chain mount.

[BeachJester]

My truck already has the tow bar and (I think) the wiring for the trailer, missing only the hitch ball itself (which at the local U-Haul center are only about $20 as I recall). I would of course give the truck a full tune up, top off all fluids, and get a lock for the trailer before the trip. Thanks for the tip on OD. Also, having talked to U-Haul, already knew that they need to inspect the truck first. Have already determined that the trailer I would need space wise is compatible with my truck.

The more I talk to you folks about this, though, the more I am thinking about somehow just shipping all the stuff that would go in the trailer and just taking the road trip trailer free. Seems more enjoyable. The cost right now of the trailer would be around $800, perhaps a bit more when you take into account the extra days I would probably have it beyond their usual rental time of 9 days and the larger amount of gas I would be buying. (Figure $1000 extra for the trip with trailer for all that, not counting the normal cost of gas, food, or lodging that I would incur regardless.)

So, does anyone know of shipping/moving companies I could contact about moving my stuff from the Keys to Phoenix, and if I could do something like that for less than a grand? Keep in mind, if I do go U-Haul, they give me a month of free storage on the other end, so I will have time to apartment hunt without worrying about where to put all my stuff. I would hope to get a similar storage deal of some sort from a moving/shipping company.

I have more than enough room in the Blazer for a 2-3 week trip. Ideas, folks? Cause to be honest, if I am limited to 60 mph the whole trip, I may have to shoot myself. Especially once I get out west on those open highways and byways. After all, this forum is all about enjoying our Blazers, and I think the same trip sans trailer would be much more enjoyable! Any and all ideas, as always, are greatly appreciated.

:-)

Alan

[ZL1power69]

i don't know how much those "pods" are to rent but they do ship them across country. might be worth checking out. with all of the conserns that everyone has brought up , u might be better off just shipping ur stuff. and i agree, if i was limited to 60mph, i would shoot myself. good luck with the trip