M1009 with 3/4 ton axles towing capacity?

[stranger75]

Ok, I know there are many threads about M1009s and what they can and can not tow. What I want to know and what I have not been able to find, is what is the towing capacity of an M1009 with 3/4 ton axles?

I have a set of Corporate 3/4 tons (10 bolt front 14 bolt rear, 3.73 gear) out of a 79 K20 Suburban. They need new brakes and could be polished up a bit. I will eventually get them underneath my M1009.

Once this is done, my ability to tow heavy loads will increase, correct? I know that the truck will still weigh around 5k lbs and that its wheel base is much shorter than regular towing rigs. To me it seems like upgrading from the stock 1/2 ton axles is a worthwhile upgrade. I don't plan on towing anything outrageous or unsafe. I would like to be able to tow a loaded trailer or even another vehicle if needed.

Thoughts?

 

[jdknech]

well for one, you already have a 10 bolt front axle... your just going from 6 lug, to a 8 lug.. and towing is not the problem... its stopping... trailer brakes make a world of differance in that deparment.. and i would not tow anything heavier then your M1009... or when you get over 45mph(ish) and start to decel, your trailer will push you all over the road.. just my

 

[Recovry4x4]

Well, the 3.73 gears will certainly help with the "Go" and the bigger diameter rotors will help with the "Woah" but there are other factors. Depending on the GVWR, the donor 79 burb could have had 11" or 13" brakes. If it has the 13" drums, the brake bias will certainly be off and it might be off with the 11" brakes. The 3/4 ton is certainly an upgrade in brake power but I woud be hesitant to put a number on increased towing ability. That super short wheelbase complicates any heavy towing. In my humble opinion, the 3.73 gears are a good match for the Oh-9.

 

[ODdave]

Length of the 1009 vs 1008 (etc) plays a role in handleing as well

 

[SpecWarSquid]

Stranger 75 I may have talked to you before. I'm doing this EXACT same swap. Same donor and all. Mine has the bigger brakes

My question for you is are you planning on swapping over the rear spring packs from the Burb? In my mind this is where the lion's share of the towing weight capacity is going to come from. A 14 bolt FF axle is nice but if your using the same factory springs your not changing much in the "Grunt" dept. Just mainly as Recovery stated your increasing your "GO and "WOAH", based on brakes size increase and lower gears.

Your Burb's spring packs IRC (haven't been under my burb lately) are close to 1/4 more to twice the thickness of the 09's. If increased tongue weight is what your looking for then I would recommend swapping over the spring packs. If it's even compatible. I never looked into it as I plan to leave the 3/4 ton spring packs under the burb with 09 axles. My thought is to maintain the Burb's weight capacity while benefiting from the 09's highway friendly 3.08s. But to Recovery's point, for me, before any real towing they'll need a bigger brake upgrade and as well as install a brake controller. Maybe eventually lower gears if the 3.08s don't work out. I used the wife's 04 Tahoe (with towing package but no controller) to trailer back my 09 on at least 2000 lbs tandem axle skid steer trailer and the was about the limit the suspension and brakes could handle. I did get pushed a foot on one occasion when I didn't start stop soon enuf. A lil scary, good thing I took all back country roads.

Best of Luck

 

[stranger75]

Specwarsquid I remember seeing your post and commenting on it. I do not have the Burb or the spring packs, just the pair of axles. I have not spent much time messing with them other than to take the diff covers off to count splines. I need to find out what size brakes they have. They do need new brakes anyhow, so I will definitely find out when I get around to that project.

I will have access to my brother's totaled 1028 (tree fell on it) when we can agree on a time for him to deliver it from VA and stay a couple of days. He is planning on keeping the 1028 axles for his 92 Full size Blazer, but is selling me the rest. I do not know how compatible the springs are between a 1028 and 1009, but if they are I may be able to beef up my suspension just by swapping over some leaf springs.

As I said, I do not know if swapping springs is possible, just brainstorming.

The 3/4 ton axles I have came as a package with the rusted out ex-sheriff's office M1009 I bought for parts. The parts '09 has stock 1/2 ton axles under it, and the 3/4 ton 'burb axles came along side it. They are sitting on jack stands waiting for me.

 

[southdave]

dude I would not go with 1028 spring they are brutal.. with that short wheel base you might as well weld the axle to the frame.. just my opinion
I doing this swap ( 10 bolt front and 12 rear out of 87 burb) I have the spring packs as well.
I am consider doing the old shackel flip with the 1009 rears and fitin up the burb rears.

My rational for this swap is better gear for 700r4 I have in it, disk brakes and tire continuity.. I swap out my P valve along time ago for this swap..
if anyone Knows of good link for a shackel flip let me know.

 

[stranger75]

Yeah, it sounds like overkill huh?

I've looked at ORD's (Off Road Design) Shackle flip kit. Seems to be reasonably priced and from what I've heard they are easy to deal with and quite knowledgeable.

 

[jw4x4]

As mentioned, the short wheelbase of the 1009 is a MAJOR limiting factor as far as towing capacity. No matter how big the motor, how much it weighs, or how good the brakes are, I would still not tow any heavy loads with that short wheelbase. The only short vehicles capable of towing heavy loads are the ones equipped with gooseneck/5th wheel hitches. Looonger is always better.

 

[stranger75]

That sounds like good sense. However, I have to throw in this cheeky come back:

 

[CycleJay]

Stranger,

I saw one of those for sale in my neighborhood recently, for $1100.00.
I wish I had $1100.00, then I could tow anything I want up to about 40k.. LOL

Just my $0.02 cents...

 

[1ton cucv k5 turbo]

Those tugs are slick.... But.... not at highway speeds.... "that's a ride I will pass on in being a passenger.......lol"


Ive done the 1 ton axle swap... and my F/R springs were swapped out as well using ORD hardware on my 09.... Because I went with 52" 1/2 ton truck springs... It flexes too much to handle a heavy load properly....

Stranger75... your close to me... and your more than welcome to swing by and get a visual on axle and spring setup...

 

[CycleJay]

1ton cucv,

I know what you mean about highway speeds... Those things only have a top speed of about 35mph, but they can tow up to about 40k.. LOL

If I could get my hands on one, I could always use it as a rescue vehicle for broken down deuces in the Atlanta area, to get those deuces home..

Or put a good set of mud tires on it, and use it as a rescue/recovery vehicle at the GA
rally every year.. LOL...

I could also make some money, if I had a trailer to go with it, for local around town
hauling for other people.

I could go on and on with all the things I could do with it, but I will not... LOL

Just my $0.02 cents....

 

[stranger75]

1ton, that would be great. I know you have done some serious mods to your rig and I would like to check it out. Seeing something in person provides a much better experience for understanding than flipping through pictures on the internet.

Hehe... the tug pic was posted purely as a joke about towing power vs. wheel base. If I had one I'd use it in a tug-o-war against these guys. Big things come in small packages.

 

[MudderMilitia]

For shackle flips, I have an ORD flip on my trail rig and a DIY4X flip on my m1009. I like the DIY flip better. Easier to install and it replaces the shackles. Plus later down the road if you change up your suspension, the diy shackles are easy to make yourself

 

[Recovry4x4]

Hehe... the tug pic was posted purely as a joke about towing power vs. wheel base. If I had one I'd use it in a tug-o-war against these guys. Big things come in small packages.

Looks like they might be a little "short" on power!

 

[ODdave]

Shackle flip and tow more than it is ment to....... stay away from me......

 

[Keith_J]

I would not want to ride in a lightweight , short wheelbase vehicle that has Dana 60 front, 14 bolt rear. The unsprung weight increase with heavier springs will rattle your brain. Handling will also suffer, unless you are just using it for rock crawling.

Yes, you can get away with making a rock crawler with doubled transfer case reduction using such setup. But towing? Get a bigger vehicle.