2deuce
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I thought I'd relate my experience. I have read alot of other posts on the subject lately because I wanted to do some hauling. I flat towed a M1009 with another M1009 a few years back with a bad experience. No wreck but white knuckles, and I would recommend against that.
I have a heavy duty car trailer that is rated at 7k. I have towed this trailer with a light load behind my blazer with good results when I had no trailer brakes, but I knew I should have trailer brakes so I installed a controller especially for this trip. I also towed a M101a2 fully loaded with the blazer with good results.
I needed to retrieve a M1008 that was almost 300 miles from home. I had to tow the trailer up cabbage and come back down loaded. If you have never heard of Cabbage hill it is a 6 mile 6% grade east of Pendleton OR on I84n. Just the warnings as you get closer to it will make you nervous. It also has 3 truck escape ramps.
The blazer got the job done. The trailer I have tows rock solid, never wanders, or wiggles, I would say it tows perfectly. I put the M1008 on the trailer so the blazer squatted 3 to 4 inches. It is all stock 10 bolts with 32" tires so the indicated speed of 55 is actually about 5 over. I went up cabbage about 35mph and followed a semi down loaded at about 25. My blazer has the stencil saying 1/4 ton trailer only, but I thought it looked stronger and it is. Stability was reduced from wind. Passing semi's (they passed me)had their effect which was very noticeable over 50 mph. You have to concentrate on your driving 100% of the time, no sightseeing and even reaching for a drink or checking the rear view mirrors has to be calculated, but I was driving through some stormy weather. I can say the M1009 will do it. Mine pulled up some 1 to 2 mile 6% grades at 25mph at it's slowest floored and in second gear, but it will easily go 60mph on the flat, but the stability of the short wheelbase on the blazer, with the light suspension prohibited me from feeling safe over 55. I figured that if it was very unstable I would have just had to get home late. One thing I did add to my M1009 was a tranny cooler, because I was concerned that pulling a heavy load with the 3.08 gears and 32" tires would add up to too much strain(heat) on the turbo 400. It was a good trip, the 6.2 purred smoothly the whole way. Fuel consumption was almost double. I haven't actually calculated it out but a guess from where the gauge sits and how many miles I went. I would do it again.
I have a heavy duty car trailer that is rated at 7k. I have towed this trailer with a light load behind my blazer with good results when I had no trailer brakes, but I knew I should have trailer brakes so I installed a controller especially for this trip. I also towed a M101a2 fully loaded with the blazer with good results.
I needed to retrieve a M1008 that was almost 300 miles from home. I had to tow the trailer up cabbage and come back down loaded. If you have never heard of Cabbage hill it is a 6 mile 6% grade east of Pendleton OR on I84n. Just the warnings as you get closer to it will make you nervous. It also has 3 truck escape ramps.
The blazer got the job done. The trailer I have tows rock solid, never wanders, or wiggles, I would say it tows perfectly. I put the M1008 on the trailer so the blazer squatted 3 to 4 inches. It is all stock 10 bolts with 32" tires so the indicated speed of 55 is actually about 5 over. I went up cabbage about 35mph and followed a semi down loaded at about 25. My blazer has the stencil saying 1/4 ton trailer only, but I thought it looked stronger and it is. Stability was reduced from wind. Passing semi's (they passed me)had their effect which was very noticeable over 50 mph. You have to concentrate on your driving 100% of the time, no sightseeing and even reaching for a drink or checking the rear view mirrors has to be calculated, but I was driving through some stormy weather. I can say the M1009 will do it. Mine pulled up some 1 to 2 mile 6% grades at 25mph at it's slowest floored and in second gear, but it will easily go 60mph on the flat, but the stability of the short wheelbase on the blazer, with the light suspension prohibited me from feeling safe over 55. I figured that if it was very unstable I would have just had to get home late. One thing I did add to my M1009 was a tranny cooler, because I was concerned that pulling a heavy load with the 3.08 gears and 32" tires would add up to too much strain(heat) on the turbo 400. It was a good trip, the 6.2 purred smoothly the whole way. Fuel consumption was almost double. I haven't actually calculated it out but a guess from where the gauge sits and how many miles I went. I would do it again.
