Towing With M1008..

[LT67]

Just curious how much weight y'all can safely pull with an M1008/28. I had to go pick up a 20ft steel trailer with a wood bed and while my truck isn't equipped for electric trailer brakes, I didn't notice any difference in stopping power. Take off speed was like a 3 legged turtle, but once I was up to speed I had no problems maintaining it. Getting said trailer up and down a narrow and winding gravel path was a bit of a challenge.. lol

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

I've got a brake controller wired in on my CUCV and a class IV hitch. You definitely notice the lack of power with the 6.2 but it's not terrible on flat ground. I wouldn't tow much more than a pickup truck on a flat bed, but that's just me. The official military rating is only 3000lbs on the pintle hook last I remember.

 

[LT67]

The heaviest load I'm planning on pulling is a Kubota 3301 4wd with a front end loader and bush hog for maybe 2 miles.... lol. I'll use the 79 K20 with a 406 for longer trips.

Yes an electric brake controller is at the top of the list..... there's actually one in the truck that's not wired in. No idea if it works or not.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

It's not about what you can pull. It's about what you can stop.

 

[clinto]

There's a couple things to consider: What it's physically capable of and what it's legally capable of.

The physical, I can't help with. No 1008/1028 towing experience.

The legal: I briefly looked and couldn't find a 1980's spec sheet for K30s. I suspect there was a civilian K30/6.2/4.56 rating and a military rating. The military rating is easy, find the GCWR on the tag, subtract the curb weight of the truck and that's your max rated trailer capacity.

 

[corvette9]

It's not about what you can pull. It's about what you can stop.

Very true. My brother found that out the hard way with his 1008. He was way over loaded and couldn't stop. Crashed into the back of a dump truck. I had to go tow the whole mess back to my shop. His truck is fixed and back on the road now but he won't do that again.

 

[ken]

I have successfully towed my Shibaura SD 5040 tractor to job sites for years. With the loader/brush hog,tools and 24FT utility trailer it comes in just under 12,000. The trailer has surge brakes. I stay less than 50MPH and live in a flat area. I had to install a bigger rad and 6 blade 20 inch fan along with a 180 deg thermostat to stop the overheating. My M1028A1 does a good job. Yes it does take a while to stop. NO I don't recommend this to anyone without a lot of towing experience. I know I know I can hear yall lighting the fire to flame me with.

 

[cucvrus]

The part I don't understand is the need to add a bigger radiator and fan. I towed a lot with my CUCV's with a 26FT trailer and logs. If it is getting hot on flat land you have deeper issues. I never ran one hot except if the fan clutch was not working as designed. Roaring fan if you know what I mean. Good luck on that towing heavy. I won't do it again with the CUCV. I have a newer truck and trailering is more of a pleasure and not as stressful. A/C, auto grade braking, hill assist. Get the deal. Just saying. Things have changed a lot with towing packages. Even on a 1500 series truck. The GVWR is 7000lbs now used to be 5000 when the K10 were built. Have a Great Day. Stay cool. Hydrate.

 

[ken]

The bigger fan and rad came from towing in 100+ deg heat in south Texas. It can get pretty warm here and I'm not comfortable running a GM diesel above 200. I know guys do it all the time. I have never had a head gasket failure or cracked a block/heads keeping them at 180 to 200 deg. With the 6 blade fan and the all aluminum rad the fan doesn't engage until the engine is laboring. Or in heavy traffic. The roar from the goodyears is WAY more annoying. I'm already ready for the fall/winter. I hate the heat myself. I'm thinking of doing the redneck AC install. I have come across a old truck with a window unit AC in the back window and a small Harbor Freight generator in the bed. He told me he was cool for less than $400.

 

[Sharecropper]

Ken, which aluminum radiator did you use? Does it have the oil cooler on the drivers side and transmission cooler on the passenger side? Did all the hoses hook up ok?

 

[Tinstar]

The copper/brass radiator I installed was identical to the old one.
Everything hooked up with zero issues.

Truck stays nice and cool no matter outside temp.
Running a 190* thermostat and original 5 blade fan.

Only trailers I tow are the M101A2’s.
Usually their not loaded heavy, but sometimes their over limit. (Gravel/Fill dirt).

When I need to tow something heavy, I use my GMC Sierra w/Duramax and BigTex trailers w/Electric Brakes.

 

[ken]

Ken, which aluminum radiator did you use? Does it have the oil cooler on the drivers side and transmission cooler on the passenger side? Did all the hoses hook up ok?

I'm sorry I don't have a part number. I got it from the local rad shop. They ordered it for me. Everything fit perfect. The tranny cooler is on the drivers side and the engine cooler is on the passenger side. Just like the stock one. This one holds a extra gallon of coolant. The tanks are much bigger.

 

[patracy]

They can tow things....

Granted this isn't a smart tow by any means. (Brakes were caged) It pulled it fine. I just made sure I gave myself a mile headway for stopping. A proper trailer with brakes and it's cake. It'll tow just fine, just don't expect it to do it fast. Or get it up to speed within the week. (Side note, my 1008 has a turbo)

 

[LT67]

They can tow things....

Granted this isn't a smart tow by any means. (Brakes were caged) It pulled it fine. I just made sure I gave myself a mile headway for stopping. A proper trailer with brakes and it's cake. It'll tow just fine, just don't expect it to do it fast. Or get it up to speed within the week. (Side note, my 1008 has a turbo)

I see you're in Buchanan, Ga... you're not too far from me. I'm on the east side of Bowdon.

Lol, yeah it took mine a minute to get up to speed with the empty trailer. Once I got up to speed it maintained it with a lil more throttle than usual. I'm not planning on towing anything with the M1008. I'll use my 04 GMC Duramax truck or the 79K20 once it gets a trailer brake set up. Those two trucks are much better options for towing....

 

[Indyharleyguy]

I thought one of the problems was the pintle hook wasn't attached to the frame just the bumper?

 

[porkysplace]

I thought one of the problems was the pintle hook wasn't attached to the frame just the bumper?

The pick-ups have a better hitch than the blazers , but still not as good as a class III.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

(Side note, my 1008 has a turbo)

Heretic!