'79 w/305 towing question

[RedBed]

I have a good frame mounted hitch and trailer brakes.

Will my '79 (Big 10) w/305/4L60 town an 18' tandem axle trailer w/brakes and around 3000-3200lb of tractor+attachments? Don't have to go too far, and I will keep it out of overdrive.

Sticker says GVWR - 6050, but I know it originally came with a 350.

[Tom]

Engine has little to do with tow ability. Brakes, axles and transmissions are the biggest factors. Ever notice you could get a 3500 with a 5.7L? Or an F350 with the puny 5.4L?

[Max1775]

As long as the truck is in decent shape, shouldn't be a problem. I'd assume the trailer is around 2k, so with another 3200, you're still under 6k.

[RedBed]

Cool - I may have even over-estimated the Tractor eight a bit, it is a compact tractor.

Thanks

[Dead Parrot]

Unless your door sticker has a specific line for tow capacity, the GVWR plate is just the truck's capacity. Towing is a separate capacity. IIRC, for our trucks it is somewhere between 8000~10,000lbs if truck properly equipped. Sounds like you should be well within limits with your trailer and tractor.

Keep in mind that the truck's GVWR does count the tongue weight as part of the calculation.

The big risk with towing isn't getting it going but stopping it safely and quickly. If the trailer brakes work properly, and you keep your speed reasonable, no reason why you and the tractor shouldn't get where they need to be.

Also, check your bumper and/or hitch for rust. The back ends of some of these trucks are mostly rust.

[abig84]

i too think it should be fine, ive done a bunch of towing with these old trucks. my daily driver is a nbs 1990 pick up with a 305 and 3.43 gears and i tow 4500lbs with it 70 miles to the offroad park with no issues other then getting it up to speed while getting on the highway.