Towing with a '97 5 speed ?
 

I have a '97 1500 Z71 extended cab (101K miles) with the Vortec 350, 3.42 gears and the NV3500 5 speed tranny. Tires are 265x75R16s. The truck is in excellent condition. Could I tow a 6,000 trailer with that tranny? It would be Interstate 95% of the time. The truck tacs 2,100 at 60 mph in 4th gear. Should I keep it in 4th? and would that damage the tranny? I would be trailering around 2,000 miles. Thanks for advice/opinions.

Here's what I found. Seems the truck in the trim it was tested had a tow rating of 7500 lbs. Of course that truck was new then. That 5 spd is a manual, right? There's no reason to be concerned about staying in 4th gear. You won't have any real power in 5th, but you can use it when you're in a flat spot or headed down a slight grade. I've towed about 5K with a 5sp, V6 Ford using the bumper hitch ball. It was slow going & I did stay in 4th gear (or lower). It was only 20 miles. I guess the real question is whether you think your truck is up to it. You could end up breaking down halfway there & you'll certainly know the load is back there all the way. Good luck.

typically 5speeds are better for towing than auto's no need to be worried about the transmission unless your clutch is almost gone. as long as your truck is in good repair you will be fine. its fine to use 5th gear you may need to downshift to 4th when you need more grunt but it wont hurt anything to pull in 5th.

Only tow in 5th gear on flat spots or on slight down grades as mentioned above. 5th gear is not meant to be used for towing.

I tow about the same weight with a obs 2500 series, 2000 model, it has the 350 engine (255 hp, 330# torque) not a real ground pounder, would assume your engine is about the same power range.
My truck has the 4l80E trans and 3.73 gears. I always run in 3rd gear (no od when towing) It handles the tow fine and does not get hot, get around 10 mpg when towing. It just gears down on long hills, sometimes down to 2nd gear and that little 350 screams up the hill but i never let it get over 3500 rpms. Just too much noise for me at 4000 rpms.

The tow rating on my truck is around 7100#, i have the 245/75-16 load range E (10 ply rating tires)

That is a long trip your are planning:
I would give your truck a good tuneup with all ac delco parts, be sure you have trailer brakes,
it matters not what you can tow, what matters is what you can stop in a reasonable distance went some fools pulls out in front of you.

will you be going over the mountians?

I would not take my trailer over the mountians, when pulling the mountians you really need a diesel for the torque, torque is what counts when hard pulling.

good luck and stay safe.

are you sure of the weight of the trailer, sometimes people will say the trailer weight is 6000# then you weigh it and it like 7800#

Thanks guys for the quick response. The tow is 3 thousand pound mules and a 3,000 lb trailer. I've towed it before with an 80 1/2 ton with a three on the tree. I just have to go slow sometimes. I just wondered if the 5 speed (NV3500) would be OK with that much towing in 4th. It has an alumnium case and I was afraid the heat would build up. Thanks again

If its too much weight for 5th it would cause your clutch to slip. If you are in 4th at 70 MPH lets say 2400RPM that is perfectly ok. These motors can take it.

Thanks. I'm more concerned with the tranny than the engine. I had a '93 3500 with the 6.5 diesel and the NV 4500 tranny. It is a much heavier duty transmission than the NV3500...or so I've read.

Your fine... Pulling in 4th is no biggie but 5th I think overdrives the gear...