Anybody remember towing with the old 5.7 350?

SarahsGMC · September 3, 2014

Used to pull my old race car with my mom's 97 did way better than the 2012 f250 I also used

6.2max · September 3, 2014

Towed, hauled, did everything with my 98. LOts of low end torque where you need it for working.

Way better truck than my 2009 with the 5.3.

Todays half tons are mostly grocery getters. Need a lot of mods before you can do anything serious.

KARNUT · September 3, 2014

The 350s were good engines, but the 5.3s are better. Grocery getters, good one.

Prokopchuk_9 · September 3, 2014

Yep I had a 94 I bought from my grandpa when I was 16, towed a few things with it in the couple years I had it...it was ext cab long box ahah. Never owned a 5.3 so can't compare, but I did own an 06 1500hd 4x4 and tbh they towed almost the same...same mileage, same low end feeling I remember thinking about this once..

00Silverado4x4 · September 3, 2014

Never towed with a 350 but my old '76 K-10 pickup was used as a farm truck. It last demanding tasking was to haul rocks from a back field to previous owner's front lawn to build a rock wall. We would fill the bed and take it down, probably about a ton or so each load. The only thing that squated was the tires. The engine never gave us any grief, gotta love that low end grunt.

waumo1 · September 3, 2014

I had a 1998 K1500 350 EXT Cab LB. The thing was the worst dog I ever drove at highway speeds. I did not dare attempt to pass anybody on our 2 lane roads. The brakes were horrible (and dangerous). I only towed a light trailer with it a few times and that was enough. Other than that it was a good truck and never really gave me any trouble in the 13 years I had it.

idnative1948 · September 4, 2014

Wife's 96 Tahoe (147K) was our go-to towing for our 19ft trailer, but wanted something a little heavier for pulling now that retired. Hence the '05 HD and my 92 F150 was the one that had to go.

doverarjim · September 4, 2014

I had a 77 1500 chev with the 350 and 350 Trans I worked that truck for over 120,000 miles and the only problems I ever had we're fuel pumps 4 over my time with it and starters 3 total and rebuilt Trans at 100,000

sk · September 5, 2014

Remember them? Heck -- I still do it

I have a '94 1500 Ext Cab Long Bed with the 5.7L. I still tow a 16' flatbed trailer from time to time (about once a month for short distances). GVWR on the trailer is 10,000# but I usually only have a GCWR of about 7500#. It struggles a little but still does great for a 21 year old truck with 160,000 miles

OmahaBen · September 5, 2014

I had a single cab long box 4x4 350 TBI with the 700R4. What a dog, I am suprised it could make it up the hill empty. It even had 3.73s

burnthefurniture · September 8, 2014

We have two 1999 C3500 crew cab work trucks with the 350 that are hitched to 10,000 lbs on a very regular basis. The 2011 2500HD with 6.0 and 6 speed transmission does considerably better but the gearing of the 6 speed has a lot to do with it. The 6.0 also really likes to rev. The 350 motors were good until about 3000 rpm, after that it was just wasted breath. Regardless, it never mattered how much I hooked up to the 350 powered trucks, they would just pull it and not complain. You were not going to win any races but I never felt it an incapable motor. Both had 4.10 rear ends.

BaltimoreCaesar · September 10, 2014

My late step-father's (now my brother's) '97 chevy 2500 has the 350 in it, and it deff had some get-up. Thing is still rockin' and rollin' with over 280k miles on the clock last time I checked

kmborland · October 12, 2014

My previous truck had a tbi 350 in it. 1995 LD 2500 4x4, original motor and drivetrain, had 185k before I traded it. That truck was great pulling a trailer till about 55mph, the low end power everyone keeps talking about. After that, it started running out of power trying to move the trailer. Nightmare on the highway because it didn't have anything after 2800rpm. My 04 is a better pulling truck. Same trailer, loaded more, the 04 would pull the trailer at highway speed and not blink with the weight. The only thing I did not like was the lag I had with the new truck. Had the 04 tuned and it feels much stronger/snappier in every rpm than the tbi 350 did (fixed the lag/doggy feeling the 5.3 had still 2500rpm) .