H3 I CANNOT Tow apparently

[fowlken8]

Well, hooked up the trailer and headed north on Saturday morning. Got about 50 miles out of town and it was doing ok. Even on flat ground it just felt bogged down. Didn't feel as strong as it usually does. First moderate hill was just after the casino, pretty decent grade and goes on FOREVER. I couldn't get past 40mph. Scangauge showed my trans temp hop up to 238 and engine to 230, and climbing. Thankfully I got to flat land and just eased up on the pedal, engine temp came down to 217 and trans 225.

This wasn't even one of the larger hills we have. Some of them are just stupid. I turned around and headed to my parents house to use my dad's Ram 1500, which pulled the trailer with ease.

Disappointing that 3000lbs killed my Alpha. I do have a supercharged Titan I can use, but I need to replace the hub/bearing.

Wondering why this happened? Fluids are good. No air bubbles in system.

 

[alrock]

Transmission could be tired. Long hills, especially in summer temps, are the bane of many towing vehicles. Ever drive up the Grapevine in SoCal? Many vehicles going that slow.

But yeah, that's disappointing. I don't have an Alpha so I can't speak firsthand about it's towing capabilities.

 

[fowlken8]

Just so strange. The Alpha was maintained wonderfully. Carfax showed tons of dealer services done on time, etc. Looks new inside and out. 118k miles. Clean engine. No leaks. And sadly, it wasn't even in the upper 90s yet, 76 degrees outside maybe. The route I have to take to head north has many 6-7% grades. And they just go on for what seems like forever. But dang it, only 3k lbs. Guess the Hummer isn't my towing vehicle after all.

 

[Doc Olds]

Remind us, what size tires do you have? Did you also pack full the truck with gear?

IMHO H3s are not a choice vehicle for towing as the wheel base is too short. H3Ts would be better, but not optimal.

 

[fowlken8]

I have 35x12.5r18 on there. Nitto Terra Grapplers. Not much gear at all and the trailer was dry. I do however have 2 great danes, one weights 100lbs and the other 120lbs. Very basic loading in the trailer. One bag each and an ice chest of some drinks. My parents have an RV and I let them take all of the food.

I knew that the Alpha wasn't my best choice but due to my dogs I felt the SUV to be better vs a truck, for extra room. And the trailer was only 16ft long. I assumed it would be okay since it was 50% max towing weight.

If it matters I have the Alpha Adventure with both lockers and every other option.

 

[Nikal]

IMO I dont think the H3 should be towing. I know people do it. But the 4L60 in the Hummer does not have the Tow Haul button like the 4L60 in the Silverados or Tahoe/Burbs do. That button locks those clutches and torque converter up to give it the strength & power to pull loads for a distance. Also even the trans cooler in the undersized radiator is pretty weak compared to the trucks with the same engine & trans combos.

 

[fowlken8]

Exactly, no tow/haul mode. Even with the Longhorn Ram, if I forgot to use tow/haul I knew it on those big hills. So weird. I have realized that the radiator and trans cooler aren't the best either. Don't know why I had such high expectations lol

 

[Happy Hummer]

Well, I'm going to state the obvious here. The tire size your running is less than optimal. That drastic tire size change goes beyond the manufactures configuration during there testing and specification.
With you and two large dogs that pretty much max's out the passenger weight limit stuff and then oversized tires with more rotational mass.
i.e. winch, armor, hi-lift, gear, bits and bobs, etc... will also add extra heft.

An aftermarket trans cooler and 32" standard hi way style tires would be a good start.
The same engine was used in many GM products back then. The Tahoe, Silverado, etc..
Just my 2cents.

 

[fowlken8]

I truly appreciate your feedback. I didn't imagine my setup was that bad with the V8. I more so imagined the other GM setups and picked the lightest travel trailer I could find.

My first h3 was an i5 with a solid axle swap, spring over rear and 37s. I could pull a 1200lb popup with a mastiff and Dane easier than this. Full size spare, roof rack and all. Just strange is all.

 

[Happy Hummer]

Are your cats clogging up?

 

[fowlken8]

there aren't any classic signals of a clogged cats.

today driving into work, 64 degrees outside, an hour, stop and go the entire way. Highest engine temp 193, trans got to 176. Not a whole lot adds up. In horrible temps I'm hot which might make sense. Towing destroys me. Maybe this is all normal and I just need to calm down.

 

[Doc Olds]

I towed a 23 foot Big Block Chaparral Bow Rider with dual axle trailer back to NE Detroit from just S or Milwaukee with my 2007 H3 Adventure. Over the weight capacity without a doubt. That's an I5 with all the performance mods (Air Doc Intake, MagnaFlow Cat Back, Efan, PCM Tune, PP TB) and full off road goodies (BA Winch Bumper and cage UCP, Rocky Road Super Sliderz, RocDoc U Bolt Skidz) loaded with tools and a floor jack on 305 Mickey Thompson MTZs 65 mph uphill, 70+ downhill tucked in behind an 18 wheeler from IN all through MI. The trip through Chicago may have helped because traffic was so bad I never got above 35-40 for more than an hour in IL after the trip South out of WI. No Trans Temp to stare at, just working it. Had a couple Tail waggin the Dog episodes if I let off the gas on downhills. Not fun.

I would never put Nitto anything on my truck, they are heavy.... I am thinking something is not right with your Alpha. It needs some balls.

My 2009 Alpha Off Road has all the off road goodies from the 07, and its own set of performance mods (Air Doc Intake, MagnaFlow Cat Back, SuperModulation SFAN 4500 efan and PP TB, TSP Low Lift Truck Cam, LS6 Springs and my custom PCM/TCM Tune) on 305 Mickey Thompson MTZs and has much BIGGER BALLS than the 07 did. Granted, IN is flat, and the altitude and hills in West MI are not like the Southwest, but I do think more investigation is warranted.

 

[fowlken8]

Absolute investigation is needed. I have an Air Doc intake as well. Yes the nittos are 81lbs each and I have 5. I have a dual exhaust as well. Your Alpha seems to have much more than mine!

NM sucks sometimes. 7-8000ft elevation, 6-7% grades. Add that to whatever is up with my Alpha and it was a total no go lol

 

[fowlken8]

Wish I had info on my Alpha. It has an air doc and hunner skids. The person must of been a forum member or at least lurked. There's probay more done to it than I know.

 

[alrock]

Don't forget that the Alpha has 4.10 gears and that takes a lot of the performance feel away. Changing to 4.56 gears will wake it up significantly.

I think that tow/haul mode thing is huge. When I first replied, I was thinking about the transmission and keeping the torque converter locked up, but I didn't (and still don't) have a good recommendation for that.

 

[fowlken8]

eh, I don't want to re-gear. I do have a truck that can tow around 10k lbs. Just need to replace the wheel bearing/hub. I think I drastically overestimated the towing of the Alpha. I fully disagree with the 6k lb max.

tow/haul is massive for every truck I've towed with. Again, today, engine/trans temps were perfect or even low during my 52 minute commute. Truck alone seems ok. Just no towing. Sucks.

 

[Ridinhigh1500]

I've towed 4,000 lbs to 5,000 lbs several times. Even been on Interstate 40 doing 75 mph with that much weight. The picture below is from several years ago when my 2006 was bone stock. Towed the Talon just fine doing 65 mph on the Hwy.

 

[fowlken8]

I've towed 4,000 lbs to 5,000 lbs several times. Even been on Interstate 40 doing 75 mph with that much weight. The picture below is from several years ago when my 2006 was bone stock. Towed the Talon just fine doing 65 mph on the Hwy.

I’m jealous. What’s wrong with my Alpha haha

 

[alrock]

I’m jealous. What’s wrong with my Alpha haha

He's not in NM! In July when I was heading west across 40 in NM, I was stuck in 3rd gear at 65 mph. Headwinds, altitude (much of it is 4000'-6000'), horrible aerodynamics, weight of off-road stuff, and tired engine made it a tough trip. And I was not towing.

 

[fowlken8]

He's not in NM! In July when I was heading west across 40 in NM, I was stuck in 3rd gear at 65 mph. Headwinds, altitude (much of it is 4000'-6000'), horrible aerodynamics, weight of off-road stuff, and tired engine made it a tough trip. And I was not towing.

NM is weird. I’m happy you can concur. My camping route takes me to 7000’ so I’m thinking it just wasn’t feasible with the trailer. It’s all ok since I know now.

 

[Jeepwalker]

IDT these are good tow vehicles. Small trailers ok, but not like a car trailer or a substantial load. Not for any distance. These vehicles just don't handle or brake well enough IMO. Use a pick-up with some weight in the rear, or rent one from U-Haul for $20 ..half a day. There was a forum member who totaled out his H3 a few yrs ago trying to trailer tow.

 

[650Hawk]

Maybe I missed it, but what trailer are you towing? Manufacturer's trailer specs are notoriously low; actual weight is typically much higher than the listed dry weights, and you'd be surprised at how fast your camping/food/utinsels/bedding/clothing/etc adds up. Throw in alot of accessories on your H3, heavy 35" tires (unspring weight AND gearing), lousy aerodynamics (of both truck and trailer), and high altitude, and it's not surprising that you're struggling under the load.

 

[08H3]

There was a forum member who totaled out his H3 a few yrs ago trying to trailer tow.

If you're talking about the guy hauling a skid steer, that had nothing to do with it being an H3. That had everything to do with improper loading.

 

[Doc Olds]

Oh boy, picture of towing time. I would have never tried this with 35s!

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you're talking about the guy hauling a skid steer...

Yeah, that might have been him.