Re: Towing bar system
Hi, Irish
The towing bar is a neat setup - as long as you stay withing the engineered parameters - for 2500 lbs. max load. I wouldn't want to attempt to drop a 5500 lb boat on it. There's a lot of leverage on that system.
However, it you do set it up properly with a trailblazer frame mounted hitch, the SSR frame, engine and transmission are the same as on the Trailblazer. It should be able to handle the same load - 7200 lbs plus whatever the base weight differential is. I can't find a weight for the EXT in the brochure, but with 13 inches more frame, 2 extra doors, four extra seats, a roof, and a rear window/gate combo with all those extra electric motors, it should be a little more portly than the SSR - therefore even more potential tow capacity.
You may want to limit the tow distance and keep tabs on engine temperature initially to make sure you don't have an issue. If it's all go, the next step would be to attempt some gradually increasing hill climbing to see what it's capable of without heating up. Some of the locals in the rod club do a fair amount of towing - they are mostly equipped with electric fans and seem to survive quite nicely.
I have a Sonoma that tows fine for short distances, mostly to car and boat shows. It had a 5000 lb tow capacity. A friend's Chevy Extreme extended cab (same frame, engine, transmission and weight) was rated at "0" tow capacity. A set of airbags did a nice job of levelling, and it tows just fine. His tire ratings were actually higher than the factory tires on mine.
He's been towing a ski boat for 4 years, and the local dealer has never had an issue with warranty on his truck. The dealer thinks the whole "0" rating was a bit of a crock.
The whole tire thing gets blown out of proportion. A 5000 lb boat will only add a maximum of 500 pounds down pressure on the rear of the truck, so 250 lbs per tire - I can't imagine they cut it that tight on the safety rating for the tires.
Bottom line, it's your truck, and you should be able to make it what you need it to be. The whole Hot Rod mentality is to play and experiment, and make vehicles something more than they start out to be. This is the ultimate factory hot rod - have fun.