# Will Our 1997 Silverado Pull The 21rs?



## tjmartin (Sep 18, 2006)

Will our 1997 5.7L 2WD Silverado/3.42 axle ratio pull the 21RS in the mountains? It's rated to pull 6,000 lbs. If we had a 3.73 installed (quite expensive) it would increase the towing capacity to 7,000 lbs.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

It will do it, although not happily on the largest inclines. 3.42 gears really don't belong on a tow vehicle, and will be an ongoing issue for you. The 4L60E (fairly weak) transmission in your truck is going to get hotter and be unhappy too. At a minimum I would install a better than factory tranny cooler to offset it. Good Luck


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

First of all...















Welcome to the best forum on the Web!
















Now on to the business at hand.

I have a 2005 Sierra with 3.73 gears and it does fine with my 21rs. I agree with Jim that you will struggle going up mountains with the 3.42 gears. If you load lightly, don't carry any water, and install a tranny cooler like Jim said, you should get several years of use out of your '97.

Maybe by then you could look into upgrading your tv.

Dan


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

I pulled a 21RS with a 5.7 liter and 3.73 gears. The entire time i did it, I was wishing for 4.10 gears.
The transmission got hot on a regular basis and I eventually gave up and traded for a new 2500HD.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

Well for my first year I used my 05 1500 crew cab with 3.42 rear to pull my 29BHS. It did Ok on the flats but I was very disappointed on the hills and gave up and bought a 2500HD with the diesel. Now I just went and bought a new 5'er because the TV got bigger.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

I had a 88 k1500 with 5.7 with the same gears and manual tranny
And it wouldn't pull our 21 at the time for anything

Don


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## Husker92 (Feb 11, 2006)

It's going to be tough. In the hills you'll be limited. Remember a new transmission is not cheap! You might be happier with a new TV that has a higher tow capacity. If you got a diesel you would increase your towing power and gas mileage.









You'll love the trailer!

Happy Camping!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Changing the gears out on a 4x2 should cost you about $600. If you did switch to 4:10's I think you may actually be happy with this set-up.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

X 2 on the 4:10 gears, same cost and better results. Kirk


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## tjmartin (Sep 18, 2006)

Colville Camper said:


> Will our 1997 5.7L 2WD Silverado/3.42 axle ratio pull the 21RS in the mountains? It's rated to pull 6,000 lbs. If we had a 3.73 installed (quite expensive) it would increase the towing capacity to 7,000 lbs.


I was amazed at how quickly the responses to my question came, and they were all helpful. Thanks to all of you! Now, I'm wondering why so many Outback owners choose the Prodigy brake controller over the Techonsha or Reese?


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

*Welcome to Outbackers, Colville Camper!*








Glad to have you aboard!









OK, tow vehicle problem solved, let's move on to the brake controller...

First off, the Prodigy is a Tekonsha. Just a specific model of the Tekonsha brand. The big advantage of the Prodigy is that it is an inertia based proportional control. That is to say it is able to anticipate braking force and actually apply the trailer brakes slightly ahead of the TV brakes. This helps keep everything in a nice straight line, and eliminates the 'surging' feeling you often get with other controllers.

The Prodigy is also pretty much an install it and forget it controller. Although it does have the option of a number of special condition settings, for the most part it requires no direct interaction from the driver. It is also much more installation friendly then the other pendulum based controllers.

The Prodigy costs a few bucks more than most others (but can still be had for around $100), but the experience is unparalled. Buy a Prodigy, and you will not be sorry!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## tjmartin (Sep 18, 2006)

Again, thanks to all you Outback owners for your helpful replies. And thanks to PDX Doug for his explanation as to the benefits of the Prodigy brake controller.


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