Re: H3 for Towing
I tow a work trailer pretty regularly (it's a 16' trailer) through winding hilly backcountry roads. Trailer + gear ranges from 2500# up to a one-time max load of 6k#+ I drive in 3rd gear all the time while towing and it works ok in all weight ranges. If I remember correctly, towing a heavy (3500#) load, it would be around 3000 rpm in 3rd gear around 55 mph and downshifts to 2nd pretty quickly if the hill gets steep. It was plenty of torque for flat and moderate hills, but struggled on steep grades.
All that said, if I was towing an 18' camping trailer regularly, I wouldn't tow it with an H3. I'd get a Tahoe or Suburban or some other full-size SUV and tow with that. I have a 3/4 ton Suburban and you can tell the difference towing - in the H3 it's noticeable when you have a load that size/weight, with the Suburban, it's nothing and the truck doesn't even work hard...
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