C10 vs C20 Burb capabilities

[wantedbigblockc10]

Good Morning,

There is another post of mine looking for a 71-72 burb and convinced that I need a C20 because I'll be towing occasionally. Possible a camper or towing a car. Do I need a C20 for that or could I get away with the C10? Also occasionally I will be driving it in the winters of the north east and wondering if it would be better to have the C20 than than the 1/2 ton.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the differences.

Thanks!

Kyle

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by wantedbigblockc10

Good Morning,

There is another post of mine looking for a 71-72 burb and convinced that I need a C20 because I'll be towing occasionally. Possible a camper or towing a car. Do I need a C20 for that or could I get away with the C10? Also occasionally I will be driving it in the winters of the north east and wondering if it would be better to have the C20 than than the 1/2 ton.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the differences.

Thanks!

Kyle

I would go with the C20 for sure if you are going to be towing a sizable camper, or car on a trailer. My experience with towing a car on a trailer behind a 1/2 ton was less than stellar....

LockDoc

[HO455]

Unfortunately the C10 vs C20 difference isn't as black and white as it looks. C10's could be had with upgraded spring packages as well as engine packages. However the differences in the two packages goes deeper. The C20 frames are stiffer and more resistant to flexing. The front wheel bearings are larger and the rear axles have full floating beatings with lower axle ratios. The wheels are stronger and the tires should have a higher load rating. The downside of the C20 upgrade is a noticeably rougher ride quality. The factory offered all kinds of different suspension options for the owner who only needed to have a higher GVW capacity occasionally but wanted a better ride the rest of time.
So when you say "'ll be towing occasionally." Do you mean towing a 2500 pound camp trailer 200 miles once a year, or towing a 4500 pound loaded car trailer 50 miles 4 times a year? Is the terrain you plan on driving over mostly flat, hilly, or mountainous? If I was towing in the first example then I would be comfortable with a properly set up C10. In the second example a C20 would make me happier. The days when I would tow a truck 1500 miles behind my GTO are long past.

There is more information on the GVW ratings of our trucks at the GM Heritage Center website. If you dig in and look at options there is a lot of information there.

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-...tion-kits.html

[wantedbigblockc10]

Thanks for taking the time to provide all the great info! But i'm still torn...
Not really sure how much I'll be towing and also want a nice riding truck. When the right truck appears I'll make the best decision I can.

Thank you,

Kyle

[Bigdav160]

I've owned both C10 and K20 Suburbans. The C10 had a 3.73 gear and it towed just fine. The brakes were a little underwhelming so good trailer brakes were important.

The K20 is more of a beast. Better brakes (now with hydroboost), more gear (from the factory but now 3.73) and stiffer suspension.

[wantedbigblockc10]

Thanks for the info, it was very helpful.

[FLYNAVY30]

FWIW, I have a '72 C20....I've added 4 wheel disc brakes which was a huge help, but I've also swapped the HD springs out for small block springs as I swapped the big block for a 6.0L LS motor and the OEM HD spring were waaayy too much with less weight on the nose.

At the end of the day, it rides great unloaded now, but still tows just fine. I retained the helper leaf springs in the rear for this very reason.

Good luck finding what you're looking for. In a perfect world with unlimited funds, I'd find a good '72 K20 but given the amount of work and memories I have into mine, I plan to keep it and eventually do a 4WD conversion.