H1 and towing

[jph3]

I have searched through the forums here, and wondering what your thoughts are on towing with an H1... truck to be exact.

One of these would be the ideal setup:


BUT...
What are the towing specs?
Could you put a 5th wheel in?

I am thinking it would be a fun DD, but not nearly as nice/capable as a newer diesel 3/4 or 1-ton truck...

Your thoughts? Have you seen any of these with a load on them?

[4Mogger]

diesel or gas?
I don't think they are rated for much unless it is a newer Alpha. I think they are only rated around 7K or so. It may have even been a little less than that.
I have always wanted one and still may get one eventually. Good luck and post up pic and towing experience if you get one.

[jph3]

its the diesel version... just wondering if it would be capable of running a gooseneck with a big load.

I also had seen a hardtop 4-door for sale, and it listed a 5th-wheel was installed in the bed?? Haven't seen that, but would like to if anyone has pics.

[AtlantaK-5er]

H1 w/6.5 TD can tow 10,000LBs and has a payload of nearly 4000LBS due to it being a weapons platform/transport in HMMWV form. I have personally towed over 12,000Lbs over the north GA mountains in mine. It does fine up to about 65 mph. beyond that you are just guzzling diesel and putting huge stress on your geared hubs and the rest of the drivetrain.

For comparison, ir tows better than my gas 6.0L chevy 2500 (4.10 gears) and the old H2 did (also 4.10s). But worse than a F250 w 6.0L. And about the same as my F550 rollback w the old 7.3 TD. I havent towed with much besides those.

[Wildjeeper]

I have a 2002 wagon and like posted above it does fine until you start trying to pull over 65. It doesnt pull anything like my old 2005 Superduty but im happy with it for what I tow (early bronco and baja bug on 18ft trailer)and its much more capable offroading than my old truck. Whenever my friends tell me that their rigs out pull me (speed wise) than my H1 I just remind them that my tow rig keeps up with their trail rig and out wheels the shit out of their tow rig Lol.

[BigKofJustice]

Same here, 6.5 Turbo is fine for 55-65 mph hauling, I'd install a scanguage II and program it to display the trans temperature OR install a dedicated transmission temp guage and keep an eye on the Engine and Trans if you are hauling a trailer through mountains.

Honestly I'd recommend doing that for any highway towing Not just H1's.

That being said, the Duramax Alpha 2006 model year is the only Hummer that will match a modern diesel pickup in speed/torque and engine noise.

My 98 is loud as hell compared to an 06. Driving an Alpha, it's almost like driving a gas car. Nice and quiet, and plenty of power.

[jph3]

I figured the Alpha was a decent tow rig, but the price difference is pretty significant. Anyone aware of any H1 conversions to a Cummins or anything of the like?

(And thanks for the info; much appreciated)

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by jph3

Anyone aware of any H1 conversions to a Cummins or anything of the like?

A HMMWV, not an H1. But he's got a Cummins in it.

/forum/hummer/766281-ok-i-am-sold.html

[stjames151]

Originally Posted by Sewie

A HMMWV, not an H1. But he's got a Cummins in it.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=766281

Yeah....thats mine. With the heavy springs in the rear, I've towed boats, trailers, and a transfer trailer (not enough brake to go very far or fast). I swapped out the springs for something more race-y. What year, what springs, how heavy is the load, are you gonna put an electric brake booster? A H1 p.u. is basically a 3/4 ton truck with an 80's power plant. BTW, a Gen1 Cummins swap is about $24k unless you already have a worn out truck with a good drive train. A Gen3 will run you about $32k (if you do it yourself), so figure that into your comparison and decide whether or not you want to not have a truck for a couple months, maybe years.

[Guinness44]

check out Avalanche Engineering, hes got a Cummins in a wagon. Pics on his site.

[BigKofJustice]

I'm hearing that Diesel Depot are doing Cummins 4BT and 6BT conversions, there's a thread on humvee.net about a truck about to be picked up.

Predator is working on a few cummins conversions now I'm told, and will offer them officially soon.

No word on cost, but generally I've heard it's less labor to install a cummins than a duramax.

[stjames151]

Originally Posted by BigKofJustice

No word on cost, but generally I've heard it's less labor to install a cummins than a duramax.

The difficulty with a 6bt is length and height. Inline 6 vs 4x2 = longer by ~14in. Vertical vs 48*= taller by ~5" plus another 3" to be serviceable. We had to cut my oil pan capacity 2.5L to make it not hang down under the frame rails, and I have to unbolt and raise the body to get the valve cover off. It's not a huge deal for me. I just change the oil at NO MORE than 3000mi. I'm gonna fix/lift it just to get a little bigger tires under me pretty soon. I'm gonna quit going up when I get to 28" at the diff. Im at 24" now.

As for a 4bt, that should fit nicely (lengthwise), and with some tuning the Gen1 can achieve over 400h.p. and 900Ft.Lbs. and be a DD. The only problem may be where to put the twin turbos.... cause you gotta have twin turbos......really.

[ron b]

here's the link to the Diesel Depot Cummins swap:

http://www.hummernetworkforums.com/v...c.php?t=218445

looks like they did a super neat and tidy job.

rb

[Elwenil]

I've often thought about buying a HMMWV and swapping in a Cummins or even a 5.7L Hemi, mainly because I dispise GM engines but I've often wondered how the hubs hold up to the torque of the Cummins 6BT. Anyone have any input?

[BigKofJustice]

Originally Posted by Elwenil

I've often thought about buying a HMMWV and swapping in a Cummins or even a 5.7L Hemi, mainly because I dispise GM engines but I've often wondered how the hubs hold up to the torque of the Cummins 6BT. Anyone have any input?

The geared hubs aren't usually an issue. reverhart here on the forums built a H1 desert race truck with monster hp and torque, and you'll be busting half shafts up long before a geared hub would fail. It's 2 big solid gears.

Geared hub failures are rare, and the ones I've heard about are due to the spindle nut being incorrectly installed causing the wheel to come off.

[jph3]

Didnt think about a hemi conversion... any links or pics? Better yet, videos?

[stjames151]

Originally Posted by Elwenil

...I've often wondered how the hubs hold up to the torque of the Cummins 6BT. Anyone have any input?

900+ ft.lbs. in mine and they're goin strong. The worm gears in the diffs take quite a beating though. I've grenaded every 10k half shaft and upgraded to 12k and took one of those out too, but I hear thats rare.

[jph3]

I saw a H1 for sale with a Mash conversion... looks like they do a good job, but its pricey!

http://www.mashmotorsinc.com/index.html