The Towing Capacity for a 2002 S-10 Crew Cab
by Richard RoweGeneral Motors likes to say that the Colorado was a "replacement" for the S-10, but that's a practice in delusion if there ever was one. The Colorado is a fine enough truck, but it's much larger than the S-10 -- a truck that made its fame specifically by being smaller than others, and by being more capable as a truck than its diminutive proportions implied.
Towing Capacity
Several things determine a vehicle's towing capacity: what the chassis and axles can handle, what the tires are rated to carry, what the engine has to pull and what the transmission can manage without breaking. The base-model, two-wheel-drive S-10 with a regular cab weighed in at a paltry 3,000 pounds, had a total Gross Weight rating -- maximum capacity -- of 4,200 pounds and a towing capacity of 6,000 pounds.
The Crew Cab model, though, weighed in at a stunning 4,000 pounds; the additional cab weight and wheelbase, combined with the mandatory V-6 and four-wheel-drive system that came with all Crew Cab models tacked on nearly half a ton over the base model. In terms of towing capacity, the four-wheel-drive system and associated drivetrain offset some of the Crew Cab's extra mass; however, it still rated 500 pounds lower than the base model. GM approved the heavy Chevy for 5,500 pounds of towing capacity.
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Writer Bio
Richard Rowe has been writing professionally since 2007, specializing in automotive topics. He has worked as a tractor-trailer driver and mechanic, a rigger at a fire engine factory and as a race-car driver and builder. Rowe studied engineering, philosophy and American literature at Central Florida Community College.
