Weight rating and upgrades
 

I am nearly maxing out my payload rating on my 2000 Chevy blazer when I go camping and I'd like to in the future be able to pull atvs when we go. I was looking at putting bags in the rear to negate some of the sag i get, and help my leaf springs but I worry that my axle won't be able to take the extra weight of atvs on top of what I have already. Should I not be worried or is there a solution for keeping mine relatively stock?

I’d be more concerned with my brakes if I were you

Bags or adjustable shocks, can also look into stiffer leaf springs. But I would upgrade the brakes. The more you pull, the more it takes to stop. Especially going downhill... I gotta ride my brakes and stay 4 car lengths back when I pull my tent trailer, which is no lighter then the blazer itself...

Ok i will do that. Is it worth looking and trading drum for disk? Or just better pads?

I find that I've had better stopping power with discs brakes. If you go that route you will need to swap out the master cylinder aswell for a disc/disc setup.

Alright ill look into it then. Thanks for all the advice!

It’s not worth doing any of that IMO. If I were you, I’d either get a better trailer with brakes, or sell the blazer and buy a bigger vehicle

I think you'll need to switch th end of the ebrake as well...

I for one would rather better my blazer then have the hassle of looking for a vehicle to tow with. But i like my blazer, so it might just be me...

Here’s the problem, if you “better” your blazer, unless you’re an automotive engineer, you’ll have no idea how “better” (or worse) it is.

Unless you get substantially bigger front brake rotors, and wheels/tires to fit them, it’s pretty much a moot point. Even if you do, you’ve then created another huge issue of having no idea what the correct brake proportioning should be (unless, of course you’re an automotive engineer).

IMO the thought of “rear disc” upgrade isn’t even worth the trouble for the minuscule improvement to be seen during times when more load is on the rear brakes during towing.

OP, if you value your safety, invest in a better trailer with brakes, or ditch the ancient blazer and buy something that will fit your needs

As for brakes, in my build thread I have a link to not so much an upgrade but rather tbe best replacement rotors and pads I could find. The rotors are cyro-treated to last longer and have better heat conduction.

Also you should add an extra trans cooler. I burned up my trans by letting it overheat while towing my boat. A nice extra is a trans temp gauge. To do that you need a OBD gauge reader.

I also installed a larger radiator but that might be more than you need.