We think it's time to move from a motorhome to a travel trailer. There are several reasons for wanting to move to a TT not the least of which is the yearly cost of maintenance of the motorhome, 7 tires, two oil changes, insurance, etc.. We have discovered that what we do is go to the beach, park it and then drive home. We both agree that a travel trailer would suit our needs better in the long haul. We don't have any plans to drive from coast to coast. So, it's been years since I towed a TT. Back then I went through three different tow vehicles, the best being a Ford F-150. But, I had friends who had Chevrolet Suburbans and they all seemed to think that it was a good tow vehicle. I can't afford a new one but, I have several used ones on my radar and a couple of Tahoes, all with the 5.3, V-8. A pickup truck might work but, an SUV would do much better on a drive everyday basis. I like the wheelbase of the suburban. Is there anything I need to know about suburbans (or Tahoes) for towing a travel trailer? What about year models? I have a buddy with an older Burb that has a 350 and he tows a heavy cargo trailer (full of furniture) all the time up in the mountains and says his does well. What about the 5.3? I have several friends with the 5.3s that tow various trailers and think they do pretty well. We haven't started really looking at trailers yet. We feel like there's no point in that till we have a tow vehicle. My wife is turning up the heat for me to get this ball rolling so, I gotta do something sooner rather than later.

The 2500 series Suburbans can tow a LOT, and normally came with either the 454 or sometimes the 350" engines. Either are great at towing, but not so good of mileage on the 454. I think that 99 was the last year of the 454, but not sure. My buddy had a 2500 series Suburban and 454. He would get around 6 MPG while towing his 10,000 pound 31' travel trailer. The Tahoe and 1500 Suburban's are not the towing machines of a 2500 series Suburban. The 5.3L engine is probably more HP than the 350 ever had, due to it's higher engine RPM and more air flow through the newly designed heads. So it all depends on the GVWR of the vehicle, and the curb weight. As you know, the F-150 has many GVW ratings, and as you have a larger cab, and 4 wheel drive the curb weight goes up. The newer Ecoboost with a higher GVWR option, they can tow up to 10,500 pounds. I was recently researching a F-150 for my boss, and the 2014 you can upgrade the GVWR to 7,700 on the XL truck, or 7,850 on the XLT truck with the Ecoboost. He did not want to do any towing, so did not pick the super heavy duty options. Ford came out with the 3.5L Ecoboost in 2011, and there should be a few used ones sitting around by now. Many want to trade up to the 2015 with a 600 pound lower curb weight, and 2 MPG better mileage. The 2.7L Ecoboost can save my boss $600 a year in fuel costs, but he decided to get the 3.5L in a 2014 to increase his rebates, and lower the purchase price. I would be recommending the 2011 - 2014 Supercrew F-150 if you can find one with a higher GVWR and higher cargo rating. Good luck with your selection!Fred.

How many seat belts do you need?Pets?How do you pack? Fire wood? Dirty/sandy/etc and lots of fishing gear (stinkystuff for inside the passenger compartment)? How big a trailer?Where do you plan to tow? Terrain (inclines, altitude, etc). Know you saidthe beach, but really think about the potential to go elsewhere...as if that isabsolutely true...then just buy the trailer you want and have the dealer towit to your spot on the beach...or hire someone to tow it and forgo the TV andjust have your car for your trips to the beach

the Tahoe is not even close to the Burb, as a good tow vehicle. mainly due to the much shorter wheelbase.and the 5.3 is fine, IF you don't have a large trailer.i have the Avalanche(basically a Burb with a pickup bed). it has the 5.3, 4spd trans and the towing package with the 3.73 rear end.my max towing is 7200lbs. but i wouldn't go much bigger than the 24' HTT that i currently tow. but i live out West and have lots of mtn. ranges to deal with.you need to give us some possible TT choices that you have, to see what would be a proper TV.

bikendan wrote:the Tahoe is not even close to the Burb, as a good tow vehicle. mainly due to the much shorter wheelbase.and the 5.3 is fine, IF you don't have a large trailer.i have the Avalanche(basically a Burb with a pickup bed). it has the 5.3, 4spd trans and the towing package with the 3.73 rear end.my max towing is 7200lbs. but i wouldn't go much bigger than the 24' HTT that i currently tow. but i live out West and have lots of mtn. ranges to deal with.you need to give us some possible TT choices that you have, to see what would be a proper TV.X2Similar to Avalanche there is also some great deals on half-ton crewcab pickups around. The longer the wheelbase the better.

I'd like to find a 24 foot TT with a slide. It should be very towable with a Suburban with the 5.3. 26 foot would be the maximum I would consider. The steepest climb I would have would be Black Mountain on I-40 in North Carolina, or 421 up to Boone NC.

Suburbans.. | Good Sam Community

BigToe
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
intheburbs wrote:
3/4 tons: Many will tell you these are the kings of the hill. Especially the 8.1 with the Allison. Absolute beast of a truck.

The 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1 liter engine was never fitted with the Allison, ever. Only the trucks received the Allison. The transmission fitted in the Suburban/YukonXL with the 8.1 was the 4L85e, which was an updated variant of the 4L80e that the 3/4 ton Suburbans with the 6.0L engine were equipped with.
MPond
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
BigToe wrote:
The 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1 liter engine was never fitted with the Allison, ever. Only the trucks received the Allison. The transmission fitted in the Suburban/YukonXL with the 8.1 was the 4L85e, which was an updated variant of the 4L80e that the 3/4 ton Suburbans with the 6.0L engine were equipped with.

This is correct...

I just recently sold my 3/4 ton 8.1L Suburban - was a great truck!

I don't know why, but many people (and even some bad salesmen) assumed the 8.1L Suburban had the same Allison trans as the pickups. I even met a guy with one that argued that he had the Allison, until we climbed underneath and I showed him his 4L85e...
intheburbs
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
BigToe wrote:
intheburbs wrote:
3/4 tons: Many will tell you these are the kings of the hill. Especially the 8.1 with the Allison. Absolute beast of a truck.

The 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1 liter engine was never fitted with the Allison, ever. Only the trucks received the Allison. The transmission fitted in the Suburban/YukonXL with the 8.1 was the 4L85e, which was an updated variant of the 4L80e that the 3/4 ton Suburbans with the 6.0L engine were equipped with.

I stand corrected. Thanks for setting me straight.

The few that I came across in researching this had RPO code MN8, which is the 4L80-E.
32vld
Explorer
Jan 19, 2015
I own a 2001 Suburban 1500, 5.3, 3.42, 4x4, since new. 124,000 miles.

Times I wish I had a crew cab. Though I love my "warehouse" in back of the 2nd seat that is weather proof and climate controlled. When we went upstate this year to buy a Christmas tree we just tied the tree to the roof rack. That warehouse worked well for we were able to keep our beagle in the back while we ate. If we had a pick up my wife would put me in the pickup bed before I could do that to her dog. Cap or no cap.

I had bought a 4x8 Harbor Freight trailer for the times I had to haul dirty stuff or something to big to fit in the Suburban.

Now I only towed a Coleman pop up. I never felt it in the back. I was able to do 70 - 75 mph and get 20.7 mpg.

My towing capacity is 7,900 lb.

Now it would of been higher if I had gotten a 3.73, and higher again with the 4.11. Though I knew I would never be towing more then 7,900 lbs and wanted best fuel mileage.

With Suburban's 2001 and up once you went 6.0 mpg dropped a lot.

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