2004 Suburban, what will it tow?

BenK wrote:
2004, so a GMT800, which means the factory receiver is a POS...as a min, if the previous owner hasn't, change it out for a tradition design after market receiver

About $200 bucks and about 1 hours labor.

X2

The factory receiver is crap. Mine was replaced with a Curt Class IV, maybe the best $200 I've spent. I would implore anyone contemplating towing anything more than a utility trailer, scrap the factory GMT800 receiver before they ever hitch up.

2004, so a GMT800, which means the factory receiver is a POS...as a min, if the
previous owner hasn't, change it out for a tradition design after market receiver

About $200 bucks and about 1 hours labor.

You'll notice the difference when you lay them side by side

As others say, depends on a few things on the truck and what you load

Some have MPG diff ratios and is NOT good for towing. Especially on a half ton
towing heavy

A dry 4,690 trailer will normally end up hundreds to over a thousand lbs more
Key will be the tongue weight and orientation. Meaning the tongue weight should
be +12% of the actual weight. Meaning the orientation, or levelness of the tongue
on level ground, should be pointing level at it's highest pointing...to slightly
down (my preference and solves many folks sway problems)

If your automatic has the Tow/Haul button, use it whenever anything is hooked up

I like the P2/P3 brake controller and when setup right, will lead the trailer
brakes to stop/slow it down as 'one'

Hope it is not lifted, nor over sized tires. Both works against towing heavy

Make sure the tires are aire up to the max sidewall PSI. Assuming OEM sized
tires.

As has been said, you should be OK. Tow package probably has the 3.73 gears, mine does. I pull a trailer very close to yours in size and weight; 5500# packed for camping. I sure feel it, and it's a slow go up the mountain (at elevations of 6,000-11,000+) locked out in second at 35-45mph. On the flats or interstate, 60-65 is plenty. Make sure your TV is serviced regularly, get good WD hitch w/ sway control and set it up right, pack wisely, use tow-haul mode and don't be in a hurry. Enjoy.

We towed the TT in my sig for a couple years w/ our '05 Suburban. It weighs about 6000-6500# loaded to camp. I didn't love towing with it, but in reality it did fine. We did have the 4.10 gears, and I'd suggest you review the codes in your glove box to see what gearing your truck has.

It wasn't the best or most powerful TV ever, but it got us there. I suspect it will be adequate to tow the trailer you've mentioned.

Good post intheburbs and right on the money. Really lays it out clearly, and BTW this info is equally applicable to other SUVs like the Expedition, EL, Tahoe, etc. Just because it has "max tow package" doesn't mean spit in the RV world where the SUV is carrying 15% tongue weight from the trailer.

When I had my 2003 Suburban we figured it would tow 5500 lbs. At the time we had a Trailmanor and it worked just fine.

RTB wrote:
I'm a newbie to the trailer world and looking into buying my first TT. Would a 2004 Suburban 1500 with tow package be able to tow in long vacations a Keystone Ultra Lite Premier 22RBPR (25.5 ft, 4690 dry weight. Any comments on suitability of Suburban and review on TT itself would be greatly appreciated.

We towed with a 2004 Suburban for a while....she was a beast. IIRC, the max trailer weight was 8600lbs. At the time, it was just the me, the wife, and two kids less than 50lbs. I never really worried about the weight in the Suburban, as the trailer only weighed 5500lbs (lite toy hauler with no toys). As the kids have gotten older (and heavier), plus a dog, and the desire to have a larger trailer, we had to replace the Suburban for a more capable TV.

Be sure you get your WD set up properly and only expect 8-10 mpg while towing. When I was setting up the Suburban WD, I posted a bunch of pics on here and a lot of folks helped me dial it in real nice.

Cale

The limiting factor is the payload the Suburban can carry. Typical payload for a 1500 is ~1500 lbs. Subtract the weights of you and your passengers, and your gear/stuff, and that's what's left for your trailer tongue weight.

If you want to do it the right way, load up the family and a bunch of gear, fill the gas tank, and go over to the nearest CAT scale. Subtract the total weight on the slip from 7200, and that's how much you have left for the tongue weight of a trailer. Don't forget to include the weight of the hitch, too.

Depending on the size/weight of your family/passengers, you're probably ok. My first TT was a 29' Trail Cruiser. Dry weight was right around 4500. Drove down to Florida, twice, with no issues - 1200 miles each way. Burb is an '01 half ton. As you can see, I'm awfully close to the 4,000 lb rear axle weight rating, and 7200 lb gross vehicle weight rating.

Here's the rig and weigh slip:

Muddydogs wrote:
Check the numbers on your door panel to get an idea of your tow weights, that said your suburban will tow your trailer just fine.

x2 It will all depend on how much you load in the Suburban. Family of 6 is probably asking too much.

Check the numbers on your door panel to get an idea of your tow weights, that said your suburban will tow your trailer just fine. You won't be a speed racer but it will get it done. Watch your load as we all know its easy to pile junk high in a Suburban and add a lot of rig weight.