I need 3 rows of seats and more towing power....

3.73 gears would have been better than 3.42. 3.42 may give a little better mileage not towing but the taller 3.73 will get the load moving better and keep the rpm's in the power band of the engine when under load.

You are pulling quite a load, the shape of it is a wind sail so you are fighting the weight and the wind drag. A 1/2 ton gas tow vehicle is not going to move it at highway speed without some strain, the engine is going to rev and use a lot of gas, and sometimes you are just going to have to settle with going slower.

3 rows of seats will require as Go Dogs stated a one ton passenger van, another possibility is a good used if you can find it diesel Excursion or a Suburban 2500 with at least the 6.0 and 3.73 or lower gears.

Maybe a gear change on what you have, making sure it has the factory tow package with the larger radiator and transmission cooler and that the cooling system is clear of any mineral deposits and has the right mixture of fresh coolant.

I went from towing a 28 foot travel trailer that was close to 6000 pounds with a 1/2 ton 5.3 Suburban to the F250 with the diesel. The Suburban got it moving but did take a lot of gas and on hills it was in second gear revving high if I wanted to maintain speed. I could have gotten by with it but at the time could afford to upgrade my 1/2 ton truck so I bought the diesel.

I could have kept going with what I had and went slower since most of my travels at the time were in the south in the flat part of the area.

Take a break, look at your options before spending any more money and make sure what you spend gives you the most bang for you dollar.

If the current vehicle tows stable without sway and power is you only issue there are things you can do to make slight improvements without breaking the bank. The least expensive is a gear change and probably a computer flash to up the shift points when towing and let a little more hp and torque out.

Are there any performance 4x4 truck shops or speed shops in your area? One of those could offer you some solutions that will help but not so much power that you are breaking things in the driveline.

Go Dogs wrote:
One ton passenger van.

With Duramax. They are running about $18,000-19,000, 2011 models coming out of passenger fleet service with around 100,000 miles.

With the 6.0 gas engine, they are about $3000 cheaper, and have much lower mileage, but you will have the same issues with the 6.0 in a van as you do in the SUV, it is necessary to run at high RPM to make the power you want to fly through the mountains.

A dealer in Georgia (Hennessy of Southlake) has a small collection. I've never dealt with him, I have a dealer here that finds me trucks and vans to my specification, if the truck specialist in Owasso doesn't happen to have in stock what I'm looking for.

Express passenger van is going to have 4 or 5 rows of seats, you can easily take out what you don't need and gain some big cargo space. The van will also have about 2800-3000 pounds of payload capacity, which you will not often find in a full-size SUV.

anw7405 wrote:
I'm just looking for ideas at this point. I had a 2000 suburban with 3.73 gears and the 5.3 and it was not enough to pull my travel trailer good. I broke down and got a 2007 6.2 denali with a 3.42 rear end because everyone said it was a great tow vehicle. We just got back from our first trip in the ozark mountains and I was less than impressed with it.

It is still a half ton...albeit with a bigger 'car' engine

Towing heavy is not just about power...but mainly, IMHO, the ability
to manhandle the setup.

Not just during the good days when a riding lawn mower with a big
enough engine 'can' tow it

But...for the bad days out there and when Mr Murphy crosses your
path.

Either you have the proper sized components/systems and properly setup
the whole thing...or not...spot on.

Most, including many advisers here on these freebie forums, only
concern themselves with HP and 'go'...

I want to be able to go out west and not worry about my tow vehicle. Long story short the tranny and engine ran pretty hot and made knocking noises at random times.

Why the higher class TV's have bigger towing attributes because they
have bigger components from the frame, to the drive train, to the
suspension and even software

I will keep this for now probably with an additional tranny cooler but what do I need to look for. Old 8.1 burb? 2008 and above with the 6.0 2500 burb. diesel excursion?

Good, sounds like you figured it out...the towing heavy requires a
higher class TV

Many stick with the lowest class TV (and they are getting better),
until they finally do tow with a higher class...most will comment
that they had no clue...to me, it is like trying to explain sex
to a virgin.... :B

anybody have any experience with these? I bought a light travel trailer for this specific reason at 4,650 lbs...probably around 6,000 with all weight added.

Yup...look at my sig...all my TV's have gotten bigger as the hard
knocks schooling sunk in...

Originally wanted to order a full sized van, but no OEM 4x4, so
settled for the Sub and love my Suburban !!!

Consider a full sized van if you don't need 4x4...member Bryan has
a full sized van with a 4x4 conversion. He is my reference on my
next TV

One ton passenger van.