Hi allI have been lurking for years but am a newbie to the whole RV lifestyle. finally making a 10 year dream come true and we will be fulltiming for 1 year with 5 kids and a puggle. :CWe currently own a 2000 3/4 ton suburban with 150,000 miles on it and are looking for a trailer.Ideally would like one with quad bunks for the kiddos but obviously these are longer and heavier. Has to be used because let's face it taking a year off is expensive. Been saving for years for the dream and don't want it all to end just after we buy the trailer.anyway I have seen a few on craigslist that fit our requirements but they are all in the 7000 lb. range. I don't know all the numbers necessary and honestly I don't even understand some of the math and ratios involved but generally speaking how does this sound ? Too heavy?????I am nervous to ask car dealers or RV dealers because they don't seem to know an awful lot from what I have asked.:?I am 130 and husband is 230. Teen daughter steady at 125 but the 11 year old and 9 year old boys at 70 pounds will grow and the 2 year old and baby will as well. Figure 800 pounds for passenger weight for at least a few years.Ok that's my info. now the question is in the hand of the experts on this board.Thank you in advance for considering my inquiries:).

You can pull that weight, but need to know how much you can carry. What is the payload rating for your truck? It needs to support the weight of all passengers and stuff in the vehicle, plus the tongue and hitch weight.Estimate the average 13% of loaded trailer weight to be carried on the tongue, plus another 100lbs for the hitch. Add in the weight of passengers and stuff in truck. If your payload is higher than that you should be ok to carry it.The other issue is the actual trailer weight. If 7k is the empty weight you may struggle when it's loaded. Packed with stuff for 7 people to full time will easily push you close to 9000lbs. That may be too much. Can't say without knowing more specifics of your tow vehicle. (engine, gearing, tow rating etc)

You're kind of in the same boat as I am. My family of five, including three teenages, weighs in around 850 lbs. We have a 3/4-ton Burb as well. Even though it's an '08, the weight numbers are very similar to your '01.The most important number for you is payload. A 3/4 ton Burb can carry about 2000 lbs of payload. Subtract your family and gear, and you're probably left with about 1000 lbs of payload. This is important because the tongue weight of the trailer is part of your payload. Typical tongue weight of a trailer is about 13% of total weight, so that puts your maximum trailer weight around 7700 lbs.My current trailer is a 26' triple bunk. Dry weight is 5565, and GVWR of the trailer is 7800. This means the trailer can carry about 2200 lbs of gear. Here's the weigh slip from our last trip:Now, the GVWR of the Suburban is 8600 lbs. That's the total maximum recommended weight on the 4 wheels. If you add the first two numbers, you get exactly 8600 lbs. Which means I'm using ALL of my available payload with this trailer. And this was for only a two-week trip.A quad bunk trailer might be pushing it a bit with regards to weight. You might be able to get away with it if you pack minimal gear in the Suburban, and pack the trailer wisely. In other words - heavier stuff would be placed towards the rear of the trailer, to keep from increasing the tongue weight on the Suburban.

according to the manual the payload is 3100. Ok I understand the figure better now. I spoke with the owner of the trailer and he stated the dry weight is 7100 but that seems high even with quad bunks. Maybe we downsize the trailer. No real plans on carrying massive amounts in the cargo of the burban but I have never done full time so who knows what we may drag across the country.

A 2000 model year vehicle won't have any "official" payload rating for YOUR specific vehicle. That #3000 figure you see in the manual, is not YOUR rig. Unless it's a base model Burb? Do you have power 'everything', carpet, 3 rear seats, ect?? ;)If so, you probably don't have #3000 of payload..Best you can do is load up the family and get the Burb weighed. That will tell you where you are at now and subtract that from the trucks GVWR that should be listed on the drivers door jamb sticker.That's gonna be your actual 'payload' left for the trailers tongue weight and whatever else you pack in it.The other thing to consider is what is your actual towing performance expectations? Are you willing to put the pedal to the floor and pull 4000 rpms to go up the grades? If you have the 8.1L engine, you'll have power, but the mpg's might start to look a bit low... ;)Are you ready for that?Anyway, sounds like a great plan and wish I could do something like that! I don't have any kids, but that would be a great trip to be sure!Good luck!Mitch

The 2000 3/4 Burb was only available with a 6.0L, 4speed auto(OD). The 3.73 axle ratio was standard. 4.10 or 3.42 was optional. Best case is yours has the 4.10 axle for towing such a heavy TT.

question regarding 2000 suburban 2500 | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

virgoox
Explorer
Mar 15, 2015
according to the manual the payload is 3100.
Ok I understand the figure better now. I spoke with the owner of the trailer and he stated the dry weight is 7100 but that seems high even with quad bunks. Maybe we downsize the trailer. No real plans on carrying massive amounts in the cargo of the burban but I have never done full time so who knows what we may drag across the country.
intheburbs
Explorer
Mar 15, 2015
You're kind of in the same boat as I am. My family of five, including three teenages, weighs in around 850 lbs. We have a 3/4-ton Burb as well. Even though it's an '08, the weight numbers are very similar to your '01.

The most important number for you is payload. A 3/4 ton Burb can carry about 2000 lbs of payload. Subtract your family and gear, and you're probably left with about 1000 lbs of payload. This is important because the tongue weight of the trailer is part of your payload. Typical tongue weight of a trailer is about 13% of total weight, so that puts your maximum trailer weight around 7700 lbs.

My current trailer is a 26' triple bunk. Dry weight is 5565, and GVWR of the trailer is 7800. This means the trailer can carry about 2200 lbs of gear.

Here's the weigh slip from our last trip:

Now, the GVWR of the Suburban is 8600 lbs. That's the total maximum recommended weight on the 4 wheels. If you add the first two numbers, you get exactly 8600 lbs. Which means I'm using ALL of my available payload with this trailer. And this was for only a two-week trip.

A quad bunk trailer might be pushing it a bit with regards to weight. You might be able to get away with it if you pack minimal gear in the Suburban, and pack the trailer wisely. In other words - heavier stuff would be placed towards the rear of the trailer, to keep from increasing the tongue weight on the Suburban.
camp-n-family
Explorer
Mar 15, 2015
You can pull that weight, but need to know how much you can carry. What is the payload rating for your truck? It needs to support the weight of all passengers and stuff in the vehicle, plus the tongue and hitch weight.

Estimate the average 13% of loaded trailer weight to be carried on the tongue, plus another 100lbs for the hitch. Add in the weight of passengers and stuff in truck. If your payload is higher than that you should be ok to carry it.

The other issue is the actual trailer weight. If 7k is the empty weight you may struggle when it's loaded. Packed with stuff for 7 people to full time will easily push you close to 9000lbs. That may be too much. Can't say without knowing more specifics of your tow vehicle. (engine, gearing, tow rating etc)

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