Time for my 2006 Yukon Denali XL to earn its keep

Which engine do you have, 5.3 or 6.0? Either one will do. The 6.0 with the 4L80e will do a little better in the hills. My dry weight is 5800 and I don't travel with anything in the tanks. The 5.3 does pretty well for us. I'd rather have the 6.0 but not enough to spend the money. Never noticed or had any issues with the brakes on our 2000 Suburban. But, I will replace them when they start looking worn because it's an easy job and rockauto makes it a cheap job. We just got back from a trip to the mountains and had an awesome time. It was a little slow going up Black Mountain but, I didn't want to beat on the old girl so I ran 45 MPH up the mountain. We're old and peaceful so the speed limit or there abouts is perfect. The 1/2 ton burb with the 5.3 does fine. I added an additional transmission cooler and the 4L60e loves it.

Nevertheless, the big GM SUVs do fine. There's only one issue that I have found and that's the rear ends. I had mine rebuilt last year. If you're doing a lot of towing service that differential with synthetic fluids and be sure to put in what GM recommends as far as amount. It's a super easy DIY job. Some people say fill it till the oil runs out of the filler hole. Well, that's sorta true. If you're filling from empty and what you're putting in is roughly 2.1 - 2.5 no more quarts then do that. If filling from empty you'll notice that it will start pouring out of the fill hole. Then if you drive it and check again the level will be down because some of that oil has been drawn into the axle shafts and various parts of the rear end. The actual level is supposed to be down from the fill hole not right at it. I made a differential dip stick from an electrical tie. Look up the exact refill amount for your vehicle. I check mine before every trip and change the fluid about once a year. That overhaul was spendy. Overfilling can easily cause it to weep and leak at the axle seals and/or pinion gear seal. When it weeps at the axle seal the parking brake becomes oil soaked and useless. I keep my level around 5/8 to an inch down from the fill hole.

Also, get yourself some Sumo SuperSprings for that rear end. Best towing money that I have spent on the burb and an easy install too.

Nicely done on the camper and the tow rig!

chrispitude wrote:
Dry weight is about 5200lbs (no battery, propane, etc) so travel weight will be closer to 6000lbs.

Nice looking trailer! Need some pics of the inside!

Just an FYI, your travel weight will be closer to 7000 lbs when you get the TT packed. Don't take my word for it, load it up and take it to the scales. Also plan on re-adjusting the WD hitch since the balance of the trailer will change once you get the cabinets and storage packed with stuff. If you plan on traveling with full water then figure that in as well.

Speaking of brake upgrades, check your brake lines as well. I know early 2000's trucks like mine had uncoated steel lines that rust out....at some point GM started using better material so I'm not sure about your '06.

azrving wrote:
I remember the bad brake issues GM had years back. You could stand on the pedal but better pray that there was room to veer to the shoulder.

How did the brake upgrade work? Is it a lot better?

When I first got the truck, I was terrified to drive it because it was exactly like you described. Even after replacing all the pads and rotors with premium stuff and bleeding the system repeatedly, it felt the same way.

To me, the factory brake felt like having the power brake booster working only 50%, with a block of wood between your foot and the brake pedal.

The GMT900 brake upgrade made a tremendous difference. Driving back from my mechanic's shop, I couldn't stop smiling after feeling the initial bite with just partial pedal pressure. And firm pressure slows things down in a hurry. To be honest, I haven't really stomped on the pedal yet because... well, I just haven't felt the need to know what's past that.

I would not have wanted to bring that Jayco home with the factory brakes, brake controller or not. Braking while towing with the GMT900 brakes felt very confident, even before I had the brake controller dialed in and the truck was doing too much of the braking.

I remember the bad brake issues GM had years back. You could stand on the pedal but better pray that there was room to veer to the shoulder.

How did the brake upgrad work? Is it a lot better?

colliehauler wrote:
Get your motor runnin.

I never had that 6.0L spinning like that before, that's for sure...

Get your motor runnin.
Head out on the highway.
Lookin for adventure.
What ever comes are way.