towing ability

Will it be over your ratings? Yes
Can you tow it? Yes
Will it be safe? No

Don't forget to add the weight of passengers, water, fuel, and ALL gear. You will need HD cooling and suspension system AND trailer brakes. Did you ever see the Airstream promo picture of the guy pulling an Airstream with a bike? Pulling and pulling safely are two different things. One of these days, you will want to pull into fast traffic or go up a hill, or have to make a quick stop.
RV dealers have a bad habit of telling big fat lies about your towing ability.
Don't endanger your family. If you need passenger space and a big chassis-get a used 1 ton passenger van.

Typical 1500 Suburbans are very close to max limits with just passengers and stuff on board. I had a Tahoe with essentially the same drive train and it was a struggle to just pull a 21 foot TT with me, wife and large dog on board. There is no way in heck you will be good towing that much trailer with that little vehicle.

jmciver wrote:
Hello all, we have a 2004 suburban 1500(1/2 ton) with the 5.3L engine, 3:73 axle ratio, the factory tow package and about 96,000 miles with a towing capacity of 7400lbs. We are looking to tow a 31' 6000lb Springdale. We are will be staying close to home and no steep grades. I know it is not ideal and close to the limits. I have received mixed advice on whether or not it is ok to tow this much,
we are looking to upgrade to a 2500 suburban, but in the mean time what do you guys think, would it be safe? thanks for the advice.

Check for a sticker on your drivers door post. It should show your GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) and cargo carrying capacity (payload). CCC or payload is probably going to be 14 - 1500 lbs. Some are as low as 1200 lbs. There are no modifications that will increase these numbers.

Your GVWR is based on powertrain, frame, brakes, axles, suspension, and tires. If you exceed your cargo carrying capacity, you also exceed your GVWR.

Your payload is the room you have for passengers, weight distribution hitch (about 100 lbs), cargo (in or on the tow vehicle), and hitch weight.

Add up the weight of everybody who will be in the vehicle, plus 100 lbs for the WD hitch, plus the weight of any gear you will carry in, or on the vehicle. Subtract that weight from your payload. What you have left is available payload for the trailer tongue weight.

That 6000 lb trailer will have over 700 lbs tongue weight. More, if that 6000 lb is an unloaded weight. I would suspect a 31 ft trailer, is probably 6000 unloaded, with 1500 - 2000 cargo capacity.

Most likely, your loaded trailer weight will be at least 7000 lbs, with a tongue weight around 850 - 900 lbs.

I think, when you add up the weights for WD hitch, passengers, and cargo, you won't have enough payload left to handle that trailer. You could be looking at having 4 - 500 lbs payload available to try and handle 900 lbs of tongue weight.

If you are staying close, buy it, tow with the Suburban, take as many people as you can in a second vehicle.

Where'd you get the 6000lbs from? That sounds pretty light for a 31' TT, especially for a Springdale. If it is close to correct I would guess it is a dry weight and will be much higher once loaded.

My 31' TT is considered a lightweight and is 6400lbs dry, 7600lbs with nearly 1k tongue once loaded.

It'll do it, but not very happily and definitely over loaded.

That's too much trailer for that vehicle. It's another the "RV salesman told me I could tow it" scenario.

IF it is 6000lb loaded, You should be good. If not. Then no.

thank you to everyone that took the time to respond. I appreciate all your advice. It is 6000lbs dry. Towing and towing safely are two very different things.

I'd say that it gives you no margin of error and that you will be over. Your should try this calculator:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml