Towing with 1/2 ton SUV NEED ADVICE

I think your probably right on the money with the 243BHS. Personally I wouldn't go much more than that. The 252 puts you right back up to almost 30 ft in trailer.

I have a 2007 tahoe with the 5.3l and 3.73 gears. Pretty similar to your truck, even though you have the 3.42 gears, you also have the 6 spd transmission (I think its a 6 spd), so my thought is its probably going to tow about the same, up and down grades.

We tow a 2300 bh passport with ours, and it tows just fine with a standard wdh. Could it tow better with a better hitch? Probably. But for now it works. Granted I have not towed up and down many extremely steep grades, but for what I have done, I would be upgrading the truck prior to getting a larger trailer. A lot of it has to do with payload, and if its just you and the wife and gear thats one thing, but you add in the dog, the 2 kids, a friend...eats up your payload quickly.

That said, I think what I would do is get your payload numbers, get the weight of whatever hitch you plan on using, the weight of whomever will be in the car, and start adding everything up. Use the 243bhs as the trailer you might purchase. Remember, the numbers you will get from the dealer will likely be quite a bit lower than the weight when you add in the battery, propane tanks, and other accessories that come with the trailer.

A earlier post talks about a hensley arrow hitch. I would say thats probably one of the top of the line units out there. Find out what that costs, and see if that changes your calculation on what you might purchase.

I didn't consider this when I got ours, and I regret it. I don't think I need a hensley, but for what I want I wish I had the money back on the hitch I ended up with to get a different one. Just speaking from experience here. I also overthought the amount my first vehicle could safely tow, and after my first long trip (about 300 miles) I bought a bigger truck. My early trips were only 25 miles at max and the experience was much different.

Live and learn I guess. In the end I am happier with my new vehicle (even if I didn't have the trailer). But there aren't always happy endings to these kind of storys.

jdgilbert wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my fears that that trailer is more than I could safely tow with my Yukon. Don't want my heart to overrule my brain and end up endangering myself, family or anybody else on the road.

I'm going to refocus my search on the Keystone Bullet 243BHS or 252BHS. Jayco also has a White Hawk 25BHS all of which are under 5000 dry weight and under 30' in length.

Anybody have any other similar models I should consider?

Wisdom is better than courage, good decision

Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my fears that that trailer is more than I could safely tow with my Yukon. Don't want my heart to overrule my brain and end up endangering myself, family or anybody else on the road.

I'm going to refocus my search on the Keystone Bullet 243BHS or 252BHS. Jayco also has a White Hawk 25BHS all of which are under 5000 dry weight and under 30' in length.

Anybody have any other similar models I should consider?

The likely limitation is payload for you as Westend said. Check that driver's door Tire and Loading sticker and get your as equipped payload. Estimate the weight of your fmily and a little more for activities to occupy driving time. You will have about 800 pounds of tongue weight with that TT. It is wise to stay below that payload. If you have enough for family and TW, go for it. Performance won''t be a problem with your 6-spd trans. Get a WDH with integrated sway control (Equal-i-zer 4pt, Reese Strait Line, Blueox Swaypro) and a proportional brake controller. Happy camping!

Welcome to the forum!!

You can't really go by the "tow rating" on any vehicle when dealing with RVs...

Based on the specs you provided:
Unloaded Vehicle Weight - 5,460 Lbs
Dry Hitch Weight - 635 Lbs

In that size trailer you will on the average add at least 1000 lbs of "stuff", not counting fresh water, so you are looking at 6500 lbs loaded. If the tongue weight ratio stays the same, you will add about 750 lbs of tongue weight to the Yukon.

Best thing you can do is load up the Yukon like you are going camping, with a full tank of fuel and all passengers/luggage, and head for a scale. Subtract that loaded weight from the "GVWR" on the sticker on the driver's door jamb, and the remainder will be how much you have available for tongue weight.

That said, you are gonna have your hands full towing a 32' trailer with a short wheelbase vehicle like a Yukon. Our TT is 32' and about 8500 lbs loaded, and we invested in a Hensley Arrow hitch to make sure the TT behaves on the highway.

Advertised unloaded weights tend to run on the low side. The dealer is going to add weight with propane, battery/s, and sometimes a few dealer installed options. Then the user is going to add dishes, pots and pans, camp chairs, BBQ, bedding, groceries, and water, etc. By the time the trailer is ready to go camping, it normally weighs about 1000 lbs, more than it's unloaded weight. Sometimes more. It's surprising how much stuff you can pack into them.

Average tongue weight is 12 - 13% of loaded trailer weight, and it goes up and down with the load. Different things get loaded for different trips, water level goes up and down, holding tank levels go up and down, and grocery levels go up and down. Holding tanks depending on loaction, in relation to the axles, can raise and lower tongue weight. Once you calculate your loaded tongue weight, keep in mind, that will not be a constant, written in stone number.

Your max tow weight rating, is also not written in stone. It is affected by every pound of aftermarket accessories, people, and cargo, put into, or on the vehicle. In your owners manual, you'll find a statement similar to "Max tow capacity is limited to the weakest link in all of the vehicles ratings". That weak link is normally payload.

If the book says your vehicle has up to 8500 lbs two capacity, that means the manufacturer calculated 8500 lbs capacity with a 150 lb driver, who had no cargo, no aftermarket accessories, a trailer with much less wind resitance than a travel trailer, and he had no passengers. As you add weight (people, cargo, accessories, weight distributing hitch) to the vehicle, that tow capacity and available payload are going down, pound for pound.

Does that trailer fit within your ratings? It may, but, it'll be much closer than you think.

My son's Dodge Durango has 8500 max tow capacity. I would not recommend a trailer that size for him.

Here is a handy calculator. Imput your numbers and it will calculate your max "loaded" trailer weight. Click here.

You'll need your payload number (from your door post sticker), your occupant weight, your cargo weight, and input 100 lbs for hitch weight.

Any time someone says "I know I'm really, really close to my max, but.....", my suggestion is don't. There is some rule, whether written or unwritten, that strongly suggests having a 1000# cushion between what you intend to pull and your max....also some % figure but I never remember what that is. Agree completely about the pulling and STOPPING part. Also agree that 31'11" is a long trailer to be marginal with.

Our 03 F150 is rated to tow 8000#. Our Rocky is 5585 dry, 6629 GVWR. The rest of the numbers are also good, so we have that cushion. Even with that, we don't win any races pulling through the mountains.

Personal opinion is that you should keep looking for a model that's a couple of feet shorter, which should help all your numbers come together better and safer for you and your family.

2008 Yukon Denali HD tow pkg. With 3.42 gear ratio...rated at 7900lbs. New Apex 279RLSS coming next month at about 5500 lbs dry. The Apex has a 28 ft shell and 3 ft tongue. Pulled a Crossroads Slingshot 26 ft 3700 lbs dry. a number of times in the Smokies. Never had a issue on 6% grades. Will check the new Apex in the mountains this spring.

We travel light, pretty much empty tanks, remove 3rd row seats. Just me and my wife and 3 small dogs.

As to breaking when going down on grade...I found that in tow/haul mode and on cruise, the tranny would systematically shift down and provide engine braking. I would sometimes shift down to 3rd or 4th. Never felt as though I was taxing the vehicle other than high rpm's. The 6.2 L is a beast. I didn't check brake temps, maybe I should, but I did very little breaking down hill. Let the tranny and engine keep the speed under control.

Now, with the heavier TT, will have to see how it does in the Smokies. If marginal, I will look at the newer Sierra or Silverado with the newer 6.2 L 420 HP, 460 Ft pounds of torque...rated at 9600 up to 10800 lbs towing depending on gearing.

The length of the TT, combined with the weight, would make me shy away from this combination.

I wouldn't do it. I think you'll be much happier with the tow performance with a maximum trailer length of 26' and no more than 5 k dry weight. Keep trailer length shorter due to wheelbase of your TV and keep your trailer weight around 75% of max and towing won't be a problem and you won't find yourself in the predicament of needing a new tow vehicle.