Towing with Chevy Suburban 1500

Hello fellow RV'ers.

I recently graduated from a modest little pop-up to a nice Bunkhouse TT and excited about going on some great family trips.

I'm a self admitted noob when it comes to the world of towing more substantial loads and had a few questions in regards to towing my new trailer with our suburban.

My TV is a 2003 Suburban 1500 with 148k on it. Its the 5.3 with a 3.73 gearing. I'm not sure if I have a tranny cooler on it as we bought it used. I did use tow mode.

The trailer is a 2016 Passport Ultra Lite 2920bh with a dry weight of approx 5200 lbs and tonguew weight of 625 lbs. All in we are probably at 6500 to 6800 loaded with passengers and gear.

We took the TT on its first trip of any significant mileage. Approx 150 miles. The suburban seemed to do okay but in all honesty I'm not sure what it would look like if it was pushing its limits.

On the trip we battled some decent side winds but over all the engine was running around 2500 up to 3000 rpms trying to keep up with freeway speeds. It seemed to be happiest around 65 mph. I'm running a full sway and load leveling hitch. I had some swaying but it was controllable. It seemed the most notable when semis or box trucks would pass My inexperience didn't help. :)

Braking seemed confident and my temps stayed steady at normal readings so it even with the higher rpms it didn't seemed too taxed. I didn't face any real hills but on some extended grades she would lose speed and by the time we crested the top we were down to about 50 - 55 mph. I was also nursing the gas to avoid it down shifting and reving higher. A couple times it did this and rev'd up to 4000 rpm. On our return trip we had head winds and I was running 3000 rpm and keeping at 70 mph. Hills brought this back down to the 50s as expected.

I know that patience is key with towing but my question is does this sound like the truck is over-loaded? Am I risking damaging the vehicle or something more serious? We are looking to do a family trip from WI to FL towing the trailer. Original plan is to use our suburban but I have considered renting a 3/4 ton diesel. I would prefer to save the cost of the rental but do you think the suburban can handle the trip?

I appreciate any advice offered. As I mentioned I am new to this world. :)

Thanks!

Tow Vehicles

APT
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
Your Suburban is doing exactly what is is supposed to do and designed for another 150k miles doing it. Stick to 3rd gear (lock out overdrive). 2500-3000rpm is the happy range. Stay at 60-65mph. Let the speed drop up hills and overpasses and back to cruising speed downhills. No cruise control.
PDX_Zs
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
Huge Suburban fan.

That 5.3 is a super tuff little engine and will take tons of abuse. But it is a little engine with a lot being asked if it. Don't worry about letting her rev.

My Burb with the 6.0 and a lighter trailer isn't winning any speed contests either.

The trans is another issue. They are not as bulletproof. I would recommend getting fresh fluid in there and installing a cooler and temp gauge.

By the way, if you peek inside the driver side door, is there a little sticker that says anything about max payload?

I am not going to beat you up. Not my job. 70 is MOVING with a big trailer and a light duty truck. What are those trailer tires speed rated to? Make your own choices with that info.

Tow safe and enjoy your trip.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
I've been towing since 2006 with GM's ubiquitous 5.3L, in my case always with a 3.42 axle which is not nearly as capable for towing as your 3.73. Unfortunately that 3.73 is coupled to the older wide ratio 4-spd transmission, which in turn means the only way you can realistically tow with this powertrain is to put it in 3rd with Tow/Haul engaged and just enjoy the ride. Yes, on serious upgrades it will slow noticeably and will if necessary downshift to second in order to maintain an adequate road speed. Having a 3.73 rather than a 3.42 does help but there's only so much that little 5.3 can do. The biggest improvement I've seen is when I recently replaced my 2005 Avalanche for towing with a 2012 Silverado with the newer narrow range 6-spd that handles towing loads much more intelligently than did the older 4-spd. Now I just engage Tow/Haul (which locks out 6th), put it in Drive, and let the transmission figure it out, most times running in 5th, occasionally dropping to 4th when headwinds or upgrades require it. In your case however it is what it is and your report to me sounds like just what I would expect towing a trailer of the size you have with your GM 5.3, equipped as it is.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
PDX.Zs wrote:
That 5.3 is a super tuff little engine and will take tons of abuse. But it is a little engine with a lot being asked if it. Don't worry about letting her rev.

The trans is another issue. They are not as bulletproof. I would recommend getting fresh fluid in there and installing a cooler and temp gauge.

I'd have to agree on both counts - last year I had to have my Avalanche's 4-spd rebuilt but it's been running fine since. I've given the truck to my son so it no longer has to tow and will probably now continue to run just fine for many more years. :)
Macrosill
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
I have the same truck and used to tow my Jayco 27bh with it. Very similar to the weights you listed. IIRC the max trailer weight for the truck is 6k or 6500, not sure. The payload is where the issue is. Between passengers and tongue weight you might be over your payload. I never felt comfortable towing my trailer with this truck as it was right at the edge, if not slightly over, the weight ratings. I stayed local and avoided the highways as much as possible. I put Bilsteins on it, LT tires and ran with higher inflation psi to keep things as solid as possible along with the tranny cooler and temp gauge. All those things may help but do not increase the weight ratings.

I have since upgraded to the truck in my sig.

I still have the aftermarket tranny cooler and temp gauge in the burb, swapped out the Bilsteins and the LTs for a smoother ride since I no longer tow the RV with it.

You should really check your weights to make sure you are within specs of the truck.

The GMT800 trucks are notorious for spongy brakes. I also swapped out the 16 inch wheels for 17s and installed GMT900 front brakes. Larger diameter rotors, bigger calipers and pads. Direct bolt on. Made a huge difference in braking feel. Again, this does not increase towing capacity but did help out with braking on my truck.
drsteve
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
Your trailer's tongue weight when loaded for camping is probably close to 800 lbs. Watch your payload. Note too that the trailer tires are probably rated for only 65 mph.

As for engine RPMs, do not hesitate to let the motor rev. The 5.3 makes it's best power around 4500. I'd install a trans cooler and temp gauge too.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
drsteve wrote:
As for engine RPMs, do not hesitate to let the motor rev. The 5.3 makes it's best power around 4500.

Actually it's 5,200 RPM.

Let the engine wind. It's how they make power.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Jun 16, 2017
?Sounds like it is doing a good job. No problems, EXCEPT as mentioned above. 99 percent of TT tires are rated to 65mph. IF you are running 70+ you are going too fast. Slow it down, and relax. No one will run over you.
Madmartigan
Explorer
Jun 16, 2017
I agree with the other posters. I grew up in a family that towed TT's with 1500 burb's and my folks loved it. They still do to this day. His last burb made it to 350K miles and he only got rid of it because he was ready for the new model. Engine still ran fine and didn't burn any oil. Towed for 14 years. His current model has 250K+ miles and has seen just as many towing miles. He loves it and will only ever buy suburbans. Enjoy your ride and be confident. I do recommend a solid tranny cooler.
LarryJM
Explorer II
Jun 16, 2017
Terryallan wrote:
?Sounds like it is doing a good job. No problems, EXCEPT as mentioned above. 99 percent of TT tires are rated to 65mph. IF you are running 70+ you are going too fast. Slow it down, and relax. No one will run over you.

Excellent point and compromising a tire's reliability is not necessarily a cumulative thing ... IMO it's sort of like cracking a glass, it only takes one time to crack it and then you've done the damage immediately. In view of the potential damage from a blowout vs the total cost of new tires if it were me I would be replacing all those tires ASAP. I personally just would no longer trust them to any longer. Of course I'm also the one that if I do have a flat on a tire, I consider the other tire on that side also no good (i.e. compromised reliability wise) and I replace tires in pairs.

Larry