Ugh! Please help me decide!

yeswehave8 wrote:

Our 2004 Suburban is a 1500 5.3L and the 3.73. We also have the HD towing package, including the transmission cooler and upgraded hitch. It tows 7,400 (or 7,700 depending on which source you believe). HOWEVER, the GCWR is "only" 13,000 with my 3.73 (it goes to 14,000 with the 4.10). I followed advice seen here and weighed my car hubby, all 6 kids and 3/4 a tank of gas and we are at 6695. The 30 lb Boykin was not with us, so I would add another 40# with her and her light metal kennel. This leaves us with only 6265 before we are at GCWR.

You are already over the truck's payload/GVWR towing the hybrid. What is the GVWR on your Suburban? I found two specs, 7000 and 7200 pounds. So at most, you have 500 pounds of payload left for trailer tongue weight. That means about 4k loaded RV, and 3k or less unloaded. And if GVWR is only 7000 pounds? Your family and cargo inside the Suburban probably really puts it over without any trailer tongue weight. If you have the opportunity to weigh again with the current HTT hooked up, that will confirm.

Large families need large vehicles. Your current Suburban is large and comfortably handles your family, or a reasonably sized RV. Not both at the same time. Large families load more stuff into the RV, more food, more clothes, more toys. The average RVer adds 1200 pounds to MFR dry weight. Large family going on a long trip? I estimate you will take an additional 2500 pounds of extra stuff.

Lesson: Upgrade the tow vehicle first.

So, what are your options? Not many for large families and RVing. If you want an SUV, there is the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL and Ford Excursion. The Excursion does have lower payload, but with the V10 is close to GM with big block (8.1L). I highly recommend the 2001-2006 Suburban/Yukon XL 2500 with 8.1L. They are IMO the best large family RV TV. They ride great, tow great. They just drink more fuel unloaded than anything in the last 15 years. Towing, they all get the same. Benefit of the 3/4 tons are the larger fuel tanks for longer towing range.

Excursion vs. Suburban 2500: Both have their fans. There are clear differences in how they drive and how you live inside them. The Excursion is bigger offering more seating space for the rear two rows. I don't like the lack of head restraints. The Suburban will drive very much like your current one. Everything inside the body is the same as your half ton, and likewise the 2007+ GMT900s. I searched for about a year throughout the country for a very good condition 3/4 ton Burb/YukXL and never found what I wanted, but I was picky. So I bought new 2.5 years ago.

Consider 3/4 and 1-ton passenger vans. Ford with V10 and GM with 6.0L or Duramax. The cost about half as much as a 3/4 ton SUV for the same miles/age/condition. People have purchased 2010+ models for under $15k. If you can get into a GM with 6.0L/6-spd 3.42 axle, you'll use less fuel than your current Suburban, far more power, and something like 3000+ pounds of payload to comfortably handle pretty much any TT up to 8000 pounds dry. And that opens up far more and more comfortable TTs for your large family.