Could you please help me with my tow ratings on Tahoe?

[sheripoms]

Hi everyone,
I reeeaaally need some help with trying to figure out which TT we will be able to tow with our 2008 Chevy Tahoe. I will give all the info I have and hopefully one of you guys can help me figure it out.

OK,, so here goes
2008 Chevy Tahoe 2WD 5.3 flex fuel v8 engine with a Trans cooler.
3.42 gears
GVWR 7100
GAWR Front 3200
GAWR Rear 4100

Hitch Ratings
weight carrying 5000 lbs/ max tongue weight 600 lbs
Weight distributing 10,000 /tongue weight 1000 lbs

I can't seem to find the official tow ratings for the 3.42 gears.

Anyone have any ideas as far as maximum trailer length /weight I can tow ?

[Ron_Gratz]

rockhillmanor wrote:
There is NO long wheelbase "Tahoe".
There IS a "Suburban" which has a longer wheel base.

Thanks for the correction.

I went to the "Tahoe Owners Manual" and didn't realize the specifications were for both the Tahoe and the Suburban.

Ron

[bikendan]

the tow rating for your Tahoe, will be in the towing section of your owner's manual.
since i have an '07 Avalanche, based on the same GM900 chassis, since you don't have the HD tow package(due to the 3.42 rear end ratio), i'm guessing its towing capacity is around 6500lbs.

you didn't mention if it has the 4 spd. trans or 6 spd. trans.
if it has the 6 spd trans, it'll have a higher towing capacity.
if it has the 4 spd trans, it'll have a lower towing capacity.

funny thing is that Trailer Life's towing guide for 2008, doesn't show a 3.42 rear end ratio for a 2WD Tahoe with the 5.3 v-8.

and the numbers stamped on the hitch receiver are the ratings for the receiver only and NOT necessarily what your vehicle is capable of.
GM uses the same receiver on a variety of vehicles, all with different towing capacities.

[Mr_Beebo]

My Tahoe was set up about the same as the OPs. I pulled at 5500 TT plus cargo, two kids and two dogs. I did it for 5 years. I knew my limitations and the Tahoe's limitations, how to load, where to load it, how to set up the WDH. I also saw Tahoes pulling 26-28' TT into campgrounds with their headlights pointing into the trees. Jonboats on the roof, 6-7 adults inside, etc. I was happy with my setup. It does not compare to my 2500 but that doesn't mean the Tahoe did a poor job, just that my 2500 is much better.

[rockhillmanor]

Ron Gratz wrote:
Three additional pieces of information would be helpful:

2)Do you have the short wheelbase or long wheelbase Tahoe?

There is NO long wheelbase "Tahoe".
There IS a "Suburban" which has a longer wheel base.

The first CG I pulled into after using my Tahoe for a tow vehicle I was spent fighting the winds and semi's pushing me all over. The 'tail-wagging the dog'.

A fellow camper said if I had bought the Suburban and changed out the tires it would have worked.

Just saying,... you can PULL anything within the specs of a vehicle. BUT can you 'drive' it SAFELY down the road is the question.

Sadly many RV'ers just don't care.

[stew47]

Not really related to your ratings but you should know. I have an 01 suburban with 5.3. I tow a 30 ft with empty weight of 4400 lbs. Its OK. I wouldn't pull much more but here's the thing. 5.3 gets winded going up hills here in eastern Ohio. Flat grounds no problem. I was a little put off for a while then I just decided to drop speed to 55 through the hills and not sweat it.

[Gman22]

sheripoms wrote:
Ok,, so let me see if I got this straight?

Say my Tahoe weighs 5500 lbs. The Gvwr is 7100. So I have a 1600 lbs to play with as far as everything/everybody that goes into the tahoe and the hitch weight itself plus the tongue weight (10% of TT) Right?

Few TTs will be 10% in the real world, bank on 12-13%. But the rest of what you're saying in correct in theory. Step one is load the Tahoe up with a full tank of gas, the family and if possible the gear you'll carry (or close estimate) go to a CAT scale and get the real deal.

[sheripoms]

Ron we have the third row seats. Which I would probably take out before traveling.

[Ron_Gratz]

Three additional pieces of information would be helpful:

1) On the TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION sticker on the driver's door edge: What is the value for Maximum Weight of Occupants and Cargo?

2) Do you have the short wheelbase or long wheelbase Tahoe?

3) Do you have the third-row seats?

Ron

[therink]

sheripoms wrote:
Rockhillmanor , What kind of TT where towing with your Tahoe?

Thanks so much for the info Therink,, I was guesstimating about the same . No more than 6000 wet and not more than 23/24 length. Really would like to keep it at 20 in length.

No problem. Sounds like you are being realistic. Have fun and travel safe.

[therink]

lanerd wrote:

therink wrote:
Weigh your truck as if loaded for camping. Subtract the scale weight from your 7100 payload. The difference will be how much hitch weight you can safely accomodate.

Not quite.... should read:

Weigh your truck as if loaded from camping. Subtract the scale weight from your GVWR. The difference will be how much PAYLOAD you can safely accommodate.

For the OP... tow ratings are a sales gimmick. You're main concern with the Tahoe will be it's "payload" rating.....as you will max this out long before you max out the tow rating.

Keep in mind, the "payload limit" will include any and every thing you put in or on the Tahoe....all occupants, equipment, tools, misc gear...AND the tongue weight (including the WD hitch) of the trailer.

Hope this helps..

Ron

Sorry, yes gvwr. I wrote this during my kids Orchestra concert at school... LOL

[sheripoms]

Ok,, so let me see if I got this straight?

Say my Tahoe weighs 5500 lbs. The Gvwr is 7100. So I have a 1600 lbs to play with as far as everything/everybody that goes into the tahoe and the hitch weight itself plus the tongue weight (10% of TT) Right?

[handye9]

Gman22 wrote:
Yup, spend some time at a scale and get some "real" numbers to work with. My experience with SUVs having owned and towed with 2 of them, payload (or RAWR) will get'cha first - well before any fantasy tow rating they put on your truck.

Very true statement.

Weigh the Tahoe and subtract it's actual weight from GVWR.

The difference between GVWR and actual weight, is available payload.

Then add up the weight of all passengers you plan to to have in the vehicle, add 100 lbs for a weight distribution hitch, and subtract that total from your available payload.

What's left is what you have to work with as far as loaded trailer tongue weight.

Take that number and divide it by .12. That will be your max loaded trailer weight.

Example:

Say you have 600 lbs available payload
600 divided by .12 = equals 5000 lb loaded trailer

Rv sales people will try to sell you a unit that has a UVW (unloaded weight) that falls within your capacity. Keep in mind, the only folks towing unloaded trailers, are the ones delivering to the dealers.

Average camping load (groceries, pots and pans, dishes, bedding, water, camping chairs, BBQ, etc) is about 1000 lbs. A 4000 lb UVW will be close (if not over) to 5000 lbs, ready to camp.

Note: Using 100 percent of available payload, puts you at max weight on the tow vehicle. An unplanned can of soda pop, will put you over GVWR.

[ependydad]

therink wrote:
Weigh your truck as if loaded for camping. Subtract the scale weight from your 7100 payload. The difference will be how much hitch weight you can safely accomodate. Keep in mind that the posted tongue weights posted on Rv manufacturer literature is unloaded weight. Figure tongue weight will equal 10 to 13 percent of the gvwr of what ever trailer you look at. Ignore the dry weight numbers.
My guess is that you should stick with a trailer loaded no more than 6000 lbs and no longer than 24. Anything greater may bring an unpleasant Towing experience. Your 3:42 axle may also limit what the powertrain can muscle on hilly terrain. Don't let rv salesman tell you "you can pull that no problem". Do your own research.
Good luck and have fun shopping.

sheripoms - if you decide to go to a scale, here is a tool that helps you do this math:
http://www.towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingScaledWeights

However, if you're not quite ready to go to a scale- here's another tool that helps you figure out your available payload by estimating various weights in/on the vehicle:
http://www.towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingPayloadEstimate

What's nice is that both tools are smart phone friendly and display well on the small screen- making it handy to use on the fly.

[Gman22]

Yup, spend some time at a scale and get some "real" numbers to work with. My experience with SUVs having owned and towed with 2 of them, payload (or RAWR) will get'cha first - well before any fantasy tow rating they put on your truck.

As for trailer length some will argue shorter trailers with SUVs or pull out some old formula to calculate TV length to TT length. But no auto maker I am aware of talks to length of trailer towed. In my experience the shorter wheel base softly sprung 1/2 ton SUV don't like big tongue weights or long TTs. My last TT was a 33' Spree. We towed it with a Hensley Arrow and that settled the whole setup nicely. But prior to that with an Equal-i-zer, it was a bit unstable IMHO no matter what we did to tweak things.