Towing Advice

[falc]

I am new to trailer camping and towing. I have a 2008 Suburban with a 5.3l. It is rated to pull up to 8100lbs. The camper i am buying weighs 7300lbs. The suburban has the towing factory package with has 8 pin connector, and i believe the tranny cooler.. I am adding the brakes and the anti sway.

My questions are.

1. Am i safe to pull this?
2. is there precautions i should take
3. What can i do to make my truck pull better?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[RBPerry]

The V10 has been very good in the most part, I have worked on a number of them, and they are a petty bullet proof engine, but poor fuel mileage. A couple years ago had one come into our shop, 280000 miles, still had good compression and no oil leaks. My favorite combination is the Cummings hooked to a Allison transmission, but no body makes that combination in the smaller trucks.

As you have been told, sounds like you have way too much trailer for your vehicle. I read on here somewhere where your dry weight should be no more than 80% of your trucks towing capacity. 8000 towing then dry should be 6400 or less.

[falc]

They also make a v10. I wonder if that may be the best option since i will only use it once a month if that.

[mabynack]

I use to be a dedicated Ford guy. I've owned a dozen Ford pickups over the years and had pretty good luck with them until I got the 6.0. It ran great for the first 100,000 miles, but I put a tuner on it and ended up blowing a head gasket. I spent $8000 getting repairs and upgrades. My big complaint was the way the Ford garages responded. They strung me along until the truck was out of warranty and then offered to fix it for several thousand. They were aware of the problems and knew what was wrong and didn't do anything about it.

Blown head gaskets and bad EGR coolers are pretty common in the 6.0. If you test drive it, stomp on the accelerator and look for white smoke. If you see it, walk away. It indicates coolant is getting into the combustion chambers and it's going to be expensive to repair.

If you decide to buy the truck, I recommend not putting aftermarket tuners and chips on it. The head studs can't take the additional combustion pressure and will stretch and cause problems in the future.

[DinTulsa]

I'm going to echo what a number of people have said. That trailer will be too heavy for the suburban. It will be an exhausting towing experience.

6.4 vs 6.0 is a **** shoot. If you pick up the 6.4 delete the emissions and it will be a reliable engine. I currently drive a ford with the 6.7, I came from a Ram with the 5.9. I would buy either the ram/Chevy diesels over the 6.0/6.4 all day, everyday.

[falc]

Well he wants to keep. What are your thoughts on a 2008 with a 6.4 diesel? Is it better then the 6.0

[Grit_dog]

falc wrote:
i googled it, but it looks like after digging it can pull 11k. I think i can get it for $7500, with 50,000 miles on it in great shape. Should i do it?

Falc, none of these old farts remember towing the same stuff with a carbed 350, drum brakes in back and best case a 14 bolt axle holding everything up! That said, that trailer is right about max wht u want to tow and it will struggle in the Hp dept but set up properly it won't be "endangering your loved ones."
The truck you talk about is a great choice IF you know what you're getting into. Your bro knows or he wouldn't sell it for $7500. Chassis and trans are stout but the 6.0 no has a sordid history. Educate yourself on it first.
BUT at that price if it's what u say it is, I'd buy it knowing I'd be keeping about $5k in reserve to bulletproof the engine.
It will definitely tow that trailer 2x better than the burb you have.

[MFL]

falc wrote:
i would be buying it from my brother. He never uses it.

Getting this truck from a family member, knowing it's history, makes a huge difference!

Jerry

[falc]

i would be buying it from my brother. He never uses it.

[MFL]

falc wrote:
i googled it, but it looks like after digging it can pull 11k. I think i can get it for $7500, with 50,000 miles on it in great shape. Should i do it?

Actually a 2006 F350 with 6.0 should be able to tow 16,000+ depending on gearing. The price is too good, maybe for a reason. The Ford 6.0TD, did not have a good rep for reliability. You would want it checked by a very knowledgeable diesel mechanic BEFORE PURCHASING.

You could spend $7500+ in repairs on any older diesel, if problems arise.

Jerry

[valhalla360]

falc wrote:
i googled it, but it looks like after digging it can pull 11k. I think i can get it for $7500, with 50,000 miles on it in great shape. Should i do it?

No, you should send the link to me and I will go have a word with the guy.

Seriously though...If it's really in great shape with that few miles, that's a great deal...almost too good to be true. If you aren't experienced, it might be good to pay a diesel mechanic a couple hundred to spend an hour or two looking it over.

[valhalla360]

falc wrote:
if towing on mostly flat level land going under the speed limit, should i be safe?

Safe is a relative term. It's not yes or no question.

I think there are a few things confusing you. There are about a half dozen numbers that factor into the tow rating.
- HP on modern trucks is rarely the limiting factor...particularly on level ground. You can chip it to get more power but if you aren't careful, you risk significantly shortening the life of the engine.
- Brakes are another factor. While it's nice to say the trailer brakes stop the trailer and the truck brakes stop the truck, reality is the truck brakes typically do more of the work and your 3/4 and 1 ton trucks typically have bigger brakes because that is what they are intended for.
- The hitch weight and rear axle weight ratings (closely related) need to be considered.
- Then you have the gross combined vehicle weight rating which is the truck, trailer and everything in it.
- One of the key items you seem to be missing is the dry weight vs the loaded weight. As someone else pointed out adding 1000-2000lbs to the dry weight is incredibly easy and why most people think you will be overweight.

I suggest posting the exact make and model of both the truck and the trailer. I'm sure someone here will pull up the numbers and lay it out for you.

I can't say with certainty that you will be overweight because you haven't given us enough info...but based on what you have provided, I'll give you 5-1 odds that you are over the manufacturers limits.

[falc]

i googled it, but it looks like after digging it can pull 11k. I think i can get it for $7500, with 50,000 miles on it in great shape. Should i do it?

[Bionic_Man]

falc wrote:
2006 f350 diesel

With a 6.0.............

[Kevin_O_]

falc wrote:
2006 f350 diesel

The 2006 F350 has over 11,000lbs for GVWR and over 4000lbs for payload. Not sure where you got that # from?