I've read a bunch of different posts in several forums about towing with a 1/2 ton Suburban and how it will struggle on steep grades and that you should really have a 3/4 ton. Here's my situation: I already have a 2005 1500 Suburban RWD with 3.42 gears and a tow package. My truck is rated to pull 7400#. I live in the Denver area and want to take a few trips out to California which will require going up steep grades I think 7% is the highest. The trailer. I want to get has a dry weight of 5700#.My question is: If I add an additional tranny cooler, use a brake controller, a weight distribution anti sway hitch and only drive in 3rd with the tow mode on, will I be able to make a few trips out there without killing my transmission. Is there any other things I could do to help?I would plan to leave the trailer with no water and very little gear through the mountains and it would only be myself and my dog in the truck.I know I should upgrade my truck, but I can't get the trailer and a new tow vehicle at the same time. I don't mind getting a different truck later in the year but for the immediate timing I'd just like to know if the Suburban would make it until then.I have thought about a smaller trailer but if I would inevitably trade up to a bigger truck in a few months I'd rather get the one I want.Thanks for any feedback.

You could drop down to I-10 or I-15 they are in flatter landscape. I had a 1500 burb and it struggled with grades even with the camper left back at the CG. Pikes Peak blew out the differential. We were stuck at a State Park for a week without a vehicle while it got fixed.

The 10 and 15 are later in the trip, I'm more concerned about I70 as it goes through the Rockies.

I would recommend a small lite-weight trailer, a beefier tow vehicle or my 1st choice would be to go south and bypass I70.

trance728 wrote:The 10 and 15 are later in the trip, I'm more concerned about I70 as it goes through the Rockies.I would drive North to I-80. I don't think I would want to pull I-70 at close to max weight. I don't think a person would have to go down to I-10 or I-15 I think I-40 would work as well.No trailer weighs close to dry weight that's ready to camp. If tongue weight is 15% you would already start with 855# before you load a single item.

Nope - I would not take that set-up over I 70 - without a lot of white nuckels! (Lived in Summit County for 13+ years). Recommend south on I 25 to either I 40 ( at Albuquerque) or down to I 10 at Los Cruces, then west to California.

1/2 Ton Suburban in steep grades with TT | Good Sam Community

trance728
Explorer
Jul 07, 2015
I was thinking about getting these

http://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Suspension/Chevrolet/Suburban/2005/TGMRYS4.html?vehicleid=20051008832

Would that work as well as airbags? I read something about the airbags not for use on vehicles with auto leveling which is what my Suburban has.
minnow
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015
We had an 01 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1 engine/4.1 diff. Loved that SUV. Got a fifth wheel so that eneded that. Still miss it however. Only issue with it towing is that the rear end sagged somewhat. Suggest you put on air bags to help with that.
Had a lot of cars and vans over the years and the Sub. is the only one I wished I could of kept.
trance728
Explorer
Jul 01, 2015
I am deciding to keep the Suburban as it doesn't seem financially worth it to swap vehicles right now.

What else can I do to the Suburban to help it tow better? I added the extra tranny cooler already. I guess my other thoughts would be to beef up the rear suspension a little. Any recommendations on that or other things that would help it out?
Fixed_Sight_Tra
Explorer
Jul 01, 2015
I use a tahoe to pull a 7000# camper from Denver around the rockies. (9.5 MPG)

Absolutely use 2nd for pulling the hills. 4000 rpm won't hurt the engine and you cam maintain about 50 up the hills. At 3400 you will drop out of the power curve and slow down quickly. Lock it into 2nd and you can let way up on the gas and pull the hills just fine. If you try to use third it will keep shifting between 2nd and third and that could damage the tranny.

Also if it came with a tow package it should have a tranny cooler. Look for a small radiator in front of the main radiator.

Make sure you have E rated tires and I just got some of these. They help a lot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-06-Silverado-Tahoe-Pickup-Towing-Mirrors-Tow-Power-Heated-LED-Signal-Pair-Set-/252000852854?fits=Model%3ATahoe&hash=item3aac6bdb76&vxp=mtr
Majja13
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
My 2000 , GMC gets between 10-11 towing my TT. I would like to tow it with a Diesel to see how it does just to compare. I have the 3.73 in it.
Tystevens
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
Well, we have towed the same trailer w/ an '05 Suburban and '06 2500 diesel. The diesel was in the 10-12.5 mpg range towing the trailer. The '05 Suburban in the 8.5-10 mpg range.

So if it's purely financial motivation to go to a diesel, you're not going to see the desired results. Towing with a diesel has significant advantages, but it probably doesn't end up being much cheaper unless you tow a ton of miles.
trance728
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
BenK wrote:
IMHO......

How many thousands of dollars for a new/used TV ?

How many more MPG will it have over yourSub?

How many gallons will it take to payoff the $$$$ differential ?

My 7.4L gets 10 MPG....sometimes 15 MPG....and has a 42 gallon tank

It is 19 years old, but I'm not into buying every few years and keep them till the wheels fall off...or don't want to repair them anymore...

Get 7-8MPG towing 8-10K boat or trailer up to Lake Tahoe and in 3rd

Let's just say my Suburban gets 10mpg and going diesel gets me 15mpg but costs me $20k to get it, that means it would take 20k gallons to make up the difference to pay it off if it was $3 a gallon. That would mean I would have to drive it about 300k miles (if my math was right) to get to that point.

Now is the easier tow worth it? My Suburban is also only 2wd and getting 4wd would be nice living in Colorado.
travelnutz
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2015
BenK,
"what's yours?"

Used to have 73 cylinders here but now down to measily 29 cylinders unless we buy the additional 8 cylinder truck we've been thinking of doing so we won't have any changeovers anymore (TC to 5th wheel and back each year). Getting older (73+) and lazier and because it gets harder to do each year.
BenK
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
IMHO......

How many thousands of dollars for a new/used TV ?

How many more MPG will it have over yourSub?

How many gallons will it take to payoff the $$$$ differential ?

My 7.4L gets 10 MPG....sometimes 15 MPG....and has a 42 gallon tank

It is 19 years old, but I'm not into buying every few years and keep them till the wheels fall off...or don't want to repair them anymore...

Get 7-8MPG towing 8-10K boat or trailer up to Lake Tahoe and in 3rd
Muddydogs
Explorer
Jun 28, 2015
I wish I could pull 9.5 MPG, got my gasser up to 8 MPG coming home today.

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1/2 Ton Suburban in steep grades with TT

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