2005 suburban 2500 6.0 3.73 gear? anyone towed with one?

[jbres]

Hey anyone have any experience towing with a 2005 suburban 2500 6.0 with 3.73 rear end?
Towing capacity for these Suburbans are only #7,700 but just wondering who has experience with one
I tow a #5880 pound empty weight 28' forest river wildwood. Weighed down probably about #6500.
I am trading in my 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe 1500 as it does not have the towing power I need to safely tow.

Just looking to see if anyone has experience tow travel trailers with this model suburban?
Thanks

[MikeRP]

I have a 2007 Suburban 2500 with 4.10's. Tow beast really. The motor is made to rev so you will be at 3500 rpm's up grades. I'd make sure to get the 4.10's unless you get a 2008 model. The 2008 and newer has the 6 speed selectable tranny.

I think mine is rated at 9900 lbs. would recommend it heartily. Great vehicle.

[PAThwacker]

2004 6. 0.3.73 3/4 burb checking. 4 Captions delete rear seat and tow a 5,000lb tt around the 7 to 16% grades of north east pa..

[BurbMan]

Yes, 8.1L with 4.10 rear axle.

[krobbe]

jbres wrote:
thanks for all the replies- very helpful
Burbman- does your suburban have the 6.0 or 8.1?
I would have to guess the 8.1 being the tow capacity so high..
Krobbe- What kind of MPGS are you getting with your 8.1 suburban with the 3.73?
Thanks

At 60 to 65 I get 7-8 against a headwind and 9-10 with the wind. Avg 8.5.
It's not my daily driver. It only gets driven to tow or on some summer weekends.

Edit: Just found out the mass air flow sensor was bad/dirty. May see improved mileage.

[jbres]

thanks for all the replies- very helpful
Burbman- does your suburban have the 6.0 or 8.1?
I would have to guess the 8.1 being the tow capacity so high..
Krobbe- What kind of MPGS are you getting with your 8.1 suburban with the 3.73?

Thanks

[krobbe]

My TT weights are close to yours. My Suburban 2500 8.1L 3.73 tows it without effort. If you're set on the 6.0L, try to get it with a 4.10. But the 4.10 axle ratio won't make up for displacement.

[wintersun]

GM rates the towing capacity with that engine and the 4.10 gears 25% higher than with 3.73 gears. It does make a difference.

[APT]

5.3L->6.0L a bit more power, a bit worse first gear, same FE for that era.

1500 Tahoe -> 2500 Burb will be very much more stable.

If you don't use this much non towing, try to find an 8.1L.

[Dave_in_TN]

jbres wrote:
Dave-how heavy was your travel trailer you towed?
Were you able to keep up to speed on the highway to typical highway speed?
Also, did you feel like the 2500 suburban was in control? When I tow with my 1500 Tahoe it feels like my #6500 travel trailer is in control and not my tow vehicle, which is scary.
Thanks in advance

My trailer at that time was around 6500 loaded. I did keep up to highway speeds, and don't recall issues of feeling pushed around by the trailer. Of course, some of that can be having a properly set up WD hitch and anti sway system, but the longer wheelbase on the Burb compared to the Tahoe would be noticeable as well.

[BurbMan]

Jbres, the Suburban will handle that trailer fine. Big difference in going to the 2500 series from the 1500 series Suburban and Tahoe is the suspension and brakes. 2500's get rear leaf springs and front torsion bars, same as the HD pickups, while the 1500s have coil springs and are set for comfort more so that towing a load, which is why you feel like the trailer is controlling the Tahoe today. The 2500's also get massive disc brakes at each corner.

When you say tow rating is "only" 7700 lbs that's a more a function of drive train....my Sub is rated at 12,000 lbs towing and has the same frame and suspension as the one you are looking at.

The 6.0L is no powerhouse though....better than the 5.3 but not as strong as the big block or diesel. As I said for your camper you will be fine, but if you have plans to get a bigger/heavier TT in the future, you will be upgrading the truck again.

[monkey44]

One more follow up comment on the 3:73 response - yes, I'm very happy with it, and part of the reason is the 4:10 whine all the time at higher revs when hauling, which the 3:73 does not have. And the better gas mileage ... not a big issue, we get maybe one or two MPG more, but it's the whine I didn't like when under a load in the 4:10 vehicles.

If you tow a lot, or in hills, maybe the 4:10, but I've taken this 60.L w/3:73 up the Rockies numerous times - and never cried a tear over my choice. BUT, if I did the Rockies a lot, then I might reconsider, as it does work at that mountain-climbing, but it works and hauls it. That's what's important, and the rest of the time, it cruises - flat roads or light hills it sings along just fine.

If I had it to do over - I'd pick the same combination again, after 197,000 miles with this one, 75% hauling or towing.

[ktosv]

We towed our Passport 2910 (similar weights to your camper) with both a 2005 Suburban 1500 that had the 5.3L/4 speed/3.42 axle and a 2004 Suburban 2500 6L/4speed/3.73 axle.

The towing experience is night and day. From a dead stop, the 2500 with the 3.73 axle will actually feel slower than a 1500 with the 5.3L, because of the difference in the first gear ratio between the LD and HD transmissions.

From a ride and handling perspective, the 2500 wins hands down. With the 1500 I knew the trailer was back there. I never felt out of control, but with every expansion joint or bump in the road, I could feel the camper bouncing. With the 2500, that was almost totally eliminated.

The 2004 2500 Suburban we had couldn't mantain speed towing our trailer on flat land in OD (4th gear), so I just always used 3rd (which is 1:1 ratio). Third gear did great and I don't recall the torque converter unlocking on any of the major hills in northern Michigan. I would loose speed, but maybe about 5 or 7 mph at the most. I am sure the truck would have been quite happy keeping speed if I gave it the gas.

What area of Ohio do you live? How far do you plan to tow and what areas do you plan to venture to?

[wintersun]

jbres wrote:
monkey 44- thanks for the info. I am pretty sure your 2500 probably has a much high towing capacity that the suburban 2500. Suburban 2500 towing capacity is only 7700 believe it or not.

You are missing the point. The engine and drivetrain with the 3.73 gears can able to handle the total load which is all that matters. My only concern would be the 3.73 gears but if this person has been happy with them then I would take their word on it.

Myself I have always gone with 4.10 gears for any gas engine powered tow vehicle whether it was a truck or a SUV, but this has been with 4-speed transmissions. My current GM truck with its 6-speed Allision transmission has 4 underdrive and 2 overdrive gears and is very different from my vehicles with a 4-speed that had 3 underdrive and a 1:1 final drive with 4th gear.

[1oldtruck]

Jbres,

I have the Sierra Denali.