I'm just looking for some opinions here.Current situation is:2005 GMC yukon XL 2500 8.1 big block with 180,xxx miles.2017 coachman Freedom express 320bhds probably around 9.5k -10k loaded up ready to camp.We live in Oklahoma and really want to start venturing out west in another 2 years or so. That equals Rocky Mountains and others as well. The 8.1 handles the 37' TT pretty good around here and small mountains but I'm not sure its up to multiple long trips in the high elevation mountains. What to do?option #1 Keep the 8.1 and slap a Raylar intake modification and A tune. big Hp and Tq gains for about $1700 or so. Probably close to 500 WTQ. pros: 3 row seats and comfort, low pricecons: not forced indutionoption#2 Get a 2011-2012 cummins or duramax truck.(before DEF)pros: plenty of powercons: cost of purchase, cost of ownership, and cramped with 6 people.option#3 A diesel excursion.pros: 3 rows of seats, and forced induction, should be able to get OK power out of the 6.0 or the 7.3.cons: cost of purchase, cost of ownership, an older truckThoughts? What would you do?

I’ve been going back and forth on what to do as well. I’ve look a lot at Raylar’s products - they really know what they’re doing with the 8.1s. To get their super charger installed I was quoted ~$10k - $12k. Not sure it would be worth it for me...I live in Colorado and the 8.1 has pulled in the mountains pretty well. Our previous TT was 35’ and around 9,000 lbs.Have you talked to Duraburb? Then can put a Duramax in your Suburban. They won’t/can’t put one in my Burb because it’s too old. They only work on 2003 MY and up. If I had a 2003+ I’d seriously consider converting it to a Dmax.I’m not convinced a Express 3500 6.0 would do well out west, could be wrong though. They de-tune the engines in the Express vs the pickups too.

What is your diff ratio?Depends how much you wish to spend and how long you will keep your Suburban "....What would you do?......"I'm keeping my 1996 K3500, 7.4L Suburban and going to rebuild it when the day the 7.4L needs itHere is the link to my thoughts and plans...https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29728820/gotomsg/29729047.cfm#29729047Duraburb is another option...https://www.facebook.com/duraburbinc/

Diesel Ford E350 van in 10 passenger configuration. Somewhat tough to find but they are out there...probably not as rare as a good used Excursion.

option #4 . Keep what ya got and give it a try . Spend the saved money for a extra week or two of vacation .

All good points. I love the duraburbs but super rare and hard to find as well as the high price tag. The Vans are pretty much out of the picture because the are 2x4 (unless its a quigly conversion or something) and I use 4x4 quite often. The 8.1 has 373 gears right now and 33" tires. I could improve towing by regearing and going to stock tire size as well. I like option #4 to because I'm so cheap.

Family of 6 future tow vehicle. | Good Sam Community

Wishin
Explorer
Oct 23, 2018
anw7405 wrote:
Wishin wrote:
I would just stick with what you have. At a minimum I'd go back to stock size tires. My 8.1L Suburban has 4.10 gears and we've been a lot of places and rarely can't go the speed limit. Eisenhower Pass, we got stuck behind someone and slowed down. Once it got below 4000 RPM in 2nd gear, there was not speeding back up. Vail Pass we kept it over 4200 RPM in 2nd and it maintained speed to the top (65 mph?). It was a pretty loud trip to the top however. Might be more enjoyable to just slow down. The previous owner put a CAI on it, I replaced the oiled K&N cone filter with a dry Amsoil cone to make sure I was getting good filtering. I'm sure it makes it noisier, not sure if it has more power.

Good luck. Give what you have a try if you ask me. If I used mine for only towing, I'd seriously consider gearing it down even more. 4.56 gears? Not sure what is available. It would be nice if 4th gear was more usable and 3rd gear got me over almost any hill. Right now 3rd will go most anywhere but occasionally 2nd is needed. No wind and flat, 4th works good. I did upgrade from the stock 245/75R16 tires (30.5") to 265/65R18 rims/tires this year (31.5"). I still had the stock size tires when we were out west last time.

How heavy is your trailer?

7500-8000 lbs is my guess. I have weighed the tongue and it is 1200-1300. It is as loaded as a trailer can be for its size, every compartment is full and we always carry water. I should weigh it sometime. I've upgraded the axles and tires so I'm safe to well beyond the 7800 lb GVWR.
jerem0621
Explorer II
Oct 22, 2018
parker.rowe wrote:
It's a gasser, so from what I hear 3500lbs is about the limit anyway.

80% rule is in effect... so it’s really 2,800 lbs. ha ha ha
parker_rowe
Explorer
Oct 22, 2018
carringb wrote:
parker.rowe wrote:
Gm does still make an HD Suburban, but it only comes with a 6.0 V8 and us normal civilians can't buy it.

Not that I would want to, I think they start at 90K or so! For them dollars it better have a diesel. And 20K cash in the glovebox.

Edit: I lied...starts at $80,000
https://www.gmfleet.com/chevrolet/suburban-hd-heavy-duty-suv.html

But the 3,500# towing capacity is gonna limit your trailer options!

With 4400lbs of payload I take that tow rating with a grain of salt.

It's a gasser, so from what I hear 3500lbs is about the limit anyway.
carringb
Explorer
Oct 22, 2018
parker.rowe wrote:
Gm does still make an HD Suburban, but it only comes with a 6.0 V8 and us normal civilians can't buy it.

Not that I would want to, I think they start at 90K or so! For them dollars it better have a diesel. And 20K cash in the glovebox.

Edit: I lied...starts at $80,000
https://www.gmfleet.com/chevrolet/suburban-hd-heavy-duty-suv.html

But the 3,500# towing capacity is gonna limit your trailer options!
parker_rowe
Explorer
Oct 22, 2018
Gm does still make an HD Suburban, but it only comes with a 6.0 V8 and us normal civilians can't buy it.

Not that I would want to, I think they start at 90K or so! For them dollars it better have a diesel. And 20K cash in the glovebox.

Edit: I lied...starts at $80,000
https://www.gmfleet.com/chevrolet/suburban-hd-heavy-duty-suv.html
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 20, 2018
carringb wrote:
theoldwizard1 wrote:

And what everyone is saying is that there is no vehicle that will haul 2 adults and 4 growing (teenage) children and tow your trailer.

Sure there is ...

E-series van production ended in 2014.
Lantley wrote:
There are no longer any newer vehicles available with the passenger space and performance of a 8.1 Burb or a V-10 or PSD X.

More importantly, built on a 3/4 tom chassis !

The V-10 is still around and will likely soon be replaced by a more powerfull V8. It was just leaked that GM is working on a big brother to the current 6.0L that will likely be 400hp/450lb-ft.

The Allison transmission can handle the torque as can the the Ford 6R140.
Lantley
Nomad
Oct 20, 2018
carringb wrote:
theoldwizard1 wrote:

And what everyone is saying is that there is no vehicle that will haul 2 adults and 4 growing (teenage) children and tow your trailer.

Sure there is!:
https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/d/2010-ford-e350-4x4-extended/6718454223.html

https://bend.craigslist.org/cto/d/e350-sportsmobile/6727445992.html (this one would need a 2nd row captains chair added, to meet seating needs, but is easy enough to DIY with parts from ExpoVans.com)

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/1998-ford-e350-4x4-73-camper/6720600987.html

There maybe other vehicles, but none significantly better than the 8.1
that the OP already owns.
Many Suburban and Excursion owners saw this day coming. There are no longer any newer vehicles available with the passenger space and performance of a 8.1 Burb or a V-10 or PSD X.
The vehicles mentioned above are just as old,expensive and no better than what the OP already owns.
carringb
Explorer
Oct 19, 2018
theoldwizard1 wrote:

And what everyone is saying is that there is no vehicle that will haul 2 adults and 4 growing (teenage) children and tow your trailer.

Sure there is!:
https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/d/2010-ford-e350-4x4-extended/6718454223.html

https://bend.craigslist.org/cto/d/e350-sportsmobile/6727445992.html (this one would need a 2nd row captains chair added, to meet seating needs, but is easy enough to DIY with parts from ExpoVans.com)

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/1998-ford-e350-4x4-73-camper/6720600987.html
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 19, 2018
anw7405 wrote:
Right. There is no half ton on the market that can handle the payload I need.

And what everyone is saying is that there is no vehicle that will haul 2 adults and 4 growing (teenage) children and tow your trailer.

Not legal, but you could get a 3/4 pickup, with a truck cap and bolt a bench seat in the back and make the older kids ride back there !
LIKE2BUILD
Explorer
Oct 19, 2018
anw7405 wrote:
LIKE2BUILD wrote:

....The CARRYALL platform did not get the Allison 1000 transmission. I think the 8.1L got a 4L85E transmission....
Oh, one more thing. Are you still using the OEM receiver? If so, ditch that flimsy thing and get a good Class V Receiver.

I learn something new everyday. I thought I had a 4L80e tranny. I did replace the OEM receiver with a beefy Curt XD.

Yep, a nice surprise for you.

Good man Charlie Brown replacing the receiver. I had an '04 Chevy 2500HD and always felt my WD hitch didn't seem set up right with a lot of porpoising as I went over bridges and bumps. After I switched to a Curt Magnum V receiver everything changed. The connection between truck and trailer felt rock solid, like a complete single unit.

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