Towing capability with a 5.3L v8 Suburban

[girlsma]

We are considering trading in our 2009 tahoe for a 2011 suburban in order to be able to tow a lightweight travel trailer, instead of a hybrid trailer as we have now. The maximum towing weight is listed as 8,000 lbs so my question is what do you feel is the most we could tow without any problems. We would be removing the 3rd row seats.

[APT]

I'm at 14mpg for daily driving duty and just under 18mpg non-towing highway with mine. 🙂 That's an improvement of about 15% over my 2003 F-150. Quite acceptable for our family despite over 20k miles the first year, slightly lower rate the second. That may not be acceptable to others.

[Doug33]

The problem with upgrading to a 2500 is that your MPG suffers when you aren't towing, which is probably 95% of the time.

[patrickj65]

I have a 2010 Passport 2910BH that i have pulled for years with the 5.3 engine. the wait loaded was 6430 lbs. I originally pulled it with my tahoe but have upgraded to a suburban for the extra room as the family has grown as well as the additional towing capacity. Both vehicles had the HD towing package and tranny cooler.
I have towed mostly in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin but have never had any issue. I had my transmission checked when i traded in the Tahoe and there were no issues at all. You will not win any speed records but i have pulled up 10% grades and actually accelerate if i pushed in into the 4K rpm which is actually the power range on this engine.

I thought about the 2500 Suburban when i upgraded (need more people carrying than stuff)but found that they are hard to find, are quite a but more expensive and concidering that 95% of the time i am not pulling my TT the gas mileage made a difference.

And as far as the weight police, the guy at the weight scale told me that i am still within the TV specs.

Just my .02 cents worth but the setup works for me.

[Doug33]

Our Avalanche has the 5.3L, towing package and I believe the 3.73 rear, and tows our 5200 lb dry weight TT fine. I haven't towed it on any major hills/mountains yet. I would likely have to slow down considerably if going up significant inclines.

I've tried to add as little weight as possible - I shedded a lot of pounds from the last TT I had which was some 800 pounds lighter. When I empited the old TT I only reloaded a fraction of the stuff that accumulated over the years - it was like cleaning out a house when moving! I also have not towed the new TT with the fresh water tank filled yet (extra 300 lbs). 90% of the time it will be only my wife and I in the truck now, because of the kids school/work schedules. If the kids do come, they usually drive separately and meet us there.

One thing to keep in mind is that the aerodynamics of the TT make a big difference. My old TT was a brick that caught a lot of air. The new TT has a rounded sleek front profile that really helps with towing, especially at higher speeds.

Also make sure your braking is up to the task.

[APT]

You should plan the purchase of new TV with the new RV in consideration. Do you have any models you are interested in?

How much does your family weigh?

I highly recommend the 3/4 ton Suburban. 2008+ are the same except for colors and some option/packaging differences. They all come with necessary towing equipment standard for towing most 8000 pounds loaded RVs. Sometimes hard to find compared to the half tons, though. We ended up buying new because i'm so picky, but we love it!

[BUFFALODAN]

I am a bit confused as to how we can tow a 6,000 dry weight tt if the tow limit of the Suburban is 8,000.

The answer you got was 6000lbs loaded. Id say thats about right having towed our TT below with an 05 Suburban and an 07 Yukon XL. If you are looking at a new Suburban with the 5.3/3.42 rear axle combo that is what my current pickup has and I love how it tows our TT. Way better than either the Burb or Yukon did.

You dont mention other factors- kids, dogs, etc which can eat into your payload. Id keep the tongue weight of your trailer around 700lbs or less, the Suburban likely has a payload capacity in the 1400-1500 range. Gotta leave wiggle room for passengers and cargo, although you can keep heavier stuff in the trailer.

[girlsma]

Our tahoe does not have the hd tow package with trans cooler so it can not handle as much. Just the standard tow package.

[skwid]

Not trying to pursuade you to get the burb but I have a 2004 Tahoe with 200k miles on it and will be pulling a 5400 lb trailer. Mine is a beast. Never had a drop of trouble. I have the HD Tow package with Trans Cooler, 5.3L. Love my truck.

[Goldstalker]

Check the payload on the burb, big weak link on them. A 3/4 Burb would be the way to upgrade. Other wise I would stay 5K Lbs unloaded max.

[girlsma]

Yes this one we are looking at has the 3.42 rear axle and tow package.

[Dadoffourgirls]

girlsma wrote:
We are considering trading in our 2009 tahoe for a 2011 suburban in order to be able to tow a lightweight travel trailer, instead of a hybrid trailer as we have now. The maximum towing weight is listed as 8,000 lbs so my question is what do you feel is the most we could tow without any problems. We would be removing the 3rd row seats.

The 8k tow rating is only with the 3.42 rear axle and tow package.

If the 2011 Burb has the 3.08, it has a much lower towing capacity.

[APT]

Few RVers add 2000 pounds of stuff, 1000-1500 seems typical unless you plan to travel for weeks at a time. There are plenty of family friendly TTs in the 5-6k dry range with GVWR in the 7000-7500 pound range, like my North Trail!

[girlsma]

I am a bit confused as to how we can tow a 6,000 dry weight tt if the tow limit of the Suburban is 8,000. The gross weight given on all these tt adds another 2,000 pounds.

[APT]

Does your Tahoe already have the 6-spd, 3.42 axle, and trans cooler? I see little reason to change to a 2011 half ton Burb unless you need the extra interior space. If you don't have the HD towing package already, then a replacement might make sense.

Payload for a loaded up LT/LTZ Suburban is in the 1400 pound range. Take off however much the family weighs and whatever you plan to put in the back. Rest can be for trailer tongue weight. Loaded TT tongue weights tend to be in the 12%-13% range. 6K dry 650 dry TW seems reasonable for a family or 4 or 5.

If you want a replacement TV, I highly recommend the 2008+ Suburban 2500. You are then only limited by the relatively weak 1000 pound TW of the receiver. That can get you into some 7-8k dry TTs.