Towing with 1/2 ton SUV NEED ADVICE

[jdgilbert]

I own a 2011 Yukon, 116" wheelbase, 5.3L, 3.42 ratio, with HD tow package, tow rating of #8,500. I'm looking at buying a TT but am unsure about how much of a trailer my vehicle can safely handle. I am considering the Jayco, White Hawk Summit 28DSBH. According to the numbers I should be able to pull this but would like to hear from anybody who may have more experience towing with a shorter wheel base SUV. Trailer Specs are:

Unloaded Vehicle Weight - 5,460 Lbs
Dry Hitch Weight - 635 Lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - 7,500 Lbs
Exterior Length - 31' 11"

This camper has the spread axles, not sure if this will help with handling. I would definitely be using a WD hitch with sway control.

[westend]

Your tongue weight, when loaded will be around 800 lbs. You can scale that after you load up the trailer. It should leave you with enough cargo capacity to drive well and have a good experience. From the little bit I know about the Yukons with the bigger gas motor, you'll be buying some gas (don't we all).
Good luck with your new rig and the new Yukon.

[jdgilbert]

Payload Capacity is 1462 lbs.

[joeyg]

I have a 2001 Chevy Tahoe with the 5.3L (Tow rating in 7900) to tow my 2004 KZ Frontier 2905 (29ft long). The KZ has 5500LB Dry Weight and a 7000 Gross Weight.
Gross weight is the MOST the trailer is rated to carry, not it's real towing rate. Figure a family of 5 adds 1000lbs to the dry weight, so I tow about 6500lbs.

I have a great anti-sway and weight distribution hitch (Reese with sway control) and I am not breaking any land speed records, but it tows great. Slow up steep hills, but very little sway, even with 18 wheels passing.

Joe

[colliehauler]

It's basically a fancy Burb, you'll be fine. The longer wheelbase will give you more stability.

[westend]

What did the cargo rating sticker on the doorpost of the 2012 read?

[jdgilbert]

UPDATE: Spent the day looking at campers with my wife. We looked at the Keystone Bullet 243BH and also the 272BH. My wife didn't like either unit so even though I was thinking the Jayco, White Hawk Summit 28DSBH was going to be too large for me to pull with my Yukon, I brought her to the dealership to check it out...explaining to her that if we went with this unit we'd have to look for a larger tow vehicle.

Long story short, she loved the Jayco, White Hawk Summit 28DSBH so we went immediately to our local GMC dealership to see what our options were for trading our Yukon for an appropriate tow vehicle. Neither of us wanted to give up our SUV for a pickup. As fate would have it, they had a 2012 Yukon XL Denali, with the 6.2 L and HD tow package. Put a deposit down to hold it and the camper through the weekend while I do some more research. Appears this is going to be a good fit. Anybody have any experience towing a TT with a Yukon XL Danali?

[heckufaguy]

With my 2000 Suburban 5.3L, 4:10 rear end, tow package, etc..etc. I am now towing a 26 foot (28'10") TT. Now I don't go many hilly places, but I did notice with the rounded front on this one that it tows easier than my 1000lb lighter 19 foot camper did. I do notice more sway, and that's with my longer wheelbase vehicle. I would not want to try this in a Tahoe. going forward would be the least of my worries.
Good luck, I think what you have will move the trailer where you need it, but not sure I'd want to travel far with that setup. Then again, many are braver than I. I prefer not to have a stressful drive.
fWIW, our camper is an amerilite 259BH. Lots of room, 5K dry weight. Big slide.

[dlos]

I have been towing a KZ Spree 240BHS with a 2010 Nissan Armada Titanium for the last 3 years. This combo has been great for me! The Armada is a beast of a truck rated to tow near 10k lbs., has plenty of power, braking ability and is super comfortable for all passengers.

The Spree weighs 4650 dry, about 5500 loaded for a 3 week trip leaving plenty of wiggle room in the capacities of both vehicles. The length of the Spree hitch to bumper is about 28'. This is the only area of concern for me given the Armada's relatively short wheelbase of 123".

Just this past weekend we sold the Armada and bought a new 2014 F150 FX4 Ecoboost 3.5l Twin Turbo. Made the change not based on any towing problems, just wanted the added convenience and flexibility of having 4WD on my tow vehicle. I hope the Ford is half as good a tow vehicle as the Armada has been!

Pay attention to the numbers, don't push right to the limits and take it slow!

[campinia]

I highly recommend the floor plan of the Keystone Bullet 243BHS, we just bought the same floor plan from KZ last summer and love it. We are towing this similar size trailer with the 5.3L, 3.43 gears, and 6 speed transmission but in a 2014 Silverado, and it handles it well.

[rbpru]

The DW and I selected a 22 ft. to 26 ft. TT because we did not want try to maneuver anything bigger. We rented a 25 ft. and decided it was all we wanted to handle. Also it was also a better fit for my half ton at 5000 lbs. dry weight.

In many cases the floor plan is the major choice, and it is really tempting to add that extra 4 ft. etc. However once you select that, you know what TV you need to pull the load. You also know the cost to get what you want.

You are doing the right thing by thinking through the problem ahead of time. I like to say “Buying and RV is not a race to the finish line.”

[_tpc_]

I think your probably right on the money with the 243BHS. Personally I wouldn't go much more than that. The 252 puts you right back up to almost 30 ft in trailer.

I have a 2007 tahoe with the 5.3l and 3.73 gears. Pretty similar to your truck, even though you have the 3.42 gears, you also have the 6 spd transmission (I think its a 6 spd), so my thought is its probably going to tow about the same, up and down grades.

We tow a 2300 bh passport with ours, and it tows just fine with a standard wdh. Could it tow better with a better hitch? Probably. But for now it works. Granted I have not towed up and down many extremely steep grades, but for what I have done, I would be upgrading the truck prior to getting a larger trailer. A lot of it has to do with payload, and if its just you and the wife and gear thats one thing, but you add in the dog, the 2 kids, a friend...eats up your payload quickly.

That said, I think what I would do is get your payload numbers, get the weight of whatever hitch you plan on using, the weight of whomever will be in the car, and start adding everything up. Use the 243bhs as the trailer you might purchase. Remember, the numbers you will get from the dealer will likely be quite a bit lower than the weight when you add in the battery, propane tanks, and other accessories that come with the trailer.

A earlier post talks about a hensley arrow hitch. I would say thats probably one of the top of the line units out there. Find out what that costs, and see if that changes your calculation on what you might purchase.

I didn't consider this when I got ours, and I regret it. I don't think I need a hensley, but for what I want I wish I had the money back on the hitch I ended up with to get a different one. Just speaking from experience here. I also overthought the amount my first vehicle could safely tow, and after my first long trip (about 300 miles) I bought a bigger truck. My early trips were only 25 miles at max and the experience was much different.

Live and learn I guess. In the end I am happier with my new vehicle (even if I didn't have the trailer). But there aren't always happy endings to these kind of storys.

[fla-gypsy]

jdgilbert wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my fears that that trailer is more than I could safely tow with my Yukon. Don't want my heart to overrule my brain and end up endangering myself, family or anybody else on the road.

I'm going to refocus my search on the Keystone Bullet 243BHS or 252BHS. Jayco also has a White Hawk 25BHS all of which are under 5000 dry weight and under 30' in length.

Anybody have any other similar models I should consider?

Wisdom is better than courage, good decision

[jdgilbert]

Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my fears that that trailer is more than I could safely tow with my Yukon. Don't want my heart to overrule my brain and end up endangering myself, family or anybody else on the road.

I'm going to refocus my search on the Keystone Bullet 243BHS or 252BHS. Jayco also has a White Hawk 25BHS all of which are under 5000 dry weight and under 30' in length.

Anybody have any other similar models I should consider?

[APT]

The likely limitation is payload for you as Westend said. Check that driver's door Tire and Loading sticker and get your as equipped payload. Estimate the weight of your fmily and a little more for activities to occupy driving time. You will have about 800 pounds of tongue weight with that TT. It is wise to stay below that payload. If you have enough for family and TW, go for it. Performance won''t be a problem with your 6-spd trans. Get a WDH with integrated sway control (Equal-i-zer 4pt, Reese Strait Line, Blueox Swaypro) and a proportional brake controller. Happy camping!