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 LbsDry Hitch Weight - 635 LbsGross Vehicle Weight Rating - 7,500 LbsExterior 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.

When we were first married we pulled a 35 foot Kencraft trailer with a 1972 Ford LTD. We have no problems, that 400 CUI engine ran like a top. We should have had a tranny cooler on it as the fluid got too hot and spilled out the fill spout, but that was the only problem. You are talking about a trailer that maxed out at a 1000 pounds less than your max towing capacity. You will be fine, just do not tow it at 70 and you will be fine. Things can get out of hand at 70 too fast for my liking. So I recommend 60, that is what we towed all our trailers at and now drive the MH at that speed also. We pass many stations that others doing 70 are stopping at, Like the extra MPGs at slower speeds. We have all the time in the world and see no reason to watch the scenery speed by. If you have to drive 70 to get done all the things you want to do, your list is toooooooooooo long, cut it down and enjoy what you can do. As our signature says, Stop and smell the roses, you will remember your trips more fondly, and return rested and not needing another vacation to get over your vacation. When you are 70, you will not remember all the places you hurried through, only those that you took time to savor. Best of luck and keep on camping.

I have a 2012 GMC Sierra with the same drive train. I put bigger tires on it (not the best for towing) I pull a loaded 6600 pound trailer (5800 dry) in the hot part of California. Pulls fine, very stable but slow on the steep grades in my area.I'm going to add an additional tranny cooler just for a piece of mind (hits 230 on steep grades and I pull over to let it cool on the long ones but I'm also running 33 inch tires)You're going to have to weigh everything to check your payload but I think you'll be fine.You can climb any hill in 2nd gear (just not that fast)Enjoy!!Ps don't stress out like I did, just take it slow and have fun!

I've towed close to max with my 2002 Yukon XL. Up some pretty steep hills in the Sierras.No, I didn't enjoy it. But if you're willing to go slow, it'll do it. I don't think I'd want to use it regularly though. My gears are 3:23 though. Not ideal. Here's the thing. Going up was slow. WDH with anti sway made it bearable. Never made it over 40ish going up a 12% grade. But that's not your real problem. Your real problem is stopping. If you go uphill, eventually, you gotta come down. And stopping that much weight with a Yukon XL and it's smallish breaks and those gears, sucked. A lot. I'll go as far as to say stupid and dangerous. I swore I would never do it again and had I thought about it, I'd have never done it to begin with.You need to check if your brakes are bigger than mine. Very well could be. You're already better off with you transmission from what I've heard. In my particular model and year, I'll never go over 70% of max load again if going up or down hill. 75% period. That's just my take. Small sample. Many have been towing with worse set ups for a lot longer than me.

There's a cargo capacity sticker on your door post. That is the maximum payload the vehicle will carry. Add the weights of all passengers and cargo, the weight of the WDH. and the trailer's tongue weight. If the total is less than the sticker, you can hook up. The trailer's tongue weight is going to be about 13% of the trailer weight (7500 x 13% = 975 lbs.).I'd suggest you look for a lighter trailer.

I wouldn't do it. I think you'll be much happier with the tow performance with a maximum trailer length of 26' and no more than 5 k dry weight. Keep trailer length shorter due to wheelbase of your TV and keep your trailer weight around 75% of max and towing won't be a problem and you won't find yourself in the predicament of needing a new tow vehicle.

Towing with 1/2 ton SUV NEED ADVICE | Good Sam Community

westend
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
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
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
Payload Capacity is 1462 lbs.
joeyg
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
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
Explorer III
Mar 01, 2015
It's basically a fancy Burb, you'll be fine. The longer wheelbase will give you more stability.
westend
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
What did the cargo rating sticker on the doorpost of the 2012 read?
jdgilbert
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
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
Explorer
Feb 24, 2015
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
Explorer
Feb 23, 2015
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
Explorer
Feb 23, 2015
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
Explorer II
Feb 23, 2015
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.”