towing with a esclade

[travelnman]

Anyone use a Escalade to tow with? See almost all pickups now towing. I came from the age when station wagons could pull 5,000 or more. Then you could use them as a family hauler also three kids, dog and the wife and pull a RV. That's all changed but wondering why suburbans and
escalades seem to be fading out of the picture now like they were
related to the station wagon or something. Considering buying
a used escalade with the 6.2 liter, 3.42 axel, 6 speed trans, and heavy cooling but would not have much company in the camp ground. Anyone have a clue as to why, RV (TT) weighs about 8,000 loaded?

[bikendan]

SUVs became the bigger substitute for soccer moms, for the primary use of transporting families and groceries. So there was less demand for the 3/4 ton ones and EPA restrictions made them less profitable for the manufacturers. I see many SUVs with no factory tow package.

So it's no wonder SUVs are moving away from 3/4 ton models and towing platforms.

[BenK]

Going away because the majority of SUV/CUV fashion statement crowd does NOT tow heavy

Today's station wagon

There is a 1 ton Suburban, but designed for government business and high dollar rollers who can afford to armor plate them...but...that only has a MTWR (Max Tow Weight Rating) of 3,000 lbs

Before SUV's become the highest margin vehicle for the OEMs...Suburbans (the longest running continuous automotive badge) were real TV's for towing heavy

GMT400's and GMT800's were the last of the 3/4 ton. Yes, the next gen after the GMT800 did have a 3/4 ton, but for the sake of looks...marketing told engineering to 'hide' the receiver behind the bumper

So, the receiver is now part of the bumper and with that, has crumple zone duties....which gets stress raiser notches on the connecting bracket between the bumper/receiver to frame rail

The why of the 1,000 lb max tongue weight rating with a WD hitch system

A 3/4 ton GMT400 (7.4L big block) and GMT800 (8.1L big block) Suburban has the same rear axle assembly as the 1 ton dually of that same year, with the leaf spring pack a bit softer sprung during the initial travel. AAM (American Axle Manufacturing) rates those axles 10,000 GAWR and GM puts on the brakes/springs/etc and re-rates them 6,000 lb GAWR

For the OP, an Esclade 'can do it', but if at the limits/ratings, not well during a MR Murphy meeting.

The 6.2L is aluminum and more hot rod (lower duty cycle rating) than towing (higher duty cycle rating)



Click For Full-Size Image.

[twodownzero]

The real problem is that they seem to be going away from 3/4 ton SUVs (and there never were 1 ton SUVs, and even the 3/4 ton ones never had the suspension and payload ability of a similarly-equipped pickup). There's no reason why an SUV can't be built to be a BETTER tow vehicle than a pickup, but the fact remains that the current offerings aren't. Although I'm now a fifth wheel camper, I might change to a TT based rig if they made an SUV I thought worthy of pulling a big one.

Trailers are bigger and heavier than ever now, taking advantage of the capacity and power new tow rigs have. Unfortunately, SUVs have gone completely the other direction.

There may be legal issues here, too, since nobody has ever tried to make an SUV with a 12,000+ lb. GVWR, it's unclear what legal area it'd occupy.

[mkirsch]

What these responses are not articulating is WHY it's not a good idea.

In all likelihood, you will not like the performance and handling of a full load of passengers in an Escalade with that much trailer behind.

By yourself, no problem unless you're a pack rat and the truck is full of junk. With an additional 800lbs of wife, kids, dogs, toys, snacks, bikes, etc., and the 1200lbs of trailer tongue, it's not going to be any fun.

It will be FAR from a death trap. Just irritating to drive, perhaps unpleasant. You won't notice at first due to lack of experience but over time you will.

[bartlettj]

Bionic Man wrote:
I know it is not exactly the same, but I tow a 7000 pound boat with a 2011 Yukon Denali XL.

Some of the issues I have (like trailer sway) shouldn't effect you. It has OK pulling power, but don't expect it to stay in 6th gear. Mine is in 5th most of the time, and will drop lower when it hits a hill.

Going through he mountains of Colorado, I see both engines and transmission temps approaching 250*. Two GM dealers and an independent transmission shop all told me that is par for the course towing heavier through the hills.

When we replace our Yukon in the next couple of years it will likely be with a new style Navigator or Expedition. I believe they have higher towing capacity.

I had the same heat experience with my Tahoe. Now I tow with a Duramax/Allison and the temperature never really moves.

[drsteve]

An Escalade is the wrong choice for pulling an 8000 lb TT.

[APT]

The Engine/trans are strong. Two weak points for every 2007+ half ton SUV: payload and receiver limits.

At 8000 pounds loaded, that is 1000-1200 pounds of tongue weight. The highest receiver on an SUV since 2007 is 1000 pounds when using a WDH. Payloads vary from 1300-1700 pounds for the half tons. So 1000 pounds of TW with 500 left for people is a bit light for the larger families which SUVs are designed for.

[Grit_dog]

No reason it won’t pull as good as a comparable pickup power wise and I wouldn’t hesitate towing 8k + with a 6.2 Escalade. Tires? Who cares they’re expendable. Get some heavier tires or max out the pressure and tow away. It’s not the end of the world or get some LT tires.
My one apprehension with the Escalade is they are pretty much all auto level suspension and idk the limits of that. I would much prefer a traditional rear suspension for towing and hauling that could be economically upgraded a bit if it’s a little saggy. Or very least doesn’t put some expensive electronic components at risk of $$$ to fix if they fail.
If a 1/2 ton model doesn’t have common upgrades available then I wouldn’t consider it a tow rig. The Escalade May fall into this category not sure.

[theoldwizard1]

travelnman wrote:
Considering buying a used escalade with the 6.2 liter, 3.42 axel, 6 speed trans, and heavy cooling but would not have much company in the camp ground. Anyone have a clue as to why, RV (TT) weighs about 8,000 loaded?

Tyler0215 wrote:
That much trailer, better get a pickup.

I concur with Tyler. By the time you load the vehicle with people, you will likely be over the GCVW. Same problem on Expeditions.

At a minimum, you need an auxiliary transmission cooler and a higher rear axle ratio. Light truck (LT) tires are a must also !

[Bionic_Man]

I know it is not exactly the same, but I tow a 7000 pound boat with a 2011 Yukon Denali XL.

Some of the issues I have (like trailer sway) shouldn't effect you. It has OK pulling power, but don't expect it to stay in 6th gear. Mine is in 5th most of the time, and will drop lower when it hits a hill.

Going through he mountains of Colorado, I see both engines and transmission temps approaching 250*. Two GM dealers and an independent transmission shop all told me that is par for the course towing heavier through the hills.

When we replace our Yukon in the next couple of years it will likely be with a new style Navigator or Expedition. I believe they have higher towing capacity.

[MitchF150]

An Escalade is just a well optioned out Tahoe.. All those options take away from any "tow rating" it would have as well as payload and other things..

Sure, #5000 trailer, you'd be fine.. If you are talking #8000 TT, then I would not do it with any "half ton" rig...

Not even my F150 that has a "tow rating" of over #11,000...

Ain't no way I'd do that..

Anyway, it's your truck and your trailer and only you know if you can do it or not... Not just a bunch of interweb goofs... 🙂

Good luck!

Mitch

[Lwiddis]

You left out the most important number...payload. My Tahoe is similar the Escalade but has the 5.3 engine,and a payload of 1595. I wouldn’t go more than 6000 pounds for weight...power is fine. Wheelbase is another consideration.

[SoonerWing03]

I’m currently towing with a 17 Tahoe. I have 3 kids also and it’s great as a daily driver but not so rock solid as a TV. I think the issue you will run into first is exceeding payload. I know that’s more important to some than others but considering my entire world (family) is trusting me to make sound decisions, I’m in the market for a truck. My kids are still fairly young so I’m not over on payload yet but my trailer is quite a bit lighter than yours also.

Can you tow that trailer with an Escalade, probably . Should you? Well that’s for you to decide. I personally have little tolerance for risk in this arena.

[KD4UPL]

Most modern SUVs are set up with very soft springs and P (passenger) tires because people want a good ride. An Escalade probably has a payload rating of around 1,500 pounds. Your 8,000 pound RV will have a tongue weight of probably 1,200. Your weight distributing hitch will add about 100 pounds. This leaves very little extra payload for people, pets, and gear in the vehicle.
I have a 2500 series Suburban, it's a different story from a 1500 series like an Escalade. I put 7 people inside, hitch up my 7,000 pound boat, load the back with gear and it doesn't even squat much.
Also, diesel engines have come a long way. Modern diesel trucks have more HP than semi trucks had in the 70s and 80s. They have about 50% the torque of modern semis. Since nobody builds a big diesel SUV people who want that kind of power just get trucks.
I can't understand why GM never put he Duramax in the Suburban. They offered their earlier 6.2L and 6.5L diesels in the Suburban and they were fairly popular. There are several companies that make Duramax powered Suburbans and you can find them for sale if you look around a little. If you want to tow with a big SUV I'd find a 2500 Sub. Get a diesel one if you really want some power. For my use, the 6.0 gas engine does just fine.