What can my Suburban safely tow?

[RVhavingfun_]

We were all set to purchase a Jayco Jay Flight 28BH today until I started reading threads on here and getting nervous about our Suburban's ability to tow it safely.
We have a 2008 Suburban with a 6L engine and it has the tow package. Our truck did not come with a owners manual, so I've been trying to figure out all the numbers via the internet. Best I can tell it has a towing capacity of 8100lbs, a GVWR of 7400lbs, and GAWR of 4200. I couldn't find the GCVWR.
Since the max loaded weight of the trailer is 7500 we were thinking we were in the clear, but after putting lots of numbers into lots of calculators and getting more confused each time I do it, I'm not so convinced now.
Help!

[travelnman]

When towing my biggest concern is the tires. They need to be rated for
the weight your carrying but many use the tires the Burbon came with which
usually are rated for ride comfort not towing weight. I changed the tires
to a higher weight rating and the ride is about the same although I think the
Gas mileage dropped some but something has to give. Another cause for concern
is with the new RV's they are using small fresh water tanks to cover folks
who fill them before they leave which I never do except for water to wash up
with after cleaning the black and gray water tanks so they really do not add
any weight. Some new RV's have thirty gal fresh water tanks, that would drive
me nuts always running out of water and having only electrical hookup. So you
get out your five gal water jug and fetch the water and then try to pour all
that water into a little spout on the RV. That is not my idea of fun. Anyone
see it any different. We have ruled out the new light weight RV's they
especially use small fresh water tanks. OK if you have water hookup but we
usually don't. If you buy a light weight stay at commercial campgrounds and you
have no problem.

[Grit_dog]

You have a fine tow rig for a 7klb TT. Don't let that make you compromise on your camper.
Remember most of the kodgers here forget when they used to tow the world with trucks that only wished they were as capable as a 6liter 4.10 geared newer full size suv.

You may need to upgrade rear suspension a little

[blt2ski]

Just towing FAR under a tow capacity, does not mean you are safe and or sane!

I've towed with rigs UNDER gcwr and not gone up a hill, because they were only speced to max out on a 15% grade, I was pulling a 20+% grade. So I could not go up said hill. Another rig I was 2000+ lbs over gcwr, and had no issues going up the same grade.

I've been under gcwr and felt unsafe with a trailer loaded incorrectly and having it sway uncontrollably.

At the end of the day, you need to look at ALL the numbers and decide what is best for you. Personally, I probably would not feel too comfortable towing much over 5000 lbs with our burb and the size of family. Drivetrain wise, ie motor trans and gears, I would have no issues with a 10K trailer, IF it was in a 2500 series burb! a 1500, I would not tow squat with my family! As your burb would be at gvwr BEFORE loading a trailer.

A number of ways to look at things.

marty

[RVhavingfun_]

travelnman wrote:
We tow a TT dry weight of 6,200lbs loaded with dry tanks it must be 7,500lbs.
GM says our 1500 Suburban with the 5.3 motor and 3.73 axel can tow 8,200lbs, it
does pretty well. Never ever any sway but do have to pull the trany down when
in the mountains and go 20mi hour at times in 1st gear on very steep
grades. Extreme winds are also a effort don't expect to get gas mileage
there either but the suburban comes thru so we are very happy campers. I
also turn off the air conditioning during these times and pretend its the good
old days. I image the six liter would be a big boost over the 5.3. I have been looking for a 2500 with the six liter but they are really hard to find and
the new Suburbans are out of my price bracket and can only hope the FBI has
a auction. In the future I'm wondering who will be able to afford a tow
vehicle and RV, camping is getting to be for the rich. I have seen some
nice motor homes for a fraction of their original cost with low miles. I'm
going to consider that. Never consider them before.

It really is expensive! We aren't willing to even consider updating our tow vehicle at this point, perhaps someday though.
I think one thing that really hurts our Suburban's tow capacity is that whoever owned it before us put every stinking option you could possibly get on that thing! I'm guessing that must add weight? Our payload capacity is slightly under 1,400lbs! We will also frequently be towing in the mountains, so we want to stay as far under our tow capacity as possible.
Aside from finding out that our Suburban doesn't tow any where near what we thought it would I'm pretty in love with that truck! I certainly don't miss my minivan! Lol!

[travelnman]

We tow a TT dry weight of 6,200lbs loaded with dry tanks it must be 7,500lbs.
GM says our 1500 Suburban with the 5.3 motor and 3.73 axel can tow 8,200lbs, it
does pretty well. Never ever any sway but do have to pull the trany down when
in the mountains and go 20mi hour at times in 1st gear on very steep
grades. Extreme winds are also a effort don't expect to get gas mileage
there either but the suburban comes thru so we are very happy campers. I
also turn off the air conditioning during these times and pretend its the good
old days. I image the six liter would be a big boost over the 5.3. I have been looking for a 2500 with the six liter but they are really hard to find and
the new Suburbans are out of my price bracket and can only hope the FBI has
a auction. In the future I'm wondering who will be able to afford a tow
vehicle and RV, camping is getting to be for the rich. I have seen some
nice motor homes for a fraction of their original cost with low miles. I'm
going to consider that. Never consider them before.

[blt2ski]

The issue like ALL larger sized families, is you will need one truck sized larger than ratings, due to the family weight itself. My family of 6 would have put this burb at gvwr, WITH OUT a trailer attached. So my true tow rating is zero, zilch, nada, nothing! I needed a 9200 GM Crew cab to handle my family's weight, along with 700 lbs of HW, not to mention the two 150 lbs malamutes with crates, a bike or 6, etc. Usually over 2000 to as much as 3000 lbs was added to my truck to head out camping, then add in the 6500 or so on the trailer axels....

The motor in the 1500 burb is more than capable of handling whatever trailer you want to pull. The issue is the chassis is too light duty for the power part. I've personally found it better to be over truck chassi'd and slightly under powered than over powered and under chass'd/payload!

marty

[RVhavingfun_]

bikendan wrote:

APT wrote:
Consider ability to sleep while turtled, access to things while traveling, and closing those tent ends when wet/raining.

there's a Hybrid forum here. go ask some questions there, about the 3 bed hybrids, the most popular being the Roo/Shamrock 233S.

Hybrids aren't for everyone. many get pulled in by all floor room and sleeping capacity, without considering the pros and cons to the tent ends.
most hybrid owners are former popup owners and want more amenities but keep the camping feel of the tent ends.
sleeping capacity and floor space are secondary positives.

we've owned ours for almost 10 years and still love it, since we mainly camp in state/county/national parks.
we're not fans of RV parks, therefore do a lot of dry camping.

I did pop over there to ask about a specific model, but I should probably ask for just experiences in general about Hybrids.
I have tent camped many, many, many times! I've even camped with no tent or shelter of any kind. (hippy/mountain man Dad took us survival camping on occasion, you could get away with a lot more in the 80's apparently, lol) I've never camped in a pop-up (or a TT for that matter), but I'm guessing that for us even a hybrid would feel like a big upgrade from the set-up and pack-up involved in tent camping with three kids and two dogs.
I actually really like that the hybrid is a mix of that tent feel with some of the convenience and space of a TT. We also like to camp in both rustic settings (when we camp with my parents we're not even in a park, just up a mountain down a logging road and in a clearing that my Dad likes) and in RV parks with activities and amenities for the kids. So in that aspect it seems like a hybrid would be a good fit.
More research to do though!

[bikendan]

APT wrote:
Consider ability to sleep while turtled, access to things while traveling, and closing those tent ends when wet/raining.

there's a Hybrid forum here. go ask some questions there, about the 3 bed hybrids, the most popular being the Roo/Shamrock 233S.

Hybrids aren't for everyone. many get pulled in by all floor room and sleeping capacity, without considering the pros and cons to the tent ends.
most hybrid owners are former popup owners and want more amenities but keep the camping feel of the tent ends.
sleeping capacity and floor space are secondary positives.

we've owned ours for almost 10 years and still love it, since we mainly camp in state/county/national parks.
we're not fans of RV parks, therefore do a lot of dry camping.

[RVhavingfun_]

APT wrote:
Here are two examples of RVs that may work for your family. Tracer Air 244 or 250 vs. Rockwoood Roo 233S. Weight is negligibly different, at least with respect to how they will tow. Length open/closed is a little more different. The quality of materials is close.

I think hybrids are cool coming from tent camping experiences of 10+ years. I looked at them when researching our current TT as we has a less capable truck 6 years ago. But weight savings is not really that significant, at least to consider all the other compromises. If you really like sleeping under a tent - enjoy! If the points I made earlier are not valuable to you or how you plan to camp/RV - open up hybrid options too. Just don't limit yourself to hybrids because you think they are the only light enough RVs to tow.

Thanks! I'll check both of those out!
Right now we are looking at a 2015 Starcraft 229TB priced at $15,000. It seems like a great trailer when all opened up, but it probably wouldn't work if we ever planned to use it closed.
Lots to consider!

[APT]

Here are two examples of RVs that may work for your family. Tracer Air 244 or 250 vs. Rockwoood Roo 233S. Weight is negligibly different, at least with respect to how they will tow. Length open/closed is a little more different. The quality of materials is close.

I think hybrids are cool coming from tent camping experiences of 10+ years. I looked at them when researching our current TT as we has a less capable truck 6 years ago. But weight savings is not really that significant, at least to consider all the other compromises. If you really like sleeping under a tent - enjoy! If the points I made earlier are not valuable to you or how you plan to camp/RV - open up hybrid options too. Just don't limit yourself to hybrids because you think they are the only light enough RVs to tow.

[RVhavingfun_]

MFL wrote:

APT wrote:
Consider ability to sleep while turtled, access to things while traveling, and closing those tent ends when wet/raining.

Yep, APT brings up some very good points, that I agree with.

After being on this forum a while, I have to say he is normally spot on with most subjects discussed.

Lol, no we are not BFF, I have no idea who he is!

Jerry

Lol! I had to google what turtled meant, but I agree that those are all things we need to take into consideration. I think we may have to make some compromises due to the weight restrictions we have, but we'll get as close to perfect as we can.

I really do appreciate all the help! I'm sure you all get asked these questions over and over again by newbies like me!

[RVhavingfun_]

mkirsch wrote:

RVhavingfun? wrote:
So using the 1400 payload that means we can only tow a 4,000 trailer? Even though our GCVWR is 16,000lbs?

Depends on how you came up with that 4000lbs number.

If you subtracted the weight of you, your husband, your kids, and your dogs from that 1400lbs and only had about 600lbs of payload left, then YES, you can only tow a 4000lb trailer.

If you travel by yourself, you could dedicate nearly all of the truck's available payload to the tongue weight of the trailer, and tow the "rated" 8100lbs. It would require approximately 1200lbs of the truck's 1400lb payload capacity to support the tongue of that 8100lb trailer.

As a rule of thumb, you can tow approximately 7 times as much as you can haul.

Yes, we would be traveling with the whole crew most of the time, so that's how I arrived at that number.
How does using a WDH factor in? Doesn't that take some of that tongue weight off? Or is that formula assuming that you are using a WD?

[RVhavingfun_]

APT wrote:
Consider ability to sleep while turtled, access to things while traveling, and closing those tent ends when wet/raining.

Good points that we will definitely take into consideration.

[MFL]

APT wrote:
Consider ability to sleep while turtled, access to things while traveling, and closing those tent ends when wet/raining.

Yep, APT brings up some very good points, that I agree with.

After being on this forum a while, I have to say he is normally spot on with most subjects discussed.

Lol, no we are not BFF, I have no idea who he is!

Jerry