I recently bought a 2011 Suburban 2500 for the purpose of towing a travel trailer. I love the vehicle so far, but I haven't towed with it yet. I have done my diligence to make sure the trailer we purchase + load are within the printed limits of the vehicle.

My question today is if anyone on this forum has the 2009 - 2013 Suburban 2500 (6.0L)? and has done any significant towing to offer a review or advice? Thanks for your time!

 

Run a search. You'll get plenty of reviews. Most are good. Specs on trailer?

 

I replied to your post in the other thread.

I've been towing a travel trailer since 2007. I've towed four different trailers (all at least 26' long and over 5,000 lbs) with both my half-ton '01 Burb and my '08 3/4 ton Burb. We live outside Detroit, and our destinations have included: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Colorado, Utah, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Maryland and the Upper Peninsula. Over the last 8 years, I've racked up about 20,000 miles of towing across the country, including a few runs through the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado (over 11,000 feet).

Again, these are awesome trucks, but they're not invincible. They are, however, very conservatively rated by GM. The 2500s I mean. The main reason I upgraded to the '08 is because I broke the '01. Several times. While towing. While on vacation.

 

I have the exact same vehicle. Bought it for towing, and just got a new boat. It's approx 6,000 lbs. Read this thread and you'll get some good info.

Enjoy the vehicle. You will really like it. I love mine.

 

I am about to hit 200,000 and love mine. I have towed across the country back and forth several times with no issues. I drive conservatively and watch my temps as well as tire pressures all the way around. Slow and steady has always won the race for me.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. My trailer will be 30.8 ft, between 9k and 10k loaded, and 940 lb on the hitch. I have been doing lots of research over the course of the past 18 months or so for the right tow vehicle / trailer combination. While all of the numbers checked out, I didn't seem to find a lot of 07+ 2500 owners on the forums (maybe I should have used Bing). It is great to hear from folks that have the 1st hand experience. I get the feeling that many of these Black 2500 Burbs sold were government fleet.

intheburbs - Great pics. Thanks for both replies. I also have kids and the SUV is required. I read through some of your other posts. I am not really a big fan of the 5.3 either. I'm sure that will get me some negative comments, just my opinion.

JCUMV - Thanks for the link. I love it so far, but I have to admit something... It's my wife's car. I drive a 1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon 5.7L that I am restoring (slowly).

Jeremy3040 - Any major setbacks along the way to 200k? I know everyone has a different experience, but looking for gotchas I may be able to prevent.

I just put new Duravis rubber all the way around. When I'm towing 9-10k; where should I have the pressure? 60psi?

Thanks again, guys.

 

Our 2011 2500 Sub is my wife's primary vehicle, too. She came from a Yukon and the Sub took some getting used to, but she loves the extra room and can't imagine going back to something smaller.

 

Another good source of information is Woodalls RV forum. I'm one of several guys on there pulling large travel trailers with a Suburban 2500. That's where I got most of my information when I first dove into this back in 2007.

9k to 10k is going to be pushing the limit. Even the Trailer Life Trailer Towing Guide lists the maximum for a 2011 4wd 2500 at 9400 lbs. That's the unofficial "bible" for RVers. And if you're anywhere near that weight, and have kids any bigger than toddlers, you're going to run out of payload. My kids weighed about 180 lbs total in 2007. Now they're about 470 lbs total (the boys are each about 170, my daughter is about 130). That's a 300-lb swing.

 

It tows it just fine....