Originally Posted by intheburbs

You keep writing about HD/non HD. The only difference between the two is the presence of the oil and trans cooler (code K5L). Other than that, there is no difference - all the hardware - engine, transmission, axles, etc, are the same.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "an axle that has a much higher rating with other applications." A 2014 Silverado has a rear axle weight rating of 3950, which is lower than the Suburban's 4200. It's physics - a semifloater can't handle high-torque loads as well as a full floater. You want a real rear axle? The 10.5" full floater in my 2500 Burb is rated to 8600 lbs by AA (if it had dual rear wheels). That's not a typo. My rear axle can carry more weight than your entire truck.

There are a lot more weight ratings to consider than just the "trailer towing capacity." I would NEVER try to tow an 8,000-lb trailer with a half-ton Burb. Heck, and 8600-lb trailer maxes out my 2500 Burb, and it's "rated" to pull 9400 lbs. A half-ton Suburban only has about 1500 lbs of payload. Using the typical 13% trailer tongue weight, and an 8000-lb trailer equals 1,040 lbs of tongue weight. Not much payload left for anything else. Then you have the 4200-lb rear axle weight rating. I can guarantee you'll exceed that number with a trailer that large, even using weight distribution. And if you try to reduce the tongue weight by creatively loading the trailer, then that will increase instability and sway.

Look, you can do whatever you want. I'm just trying to share my experience so that others don't make the same mistakes I did. I had two catastrophic failures of ther rear axle in my '01 Burb. Both times while towing a large RV that only weighed about 7000 lbs, while on vacation. Try explaining to your family why you're spending 4 days in Mitchell, SD staring at a f***ing corn palace instead of the geysers of Yellowstone and Rushmore.

Load up the trailer, load up the family and all of your gear, and drive over to CAT scales and get your weights. Those are the important numbers. Anything else is BS and speculation. Just realize that re-gearing and adding coolers aren't going to do much to improve your towing experience.

Here are my weights from my trip last year to Yellowstone with this behemoth:

Originally Posted by 73shark

You might try going to the chevrolet.com website and searching for a 2013 Suburban 2500 brochure and see if they have it on file.

Originally Posted by davidinseattle

Not sure if this is a "if you can't beat em'. join em'" moment or a "never argue with idiots, first they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience" moment. I guess we'll just call it the first choice to move away from the acrimony. Either way, I am in negotiations with several dealers and one private owner for a lightly used 2500 LT. Hopefully, I will have one under contract by the end of the week.

So, hat in hand, does anyone know if the heavy duty trailer tow package is standard on the 2012 or 2013 Burb 2500 LT? I have used my google fu and still can't figure it out.

Thanks

Originally Posted by davidinseattle

Not sure if this is a "if you can't beat em'. join em'" moment or a "never argue with idiots, first they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience" moment. I guess we'll just call it the first choice to move away from the acrimony. Either way, I am in negotiations with several dealers and one private owner for a lightly used 2500 LT. Hopefully, I will have one under contract by the end of the week.

So, hat in hand, does anyone know if the heavy duty trailer tow package is standard on the 2012 or 2013 Burb 2500 LT? I have used my google fu and still can't figure it out.

Thanks

Originally Posted by sfcjones

No it isn't standard, It is however a widely used option that is more and likely will be on any 2500 you buy. If it is a fleet 2500 then you might be out of luck. BTW, I don't think there are idiots on this board, they may not be as smart as you but I wouldn't classify anyone as a idiot. It is just a nasty name to be used as a blanket.

Originally Posted by intheburbs

I'll ignore the idiot comment.

Yes, every Suburban 2500 has the heavy duty tow package. Every one from 2007-2013. Well, even earlier than that if you go back to previous platforms.

This includes:
KC4
COOLING SYSTEM,ENGINE OIL ENG OIL CLG(KC4)
KNP
COOLING SYSTEM,TRANSMISSION,HEAVY DUTY HVY DUTY TRANS CLG SYS(KNP)

Looking at the build sheet for the 2008 model year, GM built 5,867 2500s that year, and guess how many had those two RPO codes? Yep, 5,867.

And they all have the 10.5" AA full floater rear axle, 3.73 gears, and the 6L90. Mated to the 6.0, it's just about the most bulletproof powertrain GM ever put into an SUV.



See my reply above. GM knows every buyer of a 2500 will be using it to tow, so they all have it.

Check the codes sticker in the glove box of any '07-13 2500. You'll see those codes.

Originally Posted by davidinseattle

BTW, what kind of MPGs do you get with your 2500 and you big trailer?

Originally Posted by intheburbs

Abysmal. 6-7 MPG. But at least it has a 39-gallon tank, so I can at least pass a few gas stations.

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