jb6.5

I have a 2008 tahoe LS the widow sticker lists the 3.23 rear axle gear ratio the 4.8L vortec v8 sfi and the trailering equip,heavy-duty what would I have to do to it to be able to move a 8500 trailer around a camp ground

tech2

check the owners manual for the max trailer weight for your build.
if your not driving on a public road hook it up...it you leave the park...you MUST be within the weight ratings the truck was build for originally. No modification whatsoever will change your max weights in the eyes of the law.

jb6.5

I am not worried about the law I am worried about damaging my tahoe can the frame and rear end handle the weight if I put air bags on the over loads or am I going to damage my truck just by hooking this beast up

Suburban Dude

For low speed towing it boils down to tongue weight. Gearing issues can be overcome by leaving the transmission in 1st gear. The website “ thecarconnection.com “ has your data.

So, for figuring what load your rear suspension can handle, take gross axle weight rating (rear) and subtract curb weight (rear) .

For a 2008 Tahoe the gross axle weight rating (rear) is 4100 lbs.
Curve weight (rear) is 2647 lbs.
4100-2647 = 1453 lbs. Your tongue weight cannot exceed this. If you do, you can damage the rear springs and possibly the frame. If you install air bags you can greatly reduce reduce the stress on the rear springs but the frame will be dealing with exactly the same stress as without the bag.

Also, any sudden jarring such as going over a large pothole in the road can magnify the load, and turn it into a much larger impact load.

Do you have any material that tells you the tongue weight? If you do find the tongue weight and it is much lower than 1453 lbs, get the air bags installed, keep the transmission in first gear, drive slow and try avoid a lot of back and forth maneuvering, especially if it’s a hot day as the transmission temp will get really hot.

A load equalizer can help reduce the tongue weight but if I understand it right, it imparts a twisting load on your frame and should not be used as a crutch. Also, make sure your hitch is rated for the tongue weight and you have the correct ball size. This ain’t no boat trailer!

Really, this trailer requires a 3/4 ton or even a 1 ton truck but you know that.

Intuitively, I think the tongue weight is low enough to do a low speed tow but please put the air bags in or else it will look completely comical when you hitch up. You’ll know something is wrong! Send us photos!

SD

jb6.5

thanks suburban dude the hitch weight is listed as 1025 pounds so it looks like this will work or at least my truck won't fold in half if I hook this trailer up

in2pro

It's more than what the vehicle is rated for , but it sounds like you are just moving the TT a short distance, the vehicle will likely settle out on the bump stops to the axle, it will be higher stress on the driveline, so it could over stress the diff or trans if they are already high milage, and of course the front wheels coming off the ground will likely be the biggest concern...
That all said, I'd probably try it, but you know the lay of the land and the condition of your vehicle better than anyone here.

oilcanhenry

The weight laws are there for a reason. You will care if a police officer pulls you over and hands you a huge citation. You would be putting peoples lives
in danger, and it could result in a prison sentence and/or being sued by those that you willfully hurt, due to your negligence. Perhaps you need to trade up
to a one ton pickup truck, which will be much cheaper then a defense lawyers fees will be. I hold a class A CDL, so I know all the laws about weight limits.

Suburban Dude

I believe the original poster mentioned he has no intention of going onto a public road. He’s just moving it within the campground at low speed.

SD

Suburban Dude

1. Don’t forget the original poster is planning on installing airbags so with sufficient pressure inside the bags, the vehicle will not settle out on the bump stops.

2. Unless the trailer wheels sink into the ground, it doesn't take much torque to pull a trailer in first gear at low speed. But yes, thanks for bringing that up. Don’t pull the trailer on soft ground or else you’ll stress the drive train.

3. The calculation to determine if the front wheels lift is straight forward. We’ll calculate the “moment” about the rear axle. There is about 2000 lb force down on the front wheels of a 2008 Tahoe. The front wheels are 10 ft ahead of the rear axle. That is a “moment” of 20,000 ft lbs. I don’t have the distance between the rear axle and the hitch as measured on the ground but let’s assume it’s 5 ft. The tongue weight is about 1000 lbs. The moment is 5 x 1000 = 5,000 ft lbs. So, 20,000 ft lbs are keeping the front wheels on the ground. 5,000 ft lbs are trying to lift the wheels. There is a 15,000 ft lb moment still keeping the wheels on the ground. In other words there is still a 1500 lb force down on the front wheels. In order to lift the front wheels, the moment due to the tongue weight would have to exceed 20,000 ft lbs. Since the hitch is 5 ft from the axle, the calculation is 20,000 ft lbs divided by 5 ft = 4000 lbs. It would take a 4,000 lb tongue weight to lift the front wheels. He has about a 1000 lb tonque load, so no, the wheels will not lift off the ground. (which, however, would have looked cool on America’s Favourite Home Videos).

Didn’t mean to sound like an egghead. They teach this stuff in first year engineering courses. Hope it helps.

SD

Rednucleus

But it would cool going through the trailer park with front wheels up!