New to a suburban and wanting to tow a camper.
April 7th, 2016, 12:15 AM
#1
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New to a suburban and wanting to tow a camper.
SO i have been looking all over the interwebs and seeing what is my limit for weight. I have a 2008 LTZ 4wd 5.3 that is that v8/v4 motor thingy. I want to see what i can do chevy said that my limit was 6000 lbs. I have seen online that 7100 is the limit. I am looking at getting a camper that is 6250 empty weight i know i wont pack too much. This thing is in 2 years i hope to be moving back to NC from CA and want to tow it back cross country. I want to see what weights people are pulling and if any thing i should do to prep my SUV. thanks I also did a search on the forum but a lot of post are realy old. Sorry if i am beating a dead horse about this.
link of the camper in question
2016 Forest River Cherokee 264L Stock: 125090 | RV Ready
link of the camper in question
2016 Forest River Cherokee 264L Stock: 125090 | RV Ready
April 7th, 2016, 11:59 AM
#2
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What differential / rear end do you have? check your RPO codes in the glove box for one of the following:
G80 Differential, locking, heavy-duty, rear
GT4 Rear axle, 3.73 ratio
GT5 Rear axle, 4.10 ratio
GU6 Rear axle, 3.42 ratio
G80 Differential, locking, heavy-duty, rear
GT4 Rear axle, 3.73 ratio
GT5 Rear axle, 4.10 ratio
GU6 Rear axle, 3.42 ratio
April 7th, 2016, 5:49 PM
#3
The dry weight of a camper is a very misleading number. With a dry weight of 6215, you'll probably be closer to 7,000 lbs when you're ready to roll. The problem with the half-ton Suburbans and towing is the rear axle. It's only rated to 4200 lbs, and it's a semifloater. In my opinion, it's the weakest part of the powertrain. Additionally, you only have 1600 lbs or so of payload, so the math isn't promising. Tongue weight is normally about 13% of trailer weight. 13% of 7000 is 910 lbs. Add 50 lbs for the hitch. That leaves about 540 lbs of payload for you, your passengers, and any carry-on bags. Even if you can work with that payload, it's still likely you're overloading your rear axle.
I towed a 7000-lb trailer from Michigan to Yellowstone with my '01 Suburban. As we were driving across South Dakota, the axle failed, forcing a 4-day stop in beautiful Mitchell, SD.
My first trailer was a "lite" trailer, or as they call it a half-ton towable. It had a dry weight of 4550 lbs, but was still a 28' trailer. I towed that to Florida twice with no issues.
You'll also notice that I now have a Suburban 2500. Once you're up to 7000-8000 lb trailers, you're solidly in 3/4-ton territory.
Bottom line - I'd be very leery towing a trailer that big across the country with a halt-ton Burb. If you'll be by yourself, keep the speed around 60, and check the temperature of your rear axle along the way, you might be ok. I'd definitely spring for one of those diff covers with the cooling fins on it.
A few of the trailers I've towed:
First one - 1/2-ton towable, no issues
Getting larger, about 6000 lbs, broke the pinion bearing, spent three days of vacation in Youngstown, OH
Even larger - 7,000 lbs - overheated, cooked off the axle fluid, seized, spent four days of vacation in Mitchell, SD. Picture taken at Powder River Pass, elevation 9,660 feet.
Same trailer, new tow vehicle, towed to Gulf Shores, AL on one trip, and Grand Canyon, Moab and Colorado on another. Easy-peasy.
8600-lb 35-foot behemoth, now with larger, heavier teenagers. Towed up to the UP of Michigan. GCW 16,340 lbs, almost exactly 10,000 lbs heavier than the Burb's curb weight:
I towed a 7000-lb trailer from Michigan to Yellowstone with my '01 Suburban. As we were driving across South Dakota, the axle failed, forcing a 4-day stop in beautiful Mitchell, SD.
My first trailer was a "lite" trailer, or as they call it a half-ton towable. It had a dry weight of 4550 lbs, but was still a 28' trailer. I towed that to Florida twice with no issues.
You'll also notice that I now have a Suburban 2500. Once you're up to 7000-8000 lb trailers, you're solidly in 3/4-ton territory.
Bottom line - I'd be very leery towing a trailer that big across the country with a halt-ton Burb. If you'll be by yourself, keep the speed around 60, and check the temperature of your rear axle along the way, you might be ok. I'd definitely spring for one of those diff covers with the cooling fins on it.
A few of the trailers I've towed:
First one - 1/2-ton towable, no issues
Getting larger, about 6000 lbs, broke the pinion bearing, spent three days of vacation in Youngstown, OH
Even larger - 7,000 lbs - overheated, cooked off the axle fluid, seized, spent four days of vacation in Mitchell, SD. Picture taken at Powder River Pass, elevation 9,660 feet.
Same trailer, new tow vehicle, towed to Gulf Shores, AL on one trip, and Grand Canyon, Moab and Colorado on another. Easy-peasy.
8600-lb 35-foot behemoth, now with larger, heavier teenagers. Towed up to the UP of Michigan. GCW 16,340 lbs, almost exactly 10,000 lbs heavier than the Burb's curb weight:
Last edited by intheburbs; April 7th, 2016 at 5:54 PM.
April 9th, 2016, 11:03 AM
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I fount out the Service parts codes. I have the 3.73 gears so 7000lbs is what the 2008 Towing guide says. So I will stay around the 6000 mark. Thank you both for the info and help. My DD is a 02 Ford f150 Harley Davidson. Is can haul *** but not haul weight.