tsenior

It turns out that the towing capacity of my vechile is 8400lbs. Thanks for checking into this Louis! It was great driving around the neighborhood. I'd like to upload a picture but the buttons want me to enter a web link.

Anywhoo, I checked my receiver and it can handle up to 12K. I don't mind going 65-70 mph on the highway but I'm just worried about how my car will hold up going up to the Colorado Rockies and around Utah and Arizona. It will be slow going uphills and I'm afraid that going up mountains will break my transmission. I don't have a gauge to check transmission temp. Am I being crazy or is this a legitimate concern?? If my vehicle is rated to pull this camper, should I just do it?


Thank you all for your help!
T.

Chevrolet Customer Service

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Yes, this is a legitimate concern. Could you please clarify where it stated that it could handle 12,000lbs.? According to the VIN number you provided, your vehicle is a 2005 2WD 5.3L V8 Suburban 1500 Series (1/2 Ton). Your vehicle is capable of towing a maximum of 8400 lbs. The 3/4 Ton Suburban vehicles are capable of towing a maximum of 12,000lbs. Please take a look at the following information.

Half-Ton
GVWR, standard: 2WD 7000lbs. / 4WD 7200lbs.
Payload, maximum: 2WD 1677lbs. / 4WD 1654lbs.
Trailer towing maximum: 2WD 8400lbs. / 4WD 8100lbs.
Fuel tank: 31 gallon
Engine oil: 6 quart
Vortec 5300: 16.8

3/4-Ton
GVWR, standard: 2WD 8600lbs. / 4WD 8600lbs.
Payload, maximum: 2WD 2737lbs. / 4WD 2431lbs.
Trailer towing maximum: 2WD 12000lbs. / 4WD 12000lbs.
Fuel tank: 37.5 gallon
Engine oil: 6 quart
Vortec 6000: 16.8
Vortec 8100: 29

I am concerned that you may be referring to information for a 3/4-Ton vehicle; your vehicle is a Half-Ton.

Any additional information you can provide could be helpful. I would hate for you to burn out your transmission, especially in the mountains.

I look forward to your reply.

Louis
GM Customer Service

73shark

More likely that you're not at peak hp at 55. Torque is what gets you rolling and is fairly flat, tailing off at higher rpms.

Personally I wouldn't want to tow that rig much above 60 anyway.

SWHouston

tsenior,

Louis is giving you some good advice !
YES, your receiver, bar, ***** and other attachments may be rated at over your GTW, and that's good. I always buy parts which are rated higher than my GTW.

BUT, limit the Total Weight of your Trailer, to/less than what your "venicle" is rated at, which was the 8400 lb limit !

(The idea in this approach is not to put a weak link in the system)

hicksvilleshick

well I'd first find out if you have a tranny cooler... that will help with keeping the tranny cool pulling that trailer. make sure you use the tow/haul if equipped.

I would suggest not even trying to keep up with traffic as you will most certainly melt it down. hang out in the right lane and go as fast as your comfortable with. just avoid going slow in the hammer lane as truckers like me might take that as a challenge... lol

the other thing to consider is how much gear your loading into the burban or trailer... is that gonna put you over 8.5k???


:chug:

tsenior

Louis,

My apologies for causing confusion. I know that my vehicle is a 1/2 ton. I was only referring to the receiver that is inserted into the hitch (at the back of the car) - it's heavy duty (after market)! That piece is rated for 12K even though it is hooked up to a 8K camper. It comes with stabilizer bars that connect to the camper.

Does my vehicle have a "tranny cooler"? I know it has the tow/haul mode on the gear selector, which I plan on using.

I plan on being very selective with the amount of gear I bring, mostly just clothing and food. There will be three adults (including me) as well as 4 children in the car (1 infant, 1 toddler, an 8 year old and a 6 year old). The adults weigh no more than 150-170lbs each.

I hope the picture that I attached shows.

Thanks,
tsenior

jeffsw6

Your truck should have a "dummy light" for transmission oil temperature on the dash or via a message in the DIC (can't remember which.) If it comes on, slow down and stop for a break at the first safe pull-off. It is possible for the transmission to go into limp mode due to high oil temp, and if so, you will not be going very fast!

I think the trans oil temperature is available via the OBD II diagnostic port. This means the many aftermarket information displays / "programmers" may be able to show this parameter if they have that option.

It's not too bad. The worst thing is you need a lot of road to do a 3-point-turn in reverse with that rig, around 80 feet of length and 2 generous lanes of width. :-/

The part of your towing gear that is bolted to the frame if your truck is often called the "receiver." The piece that slides into it is a "ball mount."

That sure is a nice looking trailer! It is hard to tell from the picture, especially since the Suburban is resting against a speed bump, but you may have more truck rear axle squat than is probably ideal if the truck is essentially unloaded in the picture. This can be a real problem. When you take your first trip, be sure you pay close attention to the steering confidence, including going across bumps/potholes, for the first few miles of your trip. If it feels like there isn't enough weight on your front axle, you should carefully stop and make adjustments as needed. Too little weight on the truck's front axle can be extremely dangerous at any speed, just like too little tongue weight.

SWHouston

tsenior,

You haven't said if your Burb has any "Leveling" feature installed, hopefully it does. That forward tilt (nose down) your Trailer is showing, probably won't be all that bad, but, I'd consider flipping the tube/ball mount over, and putting a little more lift on the hitch.

tsenior

The camper does not have a leveling feature. I'm not sure what you mean by "flipping the tube/ball mount over". It sounds interesting!


Thanks!
T.

Chevrolet Customer Service

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The Trailering Equipment includes: trailering hitch platform, 7-lead wiring connector, transmission oil cooler.

I PM'd you your entire vehicle build for future reference.

I hope this information is helpful. Enjoy your trip!

Louis
GM Customer Service