Travel Trailer question... did I just mess up???
April 23rd, 2017, 9:31 PM
#11
I agree that the rear end on the Suburban/Tahoe is a weak point. I had mine rebuilt a couple of months ago. That was spendy. Everything is new from the pinion gear to the brakes. But, the 5.3 Suburban tows pretty well. My trailer is about 6500 pounds when I have my stuff loaded in it. I don't carry much in the water tank, if anything at all. The WD hitch with the Sumo SuperSprings makes the whole rig ride flat. No headlights aiming at the moon thing. The trailer brakes are set so that there is no change in feel from trailer or no trailer. I don't feel it back there at all in that respect. What I do feel is the feedback transmitted from the trailer wheels through the hitch. When the trailer hits a pothole I feel it. The 5.3 has to work to pull the trailer, especially on hills. I do nurse it along and don't get in a hurry. I could give it more throttle but, there's really no need. I use the tow/haul function when towing for a couple of reasons. Unlike previous V8s the 5.3 was designed to make it's power at higher RPMs. The tow haul keeps it in the higher RPM ranges. NEVER use cruise control while towing in tow/haul. If it is struggling to pull a mountain it will try to down shift while the engine is still in the power band and with all that weight somethings got to give. It does shift harder since the shift points are at higher RPMs so, take it easy when pulling the trailer. 30 feet is a lot for a Tahoe. Mine is 27 feet but, the wheel base on the Suburban feels really stable. I have experienced a little sway out on the interstate but, so far it's been barely perceptible and stops on it's on about the time I notice it.
I use to tow a 1991 Prowler 16 foot. It was short, a single axle and weight 3600 pounds dry. That was in the early 1990s. I almost always put water in the tank before we left and never had a weight distribution hitch. I was new to the game and had no idea what I was doing. I towed with a Jeep Grand Wagoneer and a Toyota Landcruizer. Talk about sway. I experienced some white knuckle sway with that setup. The Jeep had a big V8 and didn't tow worth a flip. The Toyota was even worse. Anyway, the Suburban setup that I have now is way better than what I had back in the day. It's a little under powered for what I would have in a perfect world. But, it does the trick.
I will say that I am a freak about transmission servicing. Mine came with that really sorry GM drain plug on the transmission. I ground that thing down and welded an 11/16 nut to it and now I can pull the drain plug off and do a drain and fill in 5 minutes. It takes 4 quarts to do a drain and fill on my 4L60e. After every tow job of any significance I do a drain and fill. I'm thinking of adding an additional cooler to the factory tow package cooler (there's 2, one in the radiator and one mounted in front of the radiator) but, still contemplating that.
Anyway, for the Tahoe I'd say your going to be maxing at the top of it's ability. Having your trailer brakes set properly is very important. Let a professional set up your weight distribution hitch. It will make all the difference to have that right. Never get in a hurry. Always service your tires before you hook up including your spares. Get the Timbrens or the Sumo SuperSprings. They are cheap for what they provide. The Tahoe will be squatting bad is my guess. You need it to be riding flat and level. Towing a travel trailer comes with some intrinsic risk. You want to mitigate those risk as much as possible. The shorter wheel base on the Tahoe might mean that the trailer feels like it's pushing you around some. Although, my neighbor pulls a 30 foot trailer with a Jeep Cherokee with the V8. The trailer dwarfs that thing and the Jeep has a short wheel base. He feels like it does OK. I suspect it doesn't. I would never try and make that work. Personally, the 27 foot trailer I'm towing now is all I want to pull. For beach trips it's no big deal. It will run 65 MPH all the way to the beach. Going to the mountains works the 5.3 a little more and I refuse to floor it to get a few more MPH on the hills. I just get in with the seni-trucks and ease up the mountain remembering to keep the RPMs up. Do not allow the 5.3 to lug with a trailer in tow. It's hard on it. And don't let it run in overdrive. Overdrive wasn't designed for heavy torque loads. The tow/haul will take care of that for you. Anticipate what's ahead and plan accordingly. Let the fools go and don't compete for real estate on the highway. If you run across a good deal on a Suburban get it. The extra wheel base makes a big difference.
Lastly, I pay attention to what people are towing their rigs with. It's all over the map. I see Tahoes in the campgrounds pulling travel trailers all the time. Sometimes they look over burdened. I see Envoys towing travel trailers. I saw an Acura SUV towing a travel trailer last weekend. In a perfect world you buy the RV first and then get a tow vehicle that's overkill. A Ford F250 would totally be the stuff. The lady that owns a local RV dealer bought a new 2017 Suburban with all the tow package stuff. She told me that it's rated at, get this, 11,000 pounds. So, can a non-tow package Suburban/Tahoe be upgraded to extend it's capabilities? I suppose.
I use to tow a 1991 Prowler 16 foot. It was short, a single axle and weight 3600 pounds dry. That was in the early 1990s. I almost always put water in the tank before we left and never had a weight distribution hitch. I was new to the game and had no idea what I was doing. I towed with a Jeep Grand Wagoneer and a Toyota Landcruizer. Talk about sway. I experienced some white knuckle sway with that setup. The Jeep had a big V8 and didn't tow worth a flip. The Toyota was even worse. Anyway, the Suburban setup that I have now is way better than what I had back in the day. It's a little under powered for what I would have in a perfect world. But, it does the trick.
I will say that I am a freak about transmission servicing. Mine came with that really sorry GM drain plug on the transmission. I ground that thing down and welded an 11/16 nut to it and now I can pull the drain plug off and do a drain and fill in 5 minutes. It takes 4 quarts to do a drain and fill on my 4L60e. After every tow job of any significance I do a drain and fill. I'm thinking of adding an additional cooler to the factory tow package cooler (there's 2, one in the radiator and one mounted in front of the radiator) but, still contemplating that.
Anyway, for the Tahoe I'd say your going to be maxing at the top of it's ability. Having your trailer brakes set properly is very important. Let a professional set up your weight distribution hitch. It will make all the difference to have that right. Never get in a hurry. Always service your tires before you hook up including your spares. Get the Timbrens or the Sumo SuperSprings. They are cheap for what they provide. The Tahoe will be squatting bad is my guess. You need it to be riding flat and level. Towing a travel trailer comes with some intrinsic risk. You want to mitigate those risk as much as possible. The shorter wheel base on the Tahoe might mean that the trailer feels like it's pushing you around some. Although, my neighbor pulls a 30 foot trailer with a Jeep Cherokee with the V8. The trailer dwarfs that thing and the Jeep has a short wheel base. He feels like it does OK. I suspect it doesn't. I would never try and make that work. Personally, the 27 foot trailer I'm towing now is all I want to pull. For beach trips it's no big deal. It will run 65 MPH all the way to the beach. Going to the mountains works the 5.3 a little more and I refuse to floor it to get a few more MPH on the hills. I just get in with the seni-trucks and ease up the mountain remembering to keep the RPMs up. Do not allow the 5.3 to lug with a trailer in tow. It's hard on it. And don't let it run in overdrive. Overdrive wasn't designed for heavy torque loads. The tow/haul will take care of that for you. Anticipate what's ahead and plan accordingly. Let the fools go and don't compete for real estate on the highway. If you run across a good deal on a Suburban get it. The extra wheel base makes a big difference.
Lastly, I pay attention to what people are towing their rigs with. It's all over the map. I see Tahoes in the campgrounds pulling travel trailers all the time. Sometimes they look over burdened. I see Envoys towing travel trailers. I saw an Acura SUV towing a travel trailer last weekend. In a perfect world you buy the RV first and then get a tow vehicle that's overkill. A Ford F250 would totally be the stuff. The lady that owns a local RV dealer bought a new 2017 Suburban with all the tow package stuff. She told me that it's rated at, get this, 11,000 pounds. So, can a non-tow package Suburban/Tahoe be upgraded to extend it's capabilities? I suppose.
