Looking for a different tow vehicle for my 3 place enclosed. May go to a 4 place in the future. Wondered if anyone tows with a suburban or Yukon xl, 2500, 6.0l gas motor? Looking for something with a little more room than a quad cab pickup. My biggest concern with the suburban/Yukon xl is the short wheelbase. Which can tend to allow the trailer to steer the vehicle. So just wondered if anybody tows with them in the winter, snow/ice conditions. I thought about an old excursion with the 7.3l and almost bought one but I heard horror stories of "how they are like a boat on icy conditions" and when/if they get stuck, they are stuck. And it seems like about every early 2000's ford super duty frame steers like crap. Anyways just lookin for some input. Thanks.
Tow vehicle ??
- Thread starter Clintondf
- Start date
snobuilder
Well-known member
I tow an inline 3/4 place with a 345hp. 6.0L 1/2 ton silverado ext. cab. The motor is great. Hardly ever a down shift and 12 mpg without any bad head winds.
I also tow a 7500# when full dump trailer and the motor has the nuts to make it seem easy.
I also tow a 7500# when full dump trailer and the motor has the nuts to make it seem easy.
indy_500
Well-known member
Towed my buddy's 29' inline with my 06 silverado 1500 6.0 vortec max with 4.10s and 4 sleds. Hardly downshifted at all, towed it very well but gas mileage was not good. 8-9 depending on wind on winter gas. This same trip in the summer unloaded 6 months earlier I got 18-19. My buddy tows it with a 04 Silverado 1500 5.3 with 3.73s. Usually can't go 60 seconds without downshifting and likes to scream in 3rd for quite some time, but gets better gas mileage, typically 10-12. Key thing with buying a 1/2 ton truck to tow is gearing. Gearing is so critical, on a 4 spd Chevy the difference between 3.42s and 4.10s is 500 rpm going down the highway. My 05 Silverado 1500 with 3.42s, L33 H.O. and 33" tires could hardly tow a clamshell 2 place trailer. Newer 6 speeds are geared different so they don't need as low of gearing, most 1/2 ton Chevy's on the lot have 3.08s. If you're going to tow anything but grocery's I'd make sure to find one with 3.42s.
Thanks for the responses. My 5.3 has done well but I can tell it's getting tired. 168,000. Hauls my ski boat in the summer and sled trailer in the winter.
As far as mileage I expect it to be garbage with most tow vehicles depending what and how your pulling I guess. We went to Wyoming in a new dodge cummins 2500. 27' inline 4 sleds and gear and were only getting like 9-10mpg average. Worst was goin out. Drivin in a storm and uphill the whole time.
As far as mileage I expect it to be garbage with most tow vehicles depending what and how your pulling I guess. We went to Wyoming in a new dodge cummins 2500. 27' inline 4 sleds and gear and were only getting like 9-10mpg average. Worst was goin out. Drivin in a storm and uphill the whole time.
G
G
Guest
If a person has the funds to buy a vehicle exclusively for towing then good for you. There are many worthy choices out there. In my own case I drive my FX4 with the 5 litre V8 about 15000 miles a year. I only tow trailers for about 1500 of these miles so I just suffer through the shortcomings of my particular pickup for those 1500 miles and enjoy the other 13500 miles not having to drive a fuel sucking lumberwagon. To each his own I guess. The FX4 is not that bad anyway if you just stick it in TOW mode and leave it there.
snobuilder
Well-known member
I believed the guys with experience about towing the longer inline trailers and went with the ext. cab pick up.
Your trailblazer has a good motor but the vehicle weight and wheelbase might make for some hairy towing in non ideal conditions. I don't know it all, but in the past, I towed a 4 place with an Astro van and know it can get your pucker factor up.
did u have to put in air bags? I had to put in bags and it made towing the enclosed 4place deck over much better. well that and the load range d tires.
it was cheaper running my 5.0 out west this yr than when we took my buds oil burner 350 think fx4?. the guy in the back did not have to take as many piss breaks from all the bouncing in a 350 . man talk about friging torture the back seat of anything over a 150 just chit.
G
G
Guest
Tires are a big part of it. The factory tires were crap. Thankfully they didn't even last 30000 miles.
1995 Yukon with Hellwig helper springs.
I make 2-3 800 mile trips towing 1500lbs with about 1800lbs in the cab.
Keep her in 3rd gear and it's able to pass with authority. I've had 4 GMT400 trucks with TBI and have found them to very reliable. The vortec version slightly less reliable with an intake gasket issue.
I also have to say i've used a 2013 buick encalve and 2003 Suburban to tow the same bass boat through the mountains and the Enclave performed much better with the extra gears. Don;t always need the bigger tow vechical .
I make 2-3 800 mile trips towing 1500lbs with about 1800lbs in the cab.
Keep her in 3rd gear and it's able to pass with authority. I've had 4 GMT400 trucks with TBI and have found them to very reliable. The vortec version slightly less reliable with an intake gasket issue.
I also have to say i've used a 2013 buick encalve and 2003 Suburban to tow the same bass boat through the mountains and the Enclave performed much better with the extra gears. Don;t always need the bigger tow vechical .
30k hey u got off great I had to by my first set before my first set of tabs think under 15k mi
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very true most country's don't have v8suv and PU trucks they tow with there volvo wagons /centurion hatchbacks etc etc . heck when I was a kid still most towed with there bumper hitch on the car.
sweeperguy
Active member
Wow, both my last fords, 05 f150, and my sport trac I drive now both had good years, sport trac went 50, 55k. The F150 I bought a matched rim for the spare and did a 5 tire rotation, and it was like 70k when I sold it and they still had life left in them. My wife's dodge caravan is strickly a grocery getter, its an 05, has just over 50k and still has 2 of the oem tires, Bridgestone. And age is generally hard on tires to, 10 years are old tires.
What kind of vehicles do youse guys have that only got 15k and 30k, what kind of tires?
I run a 12 f150. from what I understand ford has a deal with goodforayr to make a spec tire for them. same name and label as the SRA at other stores but not the same tire. have not talked with anyone with a newer f150 that has not had something to say about the junk rubber they got on there truck. unless they got the non Goodyear.
yeah my wife's old mountaineer got over 60k on the factory set and that was a awd all the time.
buying a new truck this fall will def be yanking tread off day 1 and craigslist them .
I was asked to leave the showroom after my conversation with some guys looking at f150s after they more or less told me to bad your tires lasted 7 mo on a brand new truck just a few min before .we all walked out to look at my truck then.
then the so called deal they were going to give me was 30 bucks more than I was quoted at discount .
a suburban in the 2500 will have about the same wheel base as a extended cab pick up truck with a 6 ft bed, and should tow what you want pretty well, as there actually heavier in weight than just a pick up truck.
I have known a guy for the past 40+ yrs thats all he's owned and seen him tow a LOT of things across the USA with it and he loves them, IF towing HEAVY< you might want to add adjustable air bags, and get some performance brakes pad and rotors
IF you live /tow in places that have a LOT of hills to go up and down
and to be honest IF thats the case, your WAY better off with a diesel motor, due to they will just go up the hills a LOT better for you without dropping gas by the minute!
I have known a guy for the past 40+ yrs thats all he's owned and seen him tow a LOT of things across the USA with it and he loves them, IF towing HEAVY< you might want to add adjustable air bags, and get some performance brakes pad and rotors
IF you live /tow in places that have a LOT of hills to go up and down
and to be honest IF thats the case, your WAY better off with a diesel motor, due to they will just go up the hills a LOT better for you without dropping gas by the minute!
Wheelbase comparisons, GM trucks/suvs
1500 models
116" Tahoe/Yukon
119" Regular Cab PU 8' Box
130" Suburban/Yukon XL
133 Long Box Regular Cab 8 ft box
143.5" Short Box Crew Cab 5.8' box
143.5" Extended/Double Cab 6.5 ft box
153" 1500 Crew Cab 6.5' box
2500 models
153.7" Standard Box Crew Cab (6.5 ft)
167.7" Long Box Crew Cab (8 ft)
1500 models
116" Tahoe/Yukon
119" Regular Cab PU 8' Box
130" Suburban/Yukon XL
133 Long Box Regular Cab 8 ft box
143.5" Short Box Crew Cab 5.8' box
143.5" Extended/Double Cab 6.5 ft box
153" 1500 Crew Cab 6.5' box
2500 models
153.7" Standard Box Crew Cab (6.5 ft)
167.7" Long Box Crew Cab (8 ft)
I tow a standard 4 place enclosed with my 2010 F150 supercrew with the 5.4. Fully loaded its pushing 6000 lbs. Mileage is really dependant on the speed you tow at. If I'm doing 55-60 I'll get 12-13 mpg with it. If I'm pushing along at 70 I'll get 9-10. It tows it just fine, plenty of power, can climb well, pass well. Just depends on how much gas you want to burn!
Just got back from a trip to the Black Hills with the camper, probably about 5000 lbs loaded. Running across SD at 70-75 into the wind I was getting about 7.5 mpg. After a gas stop I had my brother, who was using my dads Duramax and 5th wheel, get in front of me and I just tucked in behind him and my mileage increased to about 11-12 mpg and the truck was running so much easier.
Soooo, long story short, my F150 pulls a 4 place just fine but my next truck will be a F250. Probably not a diesel but just a bit more truck.
Just got back from a trip to the Black Hills with the camper, probably about 5000 lbs loaded. Running across SD at 70-75 into the wind I was getting about 7.5 mpg. After a gas stop I had my brother, who was using my dads Duramax and 5th wheel, get in front of me and I just tucked in behind him and my mileage increased to about 11-12 mpg and the truck was running so much easier.
Soooo, long story short, my F150 pulls a 4 place just fine but my next truck will be a F250. Probably not a diesel but just a bit more truck.