Buying a travel trailer, what's my safe towing capacity?

Hello all, I have some questions regarding the towing capacity of my vehicle. I am in the market for a travel trailer, and need to know what my safe towing capacity is. I have a 2006 Tahoe with 5.3L engine, and what I believe to be the towing package. Below are the specs of the trailer I am considering, is this doable?

If more info is needed, please let me know.....thank you.

Product Specifications
Exterior Length - 25' 10"
Body Length - 22' 9"
Exterior Width - 8'
Exterior Height - 10' 10"
Interior Height - 6' 9"
Bed Size - 60x80
Dinette Bed Size - 42x81
Axle Weight (lbs.) - 3,940
Hitch Weight (lbs.) - 355
Dry Weight (lbs.) - 4,295
GVWR (lbs.) - 7,355
Cargo Capacity (lbs.) - 3,060
Fresh Tank (gal.) - 44gal
Gray Tank (gal.) - 30gal
Black Tank (gal.) - 30gal
LP Bottle (lbs.) - 40
Power Conv. (amps) - 55amps
Furnace (BTU) - 30K

Groundhog66 said:

Hello all, I have some questions regarding the towing capacity of my vehicle. I am in the market for a travel trailer, and need to know what my safe towing capacity is. I have a 2006 Tahoe with 5.3L engine, and what I believe to be the towing package. Below are the specs of the trailer I am considering, is this doable?

If more info is needed, please let me know.....thank you.

Product Specifications
Exterior Length - 25' 10"
Body Length - 22' 9"
Exterior Width - 8'
Exterior Height - 10' 10"
Interior Height - 6' 9"
Bed Size - 60x80
Dinette Bed Size - 42x81
Axle Weight (lbs.) - 3,940
Hitch Weight (lbs.) - 355
Dry Weight (lbs.) - 4,295
GVWR (lbs.) - 7,355
Cargo Capacity (lbs.) - 3,060
Fresh Tank (gal.) - 44gal
Gray Tank (gal.) - 30gal
Black Tank (gal.) - 30gal
LP Bottle (lbs.) - 40
Power Conv. (amps) - 55amps
Furnace (BTU) - 30K

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A good start would be to look at the RPO sticker in the glove box. You can either list them hear or post a photo. That will let us know what trailer options if any your Tahoe is equipped with, possible transmission cooler, rear axle ratio, etc.

I'm pretty conservative with my trailering, so the camper you spec'd would be towards the upper limit that I would pull with my '05 Yukon with a 6.0L, full factory tow package and HD trans cooler.

That being said, I pull a 21' camper at around 4,500lbs with a weight distributing hitch and hardly know it's back there.

Here are the codes, any help would be appreciated.

I agree with the above except no way you are towing that TT with a full load of water (44gals x8.36lbs/gal) and partial gray and black tanks full along with all of your belongings inside camper. Weight distribution hitch would be a must but I dont see the transmission holding up OR if the weather gets crazy it will be white knuckle driving.

I agree thats pushing the limits on several aspects of the vehicle.....not saying it cant be done but precautions need to be made.

This is the feedback I was looking for, thank you. If there is a way I can do it safely, even with a few vehicle modifications, I'd like to make it happen.

Groundhog66 said:

If there is a way I can do it safely, even with a few vehicle modifications, I'd like to make it happen.

Click to expand...

I think you need to do your research and make a final decision yourself. The numbers I pointed you to are a good start. You now know what you have, and what GM rated your truck to haul.

You also should know that the "dry weight" can be misleading. It normally is what the trailer weighs at the end of the manufacturers line, and does not reflect any accessories that are optional equipment or that are installed at the dealership. Items like awnings, a/c units, propane cylinders, deep cycle batteries, etc are not always in that number, and they can add hundreds of pounds to a camper before you ever start loading in you personal gear, pots, pans, food.

I used to tow a small little pop-up camper with a 4.3L AWD Chevy Astro. The Astro was rated to tow 5,600 lbs, so when we upgraded to a travel trailer that weighed in at around 4,500lbs I thought the Astro would do fine since that falls right in the 80% range. It did tow it, but it was not a pleasant experience. We took it on two trips the beginning of last season. It was fine on flat ground, but had trouble getting up hills, and was super squirrelly going down steep grades. By our third trip out, I had sold the Astro and stepped up to the 6.0L AWD Yukon with a 8,200lb rating.

That's all to say that I agree with @rockola1971 and @01ssreda4. I think this trailer would be pushing what your Tahoe would be comfortable to tow, and in the end you may not enjoy the overall experience. You could mitigate that by upgrades to your rig, looking into another tow vehicle, or looking at smaller/lighter travel trailers.