Looking for a 2000-2014/New member looking for a Tahoe/Yukon and some good advice for towing!

[Floep]

Don't forget that parking in shopping places Is difficult with the extra length of vehicle, the isles are too narrow in the newer painted lines of the lots. I have the Yukon 1500 and in some lots there is not room without backing twice to get it in the spot, and no room. You will not use the vehicle 100% of time for towing. I have crossed the U S A several times east west and north south with a trailer and never found my vehicle lacking in towing ability in the siera and rocky mountains. Have a 2014 Yukon now an is the best of the Yukon and Tahoes I have owned

 

[Geotrash]

A lot of great info here. One thing I did not see mentioned is many of these will have the Autoride system (RPO Z55), which many fail with higher mileage or age. If this fails, the handling will suck if loaded . I have an '09 Tahoe LTZ and when mine failed I noticed a significant difference in the handling, and it can be very pricey to fix. They also make a conversion kit to remove the air shocks and replace with "normal" shocks. Since you have a budget amount in mind, it's one more thing to be aware of. Personally, as a tow vehicle, factory tow package and longer wheelbase are a must. Having had 2 suburbans before, the longer wheelbase makes a big difference in handling and ride.

Yes, very good to be aware of it and the Autoride is a great system for towing. I found it very easy to work on. I have 2 XL Denali's with it, and replaced the rear air shocks on both and the compressor on one of them over the years. Took me maybe 30 minutes/side and another 15 to replace the compressor. Rock Auto has the OEM autoride rear shocks for $250 each. For that price and knowing they'll likely last 100K or more, I don't know why anyone would mess around with anything else. The factory system is excellent.

 

[Geotrash]

Don't forget that parking in shopping places Is difficult with the extra length of vehicle, the isles are too narrow in the newer painted lines of the lots. I have the Yukon 1500 and in some lots there is not room without backing twice to get it in the spot, and no room. You will not use the vehicle 100% of time for towing. I have crossed the U S A several times east west and north south with a trailer and never found my vehicle lacking in towing ability in the siera and rocky mountains. Have a 2014 Yukon now an is the best of the Yukon and Tahoes I have owned

Valid points. This is definitely an area where personal preference is king. For us, with 2 kids and often taking friends or in-laws on camping trips with us, the XL was a no-brainer. We have a little Infiniti fart box for running errands, but my wife and I both still prefer the Yukons because of their comfort and safety margins.

 

[Sobro]

Having bought my tow vehicle in February, one tip I have is to use this VIN decoder. It will tell you instantly what the tow capacity is:

https://chevroletforum.com/forum/vindecoder.php?

I bought a 2012 Yukon Denali and tow a 20 ft Coleman that is 4400 lbs dry. It's just the two of us (and one angry cat) so the lack of cargo capacity even with the third row removed doesn't affect us. The 6.2 tows great. I just got it tuned by Black Bear Performance and look forward to testing it towing in a couple of weeks.

I thought I'd be smart and bought a wireless camera for the rear of the trailer but the signal isn't the greatest. I would go wired if I had to do it over again.

 

[Oldmopars]

Just throwing this out there, are you happy with your current trailer, or do you see yourself outgrowing it in the near future and getting a larger one? Any more kids in the future? Large Dogs?
Things to think about before you buy. You will never regret the extra space that the XL or Suburban gives you. The 2500 is hard to find, but will allow you to safely tow very large trailers, should you upgrade in the future.
It is a big investment, try to think long term. Also, I would fly and drive. Any state west of the Rockies will offer rust free trucks. Most southern states will be good too. If you get a good rust free truck, it should last 10+ years even in the rust belt if taken care of.
Personally I love my 2500 Suburban 2008. 6.0, 6 speed and I can tow my 30ft trailer or enough lumber to build a tiny house.
Make a list of things that are important to YOU. Think long term, buy rust free. It will be worth the drive to get something that will work for your family for many years to come.

 

[TheRook]

Just throwing this out there, are you happy with your current trailer, or do you see yourself outgrowing it in the near future and getting a larger one? Any more kids in the future? Large Dogs?
Things to think about before you buy. You will never regret the extra space that the XL or Suburban gives you. The 2500 is hard to find, but will allow you to safely tow very large trailers, should you upgrade in the future.
It is a big investment, try to think long term. Also, I would fly and drive. Any state west of the Rockies will offer rust free trucks. Most southern states will be good too. If you get a good rust free truck, it should last 10+ years even in the rust belt if taken care of.
Personally I love my 2500 Suburban 2008. 6.0, 6 speed and I can tow my 30ft trailer or enough lumber to build a tiny house.
Make a list of things that are important to YOU. Think long term, buy rust free. It will be worth the drive to get something that will work for your family for many years to come.

Thanks again for all the information/opinions! My brain is spinning . This is actually my first travel trailer, so gonna stick with it for awhile hopefully! I do have 2 kids and no more and 2 dogs so perhaps the XL is definitely the play. If I need to sacrifice and get a regular XL (not denali), I can simply add the aux cooler right? I know there's a difference between the 5.3 and 6.2 (which is why I would still like Denali), but with a trailer that light I would think a regular XL or regular Suburban is fine (albeit not the best). Do I need anything other than the aux cooler and perhaps electronic braking system? In a perfect world I can find a XL Denali within budget, but it seems like there are plenty of lower mileage regular XL's, that I could put a few dollars into and make it what I need. Maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing...But you're right it's a big investment, so I'd like to do it right....

 

[Geotrash]

Thanks again for all the information/opinions! My brain is spinning . This is actually my first travel trailer, so gonna stick with it for awhile hopefully!

HA!! That's what I thought when we bought our first camper - a 21 footer with bunks for our 2 kids. But 6 months later my wife and I found ourselves sitting in a new 31 footer (from ball to bumper) at the RV dealer and marveling over the extra space and amenities. We bought it and we're so glad we did because the camping experience is so much better. Having a bedroom for us with a door that closes and locks was a game changer. It weighs 6500 lbs the way we load it for camping and I wouldn't want to pull it over the mountains, as we often do, with anything less than a 6.2. And with the XL, the kids each get their own row which ended the constant fighting for territory, and we still have space for dogs or gear behind the 3rd row.

 

[jarydM]

this is all excellent advice, the only thing I would add is, after my experience with both a GMT800 (Tahoe) and a GMT900 (Escalade) I’ll never own another engine with AFM(active fuel management) that I don’t buy brand new, or buy used willing to have it rebuilt without it. I’ve seen firsthand what that low oil pressure failure does, and the design is flawed. I even bought one that was new enough to incorporate the “fixes” halfway through the 900 line. Still failed spectacularly. I traded it for a Ford.

still have and LOVE my Tahoe. Literally one of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned.

if I were looking to buy right now I’d try to find 2006 GMT800. The difference between the 5.3 and the 6.0 is measurable, but at the weight you’re going to be pulling, you won’t notice much. More important are the secondary coolers, and the rear gears. More gears like on the 6speed give you a deeper 1st, but on the 4speed, you need that beefier rear to pull well. Gas mileage is negligible, even when not towing.

move pulled a 5k camper with my Tahoe, for years. Pulled the same with the Escalade. Now the Ford pulls it (10 gears). Longer wheelbase IS easier, but if you never want anything bigger, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you MAYBE want a bigger trailer one day, then look for a GMT800 HD Suburban. It’ll be worth it in the end.

The 3.08 rear end isn't a good choice for towing. You want the 3.42.

I tow a 6500 lb camper with our 2012 XL Denali but used to tow one about the size of the one you're going to be pulling. A few thoughts:

• The longer wheelbase of the XL/Suburban is a better choice for towing stability.
• AWD/4WD has come in handy a couple of times towing. But we do a lot of boondocking so...
• The factory brake controller is excellent, but installing an aftermarket Tekonsha P3 on a truck that doesn't have it takes literally 30 minutes. All of the wiring is already there.
• More important is to have the aux transmission cooler (sits in front of the A/C condenser for the factory units), but again, those are easy to install if you're a little handy.
• If you can afford one with the 6.0 or 6.2, I would. Much easier to keep up with traffic - especially on the hills, and it will likely have the upgraded cooling components already. Especially if you're planning to tow in the west.
• The 6L80E is a towing beast. The added 2 gears are key. But there's a weak link in the torque converter. The AFM system wears out the lockup clutch over time, and when it fails it sends shrapnel through the transmission and takes it out. I installed a HD torque converter and deleted the AFM in mine to avoid the problem. So, if I were in your shoes with your budget, I'd be looking for a low mileage '07-'09 XL Denali (has the 6.2L and no AFM).
• I also used to have an '02 Suburban, with the 4L60. Never had any problems towing with it, but the previous owner had a rebuilt transmission installed by the dealer about 10K before I bought it.
• If you can find one from California or Arizona, as I did for both of my Denali's, you won't have to deal with SE PA rust issues. It's worth the flight, and chances are a member here can check one out for you. Even Virginia or NC trucks will be in way better shape than anything in PA. I grew up in Pittsburgh - trust me on this

 

[vcode]

Regardless of what you buy, your timing kinda sucks right now. Used prices are insane around here and will likely stay that way until the chip shortage is fixed. I'm going to say used prices are up $5K from a year ago. Just saw a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab (4X4, LT, All Star) with 105K mile listed "on sale" for $31K. You could have bought that truck brand new for $38K back in '14. It is just nuts out there right now.....

 

[TheRook]

Absolutely nuts you're right...So I appreciate and recognize all of the advice received. I found and bought a vehicle that while making some sacrifices, I know will work for my specific needs. I have purchased a 2009 Yukon with the HD trailering package (z82, K5L, KNP, etc.). With only 82k miles and 1 owner. Great condition all things considered. Unfortunately just couldn't find a Denali or XL without extraordinary mileage or 4 prior owners...Given the relatively light weight of the Jayco 184, I'm sure the 5.3 will be ok. I am honestly not towing all that much, just some small vacations with the family. I will get a sway control and WDH for safety. I also believe I need a brake controller installed as well correct? I cannot find JL1 on the build sheet, it appears as though it only says JD9/JL4. Does anyone know specifics of this?