New member from far northern California

[CMORGAN]

I had a 2003 5.3 Burb and it towed a 27 ft from Michigan to Washington State just fine. Took several different routs through the Rocky Mountains no issues.

 

[MSgt Chevy]

Welcome

 

[duaneorr333]

GM stopped making the 2500 SUV in 2013. But resumed making them in 2016 for commercial fleets and the government.



What links?

I want a 4 wheel drive Yukon XL. So I can take it up in the mountains on back roads. There’s a lot of mountain roads sound where I live and I want to go up and drive around.

 

[swathdiver]

I want a 4 wheel drive Yukon XL. So I can take it up in the mountains on back roads. There’s a lot of mountain roads sound where I live and I want to go up and drive around.

A K-1500 with a 4.10 gear can tow 8,200 lbs and has a GCWR of 14,000 lbs. A K-2500 with a 4.10 gear can tow 9,600 pounds with a GCWR or 16,000 pounds. A K-2500 with 4.10 gears would be my choice. The ones with 3.73s are rated for 7,600 pounds and 14,000 pounds GCWR.

If your budget allows, get a K2500, aka a 2500 4x4 with a 6.0 liter engine. A K2500 with the 8100 motor and 4.10 gears can tow 12,000 pounds with a GCWR of 19,000 pounds. With 3.73s its numbers are 10,300 and 17,000 respectively.

The trouble with my K1500 is that in order to tow anywhere near up to it maximum capacities, nothing and nobody can be in the truck. Pulling 6,500 pounds we can have 100 pounds of cargo over the rear axle and 700 in passengers with a 10% tongue weight, on the light side.

2500s have a far more durable chassis and driveline which contributes to their towing heavy loads with pleasure.

With these trucks and towing there are more experienced people here than me, @intheburbs is one who I would trust his advice implicitly.

 

[PG01]

In a GMT800 he could opt for a 2500 chassis with a 6.0. Maybe even a Quadrasteer! A 2WD Tahoe or Yukon equipped with a 5.3 and a 3.23 gear can tow a maximum of 7,700 pounds with a GCWR of 13,000 pounds. A 2WD Yukon XL or Suburban with a 3.42 gear can tow up to 7,400 pounds with a GCWR of 13,000 pounds. A 4.10 gear and that changes to 8,400 and 14,000.

A 2WD 2500 with Quadrasteer and a 6.0 motor can tow up to 9,700 pounds and has a GCWR of 16,000 pounds with a 4.10 gear. A 2WD 2500 with the 8100 motor (454) and a 4.10 gear can pull 12,000 pounds and has a GCWR of 19,000 pounds.

Download the 2005 GMC Yukon owner's manual and check out pages 4-65/66.

Welcome aboard Duane!

You’re a plethora of info james...


Welcome op

 

[intheburbs]

Hello I am interested in these cool vehicles as I am thinking of buying a 2002-2006 Yukon XL. I want to get a 30 ft travel trailer and want a good vehicle to pull one. I am going to research peoples posts and see what the best SUV will do the job.

What's the weight of the trailer? IF it's a half-ton towable, with a weight around 5k, you might be able to get away with a half-ton. Any larger and I'd recommend a 2500. I towed trailers up to 7,000 lbs with my '01 Suburban 1500 into the Rocky Mountains. I broke stuff on my truck, hence the upgrade to the 2500.

Right and the 2500 Yukon XL is no longer produced, it's exclusive to Chevrolet right now. They also make a 3500 which is really geared for making armored cars and not towing.

Yes, the new Suburban HD, as it's called, has a towing rating of only 3,000 lbs, but it has a payload rating of over 4,000 lbs. It SHOULD be able to tow at least as well as the GMT800 2500 trucks with a proper receiver.

GM stopped making the 2500 SUV in 2013. But resumed making them in 2016 for commercial fleets and the government.

You can find them right now on Autotrader. Not a lot of them, but they're there. Can be had for $60-$70k with a few tens of thousands of miles on the clock.

Here's a 2016 3500LS with 29k miles for $65K - CLICK HERE

 

[BOOM_FIST]

I'd say go with a 2500 with 4.10 gears. That puts you at 9600 lbs and should be more than enough for a decent size travel trailer. I have 3.73's and I'm most likely going with 4.10's and larger trans cooler in the future for peace of mind.

 

[duaneorr333]

I'd say go with a 2500 with 4.10 gears. That puts you at 9600 lbs and should be more than enough for a decent size travel trailer. I have 3.73's and I'm most likely going with 4.10's and larger trans cooler in the future for peace of mind.

 

[duaneorr333]

I found one 2500 in Idaho. It had 373 gears and an 8.1 engine. They are hard to come by. What could I do to a 4x4 1500 to beef it up to pull 7000 lbs?

 

[PG01]

I found one 2500 in Idaho. It had 373 gears and an 8.1 engine. They are hard to come by. What could I do to a 4x4 1500 to beef it up to pull 7000 lbs?

Put a 2500 frame under it.