Questions about towing with an 04 z71 Tahoe

[Dbowl]

I own an 04 z71 Tahoe and love it.

Recently I picked up a 30' travel trailer weighing in at 5900 lb's.

Locally the Tahoe does fine towing it, the weight distribution hitch keeps the tongue weight in check, and the brake controller stops it fine.

However, a few weeks ago we took a 300 mile trip that involved many hills. I could tell the transmission got hot. I was also in 2nd at 4k rpm's while pulling the hills.


Onto my questions.

Would adding some towing upgrades to the Tahoe be worth it?

- Bigger trans cooler
- Electric fans
- Trans temp gauge / Denali cluster
- Backup Cam to help connect to the trailer
- Other suggestions??
(any suggestions on any of these items would be greatly appreciated)


OR

Should I just pick up a 2500 suburban or truck?

Liking my Tahoe so much makes this a difficult decision for me. Looking for a little input.

TIA!!!

 

[strokinpower]

You need a 3/4 ton something, preferably diesel.

 

[imi4tth3w]

yeah you might want to look into a 2500.

even with all those mods you listed. also might want to consider a regear to 4.10 or 4.30 to keep you in 3rd up those hills. its pretty ******* that tahoe. how often will you be towing? how committed are you to keeping the tahoe?

 

[Dbowl]

I'll tow the camper 10-15 times a year. Easy 20 mile tows that it has no issue with.

3-4 longer harder tow's.

You think the 6k lb just a little too much for the Tahoe?

 

[DeepSeaFish]

6k lbs. isn't TOO much for the tahoe as that truck is rated for about 7700 depending on what rear end you've got, but when you involve mountainous terrain, it does make that tranny work a lot harder, even in tow mode and wears it out quicker. I pulled my 3700 lb. boat with an 04 Z71 down an interstate for 130 miles and it rode all the way to the beach at 3k RPM's ! Switched over to the Denali with the 6.0 and it's a world of difference. Tranny shifts down in 4th gear and it rides about 2000 to 2200 at 70 mph. Get the 2500. It'll make your towing days a lot easier in those hills.

 

[MABX13]

get a 2500 dont ruin your tranny !!

 

[Rivieraracing]

I'd at least do the largest tranny cooler you can get stuffed in front of your radiator first of all, makes a huge difference on temp when towing heavy items! Helps keep the temps lower than the stock tiny cooler that is probably in there, and even better helps cool the tranny off quicker! As for the rest, all of the ideas are great ones and I highly recommend them all!

Up till recently, I've towed a 23' toyhauler with our denali for years without problems, but I also have all the items that you mentioned and I don't run the crap out of my truck when going over mountain ranges (we have a ton of them around here in Oregon).

 

[JennaBear]

We threw a B&M transmission cooler on my 04 Z71 when we started to use it for towing. May also want to look into a gauge to monitor the trans temp (ie. Aeroforce Interceptor).