Towing travel trailor advice

[Bob2C]

I towed a 27ft travel trailer this past summer with a dry weight of approx 4700lbs using a nice weight distribution hitch. I do have the max tow package with includes the air suspension/transmission cooler and my vehicle has a Diablew tune for 93 octane. Highway trans temp was about 190 and stop and go traffic was 210 with outside temps around 90. The one thing I liked when in tow/haul mode the transmission is really aggressive when downshifting. As soon as the vehicle senses the downhill and brakes are applied it downshifts hard. Not sure but I believe it takes it down 2 gears. The RPMs would jump to 4K and I was able to have complete control with minimal braking. The first time it caught me off guard but after I expected it and liked it. Highway cruising speed with no sway was 65-70.


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[Toasty]

There are some things you can do to make towing a little more friendly. You might consider a performance tune which will unleash some more torque and horsepower from the motor and improve the performance of the transmission. You may consider deleting the transmission thermostat. If your Tahoe has the basic suspension, you can put Air Lift Springs inside the coils to reduce sag and firm up the rear a little. A good Weight Distribution Hitch will make your towing experience pleasurable too.

great Information thanks!

Don't do any of these things until you have towed with your vehicle as-is. Only after you've tested your vehicle in the given conditions. And removing a thermostat? never a good idea.

 

[swathdiver]

Don't do any of these things until you have towed with your vehicle as-is. Only after you've tested your vehicle in the given conditions. And removing a thermostat? never a good idea.

I agree with the first part but why not remove the transmission thermostat?

 

[Toasty]

I agree with the first part but why not remove the transmission thermostat?

why would you?

 

[Sobro]

I bought my '12 Denali in January just for towing a brand new 4400 lb dry weight travel trailer. I returned last week from a 2500 mile maiden voyage. Some random thoughts and things I have learned:

Your loaded weight of the TT will be a lot more than you estimate.

Don't exceed TT loaded weight by 90% of your towing capacity for safety's sake.

Look up TT weighing procedures online and follow them at a commercial truck stop scale. Yes, you have to pay to get weighed, just like with women.

If you buy a used TT buy a new weight distribution hitch and have anti-sway attachment points installed on the trailer tongue. Install an anti-sway bar.

If you buy a used TT check the date of manufacture of the trailer tires. Odds are they have aged out and need replacement regardless of tread wear.

If you buy a new trailer from Camping World *SPIT* or other provider be sure to make them print the owner's manuals (available online only) for the trailer brake comtroller and weight distribution hitch. And then check if any of the interior equipment installed in the TT is missing "online only" manuals and make them print those, too.

At Camping World *SPIT* I had neither the weight distribution hitch manual nor the trailer brake controller manual when I started out on my trip and they also failed to mention that the weight distribution hitch has to be adjusted according to the manual AFTER you load up the trailer. They did tell me how to adjust the trailer brake controller, sort of.

I don't care what other people say, air up your rear tires by 4-6 pounds.

Check the air and oil daily while towing.

Unless coasting a long, easy downhill slope on the freeway, keep the vehicle in tow/haul mode. I thought I could get away without it on I-95 in pancake flat Florida but after a few minutes of the transmission hunting for the right gear every fifteen seconds, I relented and kept it in tow/haul mode.

I plan to get a tune to defeat AFM and to improve transmission shifting and add a few ft-lbs of torque. But I also plan to drive the US and Canadian Rockies as well as Alaska in due time.

I also plan to buy an aftermarked transmission cooler due to the above.

But I'm not saying you have to have those two things.

Hope that helps.

 

[Larryjb]

What Sobro said.

And don't waste your money on air lift springs. A WDH will take care of the sag, and handling, especially steering.

As for towing capacity, don't forget that the weight of the TT battery, propane, on board water, camping gear etc is not usually included in the dry weight of the trailer. If you get a trailer that is too close to 100% of your towing capacity, you can easily exceed that weight with all of your stuff.

 

[swathdiver]

why would you?

To lower the operating temperature of the transmission and extend its life.

 

[exp500]

Re: thermostat- Removing tstat is one less failure point. Unless you are in frozen north it is unnecessasary.

 

[Moguy0416]

Man this all great information! I appreciate it and am taking notes. Please keep the tips coming!

 

[aducknut]

Transmission thermostat delete. It’s located on the side of the trans case.