Towing with a Tahoe PPV?

[iLikeEggs]

UPDATE: PPV hauls stuff just fine. I towed our 2 ton antique Chief's car on a heavy dual axle 18 foot trailer without an issue. Transmission temp never exceeded 190 degrees, even on a 95 degree day.

Rear end sagged a bit, helper bags would have been nice, but not necessary. As with anything, you'll need a brake controller for heavy loads, but the PPV is pre-wired and it only takes a few minutes to install.

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UPDATE: PPV hauls stuff just fine. I towed our 2 ton antique Chief's car on a heavy dual axle 18 foot trailer without an issue. Transmission temp never exceeded 190 degrees, even on a 95 degree day.

Rear end sagged a bit, helper bags would have been nice, but not necessary. As with anything, you'll need a brake controller for heavy loads, but the PPV is pre-wired and it only takes a few minutes to install.

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Nice work on the hitch! That is awesome!

 

[eagle-co94]

Has anyone here bought a used OEM hitch and installed it on a PPV? I prefer the factory look although I can't really argue with the $120 shipped price for the Curt from Autoanything right now. Seeing the hitch hanging that low is probably going to really bug me.

 

[992dr]

eagle-co94,

Yes, I did. Found it online at carparts.com. That's the only way I would've installed a hitch. I wasn't feelin the Curt design, maybe for light use but nothing else.

 

[eagle-co94]

Thanks for the info. The look of the Curt just seems like such a bad idea...not to mention that the bumper opening was designed specifically for a hitch. My PPV hasn't been loaded up to head this way yet so I'll hit the local yards tomorrow to see if I can find one...as well as a back seat while I'm at it.

 

[992dr]

Any time. I agree.
Some call them a hitch and others call them a rebar. Not sure why, haha.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Definitely go with the factory receiver, it fits, and is not in the way when not being used.

 

[14PPVHOE]

I've just installed an OEM rebar/hitch on my '14. It was a bit of a pain,
but if on a hoist it is relatively easy and took less than an hour.
The wiring is there and the socket part is readily available.
( Lol - I found a scrap hitch/bar a week later )

The heaviest I'll be towing is a 1,600 lb Palomino pop-up trailer.
Pics of before and after......

 

[Ron Mills]

I just bought a 2012 Tahoe PPV to tow our recently purchased 21' travel trailer. It had no hitch when purchased so I had the dealer take care of that and the 7 wire plug wiring. I installed a Tekonsha electric brake controller myself and did the setup for the Reese 10,000 lb. weight distributing hitch, which came with the trailer.
I noticed there was no "tow mode" switch, and from what I have read GM says the PPV's are not intended for towing... yet the trailer wiring was very conveniently there, nicely tucked up under the dash, and along the rear frame rail. Even with the suspension sitting lower, and the 6000 lb. Curt hitch mounted under the bumper, I was able to setup the Reese ball mount so that our trailer sits level. Loaded, our trailer GVW is about 4000 lb., about 500 lb. tongue weight, and there is plenty of clearance below the hitch. The torsion bars don't work very hard distributing the weight, and with the PPV's stability and additional cooling we haven't had any issues so far. Without the "tow mode", it does shift from 6th to 5th frequently, but I find with a little attention to road grade, I can avoid the shifting with increased accelerator pressure approaching hills.

From what I read here there are several of you hauling various trailers without any issues... hopefully we can keep sharing our experiences and learn from each other...

Ron & Lucy

 

[wjburken]

I noticed there was no "tow mode" switch,

I am pretty sure some folks here have been able to add the tow haul button and function to their PPV.

 

[Ron Mills]

I am pretty sure some folks here have been able to add the tow haul button and function to their PPV.

Thank you... I hope you are right, as I really don't want transmission issues due to excessive shifting, stays cool enough under load...