Yukon Denali 6.2 towing Travel Trailer

[intheburbs]

Simple question... Have new 19 yukon 4x4 6.2 w auto ride, been told i cant use airbags, have travel trailer that is 30' weighs 6500 dry and has tongue weight of 700lbs. I had airbags on my duramax so i didnt get that crazy sag, or bottoming out feeling. Any aftermarket suggestions? its hard for to believe that trailer is not gonna sag the crap out of a 1/2 ton when i did see some sag in a 3/4 ton. And yes i have weight distribution hitch.

Let's review some basic trailer-towing physics.
Tongue weight - a properly-balanced trailer has about 13% of the weight on the tongue. So a 6500-lb trailer should have about 845 lbs of tongue weight, not 700 lbs. Folks usually travel with between 500 and 1000 lbs of crap added to the trailer, so now you're approaching 1000 lbs of tongue weight. Problem is, your half-ton has about 1500 lbs of payload, so now you and your passengers and gear in the truck better all weigh 500 lbs or less, combined.

Half-ton trucks are also handicapped by the weak rear semi-floater axle. Depending on year/model, the rear axle is rated to only 4000 or 4200 lbs. Throw on that trailer tongue and you'll blast right past that 4200-lb rating. So what do folks do? They use a weight-distributing hitch. This takes weight off the rear axle and transfers it back to the trailer wheels and also back to the front axle of the tow vehicle.

Now, let's come back around to that whole tongue weight thing. More tongue weight equals more stability. Less tongue weight makes you less stable and more prone to sway.

So a half-ton owner with a big trailer is caught in a catch-22. They can't have a heavy tongue because it overloads either their payload rating or rear axle rating, or both. But if they crank the bars/chains/whatever too tightly on their weight distribution system and remove too much tongue weight, they make the rig much more unstable and prone to sway, or worse.

I towed a 7,000-lb trailer with my half-ton 2001 Suburban all around the country, including the Rockies. While I wouldn't say I was white-knuckled all the time, I'll simply say it was never boring. I also broke 3 rear axles on that truck.

This is why I upgraded to a 2500 Suburban. 2100-lb payload, and a Godzilla rear axle that is rated by the manufacturer to carry over 8,000 lbs. Yes, 8,000 - that's not a typo. On my truck it's limited to 6,000 lbs because that's the weight-carrying limit of my tires. If I had dual rear wheels, I could go heavier. The trailer I now tow is 8600 lbs, and yes, it is boring to tow, even in the Rockies.

 

[avalonandl]

Simple question... Have new 19 yukon 4x4 6.2 w auto ride, been told i cant use airbags, have travel trailer that is 30' weighs 6500 dry and has tongue weight of 700lbs. I had airbags on my duramax so i didnt get that crazy sag, or bottoming out feeling. Any aftermarket suggestions? its hard for to believe that trailer is not gonna sag the crap out of a 1/2 ton when i did see some sag in a 3/4 ton. And yes i have weight distribution hitch.

You already have air shocks if you have the autoride. You can put Timbrens bumpers on like I did since I have air shocks also. That way you get no sag. As noted above a properly balanced trailer and WDH is important.

 

[Geotrash]

This thread has sold me on a tru-cool. My wife and I have now made 2 trips across the country (Virginia to Colorado and back) hauling a loaded 5x10 cargo trailer with our 2012 Denali. This last trip westbound climbing through western Kansas and into eastern Colorado onto the Colorado plateau (106 degrees on the OAT sensor) was the first time I saw my engine temps climb above the 210 halfway mark on the gauge, toward the 230 mark. I was suspecting a thermostat, but it sounds like this is perfectly normal without something like a tru-cool, yes?

 

[Big Mama]

Yes it does. You were probably in thinner air which can reduce power and make the engine work harder. How much weight was in the trailer?

 

[Geotrash]

Yes it does. You were probably in thinner air which can reduce power and make the engine work harder. How much weight was in the trailer?

Total weight of the trailer and cargo was about 2500 pounds. Not bad. But we were also pushing into a pretty good headwind.


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[Big Mama]

I think that’s only about 1/3 of what it can do unless your rig was loaded down too. If I only happens in this circumstance I’d say you’re fine. You might want to make sure your trans fluid is fresh and clean though.

 

[Derick]

Let's review some basic trailer-towing physics.
Tongue weight - a properly-balanced trailer has about 13% of the weight on the tongue. So a 6500-lb trailer should have about 845 lbs of tongue weight, not 700 lbs. Folks usually travel with between 500 and 1000 lbs of crap added to the trailer, so now you're approaching 1000 lbs of tongue weight. Problem is, your half-ton has about 1500 lbs of payload, so now you and your passengers and gear in the truck better all weigh 500 lbs or less, combined.

Half-ton trucks are also handicapped by the weak rear semi-floater axle. Depending on year/model, the rear axle is rated to only 4000 or 4200 lbs. Throw on that trailer tongue and you'll blast right past that 4200-lb rating. So what do folks do? They use a weight-distributing hitch. This takes weight off the rear axle and transfers it back to the trailer wheels and also back to the front axle of the tow vehicle.

Now, let's come back around to that whole tongue weight thing. More tongue weight equals more stability. Less tongue weight makes you less stable and more prone to sway.

So a half-ton owner with a big trailer is caught in a catch-22. They can't have a heavy tongue because it overloads either their payload rating or rear axle rating, or both. But if they crank the bars/chains/whatever too tightly on their weight distribution system and remove too much tongue weight, they make the rig much more unstable and prone to sway, or worse.

I towed a 7,000-lb trailer with my half-ton 2001 Suburban all around the country, including the Rockies. While I wouldn't say I was white-knuckled all the time, I'll simply say it was never boring. I also broke 3 rear axles on that truck.

This is why I upgraded to a 2500 Suburban. 2100-lb payload, and a Godzilla rear axle that is rated by the manufacturer to carry over 8,000 lbs. Yes, 8,000 - that's not a typo. On my truck it's limited to 6,000 lbs because that's the weight-carrying limit of my tires. If I had dual rear wheels, I could go heavier. The trailer I now tow is 8600 lbs, and yes, it is boring to tow, even in the Rockies.

Every time I start considering getting rid of the effing burb, I read one of your posts and I have faith that at some point in time soon mine will rock my world with reliability.

 

[intheburbs]

Every time I start considering getting rid of the effing burb, I read one of your posts and I have faith that at some point in time soon mine will rock my world with reliability.

So, what are you saying, yours is a clunker?

 

[Derick]

So, what are you saying, yours is a clunker?

Just everytime I think I'm in the clear.....shit goes sideways. I'm getting tired of it. After it came back from trans rebuild...get 3 months down the road, and the MAF circuit goes out and have to get that fixed up. Now the damn exhaust manifold is leaking, again. I'm hoping after new wheel bearings, exhaust manifold repair, and coolant system hardening, I'll be good for a long time.

 

[intheburbs]

Just everytime I think I'm in the clear.....shit goes sideways. I'm getting tired of it. After it came back from trans rebuild...get 3 months down the road, and the MAF circuit goes out and have to get that fixed up. Now the damn exhaust manifold is leaking, again. I'm hoping after new wheel bearings, exhaust manifold repair, and coolant system hardening, I'll be good for a long time.

Wow, that's a lot going wrong. How many miles?

Mine rolled 200k in April, and she's still all-oringinal - powertrain, suspension, hell I've owned her for 7 years and 90k miles and haven't even replaced the brake pads. Lots of highway driving (though I did drive for Uber for a while in Ann Arbor - lots of starts/stops/idling), always garaged, and religiously **** about fluid changes/PM.