Yukon Denali 6.2 towing Travel Trailer

[biggus]

The 6.2 is a great motor. What will drive you crazy towing any kind of weight is the transmission. It will be downshifting constantly and the motor will wind up pretty high on long hills.

 

[swathdiver]

SWATH- I say take the GCWR and DOUBLE IT..... LOL

I did for 50 miles.....but I am a bad example.....

As stated these Vehicles are built to tow.

Optimus- These are the BEST vehicles out there for towing and passenger room. No minivan comes close and all the other SUV's are not as good IMHO.

My advice was related to staying within the letter of the law and going over mountain ranges without issue. I've seen guys haul 9 tons on flat roads with these things!

The 6.2 is a great motor. What will drive you crazy towing any kind of weight is the transmission. It will be downshifting constantly and the motor will wind up pretty high on long hills.

Can you elaborate on this? Was this a 4-speed or 6-speed, was Tow/Haul being used or manual mode? Year, engine, etc.?

 

[optimusprime]

Mine has the 6 speed.


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[optimusprime]

Is there anything I can do to up the tow rating of my Yuk? Even if not officially, is there anything I can do to make it more tow-capable? Suspension upgrades?


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[intheburbs]

Is there anything I can do to up the tow rating of my Yuk? Even if not officially, is there anything I can do to make it more tow-capable? Suspension upgrades?

Short answer? No.

Longish answer: The limiting factor in your tow rating isn't the engine. It's the frame, brakes and axles. And again, that rear axle is the weak link. My buddy now owns my '01 half-ton, and it's wearing rear axle number four precisely because I blew up the first three towing heavy over long distances. Also the reason why I have a 2500 now.

And make sure you check your glove box code sticker to check your rear axle ratio. It's likely you have the 3.42, but you might have the 3.08 "soccer mom" axles, which significantly reduce your towing rating. I don't know the codes off the top of my head, but if the engine spins right at 2000 RPM at 80 MPH, you have the 3.42.

And regards to the engine revving high when towing on long grades? Well, of course it does. For maximum power, you want to keep your revs between the torque and horsepower peaks. The torque peak on the 6.2 is 4300 RPM, and the horsepower peak is 5700 RPM. Floor the pedal and hold it there, and it will surely settle in to that range.

Here's the picture I love to share - my dash, approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado on I-70, the "Ike Gauntlet," over 10,000 feet in elevation, rig weight just over 16,000 lbs. Didn't have the pedal floored, but it seemed happy right around 4k. These motors love to rev - let the big dog eat!

PS - can anyone tell me why there's no "red line" on the tach?

 

[optimusprime]

Your burb has a 5.3 right? Do you struggle to pull over passes? Is 40 your top speed going over that pass?


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[intheburbs]

Your burb has a 5.3 right? Do you struggle to pull over passes? Is 40 your top speed going over that pass?

No, it has the 6.0. See my sig below.

I probably could have pushed the revs higher and gone faster, but the truck seemed to hit it's stride around 40. Now bear in mind that the run from Silverthorne to the tunnel is 8 miles, and over that 8 miles you gain 2,000 feet in altitude. That's an average of 4.7% grade for 8 miles. The semis were going slower, so it's not like I was holding up traffic or anything like that.

Sure it's going to struggle at that high of an altitude, on a 5-7% grade. Your 6.2 will struggle, too. At that altitude, the thin air causes about a 30% reduction in power. So your monster 400-hp engine is barely putting out 280 hp at 10,000 feet. Now throw yourself onto a steep grade with a heavy load, and you'll barely crack 50.

 

[Big Mama]

My point was that the Denali isn’t rated to tow as much as a truck with the same motor. Not that is was insufficient.

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

Main upgrade I will tell anyone towing over 4k frequently upgrade the rear sway bar, stock z71 is a big upgrade over the stock plush one, bigger rear bar keeps the truck way more stable. I have pulled 8k with a 03 tahoe 4.8 through some major hell, she reved but did it like a champ, had 10k on my burb, not great but keep gear in about 4th gear max when heavy with tow haul on and let her eat, good cruise rpm about 2800 and your in the power band real nice, get better mpg there also. I'm upgrading the rear bar in mine soon, just needs it when I have a car on the back for sure.

Your travel trailer will be fine if the weight is about 5 to 6k, I know some old ones were about 7 to 8 and that's pushing things when you add gear water etc. Plus side about pulling travel trailer with these is the wind you cut off the trailer with your big vehicle actually helps towing more than with a pickup.

 

[swathdiver]

...upgrade the rear sway bar, stock z71 is a big upgrade over the stock plush one

Cool, didn't know they had different sizes on these trucks.