towing 1500 vs 2500 suburban
10-08-2009, 12:12 PM
#42
Racer
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When I bought my first Vette and joined the Forum 3 years ago, I used flycastinguy because that had been my passion for years. Since then my fishing days have become track days ... I think I've fished twice in 3 years. Selling flyrods to buy a new set of Hoosiers tells the tale. Damn this new addiction!
Last edited by flycastinguy; 10-08-2009 at 12:14 PM. Reason: new info
10-08-2009, 12:42 PM
#43
Race Director
towing capable motorhomes are expensive.....I miss mine, but don't have the money to fool with that right now. At least the Yukon can drive us to Disney World and the grocery store if need be.
10-08-2009, 02:31 PM
#44
Safety Car
I have to respectfully disagree with this statement.
I had a 1500 Suburban with a brand new engine. I purchased a 24' enclosed aluminum frame trailer and towed it around the Pacific Northwest for about 4 months. The 5.7 liter engine strained to pull this load up even the mildest inclines. Passing vehicles or merging into traffic was a joke.
Maybe the 1500 would be fine if you never have to negotiate hills, otherwise, get a rig set up for towing.
I had a 1500 Suburban with a brand new engine. I purchased a 24' enclosed aluminum frame trailer and towed it around the Pacific Northwest for about 4 months. The 5.7 liter engine strained to pull this load up even the mildest inclines. Passing vehicles or merging into traffic was a joke.
Maybe the 1500 would be fine if you never have to negotiate hills, otherwise, get a rig set up for towing.
We're saying the same thing
Regardless of what size you get, make sure the motor is up to the task of dragging a heavy trailer up and down hills.
10-08-2009, 02:32 PM
#45
Safety Car
10-08-2009, 03:08 PM
#46
Racer
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Suburban guy here, 2005 8.1/ 4.10 rear turned 100,000 mi this morning-as a daily driver/tow rig- awesome, orig rear brakes, 9mpg towing open trailer,VERY Reliable. previous burb was 94 K2500 454/3.73 +Banks Powerpack, great power,towed well,7-9mpg, but NO brakes. sold @165,00mi no major problems. I now tow with a 45ft 47,000# MCI bus, 500hp/1650tq- ?? what trailer, so if you can swing the motorhome thing I vote there.They are so cheap now.. storage is the hassle for most, I have a farm with big barn so it's easy..I use my coach for all kinds of travel.. and a shower at the track after loading the car- Priceless 
10-08-2009, 06:44 PM
#49
Le Mans Master
Give me an 8 just so I can **** 'em off.
10-08-2009, 07:08 PM
#50
Team Owner
Suburban guy here, 2005 8.1/ 4.10 rear turned 100,000 mi this morning-as a daily driver/tow rig- awesome, orig rear brakes, 9mpg towing open trailer,VERY Reliable. previous burb was 94 K2500 454/3.73 +Banks Powerpack, great power,towed well,7-9mpg, but NO brakes. sold @165,00mi no major problems. I now tow with a 45ft 47,000# MCI bus, 500hp/1650tq- ?? what trailer, so if you can swing the motorhome thing I vote there.They are so cheap now.. storage is the hassle for most, I have a farm with big barn so it's easy..I use my coach for all kinds of travel.. and a shower at the track after loading the car- Priceless
10-08-2009, 08:29 PM
#51
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St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
For an open trailer I'd definately get the 1500. I pulled an open for 10 years with Jeep Grand Cherokees with much success.
When I went enclosed I bought a 1500 Dodge pickup.
Even if you upgrade to an enclosed someday the 1500 Suburban will pull it just fine unless it's a big one, like a 32 footer. Again, it's the motor that gets you up hills, not the chassis.
And Jody, if we made this a sticky, what would we talk about all winter?
When I went enclosed I bought a 1500 Dodge pickup.
Even if you upgrade to an enclosed someday the 1500 Suburban will pull it just fine unless it's a big one, like a 32 footer. Again, it's the motor that gets you up hills, not the chassis.
And Jody, if we made this a sticky, what would we talk about all winter?
The biggest difference is the brakes. The 3/4 ton has much better brakes plus the 6.0 in the '01 does a decent job towing our 24' fully loaded pontoon boat.
This is my DD so I got the 6.0 instead of the 8.1
Jeff
10-08-2009, 08:44 PM
#52
Team Owner
Well, to go even MORE sideways, I tow an open with my F-250 but my brother tows his horse trailer with a 5.3 Avalanche and pulls a 25' cabin cruiser with it as well that weighs about 8k. It seems to pull fine though I like the added spring rate of my 3/4 ton truck when pulling the same boat. If his wife is using the Avalanche, we use his 93 1500 5.7 Suburban which currently has 315,000 miles on it to tow the boat.
10-08-2009, 08:49 PM
#53
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St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
10-09-2009, 01:38 AM
#54
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I've towed horse trailers and auto trailers with various Suburbans for many years. Every Suburban I've owned has been 3/4 ton, 4WD and for a bumper-pulling, family, utility vehicle they can't be beat. If at all possible go with the beefier 3/4 ton...with the lighter half ton you get the tail wagging the dog when you pull heavy loads. If you're used to driving a 3/4 ton 4WD and then drive a 1/2 ton 2WD the difference is incredible. The 3/4 ton drives great but it feels like a tank compared to the 1/2 ton.
I love my Suburban. Despite high mileage I've been reluctant to replace my 2001...it's been amazingly reliable, its got the 8.1 liter V8, 4WD and the rear cargo doors. New 3/4 ton 4WD Suburban's are scarce (if you can find one at all). Besides, the new ones all have smaller engines and no more cargo doors...they all have tailgates now. No question about it...if you're going to pull a trailer with a Suburban go with the 3/4 ton/2500!
It's not the greatest shot of the Suburban but such as it is...
I love my Suburban. Despite high mileage I've been reluctant to replace my 2001...it's been amazingly reliable, its got the 8.1 liter V8, 4WD and the rear cargo doors. New 3/4 ton 4WD Suburban's are scarce (if you can find one at all). Besides, the new ones all have smaller engines and no more cargo doors...they all have tailgates now. No question about it...if you're going to pull a trailer with a Suburban go with the 3/4 ton/2500!
It's not the greatest shot of the Suburban but such as it is...
10-09-2009, 08:29 AM
#55
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When towing is the factor, more truck is better.... the 1500 platform can tow - for the most part - without issues....Heavier duty platforms will tow better and safer....On the flats or in the hills....
$0.02
$0.02
10-09-2009, 11:49 AM
#56
Have any of you 3/4 sub drivers had pump rub "YET"? If you leak from the transfer case area check for case perforations.
http://www.merchant-automotive.com/transfercase.aspx
http://www.dieselplace.com/
Do a search on these sites and you will be informed. Merchant has an elegant solution which I have done very cheaply. The issue crops up with lots of towing that means diesels first use 8.1L gas guys second
http://www.merchant-automotive.com/transfercase.aspx
http://www.dieselplace.com/
Do a search on these sites and you will be informed. Merchant has an elegant solution which I have done very cheaply. The issue crops up with lots of towing that means diesels first use 8.1L gas guys second
10-09-2009, 12:12 PM
#57
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I posted Dave's sticker offer up in CFOT
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-...-vehicles.html
This came up in the process
That's cool to know, I thought GM de-rated them compared to it's Tahoe counterpart.
You can pick used Escalades cheaper than Suburbans....hum...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-...-vehicles.html
This came up in the process
That's cool to know, I thought GM de-rated them compared to it's Tahoe counterpart.
You can pick used Escalades cheaper than Suburbans....hum...
10-09-2009, 01:41 PM
#58
Instructor
I tow a 22' enclosed Haulmark with my 2008 1/2 ton Z71 Suburban. It has the 5.3L and does fine with the hills around Watkins Glen. GM is supposed to be offering the 6.2L in 1/2 ton Sub/Tahoe/Yukons for 2010. That would be the ticket.
I added a Vararam CAI and Corsa exhaust and it made a big difference as well.
Hope it helps.
I added a Vararam CAI and Corsa exhaust and it made a big difference as well.
Hope it helps.
10-10-2009, 03:24 AM
#59
Race Director
I tow a 22' enclosed Haulmark with my 2008 1/2 ton Z71 Suburban. It has the 5.3L and does fine with the hills around Watkins Glen. GM is supposed to be offering the 6.2L in 1/2 ton Sub/Tahoe/Yukons for 2010. That would be the ticket.
I added a Vararam CAI and Corsa exhaust and it made a big difference as well.
Hope it helps.
I added a Vararam CAI and Corsa exhaust and it made a big difference as well.
Hope it helps.
I"m guessing you don't tow at 75-80 on the interstate....
went from a 1500 tahoe 2wd with a 502/4l80 that had no problem powerwise, but braking and lane changes weren't fun......with the sub, I could care less and I'm talking on the phone smoking a cigarette with my knee on the wheel coming down the hills around the glen.....
50K miles and my brakes are still more than half left, and most of my miles are NYC miles, and I commute 50 miles a day on a 65 mph interstate that has no speedlimit for me (so I'm usually doing 90 to/from work if its dry) and the sub hasn't missed a beat.
I've towed 33 ft twin bigblock cigarettes around town (no highway) with surge brakes that refused to function (boat was a lil long for the trailer and hangin off teh back a bit
), bobcats on utility trailers, an avalanche with another motor and trans in the back of the suburban at the time...Truck really doesn't miss a beat, but the 6.0 isn't the greatest for power...
open trailer with a vette? um.....rumor has it I might have been doing triples on the way to carlisle a few years back screwing around with some buddies putting along in the right lane in their vettes...
haven't done a thing but change the oil on it....and I'm right around 50K miles now. Been a darn good truck so far.
oh yeah, got a stiff or two up to the great white north in snow storms and thru a muddy cemetery as well in a jam....the caddy definetely wasn't gonna get that done.
ps. heard the 6.2 didn't sell well in the tahoes for 09 so that might not be happening...
pps. heard the baby diesel 4.5 (like 330/510) isn't going into halftons (which theoretically would mean it should be available in teh 3/4 ton with out necessitating the body lift since it uses a 6l80......been put on hold indefinetely...
I test drove a gas excursion before I got the sub, wanted a diesel one, but the gasser was local and low miles.....the things ride like hell with heavy duty springs with a lower rideheight than a f250....was not impressed at all, and you can't compare a full dress suburban to a spartan excursion for interior bells and whistles
Last edited by undertaker; 10-10-2009 at 03:30 AM.
10-10-2009, 06:17 AM
#60
Team Owner
down hill and 70 mph and hit the brakes hard tells you all you need to know about a tow vehicle. Up hill with a small motor won't get you in trouble it just takes a while and your tranny won't last.