Suitable tow vehicle?

[yh125d]

My cousins and I are tentatively taking a travel trailer up to a family reunion this summer, and I'm worried about our tow vehicle


We have a chevy tahoe 2WD, not sure on year but I'm pretty sure its ~05-07 with 5.3l and dunno about tow package

The GCWR of a 2010 tahoe is 11500, I'd guess for an older one it'd be 11000 max, maybe less


Our planned trailer is a 6800lb dry weight, the tahoe weighs about 5250, and we're carrying 5 people with 8 days worth of luggage, and filling the trailer wit all the expected fare

5250 tahoe
6800 (dry) trailer
150 fluids+propane*
900 (5)adults
400 luggage*
200 assorted fare in trailer*

* means I'm not sure how much to estimate

That's already pushing 14000. I don't see how this can be safe at all

That much over GCWR is going to be braking issues, uphill issues, etc...

Our route is roughly tulsa -> helena and back, so lots of windy as shit plains and some mountainous roads on the last stretch



I'm thinking that this is unsafe and irresponsible, and has almost a 100% probability of something going wrong (brakes overheating leading to who knows, tranny overheat, engine oil or coolant overheat, who knows what else). Thing is, I brought this up to them and they're adamant that it is fine, that they've done their research and that if it weren't a suitable vehicle they wouldn't be offering to use it.


Plus, they're estimating 18mpg for it, and I don't see any way it could break 10mpg with that high of a load


Any ideas to help me talk them out of it? They're gonna put a deposit down soonish

 

[Pacfanweb]

They are dead wrong.

The minimum they need for that trailer is a 3/4 ton truck. No 1/2 ton can realistically tow that and still be within the specs.

That Tahoe is going to seriously strain to tow it, and it's going to be bare-knuckle driving the entire time, even with a weight distributing hitch and trailer brakes.

They have NOT done sufficient research, or they'd know they aren't getting enough truck.

I'd recommend a 3/4 ton Suburban if they want an SUV. Your GCVWR is over what any 1/2 ton is rated for, even a Sub.

Tow ratings are VERY misleading, at best. No light-duty vehicle can, in the real world, tow what they are advertised to.

Maximum trailer weight ratings are calculated assuming a base vehicle, except for any option(s) necessary to achieve the rating, plus driver. The weight of other optional equipment, passengers and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow. See your Chevy dealer for additional details.

This means tow ratings assume a properly-equipped base vehicle, a 150lb driver, no passengers or cargo, and as little gas as possible, usually 1/4 tank. Anything you add to this takes away from the max trailer weight and the gross combined vehicle weight. And the payload capacity.

Payload is often overlooked.....that's the max a vehicle can carry in cargo/passengers/fuel, etc....on its own axles, not on a trailer.
On a 2010 Tahoe:
Curb Weight: 5265lbs
GVWR: 7100lbs
Max Payload: 1835lbs, which is the difference between the two.

Now, that's on a BASE vehicle, with a 150lb driver and 1/4 tank of gas. Now, does the driver weigh 150lbs? Anything over that, subtract from the payload.
How about passengers?
How about a full tank of gas? That's another 35-40 lbs to account for.
Gear/luggage/coolers,etc?

Now.....for towing: Tongue Weight. There's not only a max tongue weight, (listed on the hitch, usually) but the tongue weight also counts against the payload. Typically, it's 500lbs for these types of vehicles.
Now, a typical tongue weight for a trailer is 10% of the trailer weight. Obviously this can vary, but that's a typical figure. You have a 6800lb trailer. Very unlikely it's going to NOT exceed the tongue weight.

I could keep going, but the bottom line is, no 1/2 ton SUV of any brand is going to have the math work out to where it can tow this trailer in a real-world situation.

 

[NutBucket]

How big is the trailer if the dry weight is 6800#? Do you need a trailer that big? Could you get away with a hitch-mounted tray and cargo on the roof? Seems like complete overkill to use a trailer that seems to be quite large for not a whole lot of cargo.

And yes, 18mpg is not going to happen, period. If the trailer is that heavy I would guess it has brakes on it as well.

 

[yh125d]

Its a travel trailer, not cargo. 28' I think. And we're talking 8-9 adults, so we would need one that size yes

The listed tongue weight of the trailer is 850lbs, I can only assume that is with it dry and unloaded

 

[drnickriviera]

Helena AR? Won't you be on I-40 most of the time. I'm with you, 8-12mpg. The best diesels would struggle to get those numbers.

Can't say it wont do it, but I doubt it will be fun. I've seen nimrods using a F-150 to tow a skid steer that was at least 8-10k pounds on a beat up trailer with no brakes

 

[yh125d]

helena montana. 3k mile round trip. The last 150miles is fairly mountainous, the last 50 are hellacious

 

[desy]

not enough truck
you could bring another car, put everybody and luggage in that

 

[yh125d]

We're already bringing a second car. It would have 4 people and as much of the luggage as will fit in it

 

[drnickriviera]

Ouch. I'm not sure i'd do that to my personal vehicle. Please get a weight distributing hitch with sway control. The travel trailer should have brakes, but what kind? One of those hydraulic hitch types, if so, may be difficult to use a weight distributing hitch. If electric brakes, does the vehicle have a brake controller?

 

[Meghan54]

Actually, according to GM's towing guidelines for your Tahoe, it conceivably could tow that trailer.....barely. And that's if you had a 3.42 rear axle ratio, external auto trans fluid cooler and external engine oil cooler. With those additions, and the right hitch, the Tahoe is rated to tow 8500#, and subtracting your guesstimates on your load, you have left 6850#, just barely within recommended limits for towing.

But, you probably don't have any of that necessary equipment on your vehicle, so like Pac said.....forget it.

 

[herm0016]

to montana? with that? you are crazy for the reasons already stated.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

This will be you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ru1l2gN88

 

[Pacfanweb]

Actually, according to GM's towing guidelines for your Tahoe, it conceivably could tow that trailer.....barely. And that's if you had a 3.42 rear axle ratio, external auto trans fluid cooler and external engine oil cooler. With those additions, and the right hitch, the Tahoe is rated to tow 8500#, and subtracting your guesstimates on your load, you have left 6850#, just barely within recommended limits for towing.

But, you probably don't have any of that necessary equipment on your vehicle, so like Pac said.....forget it.

Look again....the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight of a new Tahoe is 11,500.
The Tahoe itself, unloaded, weighs 5250, the trailer, unloaded, weighs 6800. It's overloaded before you ever load either one with people and gear.

You can't exceed ANY of the factory specs, which is why it's impossible for any SUV to tow what the commercials claim.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

They are dead wrong.

The minimum they need for that trailer is a 3/4 ton truck. No 1/2 ton can realistically tow that and still be within the specs.

That Tahoe is going to seriously strain to tow it, and it's going to be bare-knuckle driving the entire time, even with a weight distributing hitch and trailer brakes.

They have NOT done sufficient research, or they'd know they aren't getting enough truck.

I'd recommend a 3/4 ton Suburban if they want an SUV. Your GCVWR is over what any 1/2 ton is rated for, even a Sub.

Tow ratings are VERY misleading, at best. No light-duty vehicle can, in the real world, tow what they are advertised to.



This means tow ratings assume a properly-equipped base vehicle, a 150lb driver, no passengers or cargo, and as little gas as possible, usually 1/4 tank. Anything you add to this takes away from the max trailer weight and the gross combined vehicle weight. And the payload capacity.

Payload is often overlooked.....that's the max a vehicle can carry in cargo/passengers/fuel, etc....on its own axles, not on a trailer.
On a 2010 Tahoe:
Curb Weight: 5265lbs
GVWR: 7100lbs
Max Payload: 1835lbs, which is the difference between the two.

Now, that's on a BASE vehicle, with a 150lb driver and 1/4 tank of gas. Now, does the driver weigh 150lbs? Anything over that, subtract from the payload.
How about passengers?
How about a full tank of gas? That's another 35-40 lbs to account for.
Gear/luggage/coolers,etc?

Now.....for towing: Tongue Weight. There's not only a max tongue weight, (listed on the hitch, usually) but the tongue weight also counts against the payload. Typically, it's 500lbs for these types of vehicles.
Now, a typical tongue weight for a trailer is 10% of the trailer weight. Obviously this can vary, but that's a typical figure. You have a 6800lb trailer. Very unlikely it's going to NOT exceed the tongue weight.

I could keep going, but the bottom line is, no 1/2 ton SUV of any brand is going to have the math work out to where it can tow this trailer in a real-world situation.

Pacfanweb is right. You might make it but, it's extremely foolhardy. The Tahoe is NOT up to it. Bad plan.

 

[KDOG]

Listen to Pacfanweb. I'm an avid camper and tow a travel trailer. I have an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that has a 5K tow capacity and my camper weights about 3500 empty. I also have sway control and weight dist. hitch. And I'm definetly looking for a better tow vehicle.
And what camper do you have that weighs that much? Yikes! Is it possible to use a smaller one?

That Tahoe is going to hate you for that, IF it makes it...

 

[Pacfanweb]

Put it this way: I've never heard anyone complain that they bought too big a tow vehicle.

When in doubt, get the bigger truck.

This case isn't even debatable. It's comical to see that the people claim they've done their research and wouldn't be buying the Tahoe if it wasn't big enough. There's no way you can work the math to make this one work out. It's flat-out unsafe. That doesn't mean they won't make it, but it still won't be safe. Glad I won't be on the road near them.

How'd you like to have that rig trying to stop quickly behind you and your kids?

 

[yh125d]

To clear up some confusion, my cousins already own the tahoe, we're just looking at renting a trailer for the trip. I'm trying to talk them out of it for the reasons posted (not only that but its $100 more each person total cost than just taking cars, and thats with them calculating 18mpg, LOL)

 

[Pacfanweb]

I'll kiss your cousin's butt and give him a week to get up a crowd to watch if any gas engine SUV gets 18mpg while pulling a 28ft trailer. Impossible, will not happen.

 

[skyking]

I'll kiss your cousin's butt and give him a week to get up a crowd to watch if any gas engine SUV gets 18mpg while pulling a 28ft trailer. Impossible, will not happen.

agreed. That Tahoe would be better suited to one of the bigger pop-up tent trailers and they unfold to huge dimensions.

 

[Raduque]

6800lb trailer? I'd have been hesitant to tow that with my F150 7700 (F250 Light Duty).

 

[yh125d]

Turns out its a 2003 Tahoe 4x4 with 5.3 and 7400 max trailer weight (IF it has towing package, which not sure)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Why don't they just rent an RV for this trip?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have a friend who was towing a big trailer with a Suburban out in the desert a few years ago. He spun the main bearing in his Suburban, probably because he had exceeded the rated capacity of his vehicle...that was an expensive mistake. I think it cost him close to $3,000 to have the engine rebuilt (and that was 10 years ago).

 

[yh125d]

Can't get a motorhome apparently cause there are none that sleep 8-9 adults (plus something tells me it'd be quite a bit more expensive even, with one of those for 8 days and at 5mpg...)

 

[Vette73]

Can't get a motorhome apparently cause there are none that sleep 8-9 adults (plus something tells me it'd be quite a bit more expensive even, with one of those for 8 days and at 5mpg...)

Yea but cheaper then blowing up the Tahoe.

My truck I think has a 1700pound payload. I have the big motor, trans cooler, added helper springs, etc... and I never go over 1500pds NOW. I went to the max payload and that was still to much sway for me.