Yes a 8.1L would be better, but you wont find it in a new Suburban. I doubt this gentleman wants to get rid of his new 2008 'Burban for a used '06 or older.
The OP has a 2006 Burb not an 08. I quoted the OP below
"PLAN ON PULLING IT WITH MY 2006 CHEVY SUBURBAN 2500 LT"
Yes a 8.1L would be better, but you wont find it in a new Suburban. I doubt this gentleman wants to get rid of his new 2008 'Burban for a used '06 or older.
The OP has a 2006 Burb not an 08. I quoted the OP below
"PLAN ON PULLING IT WITH MY 2006 CHEVY SUBURBAN 2500 LT"
My bad, his camper is an '08....I somehow mixed up the years reading. I should read slower.
'07 Hornet 30BHS TT-family cabin
'94 Suburban 2500 tow rig w/454ci, 4.10 gears, Prodigy controller
'95 Jeep Grand Cherokee-8"lift, 37" tires-play toy
TRLTU wrote: Sorry for the caps! I am an architect and all my noting is done in caps. bad habit! Would you recomend any load leveling air bags or do you think they are not necessary?
I'm sorry that you are an Architect................I'm one too...welcome to the forum
2006 FORD F-350 Lariat Crew Cab 4x4 SB SRW PSD w/TorqShift - BLACK 2004 H-D FXSTBI Night Train - BLACK 2004 Haulmark Transport enclosed trailer 6'x12' - BLACK
Welcome to the forum. Hopefully this will help you. I have owned the truck you have, just a 2003, 6.0 with 4.10 axle and I also had the Quadra steer option. One Great TV when used within her limits.
From real world towing experiences. See this combo I had it on. 6,500# of TT, 1,200# tongue loaded and the truck will handle that combination well. 1,200# is all the tongue weight the truck can handle ready to go camping unless you camp alone. In Burb ws DW and I, 250# of gear and 109# of bikes. Truck loaded is 8,550# GVW. Yes I have 50# more before hitting the GVWR. And I took the 75# 3rd row beast of a seat out. That TT is 27 feet. used Reese DC and when set up properly with proper tongue weight, sway is a none issue. However do not put Michelin LTX tires on the truck while using a Equal-I-zer or Reese DC hitch. They will create an instability and early onset of sway.
Now forward to, same truck, new camper. 32 feet, 7200# dry. This is also a taller TT within slide, wind drag makes a difference. Coming home empty from the dealer I almost boiled the engine in the back hills of PA. I knew I needed to upgrade the truck for this new TT, but needed to at least get it home. On the highway it did OK. I partly loaded the camper to 8200#, was sitting at 15,750# GCW on a 16,000# rated TV. On the flat lands of Ohio I was marginal, I would not attempt to take it into a hilly area. 2nd gear tyranny heat will be an issue.
Here is the hill that did me in at 7,200# empty. It was a series of ups and downs and the last one got me.
I would not recommend using your truck on much more then a 7,000# loaded TT if you have family inside. If you have the 8.1, well then pulling is no problem with your new camper but the 6.0 will be hurting when you put her in the wrong combination. You will be on the edge.
You can see now what I traded to and have zero regrets on my new TT. 156.6 WB and 1-ton suspension fixed my problem. I also have a 1,400# TT loaded tongue. The V10 helped to0.
Good luck and happy camping.
PS ON the 2500 Burb, Autoride is auto shock damping, not Auto leveling like on the 1500. Do not use air bags; a properly adjusted WD hitch will fix all the issues of WD and stay within the ratings of the TV.
Hope this helps
John
John & Cindy
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10
CC, SB, Lariat & FX4 package
21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR
Ford Tow Command
1,700# Reese HP hitch & HP Dual Cam
2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver
2004 Sunline Solaris T310SR
(I wish we where camping!)
That's about as good an explanation as you could get. I always wondered if a truck would overheat going up a hill because I hear folks say all the time that you can run that engine at 3800 - 4000 rpm all day and it won't hurt it. I had a similiar problem with an Avalanche with 3.42 gears and it wouldn't go in a headwind in Ohio without running 3200 rpm and sucking gas with the 5.3L and I was always afraid to get it into Tennessee and overheat it on Jellico Mountain.
Tom:
Which transmission do you have in your Suburban? Do you have the new 6 speed?
That's about as good an explanation as you could get. I always wondered if a truck would overheat going up a hill because I hear folks say all the time that you can run that engine at 3800 - 4000 rpm all day and it won't hurt it. I had a similar problem with an Avalanche with 3.42 gears and it wouldn't go in a headwind in Ohio without running 3200 rpm and sucking gas with the 5.3L and I was always afraid to get it into Tennessee and overheat it on Jellico Mountain.
Tom:
Which transmission do you have in your Suburban? Do you have the new 6 speed?
Tom
In 2003, the K2500 Burb with the 6.0 has the 4L80e tyranny. Mine was a 4 speed. In 2007 they changed it to I think a 4L70e.
The 6.0 engine was not a problem. She would down shift to 2nd gear, do 30 MPH and just chug. Never ran out of engine. I also had a extra TC output temp line gage in addition to the pan temp so I can watch both. The way GM makes the 2500 Burb with the 6.0, the tyranny can run hotter when pulling. 200 towing is normal pan temp. They just tell you to change tyranny oil more often when towing. And I did every year. When they say 16,000 GVWR, that is it. And I only tow at max of 60 mph and in 3rd gear.
However when the TC is putting out over 260F for a long time, the tyranny goes up and when you hit 240F to 245 the engine radiator can not take it. I pulled my foot out of it and she dropped down from about to go red and it came down quick. Then I sweat it to the top hoping the pan temp would not go up into the 250 range. That lat 1/4 mile doing 20MPH told me quick this was not going to work long term and I had nothing in the TT yet.
TT towing is more then just the weight. My low slung axle TT never had this issue. But on the new camper, that extra 8 to 10 inches taller sail from having a super slide, really hits hard. My new camper was only about 600 # heavier empty then the old one loaded but the wind drag is real. I was at 14,600# when I had the issue on a 16,000# GVWR truck.
I have never looked at the tyranny cooler on the 2500 HD PU and compared it to the same engine drive train in the 2500 Burb. Both are rated to pull the same but suspect thee PU might have a larger cooling setup.
I know the tow package says it has a tranny cooler. However, I believe it is internal to the radiator. So, I would recommend having he dealer install an external cooler if this hasn:t been recommended yet.
This will help keep the tranny cool while you are cranking up a grade. I came a hair of buying a used 07 Yukon XL 2500 and also I considered a 2500 HD Chevy pickup with the 6.0L. They are very nice vehicles.
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