As already said, the only Suburban that really was good for towing, the 3/4 ton (2500) variety....GM has significantly 'watered them down' in last few years. That has made them no longer such a great candidate for heavy towing.
No more big block V8 option, hitch receiver limited to 1000 lbs tongue weight and impossible to upgrade, chassis not quite as stout as it used to be...Between all that, and the obscene price tag they carry, its really left folks looking elsewhere that need a heavy tow vehicle that can handle a lot of passengers.
Kinda sad, really. Ford's Excursion is gone, 3/4 ton 'Burb is watered down quite a bit...Only thing left you can buy new that can tow a heavy trailer and carry several passengers is the Ford 1 ton van (E350). I think many folks would rather just settle for smaller trailers and 1/2 ton tow vehicles than to drive something that looks as 'uncool' as an E350, hahaha.
Will & Angela
2 children that love camping, Stephen & Allison
2012 FR Georgetown 351DS on F53 (V10) Chassis Our Rig
CarringB said it best. The newer ones keep getting heavier, GVWRs stay the same for them. A well equipped half ton will have about 1200 pound of payload left, good for a large family and gear OR a large TT. I'm planning to get a new 2011 with actual payload at 2050 pounds (meaning it weighs about 6550). But they all have OEM receivers built into the frame with stickers like this:
That's about a 7000 to 8000 pounds loaded TT. The receiver is not strong, and there are no aftermarket ones for the 2007+ models.
The diesel Burb sucked in the 90's design. The 01-06 8.1L or V10/7.3L Excursion were the best, but they keep getting more and more rare.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
There really aren't any "great" options for larger families that want a bigger trailer.
Suburban: The 1000lb limit on tounge weight is the biggest issue along with tha fact the hitch is not replacable. I may get one anyway since I don't think I'd ever want to go that big on trailer size and have no plans to replace my current trailer.
All other SUV's: No 3/4 ton version and most also have the same tounge weight limitations as the Sub. if not worse.
Trucks: No 3rd row obviously
GM Fullsize Van: No tow mirrows available, even in the aftermarket. No head rests other than the front row buckets (unless you want a conversion van, I don't).
Ford Fullsize van: Even more ugly than the GM with the latest grill. No headrests like the GM vans. They do offer nice 2nd row buckets in the E150 but apparently not in the E350. No curtain air bags. 5.4L has fairly low tow ratings so you'd need to upgrade to the V10 which will use more gas.
No diesel option anymore. We love our 'Burb, but it only did an adequate job towing our TT, and was right at its weight limits when doing so. Got real tired of running at 4k in 2nd gear into a headwind to try to keep a decend freeway speed.
If GM made a 2500HD Duramax Suburban, we'd likely have that instead of the pickup.
willald wrote: ... I think many folks would rather just settle for smaller trailers and 1/2 ton tow vehicles than to drive something that looks as 'uncool' as an E350, hahaha.
Easy There!
Todd
1993 Ford E-350 pushed by a 1988 Wilderness 24' TT
Tystevens wrote: No diesel option anymore. We love our 'Burb, but it only did an adequate job towing our TT, and was right at its weight limits when doing so. Got real tired of running at 4k in 2nd gear into a headwind to try to keep a decend freeway speed.
If GM made a 2500HD Duramax Suburban, we'd likely have that instead of the pickup.
Tystevens wrote: No diesel option anymore. We love our 'Burb, but it only did an adequate job towing our TT, and was right at its weight limits when doing so. Got real tired of running at 4k in 2nd gear into a headwind to try to keep a decend freeway speed.
If GM made a 2500HD Duramax Suburban, we'd likely have that instead of the pickup.
Suburbans are still used for towing and doing a pretty good job within their rated capacity but there are much MORE capable tow vehicles for larger trailers. The Suburban is no different than anything else, it has a purpose and will not do well when you exceed that purpose.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
3/4 Ton Burb with 6.0L gasser costs about the same as a Duramax/Allison 3/4 ton pickup. So expect about $8k more than current Suburban costs, which many people already balk at. And the Burb frame and who know what else will need to be stronger because it weighs more, as a 3/4 ton pickup weighs more than 3/4 ton Burb that already has less payload.
I've seen DuraBurbs on Ebay that never sell at their $35-45k asking prices. These are not new vehicles, so compare that to a $10-$20k 8.1L unmolested and there is never a payback on fuel consumed.
Ford has mentioned about putting the Ecoboost 3.5L into the Navigator and Expy. If it can be done with about 2000 pounds of payload and a support up to 1200 pounds of tongue weight, it would have a winner.
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