Will This Work

[Starmachinist]

I'm looking at buying a travel trailer that weighs about 4000lbs dry and 7500lbs loaded, can my 1/2 ton Yukon 5.3l tow it safely?

thanks

[FargoZ71]

Depending on the distance / speed required.. I say ya...

 

Always nice for a W/ D hitch, or some air bags. But it will handle it. Another question, what gears are in the yukon?

[Starmachinist]

I'm not sure what gears Yukons come with. I'd be towing about 200 to 300 kilometers, 2 - 3 times a year. I do have a heavy duty hitch w/ equalizer bars.

 

 

Depending on the distance / speed required.. I say ya...

 

Always nice for a W/ D hitch, or some air bags. But it will handle it. Another question, what gears are in the yukon?

[dlstewart01]

See what the towing capacity is for your vehicle. That will only include one passenger. Additional passengers, cargo and trailer tongue weight will have to be deducted from the towing capacity. I would say you will be over weight.

[music]

Agree on checking the RPO codes on your Yukon and finding the tow ratings. You'll be fine for power (not fast... but fine). How long is the camper?

[Stevens03]

Good lord, I can't imagine you'd have any trouble with a 4000 lbs camper.

[dlstewart01]

Good lord, I can't imagine you'd have any trouble with a 4000 lbs camper.

 

A 4000 lb camper dry weight ends up much more than 4000 lbs and he is going to add 3500 lbs to it......

[Starmachinist]

the trailer is 23 feet long. I don't plan on adding the total 3500lbs extra, I just want to make sure I'll be okay if I did.

 

 

Good lord, I can't imagine you'd have any trouble with a 4000 lbs camper.

 

A 4000 lb camper dry weight ends up much more than 4000 lbs and he is going to add 3500 lbs to it......

 

[FargoZ71]

There are codes in your glove box, it would be Ideal if one of them said G4 ( 3.73 gears), If it's a Z71 chances are it is. But ya, a 23 foot camper will bo no issue.. My dad pulls a 26 footer with his with just a w/d hitch.

[music]

A 23 ft camper will be an easy pull. My last one was 22 ft and about the same dry weight, and there just isn't enough space in them to load to anywhere near the GVWR rating. The GVWR is higher than you can load due to the standard 3500 lb axles (plus 500 lbs on the hitch). Have fun!

[pwall]

I'm looking at buying a travel trailer that weighs about 4000lbs dry and 7500lbs loaded, can my 1/2 ton Yukon 5.3l tow it safely?

thanks

I would say yes. My '02 YukonXL pulled our current trailer, which has a GVWR of 7000lbs, but that would be only if it was fully loaded (which I'm sure it never was).

[c4cruiser]

That's a lot of weight to add in the trailer, if the axles are rated for 3500 lbs each, then the trailer will be overloaded.

 

As mentioned you have to add all of the weight that the truck will carry and tow to the weight of the truck to determine the gross vehicle weight. Your owner's manual should have a table that shows how much the Tahoe can carry based on the configuration to include the engine, drivetrain and hitch type.

 

Use a Class V weight distributing hitch, an anti-sway bar, and learn how to place the loads in both the tow vehicle and trailer. Add a good trailer brake controller (I like the Prodigy from Tekonsha) and get a high-capacity trans cooler installed. HAve the trans checked for proper operation and consider doing a trans service to include a fluid flush and new filter. Use a full synthetic oil in the engine.

 

Check the condition of the brakes and do a complete flush of the brake fluid. Consider going to LT-rated tires for the Tahoe. Might be worth finding another set of wheels for mounting LT tires for your towing use then swap to street tires for the rest of the time.

[cghbuilder86]

You are probably fine...be sure to check the codes and the manual though to be sure. And you may want to look into some suspension air bags, or supersprings. Depending on the tongue weight it may sag your truck.