C5 XTC

I am about to purchase either a 24' or 26' enclosed trailer. I plan to tow it with my 2005 Tahoe. Tahoe has a 5.3L V8 with a tow package and a 3.42 axle ratio. My owners manual says I can haul 7500 pounds with this set up. Assuming the trailer will be in the high 3000's or low 4000's and my vette is around 3200, I am about at capacity particularly when some equipment gets added.
Anybody towing a trailer with this kind of weight with a Tahoe/Yukon or similar powered vehicle? What has our experience been?
This kind of thread usually gets lots of input and I am hoping for the same. Thanks in advance.
C5 XTC

gkmccready

I have a buddy that tows his 240Z vintage racer and a lot of spares and junk in his 24ft enclosed with an '00 5.7l Tahoe... he says it does perfectly fine, even up the hill in to Laguna Seca. The weight distributing hitch and sway controls are the key.

Might not be ideal, but it sure seemed to work for him.

RAFTeRACER

You can do it but in virginia you wont go too far without encountering a hill or two. Myself and others I know found ourselves shopping for more power after a few trips with a underpowered tow vehicle. If you decide to give it a go you will need to invest in a good weight distributing hitch and sway control. Remember getting up the hill is only half the adventure, coming down the other side with a short wheelbase vehicle can be hairy. The 05 tahoe probally has a good deal more power than my 95 suburban with a 350 had but it is still a lot of weight with a few cubes. Just my opinion, like I said you can do it but do you want to.

drimola

I have an aluminum 24' enclosed, that I now tow with a 3/4 ton diesel pickup...I did pull it with a 1/2 GMC 6.0l and it was marginally ok, but I feel much better with the larger truck. I think you could tow it with the Tahoe, but if the terrain gets hilly, you will really feel the load. Depending on what you are hauling the Tahoe is marginal IMO. I would recommend a larger tow vehicle and a certainly a weight distributing hitch.

wtknght1

The biggest issue I think you'll run into is stability. A good gust of wind (from either mother nature or a big truck) and the tail will wag the dog...and probably scare the crap out of you. Think about getting a good used Diesel Dually. You will be amazed at the difference and never tow without one again!

c4cruiser

I would say that the Tahoe is at the ragged edge for towing your proposed combination. Certainly a weight distributing hitch and anti-sway bar is a must but enclosed trailers will cause swaying when being passed by heavy trucks or severe side winds.

With the weight of the trailer and the car pretty much maxing out the Tahoe capacity, the added weight of tools, tires, friends, wife, dog, and whatever else can easily put you over the maximum gross vehicle weight of the Tahoe.

You may be fine for short trips on level ground but extended distances or hills/mountains will be a challenge.

In any event, replace the factory tranny cooler with a large one in a stacked plate design, do a tranny service with new fluid and filter, have the brakes on the Tahoe done and maybe upgrade to some good semi-metallic pads and fresh DOT 3/4 fluid. Get a good trailer brake controller like a Tekonsha Prodigy.

Carefully inspect the hitch for any indications of rust or cracking at the welds. A Class III hitch will work as long as you go with a WD hitch system. You will need a good set of tires that are LT rated in Load Range D. P-metric passenger car type tires are not a good thing with this amount of weight.

You will be down on power and gas mileage will go in the toilet but the 5.3 will probably do the job. Remember to tow only in "3" and not in OD. Use the Tow/Haul button. Remember to allow much more room for braking and don't expect good acceleration.

A Suburban or a pickup like a 2500HD Duramax diesel power and the Allison 6-speed auto trans would be much better but it may cost much more to upgrade to another vehicle.

AU N EGL

That is an understatement and can vouch for that one more then once.

Yes a 1500 has just enough towing capacity as long as the roads are flat, no hills or mountains, up or down and no traffic to pass, and no trucks passing you.

So looking at the towing capacity is only part of the issue.

I have a 1500HD and have towed up and down the east coast, over mountains several times. Never go any faster then 60 mph, 45 up and down mountains in 2nd gear. 11.5 mpg

I change my truck's oil a lot, trans and diff oil at least once a year. flush the brake fluid and bleed my truck brakes almost as much as I do the car.

I have learned to two foot drive, left foot on the brake and right foot on the throttle just slow down the wiggle dance after a big 18 wheeler has flown by.

Learned how to distribute the load in the trailer for better balance and towing, plus use a wt distrabution hitch.

In short, I am looking at a 3500 diesel dooly now. Personally I don't think anything under a 2500 should really be used for towing 24 foot or larger enclosed

hisvett

The first thing that comes to mind is "The tail wagging the DOG". My experience pulling trailers over the years has been with Dodge D350's. I have pulled a 24ft enclosed loaded with a C5 cross country from TX to Las Vegas and back. I can't even Imagen doing it with something as small as a Tahoe! I currently own a V8 Dakoda and pull a light open trailer with a C5 on it and would not even think about hooking up to a 7K lbs. box to it. But that's just me! Good luck and drive save. Make sure the brakes are up to snuff!!

C5 XTC

Well, the votes have been counted and it looks like the fairly unanimous opinion is that the Tahoe "ain't gonna hack it". Better to find that out before I bought the trailer then after the sale. I need a compromise vehicle as the Tahoe is my wifes daily driver. She is not going to go for a dually............not in this lifetime. I guess I'll check out the Suburban 2500 and see what I can do there and get back in the trailer market next spring for the 08 track season. Thanks for your help guys. C5 XTC

Geoff17

Hey Ron, you are probably a little beyond the edge. I have a 24' ~ 4,600 trailer loaded towing my Corvette with an F150-rated 8,700 pounds. I have the sway control and it is fine but I would not want anything less. I don't think you need a dually or even a 2500 but I am sure they would make it easier.

Geoff

mikahb

You might consider getting an open trailer to tow with until you and your wife can agree on a new tow rig. It's not quite as convenient as an enclosed, but still a heck of a lot better than driving the car to/from events. And, your Yukon should handle that much more easily.

As a side note - my wife drives our '06 Ram 3500 Diesel Quad-Cab (non-dually) as a daily driver and absolutely loves it. Were it just up to me, I'd rather have a dually, but this truck keeps my wife happy, and tows my 28' enclosed with absolutely no trouble.

Good luck!

davidfarmer

The 5.3 is a piece of CRAP for towing. I have a 24' FEATHERLITE aluminum trailer, and my 5.3L yukon XL is absolutely undertorqued for the job. The trans continuously shift down into 2nd gear (yes, 2nd) on the interstate at even the smallest of hills, and even maintaining the speed limit in SC (flat as can be) is nearly impossible.

I must stick it out for now, for financial reasons (and I'm only towing a few times per year), but seriously think you should consider a 3/4ton (if you can find one) or a truck.

Z11409

Average for enclosed trailes is 150 lbs per trailer foot,ALWAYS have brakes on both axles.

NASCAR314

Great advice here as well!

I'd second the above idea of getting into an "OPEN" trailer to start out with, gets you used to towing, not as hard on tow vehicle, winds and passing trucks not as much as an issue.

The 5.3 is borderline, hills will be a problem, flatter area's not so bad.

Open trailers can always be sold latter for an up-grade

beerkat

If you start talking open trailer. I tow a 17 1/2' featherlite it weights in at 1400# with my car on it I am at about 4600#. I tow with a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. It does well as long as I keep the tongue weight correct. Balanced load is key to any trailering.

69427

Gotta disagree with the CRAP comment. I have the 5.3 in my 2005 Silverado, and I think it does an admirable job. I won't disagree that a diesel, or even a 6.0L might not tow better, but given its displacement, it does a decent job. I've towed my loaded 20' enclosed steel trailer numerous times between Florida and Indiana (for the geographically challenged, Tennessee is right there in the way), and the 5.3 does fine. As I said, the diesel and larger trucks/displacements might tow better, but my truck spends 98% of its time just hauling me around, and I enjoy the economy and quietness of this engine.
Just my opinion.

69427

I towed with the same Featherlite open trailer for several years. With its light weight, and lower frontal area compared to an enclosed trailer, it was a breeze towing the Corvette. Other than lack of weather protection, an open trailer sure makes towing easy.

varkwso

C5XTC,

I have towed my 24 ft enclosed behind my '99 4x4 F250 diesel and '97 4x4 1/2 ton Suburban. You can do it with your Tahoe but you will feel it. I think it may have contributed to the trans issues I am currently having with my Suburban. The later model Suburban and Tahoes may have better brakes but my brakes are barely enough for the 1/2 ton Suburban - much less the trailer with fully functional dual axle brakes. The only time I use the Suburban to tow is when my wife is using the F250 for towing her horses to an event.

I towed an open trailer with both - the F250 was still better but the Suburban did OK. Smelled of rubber though from all the tires in the back...

Check your driveway access before you buy a trailer also. It limits what I can pull without cutting trees and re-grading/paving the driveway...

mwvettec5

Any particular brand that's low enough to load a C6 w/ no under-nose clearance problems ???

What about removealbe fenders to allow for opening doors ???

Also, do most people drive up on a trailer or use a winch ???

THANKS

EVIL_C5

I pulled my 24 foot trailer with my Escalade esv with a 6.0 and it sucked! the gas mileage was like 5 or 6 mpg towing and sounded like the engine was going to jump out of from under the hood on slight grades. the trans always got over 200 degrees and sometimes almost to 250. I never had any issues with stability because I had the dual cam sway bar/weight distribution hitch, but the rest showed me that my truck was on its way to a quick death. so I traded it in and got a 2500hd duramax and have been very pleased ever since!