First big road trip (towing and camping), things to know?

[TheRook]

I have already received such great advice on the purchase, so hopefully more is in store! Recently purchased a 2009 Yukon SLT w/ HD trailering package 82k miles, only one owner. Truck is in pretty great shape, seems to run very well, clean interior, etc. We bought it to tow a Jayco 184 BS and are heading out adventuring for the summer on a road trip from PA to Seattle and back. What are some things that the experts can help me to look out for? What's on the pre-service checklist that I should be discussing with my mechanic (I have a trusted one). We are staying primarily in hook up sites, but will probably do a little bit of dispersed camping once out in Washington and Montana. With 2 small kids, we are only planning on 300-400 mile legs on any given back to back days. What should I be worried about? The first tow home after picking up the trailer seemed pretty good. Lots of power, didn't struggle at all at highway speeds. Any insight/advice/help is much appreciated!

 

[CaptainAmerica1]

Put some money up for just in case and rock that motha!!! Low mileage so just run it and fix whatever breaks. Chances are nothing will break…

 

[adventurenali92]

If the transmission hasn’t been serviced it would be a good idea to have that done before heading out. I’ve found my best upgrade has been my trucool 40k transmission oil cooler. Really helpful in keeping temps down especially while towing. Make sure brakes, suspension and front end steering components all check out

 

[swathdiver]

I have already received such great advice on the purchase, so hopefully more is in store! Recently purchased a 2009 Yukon SLT w/ HD trailering package 82k miles, only one owner. Truck is in pretty great shape, seems to run very well, clean interior, etc. We bought it to tow a Jayco 184 BS and are heading out adventuring for the summer on a road trip from PA to Seattle and back. What are some things that the experts can help me to look out for? What's on the pre-service checklist that I should be discussing with my mechanic (I have a trusted one). We are staying primarily in hook up sites, but will probably do a little bit of dispersed camping once out in Washington and Montana. With 2 small kids, we are only planning on 300-400 mile legs on any given back to back days. What should I be worried about? The first tow home after picking up the trailer seemed pretty good. Lots of power, didn't struggle at all at highway speeds. Any insight/advice/help is much appreciated!
View attachment 280106 View attachment 280107

Mileage is low and she's twelve years old or so. That can mean some rubber is needing to be replaced or needs to be replaced soon. I'm talking about control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, etc. Change all of your fluids, differentials, transmission, transfer case, radiator, etc. Most owner's never do this and most do not think they need to run on severe service schedule when they ought to.

Map out where the GMC dealerships are along your route, just in case.

My eyes aren't so good, do you have a weight distribution hitch on that with sway control? Does the truck have the Integrated Trailer Brake Controller or did you add an aftermarket one? Even if the trailer when loaded is below 5,000 pounds, the WDH will sure be nice to have on windy routes.

Don't be afraid to let the motor turn 3-4K rpms if necessary. You can tow in 5th and 6th but for maximum cooling efficiency or going up and down grades use 4th.

 

[TheRook]

Mileage is low and she's twelve years old or so. That can mean some rubber is needing to be replaced or needs to be replaced soon. I'm talking about control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, etc. Change all of your fluids, differentials, transmission, transfer case, radiator, etc. Most owner's never do this and most do not think they need to run on severe service schedule when they ought to.

Map out where the GMC dealerships are along your route, just in case.

My eyes aren't so good, do you have a weight distribution hitch on that with sway control? Does the truck have the Integrated Trailer Brake Controller or did you add an aftermarket one? Even if the trailer when loaded is below 5,000 pounds, the WDH will sure be nice to have on windy routes.

Don't be afraid to let the motor turn 3-4K rpms if necessary. You can tow in 5th and 6th but for maximum cooling efficiency or going up and down grades use 4th.

Thanks! Yes sir, got the WDH and sway control installed with the purchase of the Jayco as well as a Tekonsha brake controller. Wanted to be as safe as possible with my precious cargo! Quick question on the gearing. Do you generally use the "tow mode" button on the right hand side of the shifter? I've never towed long distances before so how do I know whether it is in 4th as compared to 5/6th? Newbie questions

 

[Big Mama]

My boat weighs about 5k and I use the trailer mode on hills up and down. To manually shift put your gear selector all the way to the right on M and use the up and down arrows. If you have auto leveling out back check your shocks and air lines.

 

[Geotrash]

Thanks! Yes sir, got the WDH and sway control installed with the purchase of the Jayco as well as a Tekonsha brake controller. Wanted to be as safe as possible with my precious cargo! Quick question on the gearing. Do you generally use the "tow mode" button on the right hand side of the shifter? I've never towed long distances before so how do I know whether it is in 4th as compared to 5/6th? Newbie questions

I tow a 6500 lb. trailer with our 2012 XL Denali and used to tow one that was almost identical to yours, so I can offer a few things for you, perhaps.

If your truck has the oil coolers on both ends of the radiator, it will be helpful. The one on the driver's side is for the engine oil and the one on the passenger side is for the transmission. With the HD trailering package, you should also have the additional transmission cooler in front of the radiator and A/C condenser. Pulling across the midwest's rolling hills in the summer with the usual westbound headwind, your coolant temperature will start to climb on the gauge, and your transmission temp will climb with it. The same will be true as you get into the Rockies in either Wyoming or Montana, depending on your route. 2 years ago, I watched an F-150 blow an engine (huge billows of blue/white smoke, not steam) on westbound I-80 outside of Rock Springs pulling a big cargo trailer into a 30 mph headwind, after he passed me like I was standing still. I was taking it easy at 65, in my '07 Denali and had no trouble at all. You'll get there. Your coolant won't boil until 265º and your transmission temp will likely hover around 210-235º depending on the terrain and winds, with peaks as high as 250º after crossing a big pass. Ignore the many charts on the Internet that say you gotta keep the transmission below 175º or it'll blow. Those charts are for 1970's vintage transmissions and fluids. Modern transmissions and Dexron VI fluid can handle much more, so the engineers designed that into our trucks - this directly from a GM powertrain engineer. Trust your truck and the engineers who designed it.

As far as things to do before you go, this would be my list:

• Have all fluids changed (engine, transmission, differentials and transfer case), as swathdiver suggests
• Replace the plastic heater hose coolant tees at the firewall with OEM (not Dorman or any other aftermarket brand). These are a common failure point and yours have aged out if they haven't been replaced.
• Might as well replace all belts and hoses while you have the coolant drained. Check the water pump for leaks, and replace if any seepage at all, with OEM only.
• When you have the belts off, spin the tensioner pulleys by hand to make sure there is no play, and that the bearings roll smoothly. If not, replace both.
• Check your oil and transmission cooler lines for seepage (common), and replace as needed.
• Pay close attention to your oil pressure readings right now. If your gauge shows 20 or below at hot idle, it's time to replace the screen below the oil pressure sender, which sits behind the intake manifold.
• Your motor mounts are likely getting weak. Might be worth having both replaced with mounts for an H3 Hummer V8 (solid, not fluid filled, and way more durable). There are many threads here on which ones to get. If your shop won't use your parts, then make sure they use either the H3 mounts or OEM. Forget aftermarket mounts - they won't last.
• Plugs and wires, if they haven't been done.
• Front sway bar links with better than OEM. This will make a big difference in handling with a trailer.
• If your trailer has "China bomb" tires on it, take it to Discount Tire and have Goodyear Endurance tires installed. You don't want to risk a failure on a single axle trailer.
• Check the date codes on the sidewall of your Tahoe's tires. It's a 4 digit code with the first 2 digits indicating the week of manufacture (01-52) and the 2nd two indicating year. You want your tires to be newer than 5 years old for a trip like that. I see that you also have different brand tires on the front and rear. Make sure you have identical tires on either end of both axles. It's okay to mix/match front to rear, but not side to side. Ideally, I'd want all 4 tires to be identical and new.
• Check your brake pads front and rear.

That's about all I can think of for now. Have a great trip and enjoy the drive!

 

[swathdiver]

Do you generally use the "tow mode" button on the right hand side of the shifter? I've never towed long distances before so how do I know whether it is in 4th as compared to 5/6th? Newbie questions

Tow/Haul mode really only works and feels right when you are at 75% or more of your GCWR. So if your truck weighs 6,000 pounds and your trailer weighs 5,000 pounds and your GCWR is 14,000 pounds, you're at 79% and can make great use of it.

You can also shift the transmission into M and use the buttons on the shifter to select the highest gear you want it to shift into. When in this mode, the DIC tells you which gear you are in.

 

[wsteele]

You might want to look into a tire pressure monitor for the trailer. With a tandem axle setup it is important, with a single, pretty critical.

 

[Geotrash]

One more thing: For dispersed camping, you'll want a generator if you want to keep the wife and kids cool (you do. trust me on this ). I mounted a Stromberg-Carlson Trailer Tray on the A-frame of our little camper when we had it to set a Predator 3500 generator on. It worked flawlessly.

 

[TollKeeper]

You might think I am crazy, but ...

You might want to consider getting some seat covers, or those beaded seat covers, for at least the front seats. With the leather seats, something to either wick the sweat away from your butt (seat covers), or the beaded seat covers, something to provide a bit of air flow.

Download lots of movies, keep those kids entertained! I imagine you are planning to remove the third row seats, for more storage area.. I would not do this. Even with the seat completely surrounded with stuff. A place for each kid to stretch out, and have their own space, will give them, and YOU peace of mind!

Grab a spare fuse kit, and make sure to bring a spare mega fuse (or 2 or 3).

 

[NOSOK]

no towing advice but check out freecampsites.net if you want something that is off the grid, and well, free. the spots are generally in BLM or national forest land and many have reviews indicating what the road conditions are, max trailer size, site elevation, etc.

 

[swathdiver]

Our kids would sometimes fold/flip the second row seats forward and put their sleeping bags or blankets on the floor and lay out while watching movies. They could sit or lay down on the third row bench too. They said it was like having a sleepover! LOL

 

[Geotrash]

Our kids would sometimes fold/flip the second row seats forward and put their sleeping bags or blankets on the floor and lay out while watching movies. They could sit or lay down on the third row bench too. They said it was like having a sleepover! LOL

That's a good idea! We'll try that out. Ours like each having a row to themselves currently, which keeps the bickering down. I'm convinced that there is no better all-purpose family hauler on the planet than a Suburban/Yukon XL/ESV.

 

[avalonandl]

I like the Honda Generators. Very quiet. Make sure a generator is well clear of sleeping quarters and in clear air.

 

[bobsburban]

This will be a good test for your towing setup. I'm finding the need for some air bags in the rear suspension (I deleted the GM air-ride stuff which fails every 75k miles to the tune of $1200 in parts plus labor in favor of 1250 lb Moog rear coils and Bilstein 5100 shocks). I also have a Husky WDH with the 1200 lb bars. But. With 10 gallons of gas on the above mentioned Stomberg-Carlson trailer tray, two 30 lb propane tanks on the tongue, 10 gallons of water in the Suburban, a big Yeti Cooler full of ice/drinks, off-road recovery stuff and a complete tool kit plus fishing gear and other miscellaneous stuff in the Suburban plus a 17" Blackstone griddle, two nice camp chairs and all the trailer hook-up stuff in the forward storage area of our little Winnebago trailer, plus clothes and food, I'm finding I'm getting about an inch of sag in the rear. Front doesn't get impacted so much that steering is light or anything, but the positive camber when towing is wearing the hell out of my front tires. So I've got a set of Air-Lift 1000 bags on order to be installed when we get back from our trip to the UP of Michigan. I'd install them before but can't get them in time so I'll just put some serious wear on the newly-rotated tires from the rear axle, I guess.

And I'll second the Tru-Cool transmission fluid cooler. It makes a serious difference. Just watch where you install it if you keep the stock radiator. Mine is directly in front of the radiator and I can see it's impact on coolant temps. As you'll see in my sig, I have a 3" thick dual-core radiator installed so the fans keep everything at 210 degrees pretty much no matter what, but I may yet relocate the Tru-Cool to somewhere lower on the frame if I can get good air flow to it.

I'm also taking my old Goal Zero 400 battery/inverter with me for my CPAP in case we do end up without electrical service. Don't know if you have something like that for TV for the kids when in camp, but it could be handy. Battery chargers are good - both for the truck/trailer battery in an emergency plus chargers for your drill or impact wrench.

Finally, my rig has 3.42 gears in it as part of the HD towing package. 3.73s would be nicer. And yes, keep that tow mode switch on whenever the trailer is hooked to the truck; it saves wear and tear on 6th gear.

There's tons of other stuff, but between what you already know and what's been said, you should be just fine. Enjoy!

 

[Doubeleive]

11 YEARS OLD, spend a couple bucks and change the heater hoses and "T"'s, use oem
and like James said, flush all fluids including brake fluid and power steering. Enjoy!

 

[89Suburban]

11 YEARS OLD, spend a couple bucks and change the heater hoses and "T"'s, use oem

Damn beat me too it. Or at least carry a hose splice and some clamps to bypass the heater core and those damn Tee things worst case. And carry some extra coolant at least a gallon. When mine broke I needed at least 1 1/2 gallons to get it filled back up and limp it to a store for more. It pumps out fast once one of those let go and you finally realize it.

 

[Sobro]

I'm in the same boat as OP. I have done three trips so far with the new camper, two short and one long, so I appreciate all of the info. Got the radiator flushed and filled and will get the driveline fluids changed next week before our trip from Nashville to Denver.

A few other items: I packed some reflective triangles and a tow strap in the tire jack cubby and keep a 4-way in the tool bin with a battery charger, socket set, wrenches, etc. And a tub of grease. All of your towing hardware friction points will need lube before the trip is over.

And make sure your parking brake holds well.

And if you haven't done it yet, you should have a family campout in the driveway before you leave to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

Get an extra 25' of fresh water hose if your dealer only gave you a 25 footer. At my last campsite the spigot was 24.5 ft from the camper's water inlet.

 

[89Suburban]

You might want to look into a tire pressure monitor for the trailer. With a tandem axle setup it is important, with a single, pretty critical.

They make these now? Now more money I need to spend on trinkets. What do you recommend? I have a single axle boat trailer.