Towing a rv with a 2019 Tahoe Premier

[Rugby 39]

So we have the 5.3 6 speed with max tow package, max tow is 8400lbs, tongue weight with WDH 1000lbs. The trailer we are thinking is the Imagine Grand Design 2400BH 5725lbs dry and a 505lbs hitch weight. Before everyone tells me that is dry and not full, will this trailer work for the Tahoe. All opinions will be welcomed.

 

[tagexpcom]

We just bought a 2021 Yukon Denali 6.2L and out trailer is 5300lbs. Our test was to tow up a 10mile mountain grade at 107F ambient and passed with flying colors. And, at 5300lbs it's not even straining the vehicle. For us it wasn't the hp but overheating that made our previous tow vehicle no good as we couldn't go over mountains >60F outside.

Tahoe is basically same frame, engine etc as a Yukon and I'd suggest a sway bar / equalizer hitch of some kind (we use one) but I would guess you'll really enjoy towing with you're Tahoe to at least 7,000lbs.

 

[Rugby 39]

Thank you for your comments and yes we will be using a good WDH. Also does anyone know where to find good clip on tow mirrors, I do not want the ones that have straps. Thank you again.

 

[KSweet]

We had a 17 premier 5.3 also w/max tow pkg and hauled a jayco 184BH fully loaded (near your weights) and it felt smooth, but like others said good sway bars make all the difference! Distro hitch + sway bars are a non negotiable with me for hauling. Make sure to test how the bars fit cause I recall having issues with ours wanting to rub my bumper to get them clicked up inside before pulling back to lock and install.

We had two pairs of the clip ons (one on our sierra and one on my tahoe) and I will warn you, they were great while on, but those suckers were so hard to get off I thought I'd be ripping the entire mirror off with it. If you always want them installed, go for it, but if you want them to be easily removable don't get ones like this pic.

 

[Rugby 39]

We had a 17 premier 5.3 also w/max tow pkg and hauled a jayco 184BH fully loaded (near your weights) and it felt smooth, but like others said good sway bars make all the difference! Distro hitch + sway bars are a non negotiable with me for hauling. Make sure to test how the bars fit cause I recall having issues with ours wanting to rub my bumper to get them clicked up inside before pulling back to lock and install.

We had two pairs of the clip ons (one on our sierra and one on my tahoe) and I will warn you, they were great while on, but those suckers were so hard to get off I thought I'd be ripping the entire mirror off with it. If you always want them installed, go for it, but if you want them to be easily removable don't get ones like this pic.

Thank you noted. And yes main thing I will make sure the dealership we buy the RV from gives us good wdh and sway bars

 

[swathdiver]

So we have the 5.3 6 speed with max tow package, max tow is 8400lbs, tongue weight with WDH 1000lbs. The trailer we are thinking is the Imagine Grand Design 2400BH 5725lbs dry and a 505lbs hitch weight. Before everyone tells me that is dry and not full, will this trailer work for the Tahoe. All opinions will be welcomed.

Your biggest hurdle will be winds with high sail area of the trailer and the short wheelbase of your Tahoe. Weight wise, easy peasy with the right setup.

 

[Geotrash]

So we have the 5.3 6 speed with max tow package, max tow is 8400lbs, tongue weight with WDH 1000lbs. The trailer we are thinking is the Imagine Grand Design 2400BH 5725lbs dry and a 505lbs hitch weight. Before everyone tells me that is dry and not full, will this trailer work for the Tahoe. All opinions will be welcomed.

I tow a 7500 lb (loaded for camping) camper with a 2012 Yukon XL Denali. It does just fine though the rear air suspension is key, in my opinion. I keep at 65 or below 99% of the time and usually limit it to 4th gear and below on the highway. Keeps the transmission happy.

 

[Rugby 39]

Thank you everyone for your recommendations when towing, we decided on the 2025 Imagine 2470BH (This TT come standard with ABS and sway built in) I feel this will help the short wheelbase when towing on windy days or when larger vehicles pass. I am a grandpa when I tow so I am staying 100KM/h and under anyway. I will update with a picture and weights when we pick it up from the dealer in April as it is factory order. We also have been given the Blue OX sway pro for wdh from the dealer.

 

[adventurenali92]

Make sure your cooling system is up to the task. The biggest killer like @tagexpcom brought up is heat. Fresh coolant in the radiator and surge tank before any tow trip. Make sure all
Your hoses and belts are in good order. No leaks or cracks. Make sure your water pump is not leaking coolant or water. And if you haven’t already I’d highly suggest upgrading your transmission oil cooler. If you have max tow option on your Tahoe, it will have a factory added transmission oil cooler mounted in between the front grill and the radiator. It works but it’s timy. That 6 speed trans behind your 5.3 is going to be working hard pulling the weight so it’s going to see some higher temps. Heat kills transmissions! Many guys here are running the trucool 40k max cooler, myself included. I tow a speed boat up and down the mountains where we live to the flatlands down below a couple times a year and the only time I see temps above 150 is when backing the boat into its winter parking spot behind a gate with a long narrow corridor so it’s slow and steady backing and maneuvering. All other times my trans stays cool and the minute I get airflow going through it after the backing, it cools right back down.

Many options for trans coolers and many ways to mount them and plumb them in, detailed in the subforum engine and drivetrain section under your trucks year range, that the search feature will bring up should you choose to research it. Along with should you choose to upgrade the cooler, there will be many recommendations and links to purchase a cooler.

 

[Rugby 39]

Make sure your cooling system is up to the task. The biggest killer like @tagexpcom brought up is heat. Fresh coolant in the radiator and surge tank before any tow trip. Make sure all
Your hoses and belts are in good order. No leaks or cracks. Make sure your water pump is not leaking coolant or water. And if you haven’t already I’d highly suggest upgrading your transmission oil cooler. If you have max tow option on your Tahoe, it will have a factory added transmission oil cooler mounted in between the front grill and the radiator. It works but it’s timy. That 6 speed trans behind your 5.3 is going to be working hard pulling the weight so it’s going to see some higher temps. Heat kills transmissions! Many guys here are running the trucool 40k max cooler, myself included. I tow a speed boat up and down the mountains where we live to the flatlands down below a couple times a year and the only time I see temps above 150 is when backing the boat into its winter parking spot behind a gate with a long narrow corridor so it’s slow and steady backing and maneuvering. All other times my trans stays cool and the minute I get airflow going through it after the backing, it cools right back down.

Many options for trans coolers and many ways to mount them and plumb them in, detailed in the subforum engine and drivetrain section under your trucks year range, that the search feature will bring up should you choose to research it. Along with should you choose to upgrade the cooler, there will be many recommendations and links to purchase a cooler.

Thanks for the heads up and I have read and looked into all the different cooling options, if required I will upgrade as needed. My mechanic keeps my Tahoe in great condition, and I may be over doing it but I replace the tranny fluid every 25000km and diffs, Oil changes every 5-7000km, and constant coolant checks if required. I also have the heavy duty tow package. I am a very overly cautious driver and i will never run over 100km when towing, i also understand when getting to hills like every truck temps go up and down, all depends how you drive and what gear your in. I will update after our first tow in the coming months with how it went. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[tagexpcom]

Great advice to make sure hoses are in good shape!. Prior to getting our 2021 Yukon we towed with a 2004 Cadillac SRX (NorthStar) V8 with 327HP. Power wise it was great but we had hose issues.

There's a small (3/8"?) hose from the radiator cap -> engine -> fluid reservoir. There's a plastic T that branches from radiator cap to the engine and fluid reservoir. While towing up a mountain it cracked and spewed steam everywhere! and cost a $400 tow bill. A very simple part to make sure it's up to date! We replaced it with new hose and brass T instead of plastic T because it was clear we were stressing the system.

At 18yrs old, we put in a new (refurbished) radiator and hoses and brass (instead of plastic) T and from then on it held up very well (no more break downs) except for overheating going up steep mountain passes. Using the heater as the rig begins to overheat let us operate up to 75-80F but that's not a good solution - very hot on our legs and stressful to monitor the temp gauge all the time.

Thus we transitioned to 2021 Yukon and couldn't be happier but still - it illustrates that an up to date cooling system can more safely let you get full performance out of you're rig.

 

[adventurenali92]

Thanks for the heads up and I have read and looked into all the different cooling options, if required I will upgrade as needed. My mechanic keeps my Tahoe in great condition, and I may be over doing it but I replace the tranny fluid every 25000km and diffs, Oil changes every 5-7000km, and constant coolant checks if required. I also have the heavy duty tow package. I am a very overly cautious driver and i will never run over 100km when towing, i also understand when getting to hills like every truck temps go up and down, all depends how you drive and what gear your in. I will update after our first tow in the coming months with how it went. Thanks again for the advice.

Doesn’t hurt keeping fresh fluid in it often. I have my transmission serviced once a year even though I don’t even do sever duty mileage schedules which is 30-40k a year on trans service intervals. I drive like 15-18k a year and still just service the trans because it’s cheap insurance. After your first grade and seeing 200 degree trans temps you’ll want a bigger trans oil cooler lol. Let us know how it goes!

 

[adventurenali92]

Great advice to make sure hoses are in good shape!. Prior to getting our 2021 Yukon we towed with a 2004 Cadillac SRX (NorthStar) V8 with 327HP. Power wise it was great but we had hose issues.

There's a small (3/8"?) hose from the radiator cap -> engine -> fluid reservoir. There's a plastic T that branches from radiator cap to the engine and fluid reservoir. While towing up a mountain it cracked and spewed steam everywhere! and cost a $400 tow bill. A very simple part to make sure it's up to date! We replaced it with new hose and brass T instead of plastic T because it was clear we were stressing the system.

At 18yrs old, we put in a new (refurbished) radiator and hoses and brass (instead of plastic) T and from then on it held up very well (no more break downs) except for overheating going up steep mountain passes. Using the heater as the rig begins to overheat let us operate up to 75-80F but that's not a good solution - very hot on our legs and stressful to monitor the temp gauge all the time.

Thus we transitioned to 2021 Yukon and couldn't be happier but still - it illustrates that an up to date cooling system can more safely let you get full performance out of you're rig.

Another good point! Everything from 2000 forward on the big SUVs uses plastic t shaped connections in the coolant lines that go from the water pump up to the heater core. There’s a funky angled t shaped piece at the lower end in between the hoses just after the water pump. Mine cracked last summer. And then the famous Ts up at the firewall where the hoses connect to the heater core that break as well. Good to check those before a towing trip.