Do I need a 2500?

I found a 2500 in michigan yesterday on line for 17k$ looks decent.

Do I really need it? Better off renting a dually or a pickup truck from Uhaul.

Save the 17k....

I like my Denali too much to get rid of it. 3 vehicls is too much...for now

I had a 2005 Yukon XL 1500 2WD when we first purchased our 28ft 5,500lb (dry) 6,700lb (loaded) TT and and it was not a fun towing experience on any grade. Seemed to do fine on flat ground but any hill and we were down to 25-35MPH with the trans trying to drop into first. Had to replace rear axles during 2nd year. Had a TruCool 40K on it and temps stayed in acceptable range.

Looked for a 2500 to replace it but eventually settled on a 2012 Denali XL with tow package a couple years ago. I put a TruCool 40K on it and no other mods and it has been a very capable TV, although the rear axle is still the weak point IMO and my family is still growing (3 kids plus a dog). The 6 spd transmission helps and the 6.2L (great motor, minus AFM) can generally hold speed up most grades. It doubles as my wife's DD and she loves it. If we had to continue to use it to tow I think it would be fine but I'd expect the rear axle, autoride shocks or trans to wear prematurely, plus the gear ratio is still only 3.42 and it's AWD. The Integrated Trailer Brake and auto leveling is nice. But I kept looking for a 2500 I could use as our main tow rig.

Finally in January I found a low mileage 2005 GMC Yukon XL 2500 4WD with the 6.0L and 4.10 rear axle that wasn't exorbitantly priced so I pulled the trigger on it, had some significant maintenance completed and we've made one trip of a couple hundred miles and it did FANTASTIC. Maintains speed up grades with no problem, feels steadier and more solid all the way around. SO far I'm running it stock, did upsize (slightly) tires to 265/75/16 (from 245) and added Timbren jounce stops in the rear.

norcalboon said:

I had a 2005 Yukon XL 1500 2WD when we first purchased our 28ft 5,500lb (dry) 6,700lb (loaded) TT and and it was not a fun towing experience on any grade. Seemed to do fine on flat ground but any hill and we were down to 25-35MPH with the trans trying to drop into first. Had to replace rear axles during 2nd year. Had a TruCool 40K on it and temps stayed in acceptable range.


Finally in January I found a low mileage 2005 GMC Yukon XL 2500 4WD with the 6.0L and 4.10 rear axle that wasn't exorbitantly priced so I pulled the trigger on it, had some significant maintenance completed and we've made one trip of a couple hundred miles and it did FANTASTIC. Maintains speed up grades with no problem, feels steadier and more solid all the way around. SO far I'm running it stock, did upsize (slightly) tires to 265/75/16 (from 245) and added Timbren jounce stops in the rear.

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The 6.0 and 410 axles are a great match for your needs. The 6.0 will rev and has good low end torque. I loved my 2004 Avalanche 2500 with the 8.1 and 410 axles. It would tow ANYTHING...all the way to the gas station.

Ditto ...
2002 Tahoe towing way too big of a trailer: actually did fine (except one hill on US1 in Oregon) including I90 on Snoqualmie Pass. That one trip caused me to buy the 1992 2500 Suburban that was a relative dream even before the transmission cooler was installed.

But I did eventually bend the axle on the Tahoe (2 trips as a back up tower) and I’m sure that’s what also killed the transmission.

Personally I agree all of the 1500 are under supported for brakes & suspension, especially the Suburbans & XLs and I wish GM would just align long wheelbase to 2500 (and keep fleet 3500 an option) while short wheelbase was 1500.

Oldmopars said:

I posted some questions about a 2008 2500. I guess I need to know if I really need a 2500.
The main reason for my thinking I need a 2500 is that I have a trailer that has a MAX GVRW of 8000lbs.
Dry it is 6500lbs.
From what I have read the 1500 can haul 8000lbs, and the 2500 can haul 9600lbs.
I know it would be nice to have the 2500, but I never fully load the trailer and I tow it maybe 3 times a year max.
There are a lot more options for a 1500 Suburban/Yukon LX than 2500s.
I just want to be sure that I need to spend the extra money before I do.

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3 times a year, for how many miles and over what terrain? If you were say just running 4-5 hours on flat lands then stick with the 1500s.

Caution, not all trucks are equipped to tow 8,000 pounds, you must check the RPO sheet and see what options it has. More than a few guys on here have bought trucks intending to tow 8K pounds and found out their new rig was only rated for 5K because it lacked the additional cooling feature and or gearing.

swathdiver said:

3 times a year, for how many miles and over what terrain? If you were say just running 4-5 hours on flat lands then stick with the 1500s.

Caution, not all trucks are equipped to tow 8,000 pounds, you must check the RPO sheet and see what options it has. More than a few guys on here have bought trucks intending to tow 8K pounds and found out their new rig was only rated for 5K because it lacked the additional cooling feature and or gearing.

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Well, thanks for the replies. I have decided to get a 2500. I found a 2008 6.0L 2500 Suburban 4x4.
With all the advice I got here, I decided I would just be better off getting the 2500. I go to get it in the morning.
I know I will love it, I just hate to spend the money.
Thank you everyone for the information.

You paid up front brother. The rest is smooth sailing. My buddy with a ‘13 3500 Silverado Duramax has a Firestone bag kit at the rear. The previous owner used to tow a monster 5th wheel with it. The bags leveled it perfectly.


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Oldmopars said:

Well, thanks for the replies. I have decided to get a 2500. I found a 2008 6.0L 2500 Suburban 4x4.
With all the advice I got here, I decided I would just be better off getting the 2500. I go to get it in the morning.
I know I will love it, I just hate to spend the money.
Thank you everyone for the information.

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Awesome! Be sure to post up some photos for us to drool over!

As I said before, I was originally looking for a 2500 Sub./Yukon but couldn't find a decent one. They really are extremely capable.

I will post more pictures soon, but for now, here is the dealer ad. https://www.lot99llc.com/vehicle-de...-seating-suv-d3b50f150c60e046a5d6fcfa5e6dba7f