New Sierra AT4

[wsteele]

When we were young, my wife and I both were avid backpackers. We loved a long hike to one of our favorite campsites at the edge of an Alpine lake.

Sometime, a long time ago now, that pastime faded and my wife's idea of camping evolved to a good night's sleep at a hotel like the Ahwahnee. I missed the backpacking but knew perhaps those days were in my rear view mirror.

A while back my wife mentioned she might be open to some "camping" as long as it meant a nice trailer she could come back to when the day's hikes were over. I started to look at our options trailer wise and showing her the various options, we started to refine our ideas. As our ideas evolved one thing came clearer into focus, I probably wasn't going to be towing what we will likely will end up with, with the old Yukon. I mean, I love my 2007 Yukon, but she is pretty long in the tooth and while still my ultimate daily driver, she really isn't the right platform for a serious travel trailer tow vehicle.

In the last few weeks I started to look at truck options, clearly a bad time to be looking for a new truck with the dealers basically taking orders with little to even test drive. As luck would have it I had dropped into a dealer to ask about lead times and such and he had a group of 6.2L Sierra AT4's the sales manager had done some horse trading on with the GM folks. They had a handful of them and with the lower optioning available on newer trucks these days, along with the new year approaching, was pretty aggressive with cutting me a deal.

It was sooner than I wanted, but the price was right and the optioning almost exactly what I would have wanted if I had ordered a new truck, so I bought it. I am excited about this new toy and with the exception of having to figure out a step system for my 5' tall wife (the truck came with a 2" lift, making it an upper body workout for my wife to scramble up and down). I think it will otherwise fit the bill quite nicely for the tow job ahead as well as our now frequent forays to remote trailheads.

I do have to say, the optional Goodyear Duratracs will be a nice addition when I am up on the 4x track we sometimes frequent, the bad news is they are loud as hell on the highway...

The Yukon looks so small sitting next to this new big old truck, it seems like the perfect choice when heading into town to find a tight parking spot... Everything is relative I guess.

I will post a picture when I get time.

 

[swathdiver]

When we were young, my wife and I both were avid backpackers. We loved a long hike to one of our favorite campsites at the edge of an Alpine lake.

Sometime, a long time ago now, that pastime faded and my wife's idea of camping evolved to a good night's sleep at a hotel like the Ahwahnee. I missed the backpacking but knew perhaps those days were in my rear view mirror.

A while back my wife mentioned she might be open to some "camping" as long as it meant a nice trailer she could come back to when the day's hikes were over. I started to look at our options trailer wise and showing her the various options, we started to refine our ideas. As our ideas evolved one thing came clearer into focus, I probably wasn't going to be towing what we will likely will end up with, with the old Yukon. I mean, I love my 2007 Yukon, but she is pretty long in the tooth and while still my ultimate daily driver, she really isn't the right platform for a serious travel trailer tow vehicle.

In the last few weeks I started to look at truck options, clearly a bad time to be looking for a new truck with the dealers basically taking orders with little to even test drive. As luck would have it I had dropped into a dealer to ask about lead times and such and he had a group of 6.2L Sierra AT4's the sales manager had done some horse trading on with the GM folks. They had a handful of them and with the lower optioning available on newer trucks these days, along with the new year approaching, was pretty aggressive with cutting me a deal.

It was sooner than I wanted, but the price was right and the optioning almost exactly what I would have wanted if I had ordered a new truck, so I bought it. I am excited about this new toy and with the exception of having to figure out a step system for my 5' tall wife (the truck came with a 2" lift, making it an upper body workout for my wife to scramble up and down). I think it will otherwise fit the bill quite nicely for the tow job ahead as well as our now frequent forays to remote trailheads.

I do have to say, the optional Goodyear Duratracs will be a nice addition when I am up on the 4x track we sometimes frequent, the bad news is they are loud as hell on the highway...

The Yukon looks so small sitting next to this new big old truck, it seems like the perfect choice when heading into town to find a tight parking spot... Everything is relative I guess.

I will post a picture when I get time.

Same here, my wife is wanting a big travel trailer to take out west and my old '09 ain't big enough anymore so a Dirtymax pickemup is in my future.

For your wife, consider those retractable steps, the AMP ones that came stock drop down about an inch lower, which makes a difference for folks with bad joints!

 

[Geotrash]

When we were young, my wife and I both were avid backpackers. We loved a long hike to one of our favorite campsites at the edge of an Alpine lake.

Sometime, a long time ago now, that pastime faded and my wife's idea of camping evolved to a good night's sleep at a hotel like the Ahwahnee. I missed the backpacking but knew perhaps those days were in my rear view mirror.

A while back my wife mentioned she might be open to some "camping" as long as it meant a nice trailer she could come back to when the day's hikes were over. I started to look at our options trailer wise and showing her the various options, we started to refine our ideas. As our ideas evolved one thing came clearer into focus, I probably wasn't going to be towing what we will likely will end up with, with the old Yukon. I mean, I love my 2007 Yukon, but she is pretty long in the tooth and while still my ultimate daily driver, she really isn't the right platform for a serious travel trailer tow vehicle.

In the last few weeks I started to look at truck options, clearly a bad time to be looking for a new truck with the dealers basically taking orders with little to even test drive. As luck would have it I had dropped into a dealer to ask about lead times and such and he had a group of 6.2L Sierra AT4's the sales manager had done some horse trading on with the GM folks. They had a handful of them and with the lower optioning available on newer trucks these days, along with the new year approaching, was pretty aggressive with cutting me a deal.

It was sooner than I wanted, but the price was right and the optioning almost exactly what I would have wanted if I had ordered a new truck, so I bought it. I am excited about this new toy and with the exception of having to figure out a step system for my 5' tall wife (the truck came with a 2" lift, making it an upper body workout for my wife to scramble up and down). I think it will otherwise fit the bill quite nicely for the tow job ahead as well as our now frequent forays to remote trailheads.

I do have to say, the optional Goodyear Duratracs will be a nice addition when I am up on the 4x track we sometimes frequent, the bad news is they are loud as hell on the highway...

The Yukon looks so small sitting next to this new big old truck, it seems like the perfect choice when heading into town to find a tight parking spot... Everything is relative I guess.

I will post a picture when I get time.

Congrats, Bill! Let us know where you land on the trailer thing, too. Post pics when you can.

We have a 2021 Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L, and it's perfect for our family, but they also make other floor plans with very similar (fairly upscale) features. It's a pretty good value. One thing we love most about it is that it has an aluminum wall frame structure with more insulation than most, including a heated and insulated underbelly, making it a good 3-4 season camper, depending on where you plan to camp.

 

[wsteele]

Same here, my wife is wanting a big travel trailer to take out west and my old '09 ain't big enough anymore so a Dirtymax pickemup is in my future.

For your wife, consider those retractable steps, the AMP ones that came stock drop down about an inch lower, which makes a difference for folks with bad joints!

Funny you should mention the AMP steps. I have watched the YouTube install video twice, will probably order from Summit later today. Great minds and all.

 

[wsteele]

Congrats, Bill! Let us know where you land on the trailer thing, too. Post pics when you can.

We have a 2021 Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L, and it's perfect for our family, but they also make other floor plans with very similar (fairly upscale) features. It's a pretty good value. One thing we love most about it is that it has an aluminum wall frame structure with more insulation than most, including a heated and insulated underbelly, making it a good 3-4 season camper, depending on where you plan to camp.

Thanks Dave, I have not looked at the Alpha Wolf line yet, but will do. I know you are very analytical, so will ride on your coattails if I can.

 

[wsteele]

Here is the first picture. It started to rain, so will probably wait till tomorrow to get more shots of the outside and inside. I will say the tech these things have is pretty amazing.

 

[Geotrash]

Here is the first picture. It started to rain, so will probably wait till tomorrow to get more shots of the outside and inside. I will say the tech these things have is pretty amazing.

View attachment 354669

Gorgeous! You’re gonna love that 6.2.

 

[wsteele]

Gorgeous! You’re gonna love that 6.2.

I definitely do, although I really need to settle down some, the same calibrated foot I have programmed for the 5.3L, means a lot of tickets with this beast...

 

[avalonandl]

Nice. I would look into fixed steps also.

I am getting Westin Stainless tubes for my Denali and they are very reasonable.

thats a 7600 lb gvwr camper, not light

 

[wsteele]

Nice. I would look into fixed steps also.

I am getting Westin Stainless tubes for my Denali and they are very reasonable.

thats a 7600 lb gvwr camper, not light

I think I have looked at all the major brands of fixed steps, nerf, etc. I have gone round and round with the different designs and benefits (wider giving better landing zone, better door ding protection, but perhaps less of what I am after aesthetically versus narrower, giving a better look to my eye, but less sure footing, etc.). I think the closest I found that met my aesthetic goals were the N-Fab RKR with the options steps. I am not thrilled with steps hanging down and they are a pretty small landing area with I think maybe disastrous results if your foot slipped off and you did a job on your shin/calf as it scraped along your leg.

I hate the cost the AMP retractable steps represent, but I love just about everything else. I think I will go ahead and splurge, mostly because I get the aesthetics and ground clearance I am after and provide my wife some cure for her biggest objection to the truck, the climb up into the cab.

 

[Geotrash]

thats a 7600 lb gvwr camper, not light

Yeah - it's right at the limit for one of these rigs. That's why I spent so much time and money getting the cooling system, engine and transmission beefed up and dialed in.

The new Sierras have a higher towing capacity than our rigs though (11,800 lbs), thanks to the 10-speed transmission and other updates. And that 6.2 will pull the frame out from under the camper if you gun it from a stoplight, lol.

 

[89Suburban]

Beautiful Bill!! Happy for you!

 

[wsteele]

Beautiful Bill!! Happy for you!

Thanks bud.

We took it up today on some forest service roads we use to get to some of our favorite hikes. The washboards and big chuck holes are way different in this rig than the Yukon. Much smoother, takes them like they weren't there. I had to keep reminding myself to slow down.

 

[wsteele]

I ordered a set of the AMP Research electric retracting steps today. They are breathtakingly expensive, but they seem so slick I couldn't resist. The best price I found was on Amazon $1401, significantly less than any other place I looked.

I finally get to use the ODB Y cable I bought a while back when screwing around with the Range device and the monitor resets. I will plug the Y cable into the ODB port, plug the AMP wires into one side of the Y cable connector and mount the other side back where the original ODB port was installed. That way the stock ODB location will be there for emissions and service, the AMP step control line will be hidden to the naked eye under the lower dash panel, next to the ODB port.

 

[wsteele]

Got the AMP Research power steps installed and working. The biggest part of the job is getting the harness routed down both wheel well liners (away from any exhaust runs). After dicking around for like 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get the floppy cable harness to slide down the route I wanted (literally pushing on a string), I figured a fishing tape might do the trick. Took me more time to find my fishing spool than it did to get the harnesses routed after that. I just fed the tape up from the bottom assuring the harness would come out the route I wanted and then taped the harness end onto the tape end. I then just pulled the harness run down each side.

I am still fooling with mounting the control box. Right now I have it velcro'ed to the top of the battery box.

I was hoping the steps would tuck up a little bit more underneath, but I guess on this model year, there is a little bigger gap than previous models (ones I saw on YouTube, etc.). I am still pleased with the outcome.

The Y cable I bought for my ODB port a while back when I was fooling with the Range device on the Yukon came in handy. I have to still fab a bracket that the Y cable connector can snap into so the open port is mounted same as stock (the OE connector has the mount moulded into the connector, the Y connector end snaps into a square hole, so a flat piece of stock with a couple of mounting holes and a square hole for the Y connector end should work fine and look factory.

Any,way here is what they look like installed.