The Art of Towing

[srfinatsunset]

2018 Tahoe LT1 5.3 and 6L80 48k miles

Is there an Art/Craft/Technique to towing?

I live in Souther Cali there are some hills and some flat stretches. I will be towing a boat/trailer and travel trailer at times. (obviously not triples but with the weight rating of the Tahoe) The Tahoe is our family car. Not driven daily but mainly on the weekends. Soccer, baseball, lake, and campsites. Our towing trips can be 20miles to 700 miles round trip.
I need this vehicle to last.

 

[swathdiver]

2018 Tahoe LT1 5.3 and 6L80 48k miles

Is there an Art/Craft/Technique to towing?

I live in Souther Cali there are some hills and some flat stretches. I will be towing a boat/trailer and travel trailer at times. (obviously not triples but with the weight rating of the Tahoe) The Tahoe is our family car. Not driven daily but mainly on the weekends. Soccer, baseball, lake, and campsites. Our towing trips can be 20miles to 700 miles round trip.
I need this vehicle to last.

Lots! Use a quality weight distribution hitch with sway control. Try to keep your payload and towing numbers at about 80% of capacity if possible.

The short wheelbase Tahoe does not like to tow long and blocky trailers, keep your travel trailer on the shorter side, maybe a 26 foot body or less. Opinions vary, ask around here on that one.

Keep your driveline fluids fresh and clean, change them every 36K miles or less if towing heavy. The transmission fluid is dead by 45K miles. If your transmission's thermostat has not been modified, do it now! Heat kills them, most barely make it to 100K miles.

Weigh the truck by itself and with the trailer at your local CAT scale. They have an app to help you find them and to pay for it electronically. Your choice.

 

[shock]

So many things… but keep your speed lower than you think you should and never be in a hurry.

 

[B-train]

Agreed with ^^^^^^^^

Also, don't try to prove you can keep up with traffic from starts, or going to stops. One will kill your trans, the other your brakes.

Use tow/haul if you're unsure about what gear to be in - GM figured that out for you. These motors love RPM, so let it eat at 3k if it wants to. Use a lower than normal gear going up (if in M mode) and also going down hill. Let the engine do the work with compression braking.

The RPMS will probably be in the 3 to 4k realm if it's a long hill (up or down). Use brakes as a 'plugging' method meaning Use them semi-aggressively to drop about 5 mph below your target speed in a shorter distance. Then release the pedal and coast and let the engine and trans continue to hold and slow you down. I always shoot for letting the engine and trans do the majority of work and use the brakes as need.

This allows good heat dissipation/ thermal transfer (that's how brakes work FYI). If they stay always hot, you will get brake fade where they are scorched, can't absorb any more heat, or transfer it, and you'll get the joy of using a runaway ramp.

 

[Jeff_]

If you follow and watch towing videos on YouTube from the channel “the fast lane truck” you can learn a lot of tips.
They tow up and down the Ike over Loveland pass in Colorado a lot.

Like others have said, flip the pill in the transmission. It’ll run much much cooler.
Take it slow but “let her eat”. These 5.3’s tow well with some RPM.

 

[OR VietVet]

Everything that has been said is the way to go but, one thing that I must stress. Make sure you get that good quality weight distribution hitch and good sway control, that @swathdiver talked about. IMO, that in and of itself helps so much towards safety. Also, distribute the weight correctly. Load the front a little heavier than the back and let the hitch help you. The towed load handles better that way, IMO.

 

[swathdiver]

I forgot to ad that the shop manual for mine says that maximum cooling efficiency is found in 4th gear (assuming 6L80 or 6L90) so like others have said, don't hesitate to shift down to a lower gear for more control.

I remember my father playing this song on Saturday mornings...

Then there's this one that I used to play on my record player as a boy! LOL:

 

[TahoeFL2017]

Make sure to put some E85 in, then stomp the gas.....

 

[srfinatsunset]

Thank you guys!! I’m Going to get the trany serviced this week! Never thought it was a big deal.

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

Few tips I have,

Keep the motor in the power band when towing... I like to keep mine in the 2-3k rpm range when towing. Depending on rear axle ratio this has a variety of speeds. Mine is a max tow with 3.42 gears... I believe the difference in 3.42 and the 3.08 is so drastic that I will never own another 3.08 anything. The 3.42 is ok to lock out in 5th gear Tow haul active also. This disables AFM also so no back and forth. If on long stretch of road and your weight is low you can go 6th gear but the heat build up in the trans is bad for it so I suggest let it eat in 5th gear when towing. In major hills 4th will do you just fine, let the grade braking do some work for you also on downhill portions, it should keep you from burning up the brakes on your rig.

Trailer brake controller is key on downhills, a gust of wind or passing car can cause sway depending on your weight and the axle ratio of the trailer. Just ease on the trailer brake controller on the down hill portions if it ever gets a little tail happy. Don't ever stop of the tow vehicle brakes in that situation as it compounds it and makes things worse.

The shorter wheel base tahoe/yukon/escalade is a very capable tow rig when done right. As others mentioned the short WB makes it prone to sway on a larger trailer. Travel trailers normally do weight distribution hitches, just do not do too much on the hitch as without tongue weight the trailer will be more prone to sway. The sway control systems/ bar do help, but a properly setup trailer hitch, tongue weight etc is more effective than any bar you add. Remember to always have the front of the trailer about 1-2" above the rear of the trailer, this makes it track straight.

If you have air suspension and MRC it will help things out, if you don't, I would suggest helper bags in the rear coil springs for towing heavy for added suspension handling.

Towing with a short wheel base does have a great benefit when it comes to maneuvering and backing up.

Another aspect, Max air pressure in the rear tires when towing heavy loads helps keep the rear end planted and more in control.

Keep up with maintenance on the tow rig... fluids, tires etc and she will do you just fine.

Sorry for the long response, just figured alot of things need to be covered to tow safely and secure. I've been pulling trailers for 30 years and have seen so much wrong over those years.

 

[WillCO]

Use brakes as a 'plugging' method meaning Use them semi-aggressively to drop about 5 mph below your target speed in a shorter distance. Then release the pedal and coast and let the engine and trans continue to hold and slow you down. I always shoot for letting the engine and trans do the majority of work and use the brakes as need.

This allows good heat dissipation/ thermal transfer (that's how brakes work FYI). If they stay always hot, you will get brake fade where they are scorched, can't absorb any more heat, or transfer it, and you'll get the joy of using a runaway ramp.

This is good advice even when you aren't pulling a trailer. I go between Castle Rock, CO and Vail all the time as I live in both spots. There are multiple stretches of long, steep descents on that route including the Eisenhower Tunnel approach and Vail Pass. I am obsessive about engine braking and consider it an achievement that at 95K I am just now needing to change my OEM brakes.

 

[MobileHomie]

Pay attention to the weather!
Saw a guy two weeks ago scattered his brand new bumper pull travel trailer all over the interstate. The road was still wet from a passing thunderstorm, I figure the wind got him to swaying and he didn't let off. Just cause the speed limit is 80 mph does not mean it is safe to pull that fast.

 

[EvergreenZ71]

When I first got my 26' Toy Hauler I puled it with my 2002 Tahoe (I had previous trailer experiences). It did it, but it wasn't a great match and eventually buying the much older Suburban 2500 as a tow rig (for $3k) made such a huge difference. That said, I did tow it with the Tahoe several times, including US-101 through Oregon and over I-90 Snoqualmie Pass in Washington.

Reading between the lines I am assuming you don't have much trailer experience behind the wheel yet. I'm going to start with my additional suggestions:

First, get out and just tow. Tow both trailers around your neighborhood and around an empty parking lot to get the feel for it.
- Practice hooking up (so much easier now that pretty much everything has a rear camera),
- See how the trailer follows around corners (i.e. how bad it cuts the corner),
- Practice backing up with the trailer,
- Be patient on the acceleration (not saying intentionally slow it, just that it won't do what you're used to and that's OK), and
- Practice backing into parking spots (i.e. campsites) before going out.
Nothing highlights the skill of a proficient trailer hauler (or rookie) as does backing. The worst hit to your ego at a campground without any damages even occurring is having someone else come over to offer to back it in for you (seen it happen, never had it happen fortunately).

Second, if the trailer has electrically controlled brakes, your brake controller needs to be set to control them properly. Properly set trailer brakes should slow & stop the trailer for you while the truck brakes stops the weight of the truck ... maintaining in-line control and stopping where you want it to stop. Even is technically best, but it's if not even it would be better for the trailer to pull on the truck a little slowing the truck than it would be for the trailer to be pushing the truck to make the truck stop the trailer (hopefully) or jackknifing it. And you'll need to learn how to use / activate the trailer brake manually from the controller as well.

Third, in addition to the weights identified (truck, trailer, and combined weight) also weigh the trailer tongue weight (especially on the travel trailer). All of these should be the loaded & packed weights. This was one of the biggest factors on my Tahoe not being a great match for my Toy Hauler; it ended up bending an axel!

And finally, my x2 (or 3+) to a lot of the suggestions already mentioned:
- Weight distribution w/ sway control
- Transmission fluid & oil changed regularly on severe service schedule
- Transmission mod (& keep the DIC on the transmission temp on hills)
- Tow/Haul mode is your friend, at least for a while
- Brake management: heavy on to drop speed below desired, then off to let them cool
- Consider benefits and risks of the use of M-mode to downshift as needed to protect the brakes
- Speed limits are for cars, instead consider your control limit ... slow down for curves and in windy conditions

Oh, and play East Bound and Down (Smokey & The Bandit) on the first real trip, but don't actually worry about the "short time to get there".

 

[swathdiver]

We always play this on the beginning of a road trip!

 

[Douglas Friedberg]

First thing you do is take a the vehicle and have the front end aligned and all the steering components checked and tell them your going to be towing a lot. The chamber and caster and toe in can be optimized for towing heavy loads. The more weight you put on the hitch the more the front end will rise and alter these settings. Rule # 1. Rule #2 check all the bolts on the hitch and make sure there grade 8 bolts and not all rusted hardware. The safety chain that will apply your e brake encase of trailer brake away happens should never be attached to the hitch somewhere to the body because if hitch ever breaks off there goes your E brake to and will never get applied.
Everyone else has good advice for you. You yet have no idea but even at 40 mph that load can go crazy when done wrong and spin you around 360 degrees and just pray

 

[Douglas Friedberg]

First thing you do is take a the vehicle and have the front end aligned and all the steering components checked and tell them your going to be towing a lot. The chamber and caster and toe in can be optimized for towing heavy loads. The more weight you put on the hitch the more the front end will rise and alter these settings. Rule # 1. Rule #2 check all the bolts on the hitch and make sure there grade 8 bolts and not all rusted hardware. The safety chain that will apply your e brake encase of trailer brake away happens should never be attached to the hitch somewhere to the body because if hitch ever breaks off there goes your E brake to and will never get applied.
Everyone else has good advice for you. You yet have no idea but even at 40 mph that load can go crazy when done wrong and spin you around 360 degrees and just pray

Ps. Make sure you check all the lug nuts on every wheel encluding what your towing.

 

[Douglas Friedberg]

Ps. Make sure you check all the lug nuts on every wheel encluding what your towing.

Remember the force Luke. Your driving skills will alert you when something is wrong heed them with professionalism untill you get a lot of miles under your belt it’s your friend. Pull over check your load chains or straps. If you use chain binders that hole or slot on the end of the Handel of the binder is for running a rope thru it and rapping up the handle so it won’t pop open. Don’t be cheap on buying good straps either. Think of them as your life is on the line because it is.
I tow my race car all the time.

 

[Douglas Friedberg]

Remember the force Luke. Your driving skills will alert you when something is wrong heed them with professionalism untill you get a lot of miles under your belt it’s your friend. Pull over check your load chains or straps. If you use chain binders that hole or slot on the end of the Handel of the binder is for running a rope thru it and rapping up the handle so it won’t pop open. Don’t be cheap on buying good straps either. Think of them as your life is on the line because it is.
I tow my race car all the time.

Buy a tongue weight scale and know you tongue weight there cheap compared to your life. And it’s not a waste as it can be used for so many other uses.

 

[Douglas Friedberg]

Towing is a skill not a art. Art can be erased and done over you won’t have a second chance. It’s that important.