Towing capacity

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JDopirak

JDopirak

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Jdopriak- Who is building your 6.0 ?

I like the GMT 900 platform so much I might keep mine and bore/stroke it to 408 or 427...

I used to have an Avalanche 2500 w/ a 8.1 but the 4 speed was a real downer...

A local place called "The Engine Shop" near philly.
 

garrettpsu

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Piggy backing off this thread, but seems a few of you know a little about towing with these vehicles. I have a 2007 Tahoe LTZ and installed a proportional brake controller in it. Question is, how might this tow pulling a '27 Airstream? I believe they are right about 6,500 lbs. Unsure of the tongue weight on it.

I would not be towing frequently, but maybe a few times a year from VA to VT - in two days. I know it won't pull anywhere near like a 1ton Duramax, but I don't want to kill myself or others either. Seems the air suspension is a too light duty for something like this. Truck has 200K on it and has been a great vehicle. Maybe I need to upgrade to a Suburban with the HD package to make it work, but thought I'd ask for some real world experience here first.

Thank you in advance.
 

swathdiver

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Piggy backing off this thread, but seems a few of you know a little about towing with these vehicles. I have a 2007 Tahoe LTZ and installed a proportional brake controller in it. Question is, how might this tow pulling a '27 Airstream? I believe they are right about 6,500 lbs. Unsure of the tongue weight on it.

I would not be towing frequently, but maybe a few times a year from VA to VT - in two days. I know it won't pull anywhere near like a 1ton Duramax, but I don't want to kill myself or others either. Seems the air suspension is a too light duty for something like this. Truck has 200K on it and has been a great vehicle. Maybe I need to upgrade to a Suburban with the HD package to make it work, but thought I'd ask for some real world experience here first.

Thank you in advance.

The Airstream is within the towing specs if it has all the extra cooling features, such as the external transmission oil cooler and engine oil cooler. You'll have to slow down and you'll certainly know it is back there if not only because of your shorter wheelbase. Others with direct experience will chime in soon. George recently pulled a camper with his short wheelbase truck but it newer with more gears and had a great time with it.
 

garrettpsu

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The Airstream is within the towing specs if it has all the extra cooling features, such as the external transmission oil cooler and engine oil cooler. You'll have to slow down and you'll certainly know it is back there if not only because of your shorter wheelbase. Others with direct experience will chime in soon. George recently pulled a camper with his short wheelbase truck but it newer with more gears and had a great time with it.

Appreciate the info. I did go from passenger tires to LT tires and would increase pressure up to 45psi I assume. Just not a huge fan of the air shocks and towing. Prefer to be able to add bags to coils or leaf of course.

I need to check the body codes to see what the truck came with. I doubt it has the trans cooler and oil cooler.

Thanks again -
 

bigdog9191999

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for going that distance that often I honestly would say a 2500 would do you a lot of good, although the Tahoe should do it ok, you will just be much closer to capacity (or slightly over depending on your truck and loaded weight of the unit, and hitch weight)

a camper will have more wind resistance, but I have towed about 8k (03 avalanche on a tandom axle car trailer. est truck at 6k and trailer just shy of 2k ) with my 02 1500 3.73 avalanche about 200 miles, although it did fine, it was more than I would want to do more than a couple times at all. both for ease and durability . it rode/drove fine as it was loaded well and I have an extra cooler, wdh with 1k bars and trailer brakes on both axles.

I later pulled nearly identical load (03 Denali on the same trailer) with my 02 2500 burb ( 8.1, 4.10) and it is a completely different game. chassis, and brakes alone are so much better, then the obvious power with the engine and gear advantage. ( but even with the 6.0 in the wife's denali makes a difference, and gears would just help further. )

that said I don't think I would have any major issues doing it with the Tahoe ( as long as I was not over my legal limits) but it would be at capacity enough to not make a regular trip that enjoyable. enough so that the buddy I got our denali from is why he got it, he had a standard 5.3 Yukon, and got the denali xl for the extra room, more power and better trailer towing for the camper they had. hydraboost definitely helped too.



you say the weight is about 6500, and that is probably dry weight, so loaded will be closer to 7000-7500. plus what every persons and gear you have in the Tahoe. so you will be on the edge of what the truck is rated for.

no matter what you pull it with I would recommend an aftermarket hitch ( the stock ones are known to be weak and kinda suck, have the potential to bend the frame rails when nearing capacity) and be sure everything else is up to ***** and take your time (esp if running a 1500.)
 

swathdiver

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Appreciate the info. I did go from passenger tires to LT tires and would increase pressure up to 45psi I assume. Just not a huge fan of the air shocks and towing. Prefer to be able to add bags to coils or leaf of course.

I need to check the body codes to see what the truck came with. I doubt it has the trans cooler and oil cooler.

Thanks again -

LT tires are way different than P-Metrics and need more air, you need a minimum of 42 psi just to meet the rear axle capacity and about 45 is where they should be to wear evenly and get the best mileage. I run mine at 49 and it took 35K to wear down the center 1/32nd compared to the outside, so a little too much.

If you have a RWD Tahoe, the one with 3.42 gears (GU6) can tow up to 6,200 pounds, the 3.73s 7,200 pounds. If 4WD with 3.73s, 6,700 or 7,700 with 4.10s.
 

garrettpsu

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Thank you guys. I appreciate the information. I will confirm a few things, hook up the trailer and do a test drive to see how it handles. I do a lot of training with level 7 armored full ton Subs, but that's a whole different beast. :)
 

Just Fishing

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My truck is currently at the tuners so i cant look at rpo code right now but you are correct 09 5.3 4x4 short body no external cooler factory and no built in brake control factory. But i do have 3.42s i do remember that when looking at rpo codes when i got it.

I guess i did " upgrade" to the K5L package with adding a second cooler that is external so it goes through rad and then into external cooler amd back into the trans i may add a fan im not sure yet. Plus the brake controller.

So with that being said i should be able to tow up to 8400 and be within GM'S reccomended tow rating. As i not technically have that trailering package?


TECHM went slow lol. I found all of the valve body tq specs and procedures,all the placements of the check balls. I watched countless videos and just took my time and it fixed all of my trans issues with the exception of the 2-3 flare. 3 out of 4 diphgrams where cracked/ blown out. I replaced all the check balls, new plate in the valve body i also took some of the springs out and did an overall cleaning of the valve body. I cut open filter and took it to local trans shop and they said it looked perfect for 113k trans.

View attachment 245780 View attachment 245781 View attachment 245786

I'm planning on pulling my vb here real soon.

I have a transgo shift kit, new separator plate with gasket, screen, seals, and sonnax end plugs.

Waiting on some checkballs (that won't shrink), and a transgo tcc valve.

The shift kit also comes with the pressure switch rebuild stuff.
Thinking i should order the install tool while I'm waiting on the rest of the parts...

How much of a pita were the pressure switches?
 
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Just Fishing

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I also was very disappointed that i couldn't change the boost valves in the pump on the 6l80e with out pulling the pump...

I fully expected it to be like the 4l60e, accessible from the pan.
 

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