Towing with a 2001 GMC Yukon slt

[bigcoaxum]

Hi guys. I have a 2001 GMC Yukon SLT with about 225000 miles on it and i have never towed anything. It runs perfect just like the day i bought it. My question is, I need to tow a 1973 Impala which weighs anywhere between 3500-4000 lbs without a trailor. the Uhaul trailor weighs about 2200 lbs which is a total of about 5700-6000 lbs total weight. I will be towing for about 350 miles and I wanted to know if my Yukon is capable of pulling this much weight. It is factory just like the day i bought it. It has a factory tow package with a weight limit of 5000 lbs on the hitch. Is this too risky to try to tow the weight? Should I tow in Tow/Haul mode during my trip or do not use the tow/haul mode? Again I am new to towing so any and all information will be very helpful. Also, I do not know how to drive with a trailer(parking it, backing up).

 

[E4L]

Dont know if this helps or not but I had a 04 yukon slt. I used to tow my 6000lb boat with people over 500 miles through the tehachapis. I would use the tow haul button and just take your time especially with the amount of miles on your motor

 

[bigcoaxum]

Dont know if this helps or not but I had a 04 yukon slt. I used to tow my 6000lb boat with people over 500 miles through the tehachapis. I would use the tow haul button and just take your time especially with the amount of miles on your motor

How was it towing that boat? how was the handling, braking, etc. did you Yukon handle it like normal? I bought my Yukon brand new so I know everything about it. it's not used and I have never had any problems what so ever out of it. I've on replaced the battery twice and bought 4 sets of tires in 10 years. Belive it or not, not tune up at all and it still runs perfect.

 

[rbtloe]

You should be fine to tow, and yes you to want to use the tow/haul mode it allows the trans to shift at higher rpms which is make haulign that extra weight a little easier. As far as braking if I remember right uhaul's trailers have the surge brakes so when you are trying to stop the force of your slowing tow vehicle will apply the brakes on the trailer to help you stop faster, but you are going to have to start braking earlier than usual it is still going to take longer to stop. Just take your time and you should be fine.

 

[NorCalBryan]

If you want my opinion...GM doesn't just run around stamping max trailer weights on hitches arbitrarily. I wouldn't feel comfortable travelling that many miles while exceeding the maximum rating of my hitch by 20%.

---------- Post added at 11:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 AM ----------

...now if it were around the corner to my buddy's house, or across town, I'd consider it.

 

[Vincesrg03]

These rigs are made for towing. I think the uhaul trailers are set up so they distribute the weight evenly across the vehicle. Just ask the uhaul dealer and they should be able to tell you all the info. I have seen vehicles as small as jeep cherokees, whose max gross towing weight is around 5500 use them. Alot of forum members, whose vehicles are lowered and lifted by the way, use their rigs to tow a variety of things. As far as driving, just take your time. make wide turns, and give yourself room to make lane changes. Reversing takes a bit of practice, but once again take it slow. Ive towed everything from a 5x8 utility trailer to a 26 foot travel trailer with my Yuk. You might want to invest in a set of air helper bags. They are around 100 bucks and take about 15-20 minutes to install. You inflate them when you have weight on the truck and it levels the vehicle, making it safer to drive. Just a thought.

 

[BaggedDenali00]

also dont make abrupt lane changes... and maybe have trans fluid change first if it hasnt been done...

---------- Post added at 02:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------

isnt the 5,000lb stamped on the hitch mean actual 5,000 lb on the tongue or is that total trailer weight?

 

[NorCalBryan]

also dont make abrupt lane changes... and maybe have trans fluid change first if it hasnt been done...

---------- Post added at 02:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------

isnt the 5,000lb stamped on the hitch mean actual 5,000 lb on the tongue or is that total trailer weight?

LOL there's no way that these trucks can handle a 5,000 lb tounge.

 

[Vincesrg03]

It could if it was a semi-truck. The 5000 lbs is the towing weight without a weight distributing hitch. The tongue weight is usually 10% of total weght. For example 5000 lbs trailer, 500 pound weight. Our rigs can handle about 7500 with a weight distributing hitch system. Also im thinking your high on the weight of your car and trailer. Those trailers are usually all aluminum and lght.

 

[2005yukonxl]

and also good rule of thumb, u haul wont (usually) let you rent a trailer to tow a car with an underrated tow vehicle. now, wheres the dam pics of the impala?