Towing with an SSV

[Schwartzint1]

I have a 2011 Tahoe SSV. Truck is a 5.3 4x4 with both option codes K5L (HD towing, external trans cooler, external engine oil cooler, trailer brake) and GU6 which is a 3.42 rear axel. The panel inside the drivers side door says my GVWR is 7300lbs. I am looking to get a small light weight toy hauler. Talking to the rv sales place the salesman tells me with the info provided my max is not 7300, but 8200lbs. Is this a sales tactic and he is making up a number? Im looking at a trailer that weighs about 5060lbs dry. Add 850lbs for my bike and another 1000lbs in gear and whatnot. This puts me at about 6900lbs... Seems like pushing it if my max is 7300lbs. However if he is right and my max is 8200lbs I am more comfortable with those numbers. We discussed these weight limits well before I even mentioned what trailers I was interested in. Just curious what you guys think and what you have been able to tow with your SSVs.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

He may be right look in your owners manual I remember reading it

 

[Schwartzint1]

Didnt come with one

 

[2011SSVHOE]

ok here you go right out of my 2011 owners manual

hope that helps you Zack !!

 

[PG01]

True, but book shows it... roger's all over it already......

 

[Kenny D]

He may be right look in your owners manual I remember reading it

How did you make that sig pic? Looks cool.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

search TYF signature pictures

 

[2011SSVHOE]

How did you make that sig pic? Looks cool.

see post above^

 

[Kenny D]

LOL. It brings me back to your post.


I though maybe you had a program or some software. I like the way you did it.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

oh thanks but I cant take credit for it.. search the forum maybe he will do one for you

 

[Schwartzint1]

ok here you go right out of my 2011 owners manual

View attachment 83469

hope that helps you Zack !!

You are the man!!! That helps big time. 8200lbs it is. Thats fantastic as I prefer to have a good buffer in weight. This forum is fantastic.

 

[swathdiver]

Your GVWR is the max your truck can weigh which would include tongue weight if towing. That's different than how much you can pull (GTWR). That sticker in your door jamb is specific to your truck with all options installed, so the more luxury items, the less weight available for cargo. You also want to make sure you do not overload the rear axle. It too has a rating which includes anything stored behind it in your truck.

With a 5,000+ dry weight, you'll be running close to the limits when all loaded up in both the tow vehicle and trailer, if not more.

While you can tow more than my XL, in doing the math, a 6,100lb fully loaded trailer, properly balanced, leaves little room inside my truck for cargo before running up against GVWR and GCWR (14,000lbs) numbers.

Took my truck to the CAT scales last week and she weighs 5,900lbs with almost a full tank of gas. I'll go back and re-weigh with all the people inside soon. 48.5% of that 5,900lbs was on the rear axle.

 

[Schwartzint1]

So weight of my vehicle + fuel + passengers + 540lb hitch weight must be under the 7300GVWR on the inside door placard. The manual is simply stating I can pull 8200lbs.

 

[swathdiver]

Maybe yes but probably not. There's a lot more to it than just those numbers. Since the maximum weight of your truck is 7,300lbs and the maximum weight of what you can tow is 8,200lbs, that adds up to 15,500lbs but your Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) is 14,000lbs. In other words, just for starters, the weight of your truck and trailer fully loaded cannot exceed their individual maximums nor can they exceed the GCWR of 14,000lbs.

Playing with the numbers in my case I found that very little can go inside the truck, but I can load up the two travel trailers I was looking at. My adult sized children when added to what's already in the truck put us over the limit so we'd have to take two cars or break the law and overload the truck. Guess that 3/4-ton wasn't so bad an idea after all!

 

[swathdiver]

Your Trailer also has maximums that require paying attention to. I've seen a trailer rated for 8000lbs for example but the axles were rated for 3500lbs each. That makes its Gross Vehicle Weight 7,000lbs. But wait, it gets better! The tires were only rated for 1,350lbs each! That's the real limit, the total the four tires could carry which was 5,400lbs. It's dry weight was somewhere around 5,000lbs so by the time one even partially filled the freshwater, grey and black tanks, they'd likely be over the limit before food, towels and clothes and everything else!

Ohh and back to the truck, we haven't even addressed loading the axles!

 

[iLikeEggs]

I've got the K5L and GU6 on my 2011 SSV. Tows with no problem. Largest load I've had in my trailer was about 3000lbs so far. I so with the trailer it's about 4400lbs. Trailer has a surge brake and can barely feel it behind me when stopping.

 

[Ron C]

So how can one tell your SSV has the options/codes K5L (HD towing, external trans cooler, external engine oil cooler, trailer brake) and GU6 which is a 3.42 rear axel?

Ron

 

[Ron C]

So how can one tell your SSV has the options/codes K5L (HD towing, external trans cooler, external engine oil cooler, trailer brake) and GU6 which is a 3.42 rear axel?

Ron

never mind... glove box sticker, right? (I saw those two codes on there too)

 

[2011SSVHOE]

never mind... glove box sticker, right? (I saw those two codes on there too)

Take a picture of your sticker, print it off, and keep it near your computer for reference (that's what I did)

 

[Lightning 95]

I feel like my PPV could use a 3.42 instead of a 3.08 for many reasons. How big of a deal, and $ is that to deal with?