Towing with a Chevy Tahoe

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yosh53

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Joined
May 18, 2018
Posts
9
I would like to here from other Chevy Tahoe owners about their experience towing a travel trailer. Recommendations appreciated!
I am looking at a Jayco trailer weighing 6140 lbs. I have a 2015 Tahoe LS. 5.3 Liter V8 , 355.0HP @ 5600, gas engine. GVWR 7100. Curb Weight @ 5500.
Towing specs:
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.  5000  lbs  5000.0 min 5000.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.  500  lbs  500.0 min 500.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 8600, 6600  lbs  6600.0 min 8600.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.  860, 660  lbs  660.0 min 860.0 max

 
I'm not an expert and don't have a trailer but from reading what the experts have say is the the percentage for the tounge weight may be too much for the tahoe. Your max tongue weight is 500lbs..
 
Max tongue wt WITHOUT a WD hitch is 500#.  Max trailer wt is 8600#, and with a WD hitch, it can carry the 10% of 8600# weight.

HOWEVER, that 8600# refers to the total weight of the TT, including contents, NOT dry wt that the salesman will push.  It also includes ONLY 2 passengers at 150# each and NO CARGO IN THE TAHOE.  Read the small print they do not want you to notice.

In the real world, reduce the 8600# Max Trailer Wt by 10% for safety and options on the Tahoe, leaving 7740#.  The gross weight of the fully loaded TT PLUS the weight of all passengers and cargo in the Tahoe should not exceed about 8000# (Remember the 300# allowance for passengers?)

Do some quick math and subtract the weight of the family from 8,000#.  Deduct a couple hundred pounds for the WD hitch and other misc cargo.  That is the max gross weight TT you can tow.
 
Unless you just want to concern yourself with FUN to tow - I wouldn't do it if there's any serious hills, mountains in your future.  My (1900# according to the specs) 4300# Tahoe trailer is WAY tongue heavy (800# Trailer alone) even with a WD hitch - with the kids, dogs, gear overloads the 1500 Yukon XL 5.3 liter and pulling the Cal foothills taxes it GREATLY (25-35mph up any serious grade). On my first trip over the grade to Reno, when I tried keeping up with traffic, it got so hot the oil thinned to the point I lost oil pressure and ended that first night in a parking lot 8/10 of the way to the top. So tow what you like but I can say from my experience - "not without some serious upgrades."

On another note my dad was pulling an 8500# trailer with his 90' 1500 Tahoe and managed 3 trips MI-Fl before he got to put in a trans in TN.  The trans guys said they could build him one to do it. Dad said in hind sight he didn't realize it was too much trailer but he liked the truck and would probably had the trans built before hand if he'd known.

Good luck,
Brian

 
Mine's a '98 Tahoe that I've had for 18 years, and while it's in great shape (I take good care of it) it's still a C1500 like the 2015. Ours is 4WD with a factory tow package, and an aftermarket WDH (500 lb tongue weight) and it's got the Vortec 350 engine with the OD transmission.

We have a motorhome. and the only thing I tow with the Tahoe is our two-horse slant-load horse trailer. Sorry, I can't remember the trailer's weights right now, but it's a two-axle trailer with a dressing room and tack room, so it's heavier than a typical two-horse trailer. How well the trailer tows depends on how heavy the horses are. Believe me, you can feel the difference.

I think we're right at the limit of our Tahoe's towing ability. It's just a half ton truck, with a short wheel base to boot. Our Tahoe is more than a foot shorter than a short bed full size pickup. You can really feel it when the beasts are moving around. Sometimes it feels like the tail is wagging the dog. Personally, I don't like being near the limit of the vehicle's towing capacity.

Kev
 
Thank you all for the feedback.  One setback to my Tahoe towing is  my rear axle ratio is  3.08, and not the 3.42 ratio.  This reduces my max towing weight to 6600 lbs. from the 8600 lbs. max.  Toss in  the short wheel base, andthis Tahoe is not the vehicle you want to tow with.  My focus is now on a Chevy Silverado  2500 making sure the vehicle has the Max Tow Package.  A diesel is not totally out of the picture.
 

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