Tahoe towing a 33' trailer with GVW 8000lbs

Looking to purchase a trailer rated at 6200 UVW and guessing total weight out the door roughly 7800lbs. Trailer is 28 foot body and 32'11" tongue to bumper.

Is there anyone in the community towing this with their Tahoe? Running a 2014 Tahoe 2x4 with weight distribution/sway control hitch plus aftermarket transmission cooler.

Not looking for [get a bigger vehicle or get a truck] what is better, but those in the community that may be towing comparable or have experience.

Thanks!

PS: First post ever in the forum, glad to be a part of the community.

in a word NO its way beyond what the Tahoe is comfortable with- yes its rated to 8500lbs but thats a piece of flat steel not a 28x9ft brick plus the cargo cap will be way over the  limit when you add  10% of the trailer weight and you add in you and passengers .

PS i loved my Yukon but it struggled with a 5500 lbs boat and trailer at times

Had a 2010 Tahoe Z71 with the towing package and towed a M21 Edge that weighs 4500 loaded. 60-65 on flat roads was ok but throw in some rolling hills and it started hunting gears in tow haul mode and would be around 4-4500 rpm. As to your intended purchase, I wouldn't try it with your Tahoe.

I have a Yukon XLT, 4x4, with tow package, and I will tell you that you are absolutely crazy if you even attempt to pull that.  I wouldn't pull over 25', or max loaded weight of 7200 lbs.  I know my specs say 8200 lbs, I'm speaking real life experiences.  Buy that trailer, I guarantee you that you will buy a bigger truck, and not that that is necessarily a bad thing 

Put me in the camp that recommends not towing that heavy (and big) of a trailer with a Tahoe. Ours is a 1998 Z71 with a 350, the factory tow package and a WDH. I think ours is slightly shorter than a 2014, but all Tahoes have relatively short wheelbases.

The only thing I tow with ours is our two horse slant-load horse trailer, which isn't as heavy as a 33 foot trailer, and nowhere near as long. Even so, sometimes it feels like the tail is wagging the dog. In crosswind conditions, a 33 foot trailer is going to be pushing that short wheelbase all over the place.

Kev

Welcome to the Forum!

Please heed the excellent advise from those who have "been there". 

Thank you, thank you...for all the replies. I truly appreciate the open opinions and experience.

Thinking about trading in the Tahoe for a Ram 1500 5.7l Hemi. Still looking to pull the same trailer.

Thoughts?

You need at least a 3/4 and preferably a one ton. There is more to towing than can my vehicle pull this load. The real question is can you pull it safely. Will it be able to stop in an emergency and how will it handle crosswinds and semis? A light weight truck sucks for pulling a big load. You need a big truck.

There are several 1/2 ton vehicles that will tow that TT just fine. A suitably equipped Ford F-150 with eco boost comes to mind. If you want something with loads of room look at the Chevy/GMC 2500/3500 vans with tow ratings upwards of 10,000 lbs.

Agree, a properly spec'ed half ton could pull 8000# trailer safely. With 12 1/2% tongue weight, my 2013 Ram 1500 could and did pull 8200# of trailer.

The key here is PROPERLY EQUIPPED.  Just any truck on the lot is not necessarily properly equipped.  Just because the salesman says so means nothing!

If you want the Ram, educate yourself on what equipment is needed to make the truck properly equipped.  Try Ram forums and the Ram web site, using the build your own option.  If you do not know more about the Ram towing options than the salesman, you need to do more studying!

Strictly my opinion:
Although a properly configured 1/2 ton truck can probably haul your trailer you need to be at least mindful of the fact that the lighter the vehicle the less control you may have in certain circumstances, such as cross winds and emergency stopping.  That is a lot of trailer length, which can amount to a lot of sail behind you.  We don't always tow in optimum conditions, whether it be weather, mountains, or unforeseen road conditions.  I know I see lots of 1/2 ton trucks pulling what I consider to be very large trailers.  Granted a lot of this can be avoided by reducing your speed. But from my experience, as far as trailers are concerned, I drive about 63-64mph on interstates, and I am almost always the guy getting past by those smaller trucks with far larger trailers.
So that doesn't seem to hinder most people.

nolangn said:

Looking to purchase a trailer rated at 6200 UVW and guessing total weight out the door roughly 7800lbs. Trailer is 28 foot body and 32'11" tongue to bumper.

Is there anyone in the community towing this with their Tahoe? Running a 2014 Tahoe 2x4 with weight distribution/sway control hitch plus aftermarket transmission cooler.

Not looking for [get a bigger vehicle or get a truck] what is better, but those in the community that may be towing comparable or have experience.

Thanks!

PS: First post ever in the forum, glad to be a part of the community.

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My advice, be very skeptical about placing weight on advice about how someone with an unknown year, unknown payload and tow rating  Tahoe struggled or couldn't tow some unknown weight trailer, because that is a setup to scare you, and then they will try to push you into a very large truck, but they will never answer your questions.

You gave your year and truck rating, but others who never towed with a modern Tahoe will tell you that you can't tow, even if you are within specs.

If you are within specs, you can improve your towing experience with heavier rated trailer tires and LT truck tires, and those two will significantly reduce sway that would be worse without them.

If you are concerned about stopping power,  you can easily do that withe a visit to Tire Rack for better pads and slotted rotors. You can improve your Tahoe without needing to pay for a whole new vehicle you don't want.

The push for a 2/3 or larger truck will be clear, but that has nothing to do with whether you can't tow that trailer with that Tahoe, some guys just feel everyone should get the biggest truck possible.

Gods Country said:

Strictly my opinion:
Although a properly configured 1/2 ton truck can probably haul your trailer you need to be at least mindful of the fact that the lighter the vehicle the less control you may have in certain circumstances, such as cross winds and emergency stopping.  That is a lot of trailer length, which can amount to a lot of sail behind you.  We don't always tow in optimum conditions, whether it be weather, mountains, or unforeseen road conditions.  I know I see lots of 1/2 ton trucks pulling what I consider to be very large trailers.  Granted a lot of this can be avoided by reducing your speed. But from my experience, as far as trailers are concerned, I drive about 63-64mph on interstates, and I am almost always the guy getting past by those smaller trucks with far larger trailers.
So that doesn't seem to hinder most people.

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You never answered his question.

Why not just answer his questions, and if he is within ratings, offer advice about what he can do to enhance his towing experience, because there are things he can do to increase the stability of towing that trailer with a Tahoe.

Wood said:

You never answered his question.

Why not just answer his questions, and if he is within ratings, offer advice about what he can do to enhance his towing experience, because there are things he can do to increase the stability of towing that trailer with a Tahoe.

Click to expand...

Because by the time I replied the OP was considering a 1/2 ton truck.