Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Denali tow vehicle - 5000 lb class 3 receiver upgrade?


Stevefo

Recommended Posts

I'm getting tired of my 2003 Yukon XL 5.3 lugging my 23LSV up hills, and am looking for something with a bit more power and torque. I finally convinced my wife to go test drive a Yukon XL Denali yesterday, and we were both impressed.

However, the stock tow package receiver is only rated at 5000 lbs.

For my current rig, I upgraded my '03's receiver to a class 4 aftermarket setup, but can't find anything for 2007+ ( new body style ) Yukon XL setups - I spent hours scouring the internet last night, but nothing. So I knew I could ask the crew for some help...

For those of you towing the heavier boats with Denalis or Yukons 2007 or newer, how have you upgraded the receiver, or have you? I figure my 08 LSV is around 6000lbs, maybe 6500 when loaded up for a camping trip. Not sure I would feel comfortable towing that much with a receiver rated at only 5000 lbs.

Link to comment

The vehicle itself is rated to tow 7800lbs, but the markings on the receiver itself say 5000lbs. I confirmed with the sales guy that this was the case for ALL stock Yukons/YukonXLs/Denalis since 2007. That 7800lb rating would include equipment such as having a "load distributing" hitch setup on the trailer if using that stock receiver, which I certainly don't have on my Extreme trailer. So I'm still wondering what others have done...

Link to comment

Not sure about the hitch., but the combo you test drove was the 6.2 with 6 spd? The transmission alone is much better for towing than the 4l60 in your 5.3.

Link to comment

A load distributing hitch isn't on the trailer it's on the vehicle itself. It distributes the load over the front of the vehicle as well instead of only the rear. I found that out on a Lexus rx330 I used to have. Capacity was 3500 with the factory load distributing hitch or 2000 aftermarket add on. My guess is that the particular vehicle you are looking at doesn't have the factory tow package. My 2008 Tahoe is over 7000, but not sure what the exact number is.

Link to comment

My guess is that the particular vehicle you are looking at doesn't have the factory tow package. My 2008 Tahoe is over 7000, but not sure what the exact number is.

Well, no, it's the factory setup. And I double-checked with the dealership - yep, even though the vehicle "tow rating" is over 7000, the hitch receiver itself is rated at 5000lbs - it's on a sticker right on the back. I bet if you looked at the fine print label on your Tahoe hitch receiver, you'd find the same thing. My '03 Yukon XL factory tow package was the same - vehicle has 8k "capacity" but they put a class 3 hitch receiver on it stock. I upgraded with an aftermarket reciever.

I'm looking for an aftermarket way to upgrade to class 4 capacity on the receiver itself. With the new "in bumper" arrangement of the hitch receiver on 07's and newer, it's not the same setup, and I can't find any aftermarket upgrades. Or does anyone bother? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Link to comment

You are confusing several terms here.

Your boat is on a trailer. The weight is "distrubuted" between the tongue and the axle(s), but your don't have a weight distribution trailer.

Most trucks / large SUV's have frame mounted receiver hitches. These bolt to the frame to allow them to carry more load, and most people use a receiver so they can remove the bar / ball combination and trade them for different trailers, or to save their shins when they are not towing. These distribute the load to the frame, but by themselves they are not "distribution hitches".

Some trucks also have "bumper hitches" - you just put the ball into the bumper. These have a weight rating but newer ones are not as strong as what you could get in the past.

Hitches have two or three weight ratings. Tongue weight, which is how much you can put on the ball itself. This weight will be carried by the ball / bar / hitch and suspension on the tow vehicle. Trailer weight is how much pull the hitch will take. This is the load that the bar, the pin, the bolts, the hitch itself and the vehicle frame can pull.

Some hitches also have a "weight distribution" rating. This requires additional hardware on the hitch and trailer frame and it "distributes" the load onto the tow vehicle front and rear suspension systems. These require professional set-up and are usually used for very heavy trailers.

There are also sway controls, that are like shock absorbers. They are very useful for heavy trailers, with a lot of surface area.

On your Denali, you probably have a frame mounted receiver hitch. It is likely a Class III, since you say it has a 5000 pound rating. I looked at a few websites, and none of them list an option - they all say the vehicle has a factory hitch.

Here is a good article from etrailer.

http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

Link to comment
jkendallmsce

I'm getting tired of my 2003 Yukon XL 5.3 lugging my 23LSV up hills, and am looking for something with a bit more power and torque. I finally convinced my wife to go test drive a Yukon XL Denali yesterday, and we were both impressed.

However, the stock tow package receiver is only rated at 5000 lbs.

For my current rig, I upgraded my '03's receiver to a class 4 aftermarket setup, but can't find anything for 2007+ ( new body style ) Yukon XL setups - I spent hours scouring the internet last night, but nothing. So I knew I could ask the crew for some help...

For those of you towing the heavier boats with Denalis or Yukons 2007 or newer, how have you upgraded the receiver, or have you? I figure my 08 LSV is around 6000lbs, maybe 6500 when loaded up for a camping trip. Not sure I would feel comfortable towing that much with a receiver rated at only 5000 lbs.

Have the 5.3 in my Buick Rainier...great engine for the smaller SUV...but could see how, in the larger SUV it would be short on power.

The 5.3 in the smaller vehicles is a great engine...not pulling anything I have great power, good gas mileage...and can pulll my LXI ok as long as it is on flat terrain....we get to any hills and it is just too short on the displacement and taxes the transmission.

The 6.2 and the beefier transmission/drivetrain will do mucho better pulling your boat.

Link to comment

Sway control bars do not work well with surge brakes which most boat trailers have. I would not use sway bars on a boat trailer. Boat trailers have less tongue weight than other types of trailers and do not require sway bars. Just my two cents.

Link to comment

I beg to differ, We had a boat with surge brakes and a load leveling hitch for 20 years and worked awesome for leveling the tow vehicle and the brakes would lock up when forced.

Link to comment

The "in bumper" reference is that the Denali has the frame mounted hitch hid behind the bumper with a door that drops open for the hitch when in use . I actually really like the look. I doubt the thought process was an old pickup style bumper with a ball on it.

Link to comment

Maybe you need to call Reese or some of the other hitch mfg tech lines and ask your questions. I'm in Pa, and if you were pulled over with your boat on the back, you'd be ticketed for not having the correct hitch, drop receiver, and ball if they weren't rated for the correct weight rating of your boat/trailer. Most inexpensive trailer balls are also only rated for 6000lbs. It's confusing.....I went through all of this with my 10,000lb rated car trailer.

Link to comment

Its a great question that I would love to know the answer to as well. Personally I will use the information from the people on this site and whatever information I can find myself over what my dealer tells me. More times than not I am teaching them about the vehicles I buy versus them me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

We just pick up my wife's 2013 Delali XL two weeks ago and the hitch is rated for 1,000 lbs. tounge weight and 10,000 lbs. trailer weight. I got worried after reading this on vacation and checked it right away.

Kelly

Link to comment

We just pick up my wife's 2013 Delali XL two weeks ago and the hitch is rated for 1,000 lbs. tounge weight and 10,000 lbs. trailer weight. I got worried after reading this on vacation and checked it right away.

Kelly

Good to know - I decided to pull the trigger on the purchase anyway - too nice of a vehicle not to go for it. I figured someone would come up with a solution soon. I'll have to check to see if that can be retrofit to a 2010 Denali XL...

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...