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25 LSV Short Range Towing - W/ Suburban Help - 2WD with 8.3k towing or 4WD with 8.0k towing (both have 14k total capacity)


Raleigh

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I have a 2013 Suburban with 5k towing an 12 k total load rating. We are looking at options for a burlier tow SUV vehicle without spending too much. Wife is forbidding truck purchase.

The ideal boat load would be around 7,600 pounds. We are looking at 2015 Suburbans.

2WD - Towing Capacity = 8,300 pounds (14,000 pound total load)

4WD - Towing Capacity = 8,000 pounds (14,000 pound total load)

We also could upgrade our axle and cooling system but think getting a newer vehicle would be about the same cost. 

Is a 4x4 necessary for towing? Will 300 pounds make much of a difference in towing capacity? Does one outweigh the other? Maybe I would think on the boat ramp? I don't know but I've never been in a situation where I really needed 4x4. My wife refuses to drive anywhere where necessary. My Jeep has 4x4 if we needed to drive in snow, sand, escape in a Zombie apocalypse, so I'm not concerned there.

We have a 12,500 towing capacity truck (my dad has) for towing to the mountains once per year so I'm only worried about driving 20 minutes to the local lake and maybe a couple of trips a year 1.5-2.5 hours with minor grade changes. 

We could also look at Tahoe's as they have an additional 300 pounds of towing capacity, but a shorter wheelbase which makes me meh on that. We are not getting a truck (right now) and don't want a Ford so we're stuck with these options. Or a smaller boat.

All comments and suggestions appreciated (exlcuding the "WTF buy a HD 3500 dually" comments)

Edited by Raleigh
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15 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

I have a 2013 Suburban with 5k towing an 12 k total load rating. We are looking at options for a burlier tow SUV vehicle without spending too much. Wife is forbidding truck purchase.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, how is this possible that a 1/2 ton platform GM product could be at 5000?  Did they put the wrong hitch on it?  My 03 Tahoe was around 7000.  My 14 Silverado was in that 8000 category.  As a Chevy guy I've followed their specs pretty close over the years and this doesn't make sense to me.

 

21 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

Is a 4x4 necessary for towing? Will 300 pounds make much of a difference in towing capacity? Does one outweigh the other? Maybe I would think on the boat ramp? I don't know but I've never been in a situation where I really needed 4x4. My wife refuses to drive anywhere where necessary. My Jeep has 4x4 if we needed to drive in snow, sand, escape in a Zombie apocalypse, so I'm not concerned there.

It isn't necessary until it is.  Won't make any difference on the road.  Most landings it won't matter either.  Dad and I were reminiscing how this used to be more of a thing when landings weren't perfect concrete with nice low angles.  When 4x4 was an absolute must for launching boats but gas was cheaper, people worked harder, life was simpler.....  bit of yesteryear

I see we live no where near each other.  In my area there isn't such a thing as 2wd Suburbans.  Even if there were I wouldn't sweat 300 pounds of capacity at these kinds of numbers.

 

You're also on the right track that the additional load capacity of the Tahoe loses it's luster for wheelbase when towing.  You're practical intuition is spot on that numbers don't tell the whole story.

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Have a 2009 4x4 Z71 Suburban and tow my A24.  Load would be approx. to your 25.  From storage to house about 10 miles.  No problems.  Did put air shocks in the rear to even out the ride, and that has made a big difference.  4x4 used only once when the water was low and got in some bad spots on our ramp, otherwise useless, except for resale.  I tow 3 hours to the dealer once a year and have had no problems.

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1 minute ago, MNNewb said:

Sorry if this is a dumb question, how is this possible that a 1/2 ton platform GM product could be at 5000?  Did they put the wrong hitch on it?  My 03 Tahoe was around 7000.  My 14 Silverado was in that 8000 category.  As a Chevy guy I've followed their specs pretty close over the years and this doesn't make sense to me.

 

It isn't necessary until it is.  Won't make any difference on the road.  Most landings it won't matter either.  Dad and I were reminiscing how this used to be more of a thing when landings weren't perfect concrete with nice low angles.  When 4x4 was an absolute must for launching boats but gas was cheaper, people worked harder, life was simpler.....  bit of yesteryear

I see we live no where near each other.  In my area there isn't such a thing as 2wd Suburbans.  Even if there were I wouldn't sweat 300 pounds of capacity at these kinds of numbers.

 

You're also on the right track that the additional load capacity of the Tahoe loses it's luster for wheelbase when towing.  You're practical intuition is spot on that numbers don't tell the whole story.

The rear axle is what drops the rating down. The hitch says 10,000 pounds... but that doesn't matter. There was also a trailer brake kit on the vehicle when we bought it, so I assumed 8,000 pounds, but NOPE! You need a bigger rear axle ratio and the cooling package.

There are a couple of 2WD suburbans for sale near me. Better pricing, lower resale, of course. 

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We tow the 2019 25lsv with a yukon xl, its a 2017, says right on the reciever 10,000 lbs. Though the book says 8400lbs

Fwiw, the 2019 25lsv on the trailer says 8200lbs gvw if i recall correctly

Edited by asnowman
Finished thought
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5 minutes ago, asnowman said:

We tow the 2019 25lsv with a yukon xl, its a 2017, says right on the reciever 10,000 lbs.

Fwiw, the 2019 25lsv on the trailer says 8200lbs gvw if i recall correctly

The hitch has a higher rating that your vehicle will tow. Same thing here. You should be rated at 8,400 pounds if properly equipped with tow package. 

Do you have the 4x2? I assume you have no issues with towing!

Edited by Raleigh
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1 hour ago, Raleigh said:

... Wife is forbidding truck purchase.

... My Jeep has 4x4...

... All comments and suggestions appreciated (exlcuding the "WTF buy a HD 3500 dually" comments)

As it was explained to me about 35 years ago, there are man decisions, and there are woman decisions. :Doh:

You can have a Jeep, but not a real truck?  I think you summed it up with your last sentence. 

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1 hour ago, justgary said:

As it was explained to me about 35 years ago, there are man decisions, and there are woman decisions. :Doh:

You can have a Jeep, but not a real truck?  I think you summed it up with your last sentence. 

Call me a poontang! The Jeep is a Grand Cherokee, my daily driver, and fits in the garage. Not really comparable to a pickup truck, hombre.

Wife drives the burban. I don’t really want a truck. They are impractical for my daily use. We live in the city. Sure, we could just move to the lake but that’s not practical for us either. We could have a third vehicle just for towing. That would be ideal but we don’t have a place to park it so there’s that.

Any advice relating to the suburban? Specifically would a 4WD be better for towing with less capacity than a 2WD with more?

Edited by Raleigh
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2 hours ago, Raleigh said:

The hitch has a higher rating that your vehicle will tow. Same thing here. You should be rated at 8,400 pounds if properly equipped with tow package. 

Do you have the 4x2? I assume you have no issues with towing!

It tows fine, and yes its the 4wd version, I would prefer if the trailer had a 3rd axle, but we really only tow 2x a year, from storage (home) to the lake, and then back at the end of the season.

We get snow, and i love snow, so would never buy a suv or truck without 4wd, i mean i am not going to miss a powder day cause the roads are bad.  Would i prefer to tow it with my 3/4 ton truck, yes, but i can't, cause i don't have one at the moment.  Soon though, my current truck has a rotten frame, so I am shopping.

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35 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

Any advice relating to the suburban? 

Have 3/4 ton suspension stuffed into it. I cost me about 500 bucks to have that done to my current pickup truck a couple years ago.

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My theory is to use 2WD to get stuck, use 4WD to get out. 

I have seen plenty of boat ramps that are just sand or have a lot of sand washed onto them and needed 4WD to get out.  I would ignore any small load difference and get 4WD.

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There seems to be some hang up on this 2WD vs 4WD question.   Does the original poster understand why there is a difference between the two in tow rating even though the total load is the same?

Go with the 4WD.  I wouldn't want to be on a ramp without it, although I've never needed it.

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35 minutes ago, PaulH86 said:

There seems to be some hang up on this 2WD vs 4WD question.   Does the original poster understand why there is a difference between the two in tow rating even though the total load is the same?

Go with the 4WD.  I wouldn't want to be on a ramp without it, although I've never needed it.

I do not understand the difference. Why does the 2WD have higher towing capacity than a 4WD???

That is the question: 2WD vs 4WD for sheer towing capacity. 

It seems unanimous thouh: get the 4WD and don't worry about the 300 lbs towing delta. I'll be pushing the limits but so be it. I don't want to be in a situation where I might need 4WD and dont have it... especially towing a large vessel.

Asked my mom this question too (she tows horses). She said 4WD. You don't need it until you need it. 

I'll just wait until the spring to buy the vehicle for when I need it. My father said I could use his truck (12,500 towing capacity) to tow as needed in the meantime. 

Alles Klar!

Edited by Raleigh
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15 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

I do not understand the difference. Why does the 2WD have higher towing capacity than a 4WD???

Uh, because it's not lugging around 300lbs of drivetrain to drive the front wheels?

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I used a 2011 Yukon XL Denali to tow my LSV for the last three years. It was a secondary tow vehicle. That said, I likely still tow more frequently/further distances with it than most. 
 

I never loved the platform. You could always feel the boat back there, and it was only stable up to about 70 MPH. Which may be fine, until you need to pass someone on a 2 lane highway. Then the sway is very unnerving. 
 

You mention the boat ramp. I can tell you that more than once, on a steep ramp, my LSV pulled the Yukon down the ramp several feet with all 4 of the Yukon’s tires locked up. 
 

It ran hot all the time. Seeing both engine and transmission temps be 220* on the interstate wasn’t unusual. And going over the mountains it would go above 250*. I spoke with two dealers and a transmission shop, and they said that is basically what you should expect when towing at the vehicles tow rating. 
 

I didn’t like that answer, so I put an aftermarket transmission cooler on it, which did a great job of cooling the trans temps, but the next time I went to pull over the mountains, the engine heated up enough that the computer shut down the air conditioner. That was the last straw for me, and I traded it in on a 2019 Ford Expedition Max. 
 

I’ve only had one chance to tow with the Ex. It was a short trip, but it did feel more stable than the Yukon. I’m hopeful it is a step up. 
 

My main tow vehicle is a 2012 RAM 3500 DRW. I had a 2500 Burb for one year as a tow vehicle. Both were significantly more stable than the Yukon, but were/are not great as a daily driver. 
 

in regard to your question of 4x2 vs 4x4, I’d never get a 2wd SUV. There have been times I have needed 4x4 to get up the ramp. And the difference in manufacturer tow rating (which has absolutely no legal ramifications by the way) is inconsequential.   

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46 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

Asked my mom this question too (she tows horses). She said 4WD.

I told there are woman decisions and there are man decisions.  What color do you want?  :biggrin:

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Towed my VLX with a Yukon XL for 3 years, and it pulled fine, wished it had more power on the highway.  Only problem I had was that boat overloaded the Auto Leveling System and it became inoperable.  Just giving that info, since the 25 will be way heavier than the VLX, and the VLX was a problem for it.

Edited by REHinH20
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19 minutes ago, REHinH20 said:

Only problem I had was that boat overloaded the Auto Leveling System and it became inoperable. 

I doubt the boat overloaded it.  Those systems had a number of failure points even when not in use.  My last truck (Escalade EXT) never had an issue with my VLX with a couple hundred pounds of lead in the front and a loaded down bed.  That's after new shocks, lines AND compressor...all failures unrelated to towing.  It's a great system when it is fully operational; compressors are junk, the lines rot and the shock bellows leak after about 50-75k miles (which is typically what burns out the compressor).

 

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I would also be cautious around the year you are looking at for the suburban. Pay attention to what shocks are on it. I have a 2016 Yukon Denali with the magneride suspension. I can almost guarantee they will fail if they have not already. They had known issues with those shocks leaking. I was told GM fixed them in 2018. My rear shocks went out at about 42,000 miles and the front went out at 56,000. Not a cheap fix by the dealer or even yourself. The shocks alone are around $600/each. To me it is not the best towing experience either and I only have a 21 vlx.

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If you are launching on Jordon or Falls those ramps will allow you to use 2wd.  Some of the ramps at the lakes in the mountains are the same type.

I like the 4wd or AWD towing in the mountains and when the roads are wet.  The tow rating difference is not a factor in my opinion.

 

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29339668/how-truck-tow-rating-is-calculated/
 

This article will tell you how the tow rating is evaluated.

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3 hours ago, Hemmy said:

I would also be cautious around the year you are looking at for the suburban. Pay attention to what shocks are on it. I have a 2016 Yukon Denali with the magneride suspension. I can almost guarantee they will fail if they have not already. They had known issues with those shocks leaking. I was told GM fixed them in 2018. My rear shocks went out at about 42,000 miles and the front went out at 56,000. Not a cheap fix by the dealer or even yourself. The shocks alone are around $600/each. To me it is not the best towing experience either and I only have a 21 vlx.

This is very helpful, thank you! I can wait until the season begins next year to purchase this vehicle, so that might be an advantage to get a better quality vehicle at slightly better cost. I look forward to a 2018 tow vehicle next year! 

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5 hours ago, RyanB said:

I used a 2011 Yukon XL Denali to tow my LSV for the last three years. It was a secondary tow vehicle. That said, I likely still tow more frequently/further distances with it than most. 
 

I never loved the platform. You could always feel the boat back there, and it was only stable up to about 70 MPH. Which may be fine, until you need to pass someone on a 2 lane highway. Then the sway is very unnerving. 
 

You mention the boat ramp. I can tell you that more than once, on a steep ramp, my LSV pulled the Yukon down the ramp several feet with all 4 of the Yukon’s tires locked up. 
 

It ran hot all the time. Seeing both engine and transmission temps be 220* on the interstate wasn’t unusual. And going over the mountains it would go above 250*. I spoke with two dealers and a transmission shop, and they said that is basically what you should expect when towing at the vehicles tow rating. 
 

I didn’t like that answer, so I put an aftermarket transmission cooler on it, which did a great job of cooling the trans temps, but the next time I went to pull over the mountains, the engine heated up enough that the computer shut down the air conditioner. That was the last straw for me, and I traded it in on a 2019 Ford Expedition Max. 
 

I’ve only had one chance to tow with the Ex. It was a short trip, but it did feel more stable than the Yukon. I’m hopeful it is a step up. 
 

My main tow vehicle is a 2012 RAM 3500 DRW. I had a 2500 Burb for one year as a tow vehicle. Both were significantly more stable than the Yukon, but were/are not great as a daily driver. 
 

in regard to your question of 4x2 vs 4x4, I’d never get a 2wd SUV. There have been times I have needed 4x4 to get up the ramp. And the difference in manufacturer tow rating (which has absolutely no legal ramifications by the way) is inconsequential.   

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response!

That Max is pretty sweet. It might be on the table next year. Maybe that’s a @justgary tell the wife she’ll drive what I say she will decision. The towing capacity is really nice and the interior looks great.

It looks like 4WD is the only way to go. Thank you.

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