Towing 12k pounds with 502 3/4 ton suburban

[howdiy]

Do you think that a 3/4 ton suburban with a 502 on 35's would tow my 1 ton suburban on a trailer?

The trailer would be something like below, probably 3000-4000 pounds. My truck will probably be around 7000.

The suburban has a rear track bar and sway bar.

I imagine load range E tires would be necessary

 

[shovelbill80]

i imagine a lot of things would be necessary. the 502 just means you'll get it all moving in a jiffy......then what?

would it or should it are two different things all together..........imo, Bill

 

[tRustyK5]

Kinda depends on gears, does this 502 Sub have 3.08's, 4.10's, 5.86's?

I worked for a landscaper many many years ago, and he had a C30 with a dump box, which pulled a tandem axle equipment trailer. Truck was near enough to 8000 lbs, another 7000+ for the trailer. It had a SM 465, 4.56's, ~28" tires and a mighty 292 straight 6. It pulled just fine, but not fast. Always made it where you were going...

So, if the Sub is geared somewhat decently, I don't see why not. electric trailer brakes, weight distributing hitch, chain tie downs and the correct amount of tongue weight and it should be fine.

Rene

 

[shovelbill80]

what axles/brakes/gears/tranny does the Burb have? tranny cooler(s)?what is that trailer rated for on the deck?
35 inch tires add a lot more rolling resistance to the mix.....meaning, it takes longer to stop the truck. add another 4,000 pounds above what it was designed to tow as a stock truck and you will see where i'm going with this.

everything Rusty said is true...and 99 out of 100 people will get away with it. someone IS the 100th person though.

sorry to rant every time a "towing" thread comes up.......i've just seen too many dead people because of unsafe/overloaded towing situations.

 

[kgblazerfive]

What is the weight rating on the burb might be a little low. Its never a good idea to tow something the same size as the the tow truck.

 

[K85 Octane]

12k lbs on a hitch?
isn't that 5th wheel territory?
I see hundreds of 45-50ft toyhaulers running down the Glamis. Wonder what they weight considering they dwarf the tow rig.

 

[y5mgisi]

It will certainly do it. It will just do it well if everything is right as as stated above with the trailer brakes, load leveler setup, etc. For what its worth, I towed my old 73 suburban that weighed about 7k pounds for 4 hours (250 miles) threw the mountains and on the flat highway on a trailer like that with my ALL stock 90 3/4ton burb with a tbi 350. Didnt even have trailer brakes on the trailer. Did it just fine, but didnt do it "well". See what im getting at? Wished i had all the right equipment but it wasn't white knuckle either.

 

[howdiy]

Yeah I honestly didn't feel that confident about it, but figured I would ask.

Towing down the street I wouldn't even ask but over 1000 miles round trip it doesn't seem like a good idea.

Looks I need to keep saving to get a heavy duty truck, preferably diesel

We towed a race car from Mooresville, NC with it before with a poorly set up trailer and no trailer brakes and it was quite scary. We borrowed the trailer and it was a steel enclosed trailer and had a ton of tongue weight. The sway was terrifying . Where as my cousin and uncle had heavy duty diesel trucks and could drive 80 no problem.

 

[shovelbill80]

i saw your other thread and think you made the right decision. that rig will be fine to tow most anything you could throw behind it, providing you set it all up correctly. i think it was rated for around 14,000 lbs....hmm, a short box dually maybe?

i was going to mention that converting your Suburban to a DRW isn't a bad idea either....just not for what you want to do imo.

long crew cab duallys are the best, especially 5th wheelers.... the lower the profile tire the better, less side to side, cut in half with a dual set up. helps to keep you from changing lanes from side wind without your knowing. being pushed around by a trailer is not fun to say the least. shiiiit, a 3,000 lb popup camper will push a K5 around. good luck.

here's a link to another thread i blabbed on....look at post number 8 http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276879

 

[6.2Blazer]

The engine power is only a small part of the equation, and as said above even a really low power engine can get the job done. The handling and stopping is way more important for a comfortable trip.

For those of you that have towed even moderate size loads with no brakes.....that is WAY scary. Sure, if you know a stop sign is coming up a 1/2 mile down the road you can get stopped, but it's when a car pulls out in front of you that causes the problem.