Gas powered truck

[Glenn B.]

Has anyone had any experience with a gas powered truck or(SUV) that has the capability of pulling a 24 ft enclosed trailer, of course with a 3200 lb car on board. Maybe even thinking of an engine upgrade to a 6.0 on my Tahoe.
Thanks.

Glenn Butler
73 Top Flight
67 convertible

[Pete B.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Go with a good American made truck... like a Toyota Tundra ... Great pulling, good gas mileage and super resale.
I've had 3 in the last 9 years.... never been to a dealer and needed to look anywhere else.
BTW, Yes, I AM serious.

[Jerry G.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Why gas, I have the trailer car combination you are talking about. I have a GMC 2013 with diesel package. I pull about 20000 miles a year through the Rockies and Sierra mountains. Great vehicle, engine braking capability is so good when descending long grades. Go with a package designed to do what you want.

[Bill M.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Always pulled a 20 ft trailer with a car using my Chevy 2500 HD crew cab 8 ft bed. I did not have to use load levelers but with the shorter wheel base on the Tahoe you will have to.

[Frank D.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Go with a good American made truck... like a Toyota Tundra ... Great pulling, good gas mileage and super resale.
I've had 3 in the last 9 years.... never been to a dealer and needed to look anywhere else.
BTW, Yes, I AM serious.

I've got a 2013 Tundra 2WD V-8 - a pretty amazing vehicle for the price....

[Jim D.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Has anyone had any experience with a gas powered truck or(SUV) that has the capability of pulling a 24 ft enclosed trailer, of course with a 3200 lb car on board. Maybe even thinking of an engine upgrade to a 6.0 on my Tahoe.
Thanks.

Glenn Butler
73 Top Flight
67 convertible

How far and how often do you plan on towing the trailer? I pulled my "off-shore" boat that weighed 5000lbs. with the trailer with basically what you have. It was marginal at best. If you plan on towing a lot, go with diesel power and a something with a longer wheel-base.

[Gene M.]

Re: Gas powered truck

One word "Diesel". My Tahoe is poor at towing always down shifting and reducing my speed. This is even on level road. Sucks.

My old Chevy 350 pickup with 5 speed was great. Better gas milage towing too.

[Daniel Y.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Glenn,
it depends on how much you tow, distance and terrain (hilly or flat) power is one thing rear end is another. I blew out 2 rears and eventually bought a gas powered Suburban 2500. Mileage was bad but pulled better. I eventually bit the bullet and bought a 3500 Diesel dually. hilly or not pulls great - don't even know there's a trailer behind me big trucks wiz by - no drifting etc.. hope that helps. btw - the diesel will last forever and fuel is pretty reasonable right now anyway

[Gary J.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Just checking on the Chevrolet web site and diesel option is $8900.00 you can buy a lot of gas for that price. Even though diesel is cheap right now, I would not bank on it staying that way. Also check what an oil change would cost for a diesel vs gas. You will just have to weigh your options.

[Gary C.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Glenn,

Whatever you buy, do your diligence on towing rating and BRAKES. Brakes are a big deal and should be at the top of the list for a towing vehicle along with frame strength, tires, which are all big safety related issues. Stopping and controlling with a load is an important consideration. JMTCW,

Gary
....

[Gary J.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Forgot to add or I have a question, as why Chevrolet offers a 6.2 gas in the 1500 series but not in the 2500 series. Also I miss the red interior in that use to be in the Chevrolet truck. Wish they would bring that back even if it was Red/Black like that is in the Corvette.

[Gary J.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Gary Chestnut gave you some good advise. Another thing to consider for the trailer is tire monitor, where you can read the tire pressure from inside the truck.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Gas powered truck

How often are you going to tow an enclosed trailer with car?

A 5.3L GM with the 6 (or more) speed automatic, tow package and 3.42 rear end gears will work great for a once or twice a year tow. I used my 2003 4WD 5.3 4 speed auto to haul my Corvette several times long distance, and had no issues. Just expect to not be the fastest vehicle up the hills.

If you're going to start hauling cars more than than, then look at the 6.2L engine or the diesel. I thought hard about a diesel in my latest truck, but could not justify the fuel cost, extra purchase cost or ride of a 2500 when I'd only tow a heavy object 1-2 times per year. Ended up with a 5.3L 2013 GMC quad cab and we love it. Since purchase in August it brought an enclosed trailer to South Carolina and back to pick up a car, and a couple of trips done with the pop up camper behind with my wife driving.

The longer wheelbase of a truck might help you with stability more than the engine upgrade would help with towing. Rear axle ratio also makes a difference.

Good luck in your search.

[John D.]

Re: Gas powered truck

My old GMC Yukon XL with quadrasteer has a stock 6.0 with 4:10 rear end Allison automatic. it blasts up the steep hills and passes everything but a gas station.
I used to have a GMC Yukon XL with the 5.3 engine. Going to the Corvette Expo in Knoxville was a frightful experience as no way would the 5.3 pull the hills on I 77 and I79. With pedal to the metal it would slow down to 25 MPH. Very scary so i quickly got rid of the vehicle.
Listen to Gary Chestnut. More trailer accidents caused by underinflated trailer ties and junk tires. At the show I love looking at trailers. What I see is some pretty scary stuff.
I have my wheel bearing packed every two years. Even though there is a fitting on the axle that is a bunch of crap. You have to dismantlel to properly lub the wheel bearings.
Have the electric brakers and wiring checked. IN PA we have a rigid trailer inspection yearly. Not all states do that.
Meanwhile pulling a 24 ft trailer with a Corvette with a small Yukon with 5.3 is going to be difficult. John

[Dick W.]

Re: Gas powered truck

Look at the new Chevy/GMC towing package for the 1500. Springs, brakes, tires, and the big gas engine.