Towing with Tahoe or Yukon?

[rustbreeches]

Our interstates are 75, if you are going to max out at 55, you need to stay off the interstate because you are going to cause problems. The scariest thing I ever saw was on I-81 in VA, a Touraeg was pulling a 2H BP with DR and going between 50 -55. The driver was wreaking havoc with traffic.

I pull with a Suburban, but would not feel comfortable with a smaller Tahoe or Yukon. I used to have a Yukon XL and was fine with that. Not as much get up and go as our 2500, but I have never doubted my stopping power

[soloudinhere]

[QUOTE=aascvt;8124695]
Hi all,

I did read all of your responses after my original post. Thanks for all of your input. Sorry that I’m only responding now. Here are some more details.

As previously stated, I’m planning on buying a 2H bumper pull with small dressing room. It will definitely have sway bars!!
I have a loooong drive to work. I can occasionally borrow another vehicle to commute, but want to get the best gas mileage possible without compromising safety when I’m shipping.
If I had my way I would be showing every month, but that is not reality. We’re talking about 3-4 week big shows per season, plus occasional shipping an hour or so for lessons and clinics. This year my closest away show is 1.5hrs from home and farthest is 4 hrs. (The trip to VT IS hilly… but that is the only one).

Most of the time I will be shipping my own horse alone (1200# WB). I would take another horse only on shorter trips and if I felt like I had enough vehicle… that is not a necessity.

There is a specific Tahoe in the running, FYI. Has a tow package & seems in every way powerful enough. Can tow up to 7,400 lbs. The only concern is the wheelbase. (116)

A lot of you have recommended the Expedition… that wheelbase is only 119.

Thanks again…[/QUOTE]

Not sure what years you’re looking at, but you really want an Excursion, a Suburban, or a Yukon XL.

That being said I have towed my trailer with 2 different jeep grand cherokees and lived to tell the tale and the wheelbase on those is 119 as well.

Not sure what your budget range is but the Dodge Durango has a 3rd row seat and therefore longer wheelbase and same 7200lb capacity.

The wheelbase more than anything else is what gives the rig stability, but a lot of other factors play in - for example, if buying new or recent model used, plan to replace the tires, because they now equip these with P rated tires and you need LT rated tires to support the load. Makes a huge difference in the stability of everything when towing.

[katyb]

I towed happily with an Expedition and a Jeep Commander.

I have a GN now and tow happily with an F350 - crew cab, long bed, dually, 4wd. I’m not very maneuverable anymore though, lol.

I have a 3/4 ton Yukon XL that I’d tow a BP with and not be worried a bit. It tows our 28’ Sea Ray nicely.

[soloudinhere]

Truly the only failing of my '02 Yukon XL with the 6L is that the 4spd transmission really needs two more gears. Not enough reason to justify replacing it, though.

[Jim_in_PA]

[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8125835]

That being said I have towed my trailer with 2 different jeep grand cherokees and lived to tell the tale and the wheelbase on those is 119 as well.

Not sure what your budget range is but the Dodge Durango has a 3rd row seat and therefore longer wheelbase and same 7200lb capacity.[/QUOTE]

Wheelbase of JGC (2011 MY-present) is 115"
Wheelbase of Durango (2011 MY 11-present) is 119"

Otherwise both are the same platform and come off the same assembly line. The Durango is stretched to accommodate the 3rd row seating for midgets. Hemi V8 or EcoDiesel (JGC only) required for this kind of towing plus factory tow and WDH. 7200lb limit as stated, although staying 20% below that is a best practice.

I tow with the former, but just a basic, lightweight 2h BP. No DR.

[TXPiaffe]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;8082041]
Anyone with a properly equipped tow vehicle?

If I were doing 55mph on the highways around here I am almost 100% sure I would be pulled over and questioned, because I would genuinely be a road hazard.

OP, it’s always fine until it’s not. IrishDeclan is not the only one on here who has almost killed her horses with an under-equipped vehicle…another COTHer killed two of her horses while towing with an Explorer, which is the same as a Tahoe, when it got to swaying on the highway. Step up to the next class of SUV: a Yukon XL, or a Suburban, or an Expedition.

Or rock a diesel quad cab pickup as a daily. You’ll get better gas mileage than a mid-size SUV, have the seating that you need, and have a suitable tow vehicle.[/QUOTE]

An Explorer is not the same as a Tahoe. An Explorer is smaller than a Tahoe. You may be thinking of an Expedition that is aprox the same size as a Tahoe.

[roamingnome]

I pulled a 2H Hawk bumper pull with my Tahoe weekly one summer. Never had an issue with it, but I did always start braking wayyyy sooner than I usually do.

Pulled it on highways going 60, but since I was in New England, I was typically on roads going 40-45.

Miss my Tahoe, but the whole “turning off on it’s own” thing, made me dump it FAST.

[pandorasboxx]

I currently tow a Brenderup with a 98 Yukon, generally hauling one horse plus gear. i have no problem with this set up particularly with the inertia brakes but in reality I felt that i had more power and stability with my now deceased 04 Land Rover Discovery.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=TXPiaffe;8127357]
An Explorer is not the same as a Tahoe. An Explorer is smaller than a Tahoe. You may be thinking of an Expedition that is aprox the same size as a Tahoe.[/QUOTE]

An Explorer and a Tahoe used to be pretty similar, at least of the years that I was talking about/used in the accidents. (Mid-00’s, so not out of the question that someone may be considering either for a tow vehicle, not talking 70’s here!) They had nearly identical curb weights, the Tahoe had a little length on the Explorer. This is before the complete redesign of the Explorer to be a ritzy soccer mom mini SUV. You are correct in that the current glammed up Explorers are different than the current Tahoes.

[Lord_Helpus]

I pulled a 2 horse for over a decade with a series of Tahoes. Never had a problem. The only reason I moved up to a truck is because I got a bigger trailer and I needed a 3/4 ton for it.

It had enough power going up hills, a wide enough wheelbase for stability and the braking system (car’s brakes plus the trailer brakes) was totally fine when I needed to stop more quickly than I might have liked to.

[frisky]

I have had 2 white knuckle drives in my trailer hauling career. The first was driving over a mountain pass with snow and a thin layer of ice. I had chains on and I had checked the weather before I left but it was early morning. The second was borrowing a Dodge Ram while my truck was in the shop. I was driving on flat roads on a sunny day and it was absolutely terrifying. I had no idea what I had gotten into, but it, in my opinion, it wasn’t safe driving over 40mph. At 45, the rig shimmied all over the road. Wheelbase is everything. Get a suburban or something longer.

[soloudinhere]

[QUOTE=frisky;8129843]
I have had 2 white knuckle drives in my trailer hauling career. The first was driving over a mountain pass with snow and a thin layer of ice. I had chains on and I had checked the weather before I left but it was early morning. The second was borrowing a Dodge Ram while my truck was in the shop. I was driving on flat roads on a sunny day and it was absolutely terrifying. I had no idea what I had gotten into, but it, in my opinion, it wasn’t safe driving over 40mph. At 45, the rig shimmied all over the road. Wheelbase is everything. Get a suburban or something longer.[/QUOTE]

A ram is a pickup truck with a longer wheelbase than what’s being discussed here - so either you don’t have your vehicles right or your experience had nothing to do with the truck.

[aascvt]

Hi guys,

I just test drove an 08 Suburban 1500 and I really loved it. 5.3L V8 with tow package and an air-ride suspension. The axle ratio is 3.73 and the towing capacity is 7,000-8,000lbs, depending on which source I’m looking at. (This is driving me nuts. Either of those should be adequate, but I want to know what it actually is.)
I was very impressed by the handling. It is really the sort of ride that I would like my horse to have.
I did drive a few pick-ups to compare. I have not found one that I liked as much as the Suburban yet.

[soloudinhere]

with that engine it’s more likely to be 7000lbs. Assume it’s less than what it is, because no matter what you will need a weight distributing hitch to go above 5k, which is a fairly standard loaded 2h trailer.

[aascvt]

Thanks, soloud. Yes I’ll be getting a weight distribution hitch.