Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

Ouch. I had the 6.0L stuck in my head as far as the burb engine, but I test drove both and would have bet you the burb was bigger until you smacked me there. Oops. So feel free to disregard that sentence as I was obviously mistaken/math impaired/talking out my *ss/whatever, the rest of my post still stands. <br /> <br /><br />At any rate, I think everyone here agrees that a 3/4 ton is fine, it's just the 1/2 ton that is questionable to some, some clarification would be nice.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

anyfish, don't feel too bad, most people think SUVs are so huge. But they have never driven an extended cab or crew cab pickup, to know what Huge really means! <br />And I don't doubt you that the Titan pulls well.<br /><br />

At any rate, I think everyone here agrees that a 3/4 ton is fine, it's just the 1/2 ton that is questionable to some, some clarification would be nice.

Yep, I think you are correct there!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

My father's extended cab Silverado is actually 2 or 3 inches longer than a Suburban.

 

[aggiedave98]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

How does the rear end change the tow rating?? And why??

thanks.

 

[vacayooper]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

I have a 99 7.4 2500 Suburban and I am quite sure you will have an experience that is unsafe. I have had the most disturbing experience just recently. I had the wife telling me she wanted a 27 (LOA) foot boat and all I could say is "how in the hell am I going to tow that boat with my Suburban?" so I spent the rest of the afternoon convincing her we need a smaller boat. If I had unlimited funds I would have gone out and purchased a 1 ton truck with a diesel and smiled while I towed my new larger boat to the nearest lake. Boats and the like are made to provide enjoyment, but that only comes with having the proper setup and capability to get you and your family there and back safe and sound. Best advice I have, if it feels wrong it is.:/

 

[ebmonson]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

I think one thing to look at is what kind of rear end the truck has. I know you said you are only going 3 miles, but overheating your differential can cause you a big headache down the road. Also you have to make sure you will be able to pull the boat out of the lake. It can be pretty embarrasing to have a line behind you at the ramp and then find out your truck doesnt have the power to pull your boat up the ramp. Not to mention if your truck has an open differential in the rear you could find yourself spinning only one tire at the bottom of the ramp if the landing is at all slippery. if you do only have an open diff. a good way to go would be a detroit locker system for the rear. They have a new diff called the Detroit Truetrac that is suposed to be pretty good at delivering power to both tires.

Also make sure you check the toungue wieght rating on your truck and tow package as well as how much pressure you are putting on it with the boat. remember the reciever hitch usually has a higher rating than the suspention on your truck. I have seen broken leaf springs before and it's not pretty.

I guess my point is that it's better safe than sorry.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

We towed a 27' Bayliner for years with a 3/4 Ton Suburban with a 7.4L and 4.10 rear.

Never had a problem.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

aggie - the rear end (or differential) gears transfer the twisting force from the engine to the wheels. If you remember anything from your high school physics class, a long lever with a fulcrum close to whatever it is you wish to move makes the job easier than a shorter lever. The same principle applies to gears. A 3.5:1 gear ratio (engine turns 3.5 times to make the wheels turn once) has less twisting force than a 4:1 (engine turns four times to make the wheels turn once). That may not seem like much but it provides about 15% more torque to the wheels. Hence it is capable for towing a heavier load (all other things being equal). This has a downside however. The 3.5:1 ratio should provide better fuel economy since the engine runs slower than with the 4:1 ratio. However, depending on your driving habits, local terrain, normal load, etc., the 4:1 may still provide better economy. In short, axle ratio selection is generally ignored by most first time tow vehicle buyers and is a grave oversight. It takes a great deal of horsepower to overcome a poor axle ratio selection for towing purposes. To compound matters, most sales persons have never towed anything so they are of little help to the consumer.

 

[Chart]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

You posted this back in June, so you might already have made your decision, but here is some real world experience: I towed a 10,900 lb boat/trailer tens of thousands of miles with a 97 1500 suburban 4x4 with the 350 engine and regular gear ratio in the diff's. It did suprising nice. (numerous 1000 mile round trips to my home lake while living out of state, and one run from the East coast to the mid-west). I did add airbags, good shocks, and E rated tires. Never even had to use low range on the ramps, but glad it was there if I ever needed it.

I knew it was not enough truck, and that my use would eventually tear it up, so 4 years ago I sold it to a friend who is still using it, and bought a diesel Excursion that does a better job pulling the boat. But when I hook up, the trip is going to be a whole lot more than 3 miles.

 

[Bry21317]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

I have a relative that pulls a 28 foot fishing boat, thats very heavy, they state for 2 hour trips to the ocean all the time. They pull this with a 2001 Suburban 1500, and its not even 4x4.

I have a 19 foot Bayliner and tow it wtih my 2003 Suburban 4x4 with Tow Package and it pulls this thing like there is nothing back their. I used to have a 2000 Yukon Denali to tow this boat with, before getting the burban, and that was a nightmare to try to tow with, it was all unstable and always all over the road. It had the 350, where as the newer burban has the 5.3, and the 5.3 has a hell of alot more power than my old 5.7 did. It will get up and run with that boat on the back. I had a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I towed this boat with before, with the 5.2 V8 and it was 4x4 also. It towed alot better than the Yukon Denali did. I am guessing the reason was the Short Wheel Base. The yukon was just horrible for towing, not sure why but it was. Now that I have the Suburban, towing is a piece of cake to me.

This is just my experience.

Bryan

 

[Bill Adkins]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

Dont know exactly about the Suburban towing a 27 ft
Sea Ray. Had one for years, the boat that is and its a big assed boat. Did haul horses for yrs and they can be heavy. normal towing is a sinch, something or someone goes silly and it can take all your rig has to control it. I used a special ordered f 350 dually rated at 18000 lbs.
Never had any problems even when there were problems. Its kinda like gambling, you may win most of the time. Good Luck
Bill

 

[JB]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

Testimony from guys that have dared fate and survived it are irrelevant.

The guys who lost control of their overloads and destroyed boats and/or vehicles and/or people are not going to post their experiences here. . .too embarrassing, assuming they are still alive.

The bottom line, aheusel, is that GM have told you the MAXIMUM LOAD that you can safely tow.

That Max load assumes that the trailer has brakes (that work) because virtually every state requires brakes on trailers over 3,000lb.

A lot of folks come here and ask for "permission" to do something dangerous and they always find someone who says they towed a 30' cruiser with their Honda Civic or something similarly outlandish, but the overwhelming majority will tell you to take the restrictions that manufacturers put on their product as good advice.

In my opinion, which is worthless in court, only very experienced drivers should try to tow more than 70% of the rated load.

 

[aerwin]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

just cause it a suburban does'nt mean it bigger, it does weight more than the truck but it has all the same stuff as the truck. I wouldn't tow that much weight with mine, I got a 87 4x4 with solid front axle and extra factory suspention. I think that is rated at 6600 tow weight and its alot heavyer duty than the later models, funny how they keep increasing tow weight but the parts are getting lighter, frame and suspension, transmisions don't last in the 1/2 ton either, get a 3/4 or 1 ton you will be happier

 

[Flukinicehole]

Re: Towing 270 Sea Ray with 2004 Suburban?

Your going 3 miles on mostly flat surface TOW IT. I towed a 5500 lb. W/ a Grand Cherokee over 200 mi. and the trailer had no brakes. The down hill was a little scary boat was pushing but made it . Just take it easy and keep your eyes open. Also my trip took me through Brooklyn during the afternoon rush, what a ride.