# 301Bq And A 2008 Chevy Tahoe



## cmos1 (Apr 30, 2010)

Any body out there pulling this camper with a Tahoe? (Keystone Outback 301BQ 7,050lbs 700lb hitch

We currently pull a Keystone Passport 290BH (33' 3" long) 5,100lb camper (hitch 575lbs) with our 2008 Tahoe. The Tahoe pulls this great and can run down the freeway at 70mph loaded and no sway. We want the bigger slide and when we were looking we fell in love with the 301BQ as we want the 4 bunks like our passport has. I have read many articles on what i should or should not do in regards to weight and the Tahoe.

Here's what i have come up with: We have the 5.3Lt 320hp motor (Same as a Chevy 1500 truck) the same transmission as a 1500 truck, and the towing pkg with a Reese load leveling hitch. The 301BQ is 33'6" long which is 3 inches longer then our current Passport. So i figured the length we would have no issue with, but will gain 1,800lbs in weight, which would be harder on the drive train. I have found many that have pulled this with a 1500 truck 5.3lt and seem to be fine? The dealer told me he sold one today to a guy with a Chevy 1500 with the 5.3lt as well. I do understand the wheel base is smaller on our Tahoe, but it seems to be fine on the sway issue and were not going longer.

So with all that we are heading down to pull one tomorrow. I wanted to see if anybody was pulling this with a Tahoe, Suburban, etc. How does it pull? Any 1500 trucks with the 5.3lt have thoughts? Most of our camping will be done locally and the farthest this will go is around 200 miles with some hills, but no mountains.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

i don't think you will be happy with the towing experience if you go to the heavier trailer. and tougue weight will definitely be an issue. empty the tongue is around 650 - 700, but with something in the fresh water tank, 60lbs of propane, and that beautiful front storage compartment geared up, you will be pushing 1000lbs. real quick. a 1500 class truck won't like that, let alone the tahoe. and if you crank up the weight distribution, you'll be overloading the front axle on the tahoe.

also, think about it this way....what does your tahoe weigh, and what will the loaded trailer weigh ? who is gonna be pushing who around ?

just my .02 cents.


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## cmos1 (Apr 30, 2010)

I do understand what you are saying, but i have reason. The camper we have now has a tugue weight of 575 the new would be 630+, so 1,000 in the front of mine and 1,000 in the front of the new would be a 100+ lbs difference.

The Tahoe is heavier then a 1500 truck (Curb weight on the Tahoe is around 5,500lbs and the same year extended cab 1500 is 5,266 and the 2500 is not much more. So in that yes the camper would be heavier, but my vehicle is heavier then the ones that people would suggest. The Tahoe Front Axle is 3,600 and the rear is 4,100. An 08 1500 truck is front of 3650 and rear of 3,950 (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle/gawr7.htm) It does read the same on the door of our Tahoe as this web site states.
My camper is 5177 dry and capacity of 2,398=7,575 and the Outback is 7050 dry and 1170 capacity=8,200. Trust me in that i agree with what you are saying and do appreciate it. I just don't see why it seems fine for a 1500 truck, but many think it is too much for the Tahoe, as they are very comparable with exception to the wheel base. Maybe it is rough on the 1500 truck as well and thats why i am looking for others that may pull this with a 1500 truck, suburban, or Tahoe. The bigger truck will come at a later date, just want to see if i can get by for a while as a truck and camper in the same year will leave me no $$ for camping! Thanks for your input as i do appreciate it!


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## Patty (Mar 4, 2010)

Maybe get the new truck first.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Coil springs in the back, short wheelbase, and lower payload (usually) are generally the culprits that I've seen with respect to thte 1/2 ton SUV's.

Do you know how close you are to your GVWR on your tahoe when loaded for traveling? That might be a good place to start to see how much wiggle room you have. If you are over the limit, you just have to decide if you are ok with that. If you haven't weighed it, you could check the door jam to see if there is sticker..usually yellowish that will say how much cargo capacity your Tahoe has as it left the factory...assuming 150 pounds for driver and full tank of gas. You can then do some guessing to see how much of that is eaten up by family, gear, and tongue weight.

If you're already familiar with towing the big length already... then it may just be the added tongue weight you need to be evaulating. What rear axle ratio do you have on that Tahoe?


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

cmos1 said:


> My camper is 5177 dry and capacity of 2,398=7,575 and the Outback is 7050 dry and 1170 capacity=8,200.


If you have the 4.10 rear end, according to trailerlife, your tow rating is 8200 pounds. I know you said you wouldn't be traveling far...so that is good. I wouldn't want to tow that close to my capacity for very far. It's way over the 75% rule of thumb ;-)

If you're going to be able to do some test pulls.... you should see if the dealership has a bigger truck that you could tow it with, just to see if the difference would be worth changing tow vehicles for you.

Regardless, it's very exciting to upgrade to this trailer and floor plan. Sounds like you're being careful about it, so keep up the good work and be safe. If it all works out.... enjoy it!!


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

cmos1 said:


> Maybe it is rough on the 1500 truck as well and thats why i am looking for others that may pull this with a 1500 truck, suburban, or Tahoe. The bigger truck will come at a later date, just want to see if i can get by for a while as a truck and camper in the same year will leave me no $$ for camping! Thanks for your input as i do appreciate it!


I am sure it is rough on a 1500 and that is not much of a higher bar to compare your Tahoe to. Sure they seem similar but I don't think many would recommend either for the trailer you have.

What tires do you have on the Tahoe?


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

It looks like you are relying on brochure weights. I would strongly suggest a trip to the scales. I bet you'll be suprised to find you are over the Axle weight rating on the Tahoe.


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## maddog (Dec 16, 2009)

I towed a 30' Coachmen travel trailer unloaded weighed 7700 lbs, loaded maybe 8500 lbs. with a tongue weight about 800. I towed it with a 2001, 2002, and 2004 F-150 with no issues. But the furthest I towed was 500 miles and got around 6-8mpg







It is extremely hard on a half ton to pull that weight but I only kept a truck for a couple years. I did buy an F350 diesel and the difference was night and day. I was much happier towing it with the 1 ton truck but I was able to do it in a half ton. You just have to accept the extra wear on the truck.


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## Jelly Donut (Apr 13, 2009)

Last year we bought a OB 250rs and my TV was a 2005 GMc Sierra 1500 SLT, with 5.3L, 4:10 rear & towing package. The truck did ok, but I think the truck was at it's limit for towing and all our gear (family of 4 with 2 dogs and a whole lot of gear), so we decided to upgrade and bought a 2004 GMC Yukon XL 2500 (6.0L, 3:73 & towing package) with longer wheel base.

Sean


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

I just traded a 07 GMC 1500 with a 5.3L. The stats on my trailer are similar to yours. The motor is "adequate" if your not in a hurry and dont have any hills. Some sway was there but controllable. There was more bucking and bouncing than I would prefer. All in all it was just barely enough truck to do the job the way I wanted it done. Maybe it wont bother you as much. I sure wouldnt want to go cross country but I guess I could handle an hour or two drive. I think in a Tahoe it would be even worse due to the shorter length, coil vs leaf springs, and I'll bet a hundred bucks you'd be over on your GVWR (payload). My GVWR was 7200 which left about a 1700 lb payload rating. Think of your TV as a power tool and imagine trying to get a job done with a tool that is barely adequate, or even lacking, vs a bigger stronger tool made to do the job. Your gonna wear out your tool faster and frustrate yourself in the process. If you want someone to say you can do it then I'll say you can do it. But remember you are at or above every single specification of your truck so how good a job do you think it will do?


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## cmos1 (Apr 30, 2010)

Well we just returned from the dealer and that did me no good. We absolutely love the outback 301BQ. We bought the passport last year and it had the 1/2 slide. Once we got it they came out with same camper with the ultra slide, which we ordered. It was suppose to be in this week and we found it wont be here for another month plus. We sold our other camper think we would have the other this week. Anyways my wife and i wanted to make sure that we didn't buy the wrong camper again as we like the Outback 100 times more then the Passport with the ultra slide. To set it all off the Passport is $1,000 less then the Outback and i get much more camper for the money.

I did not get a chance to test drive as we had to get back, but will do it tomorrow. I do appreciate all the responses and many is info i knew and others gave me ways to think about what i am doing.

I mostly wanted to get the feedback from others pulling a similar weight camper with a vehicle similar to mine. Thanks to all of you for yoru input. This year we plan on staying close to home and will not be traveling that far. We plan to have this camper for a long time and will plan for the right TV next year to pull it. We just don't want to buy the wrong camper again and regret it.

Thanks again all. I will let you know the outcome and maybe i can be the guy to give someone the right answer down the road that has the same type of question!


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

cmos1 said:


> ..... To set it all off the Passport is $1,000 less then the Outback and i get much more camper for the money.


you get more for your money with the Passport? Or the other way around? 


> ... We plan to have this camper for a long time and will plan for the right TV next year to pull it. We just don't want to buy the wrong camper again and regret it.


Yes, an important consideration. It's harder to replace/upgrade the camper than it is to upgrade the tow vehicle.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

luverofpeanuts said:


> ... We plan to have this camper for a long time and will plan for the right TV next year to pull it. We just don't want to buy the wrong camper again and regret it.


Yes, an important consideration. It's harder to replace/upgrade the camper than it is to upgrade the tow vehicle.
[/quote]

Nah, it's easy to replace either..... now where's Jim's picture of a checkbook????


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## bweiler (Sep 20, 2005)

We have a 2007 Tahoe and a 25RSS. With the old 4 spd auto - it is rough on the trans and the rear end - both are starting to show signs of wear. I believe the 08 went to a new trans. Gaining the extra weight is going to put a lot more wear and tear on the TV. We have a Hensley - so the wheelbase doesn't readily appear as an issue with our combination.


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## cmos1 (Apr 30, 2010)

I towed our Passport to the new buyer (Aprox 60miles) in high winds. It did well as for sway, but i noticed a difference in the head wind which was like 30mph. Still could pull this up hill fairly well, but could have used more help. So the overall conclusion is that we are going to buy the outback and camp local for this year. Then i am looking to buy a truck to pull the camper as i have been reassured i will wear out the nice vehicle that we have.

Also the difference between this Outback and the Keystone we were going to upgrade to is significant on the Outback side and the Outback would be only $1,000 more:

Outback:
2 slides to the Keystone 1(The Keystone ultra slide is only 32" not the 36")
Aluminum rims to the Keystone's metal
Looked and felt to be better built
9" taller
Bigger furnace (Passport was small and terrible)
Electric awning that is on a slant and tilt-able (is tilt-able a word?) (Passport was electric, but went out flat and would collapse to discharge the water)
99% of the windows have the pull down shades not metal (Keystone was 90% metal and the pull down shades were a big factor to the wife)
Bathroom by the back room and second door to enter the back, which is a plus when you have a 1 and 3 year old
More overall room in the Outback for the kids if the weather gets bad
*This is the camper we should have bought the first time!
Thanks again all as i will report back once its home!!!!

Last of all for all you 301BQ owners: Before i commit, how do you like these? Has there been any issues to look at? Why is there 2 dirty water discharges and not 1?


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

cmos1 said:


> So the overall conclusion is that we are going to buy the outback and camp local for this year. Then i am looking to buy a truck to pull the camper as i have been reassured i will wear out the nice vehicle that we have.


I think that sounds like a pretty good plan. I like the idea of getting the camper you want and then making your way into a stronger tow vehicle.


> Also the difference between this Outback and the Keystone we were going to upgrade to is significant on the Outback side and the Outback would be only $1,000 more:


I couldn't agree more. I had the exact same impression when I had the opportunity to walk through the Outback and other brands, including other Keystone brands like Passport and Bullet.

Congrats!


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

as soon as you hitch up and pull your loaded 301BQ with your loaded tahoe out to your first camping trip, you will know what i am talking about......
enough on that, as next year (or maybe sooner, you might find) you will have a new tow vehicle. and i would go with a 250/2500 class of truck, not a 150/1500 class. it is more that about towing capacity. it is about payload and wind resistance /frontal surface area.

anyhow, as a 301BQ owner, i believe there are FOUR distinct disadvantages to this unit:

1. you can't use the bathroom without the main slide at least 12" to 18" out.
2. the inside stove is not vented to the outside. guess they figured with the outside one, they could save $$ here.
3. there is no outside shower 
4. there are no bedside tables for the master bedroom

now, all of these are small potatoes, i think. putting out the slide a little for the roadside bathroom break is no big deal. the lack of outside venting on the stove is certainly not a deal breaker, but interesting when you cook bacon inside on a cold day. and i installed an outside shower myself between the two sides, routing the pex under the trailer off the low point drains (and all you need is a tension type shower curtain rod between the two slides, and it makes an absolutely private outside shower area with no extra enclosure needed). i solved the bedside table issue (where do you put your coffee cup in the AM, or bottle of water at night ? ) by mounting some folding cup holders on either side of the windows (cabelas has them, $6.99 each, the best $13 i have ever spent i think). with out question the benefits of the floorplan far outweight the drawbacks. i cannot find another floorplan that i like better. and the mechanical is very easy to work on and access. like where the water pump is there is plenty of room for an accumulator tank (i put a full size residential one there, it is just awesome to be able to run your tap for a full minute before the pump kicks on).

yes, there are two grey tanks in the unit. one valve is in front of the axles for the galley tank, and the other is behind the axles for the bath and black tanks. it gives you a nice 60 gallon grey capacity. you do not have to move the slinkly hose from outlet to outlet, or have two slinkly hoses connected with a Y. just use a greywater adapter cap on the galley tank and a garden hose, dumping into an elbow on the end of the slinky hose that has the garden hose grey water adapter on it.

but it is also unfortunate that you will not be able to get one with windows on both ends of the main slide. some bright efficiency expert figured out they could save money here as well, with the dinette side of the slide and the bedroom slide in such close proximity to each other. that extra window does add alot of light to the dinette area.

also, when you take delivery, get up on a ladder with the tech or salesperson who is doing the delivery. very closely inspect the caulking around the front and back top clearance lights, as well as the seam where the membrane roof and filon nose cap meet. on mine, someone at the factory did not caulk around the TOP of the clearance lights. the BOTTOM and SIDES, that you can see from the ground, looked great. but when you looked from the TOP, there was absolutely NO caulk. not just a thin bead, but NOTHING. it is unbelievable that the unit was able to leave the factory this way, IMHO. i do believe that many of the delamination issues that outback owners have experienced are indeed from water infiltration around the front marker lights and nose cap seam at the roof point. these leaks then ultimately weaken the bond between the filon and it's substrate, or cause the substrate to delaminate. it takes two or three seasons of infiltration and temperature change / expansion and contraction to make this flaw manifest itself, and by then you are out of warranty and the factory tells you it is your fault for improper maintenance. hogwash i think. it was a simple and avoidable factory error at assembly. watch this carefully, and if you find that there is caulk lacking here, not only have them caulk it right there on the spot, but make the sales person or tech WRITE IT ON THE PRE-DELIVERY checklist they use, sign it, and give you a copy. at least you are now on the record as to have found an issue with improper seam sealing BEFORE the unit was officially yours.

overall however, you cannot go wrong with this unit for a family. we love it. every trailer and every manufacturer has it's quirks, and nothing comes right off the lot perfect, even $500,000 coaches.


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## cmos1 (Apr 30, 2010)

Well i fixed my Tahoe problem. We will be picking up the 301bq this Saturday with a 2006 GMC 2500 SLE crew cab 4x4. The truck has the 8.1 lt and the Allison Tans. Yes it is a gas hog, but i found an old man that was getting rid of it and the truck only has 4,800 miles on it. The Tahoe is for sale and i have fixed my problem! Now we can go camping and enjoy the ride there. Thanks all for your comments and answers to my question, now does anyone want to pich in for gas???


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Congrats! I test drove a burb that had the 8.1L with a 4.10 rear end. What a beast that is!! And what a great find... 4800 miles?? !!! Nice!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

cmos1 said:


> Well i fixed my Tahoe problem. We will be picking up the 301bq this Saturday with a 2006 GMC 2500 SLE crew cab 4x4. The truck has the 8.1 lt and the Allison Tans. Yes it is a gas hog, but i found an old man that was getting rid of it and the truck only has 4,800 miles on it. The Tahoe is for sale and i have fixed my problem! Now we can go camping and enjoy the ride there. Thanks all for your comments and answers to my question, now does anyone want to pich in for gas???


That is AWESOME news....you will now be in full control of that trailer (which btw is the BEST trailer on the market today!!)


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

cmos1 said:


> Well i fixed my Tahoe problem. We will be picking up the 301bq this Saturday with a 2006 GMC 2500 SLE crew cab 4x4. The truck has the 8.1 lt and the Allison Tans. Yes it is a gas hog, but i found an old man that was getting rid of it and the truck only has 4,800 miles on it. The Tahoe is for sale and i have fixed my problem! Now we can go camping and enjoy the ride there. Thanks all for your comments and answers to my question, now does anyone want to pich in for gas???


Great news - glad to see you found the 2500! You won't be disappointed.

Congrats on your new 301BQ!!

Sorry, we can't pitch in for gas - as we need to feed our gas hog too!


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

yep, excellent, excellent news....

i agree with oregon, it is certainly one of the best, if not the best, floorplan out there...

and i am sorry on my having to pass on the gas fund contribution. have you seen the price of diesel lately ?
and rememeber, my oil changes cost more than yours, too, and i do them myself !!!!!

great find on the truck, there are deals out there if you look !

have a great camping season...
paul


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

Oh yeah! That motor will keep a big grin on your face!


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## Up State NY Camper (Apr 7, 2010)

willingtonpaul said:


> as soon as you hitch up and pull your loaded 301BQ with your loaded tahoe out to your first camping trip, you will know what i am talking about......
> enough on that, as next year (or maybe sooner, you might find) you will have a new tow vehicle. and i would go with a 250/2500 class of truck, not a 150/1500 class. it is more that about towing capacity. it is about payload and wind resistance /frontal surface area.
> 
> anyhow, as a 301BQ owner, i believe there are FOUR distinct disadvantages to this unit:
> ...


X2 on the calking on the roof. And great idea with the outdoor shower. I think I will be able to do that with the 312.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

have you considered a nice used 3/4 Ton Suburban???








I bet there will be one listed for sale on here ..... very Soon


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