# Suburban Towing



## rleojr (Sep 15, 2006)

Hi all. Just got our '04 OUtback 26rs and love it. TV is a 1997 K1500 Suburban 4WD. Tow capacity is rated at 6000 lbs and our 26rs loaded is 5700. I'm probably cutting it close, but will have to do for now. I did read though that the transmission can make a difference. How do I find out if I have a 4L80e or 4L60e?

I've heard many mixed feelings on the 'burb as a TV and would like anyone that actually HAS one on the road towing an outback to chime in as well.

Thanks.


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## ONEGUY&3GIRLS (Jan 8, 2006)

camperbob said:


> Hi all. Just got our '04 OUtback 26rs and love it. TV is a 1997 K1500 Suburban 4WD. Tow capacity is rated at 6000 lbs and our 26rs loaded is 5700. I'm probably cutting it close, but will have to do for now. I did read though that the transmission can make a difference. How do I find out if I have a 4L80e or 4L60e?
> 
> I've heard many mixed feelings on the 'burb as a TV and would like anyone that actually HAS one on the road towing an outback to chime in as well.
> 
> Thanks.


The 4L80e is only put in 2500 series. You would have a 4L60e. The bigger question is gear ratio, do you have 3.42 or 3.73? The 3.73 will do a better job. I had a 1994 burb before I went to a crew cab with the duramax. I swapped from 3.42 to 4.10 gears made a huge difference. I have a larger TT weighs 5500 empty. If you do not have to tow through mountains and you are not in a hurry you should be ok. Make sure you have a trans cooler


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

Sorry to say it but you have the 4L60E. Sounds like you have the same setup I used to have if the tow capacity is 6000lbs you might also have the 3.42 gears. Baby it don't tow in OD,get a tranny temp gauge. You will be fine on the flats but on the hills you will not win any races.

Good Luck and enjoy the new trailer.

John


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## rnameless (Jun 30, 2005)

johnp2000 said:


> Sorry to say it but you have the 4L60E. Sounds like you have the same setup I used to have if the tow capacity is 6000lbs you might also have the 3.42 gears. Baby it don't tow in OD,get a tranny temp gauge. You will be fine on the flats but on the hills you will not win any races.
> 
> Good Luck and enjoy the new trailer.
> 
> John


 I see you are pulling w/ the avalanche, how does your setup work for you, any sway issues with the wheelbase?


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

johnp2000 said:


> Sorry to say it but you have the 4L60E. Sounds like you have the same setup I used to have if the tow capacity is 6000lbs you might also have the 3.42 gears. Baby it don't tow in OD,get a tranny temp gauge. You will be fine on the flats but on the hills you will not win any races.
> 
> Good Luck and enjoy the new trailer.
> 
> John


Definitely agree about the aftermarket tranny temp guage. You also might want to consider synthetic tranny fluid since you will be heating that bad boy up pretty good.


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

Just drove our 28rsds back from the dealer yesterday for the first time. we have (now after much reading on the forum...thanks guys!!!) a 2500 burb 4.10 gear and equalizer and prodigy brake system. Not had much towing experience yet but it was a good hour drive back and I hardly new the trailer was there!!! Was passed and I passed some big trucks with no sway, no complaints at all....apart from the 8litre engine and its drinking problem.....( so one more drinking problem in the house, I can cope with that !







)
Dave


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I pulled my 26RS with a 1500 Suburban for about a year. Had the 3.73 gears, 5300 engine. Pulled fine on flats, but hills were not so good. Check engine light would come on and the TV struggled.

Changed to a 2500 Suburban with the 8.1L. No problem. Then traded to a 31RQS. Still no problem.

Mark


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## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

Camperbob

I've got a '98 'Burb with the 5.7L and 3.42 gears (hard to figure that out - but at 18-19 mpg on the highway I'm sure that's what they are). Like you I'm stuck with this for the family based on the budget right now. Besides I can't fit everyone in a crew cab truck or I'd still have my 97 F350.

We have an 07 26RS and the 'Burb pulls it ok on flats and moderate hills. Longer hills is a struggle at around 40-45 mph. Some might say that's not a struggle.

Some pointers:
I never tow the trailer in OD - talk about a tranny blowout ready to happen. The dealership and several other mechanics stated the same thing. I tow between 60 and 63 mph - no sense in being in a hurry. On the larger hills I try to keep the RPM's between 2,500 and 3,000. I'm not real keen on the sound of the motor at 3,500 RPMs.

The dealership has quoted me approximately $1,700 to change the gears to 3.73's (gotta to front differential also) and recalibrate the speedometer. I'll probably do that with the tax refund next spring. Heck, if I had the dough I'd just get rid of the 'Burb and get an Excursion - that's just not in the cards right now.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

*Welcome to Outbackers, camperbob!*








And congratulations on the new Outback!









You are probably cutting it pretty close with the 1500 'Burb, but take it easy and it should do OK. I am with the others, upgrading the diff's would make a huge difference, and a tranny temp guage and cooler are a must!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## kmcfetters (May 7, 2005)

O.K.- I fall into this category also---can anyone tell me what a 99 GMC K1500 suburban 3.43 can tow? Also the wt on the 25rss 2004---We have been looking at geting a f350 to solve all problems, but we are heading to Florida in 2 months and now I am really nervous on towing. Do I need to tow in 3rd all the time even on flat ground like I-95? What is the purpose other than it not kicking back and forth between gears. Also will cooler outside temps in Nov. help keep the tranny cool on top of the stock transmission coole? Our check engine light also comes on when we hit a hill--I guess I needed to be in 3rd


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## redmonaz (Jul 24, 2006)

I towed our 2003 26RS with '99 Tahoe. It was a Z-71 which meant it had 3.73 gears and a factory tow package, to include the tranny cooler. (By mistake some did not have a tranny cooler installed at the factory, so verify you do have one). The tranny was the 460 model, the engine was a 5.7L. At 83K the intake gasket went out. The coolant in the oil destroyed the rod bearings. The warranty company replaced the engine with a GM crate motor, so the milage was around 10K on the engine.

I always towed in 3rd, it did OK on the flats but the slightest incline it would downshift. It seemed to stay in gear better at 70-72 mph, not my speed choice most of the time. However, living in southern Arizona the reason for camping is to get to the cooler weather. This means climbing, lots of it. I installed the FIPKII (?)cool air intake kit and a magnaflow muffler. The muffler seemed to help a lot, the air intake kit only made it loud. Too loud, I would not recomend that mod!

On our last trip with the Tahoe the transmission was having some serious issues. It would downshift, then not return to 3rd after the road leveled out. I could make it shift if I feathered the gas pedal. Sometimes it would stay in 3rd, sometimes it wouldn't. After we got to the campground and were running around town the tranny would slip, the engine would rev up, then the tranny would catch amost stalling the engine. We stored the trailer in the mountains for the summer and I gave my wife the ultimatum of buying a new truck, or selling the Outback. I bought a 2006 Chevy Duramax Crew Cab. I miss my Tahoe like you would not beleive, but I get an extra 2 days of camping now. I used to be so stressed It would take over a day to melow out, and I was so stressed about having to go home I would start to stress a day before we left. And it takes A LOT to stress me out.

If you are looking at another vehicle I highly recomend the Duramax/Allison combo. On thing I have not seen covered on this forum is the way the Allison will brake in Tow/Haul mode. It is trully awsome!

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

Don


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## rleojr (Sep 15, 2006)

Scott Z. said:


> Camperbob
> 
> I've got a '98 'Burb with the 5.7L and 3.42 gears (hard to figure that out - but at 18-19 mpg on the highway I'm sure that's what they are). Like you I'm stuck with this for the family based on the budget right now. Besides I can't fit everyone in a crew cab truck or I'd still have my 97 F350.
> 
> ...


Thanks Scott (and everyone else). We've got 4 kids and fit nicely in the 'burb. Took her out for the maiden voyage today here in northwest NJ up some pretty steep inclines (backroads mostly) and she did very well. I was surprised. Going to the Jersey Shore next weekend for the first camp trip now that everything's loaded up. Next year's tax refund is looking a good time to make some changes.

BTW - the 'burb has a tranny cooler on it and I always tow in 3rd. Since we're never in a hurry, we'll keep it below 65 and see how she does. I'll definitely consider the tran. temp guage though.

thanks and let's keep this going for the benefit of us "'burb-ites".


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## rleojr (Sep 15, 2006)

So last weekend we did our maiden voyage about 130 miles away at the Jersey Shore. The campground (Sea Pirate) was very good and I would recommend it highly.

The Outback was great. Love the comfort and everyone enjoyed the room and the amenities.

The 'burb towed very nicely. Got down a couple of times to 45-50 on some long grades, but towed the whole time in 3rd. The TV was very comfortable towing on most of the roads. I kept it at around 25-2700 RPM and that yielded us about 63-67MPH. We weren't in a hurry so it was very comfortable - we were getting there, but didn't feel like we were pushing the vehicle. I hope this continues this way and also gives hope to other 'burb owners.

Next trip will be late October in easter PA or orange county NY. Can't wait. Would love to hear comments / suggestions going forward.


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## kmcfetters (May 7, 2005)

Yes we finally found a steal on a 2500 burban--the gas hog- and she pulls totally different than our 1500. It should---she has a 454 w/410 ratio. We still may pull w the 1500 but only if we have to. The 2500 is going to be main TV--glad you like your TT!


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