Not a Tahoe/Yukon owner yet but...

[xjtrailrider]

I will be soon.

I have a few questions about the 00-06 Tahoe/Yukons.

I plan on using this vehicle for towing my Jeep(Cherokee) to and from the trails, tow my bass boat to the lake and the occasional family vacation. It will not be a daily driver.

What do I need to look out for as far as how the truck should be equipped(factory) for a fair amount of towing. I have found a few that have the air bag suspension which is a great idea for towing but how well does it hold up with time.

What rear end, tranny, engine, and transfer case do I need to look for or look out for or is there a choice.

Any other things that may I may want to avoid when shopping. Just give me an honest "overview" of the truck. I'm not big on "bells and whistles" just "guts and durability" and I want a solid, long lasting vehicle.

 

[JKmotorsports]

Welcome! These are great trucks. If you are using primarily for towing, I'd try to locate a Denali or an HD model equipped with the 6.0L and trans temp gauge. There are a few different rearend ratios available. I'd go with either 3.73 or 4.10 depending on the weight of the load you'll be towing. Go with the HD towing package, which will include one of the lower rear end gear options (3.73 or 4.10), trans cooler, and class III hitch. Also, some models are equipped with traction control and stabilitrack which may help in wet or slippery conditions.
Good luck on your search. I'm sure others will chime in soon to offer their opinions as well.

 

[boostaholic]

My dropped denali pulls a trailer just fine, I'll find out how well it pulls the chokee once I get my spider9 out back and some fresh 37s. The denali will eat gas due to the awd but the 6.0 will tow like a champ. Seems like you need a basic 2500hd with a 6.0, they can be had for cheap right now and the only way to get a 6.0 in an suv is with the denali or escalade. Cherokee is light so I'm sure the denali would pull it just fine, you'll lose some mileage but they're comfortable as hell and can seat 7 no problem. The 01-02 came with the good borg warner tcase that wasn't based off abs (rated over 1500tq iirc). I rally the hell out of my truck in the winter and blast down the occasional on ramp without ever having any issue with the truck for almost a year of ownership and 15k. I would honestly consider an ecsb 2500hd gas with a manual tcase, 4.10s and the 4L80E if you plan on towing otherwise the denali is my vehicle of choice.

 

[jey_]

Here's an excellent resource that will give you tow ratings of all vehicles, broken down by year, engine, drivetrain - might help to see what you options are:

http://trailerlife.com/output.cfm?ID=42175

 

[xjtrailrider]

Oh, I didn't know there was a larger engine choice than the 5.3! Keep in mind I'm a Jeep guy!!

I think the 5.3 will get the job done, I have towed the Jeep with a 4.7 Grand Cherokee with no issues.

So I guess that leaves me with what tranny/T-case/rear ends to look out for. I'm looking at 03-05 models but if the older ones are better I'll go that route if I can find a low mileage one.

Like stated before, I want a durable truck, I spend a lot of time wrenching my Jeeps after the trail abuse so I need something that needs very little TLC.

Thanks for the responses guys, keep them coming, I want knowledge!

 

[05Yukon]

5.3L with a tune should have no problem towing it. I have the autoride on my Yukon and its a great feature for towing, it keeps the rearend level but when it has problems look to spend alot to fix it. I had a rear shock start leaking at 55,000 and it was about 600 to replace that shock but the extended waranty covered it. I would go with the 3.73 or 4.10 rear end.

 

[xjtrailrider]

5.3L with a tune should have no problem towing it. I have the autoride on my Yukon and its a great feature for towing, it keeps the rearend level but when it has problems look to spend alot to fix it. I had a rear shock start leaking at 55,000 and it was about 600 to replace that shock but the extended waranty covered it. I would go with the 3.73 or 4.10 rear end.

Thanks for the response, I think I'll stay away from the autoride, if I need more weight carrying capacity I'll do some spring work. I drove a few this weekend, a 06 with 38k on it and a 05 with 70k, both in good shape. Didn't buy yet, still on the hunt!

I wish I could find a nice 04 red Z71 with low miles and I'll snag it up. Seems most all of the 00-06 Tahoe/Yukons around here are 3.73 ratio and of course are 5.3L. They range anywhere from $10k-20+ for a low mileage one.

 

[boostaholic]

Autoride shocks are $200 online, mine still works with no problems and almost 90k.

 

[highmtnyukon]

I recently bought a '05 Yukon to pull a 3500lb. camper in the CO mountains. With dirt bikes on the toy deck it's got prob. 400+ lb. tongue weight. I had been looking for Autoride, but heard it is problematic. A set of airbags $70 in the rear coils and it rides great! As for power, it's no match for my '01 Cummins, but overall not bad. It's a 5.3, and even living here I get 16-18 mpg on the highway (unloaded of course). I'm happy with the truck (my first GM), but it's build quality took some getting used to...

 

[xjtrailrider]

I recently bought a '05 Yukon to pull a 3500lb. camper in the CO mountains. With dirt bikes on the toy deck it's got prob. 400+ lb. tongue weight. I had been looking for Autoride, but heard it is problematic. A set of airbags $70 in the rear coils and it rides great! As for power, it's no match for my '01 Cummins, but overall not bad. It's a 5.3, and even living here I get 16-18 mpg on the highway (unloaded of course). I'm happy with the truck (my first GM), but it's build quality took some getting used to...

Thanks for the reply! I had heard that the autoride was worth staying away from and that there are other ways to get the rear up for towing that I will look into. I will be towing my Cherokee trail rig on a 16' equipment trailer so i will be looking at around 5500#. I have towed this same set-up with a 4.0 Grand Cherokee and a 4.7 Grand Cherokee and they did OK so I think the 5.3 combined with a heavier truck will do OK as long as I am patient.

I drive Cherokees everyday and they are known for "build quality" issues as far as the little things like interior and such but like the Tahoe/Yukon series they are bullet proof when it comes to the mechanical stuff, thats what I'm looking for. I want a durable, "get me where I want to go without breaking down" workhorse like my Cherokees are(I have 6 Cherokees). I basically want a big Cherokee for towing duties and after researching, the Tahoe/Yukon series fits that requirement even though they are constructed completely different, they are both very durable.

 

[2001Yuke]

I did my first towing with my Yukon last weekend and it was only a 6'x12' U-haul utility trailer rated at 2,4xx empty and then I threw in about 1000lbs of lumber. Keep in mind I have 33s on it but with cruise set at 60 it kept down shifting to keep the speed up on I-5. Power off the line was great BUT keeping it constant was more of a challenge. It's a 5.3l with the 4L60E trans, not sure on the Gear Ratio. 2001 SLT 4x4 63,8xx Miles.