Replaced my Tow Vehicle - Out with the Old in with the New

[ChuckW]

The lease on my '07 Suburban K2500 was ending and it was time to decide what to do, keep it or buy a new one. Either way I had to "buy" as GM no longer leases these right now.

So here's the '07, replaced by the '10 K2500. No "major" differences, both loaded and ready for the task at hand. However, there are subtle differences that show refinement in the "machine". Custom ordered it and picked it up last week. Getting ready for our usual haul to FL for April break in a couple of days. This will be the true test of comparisons :wow:

The first pic is the blue '07, the second is the black '10.

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Added updates on my first long haul experience with the new '10 Suburan at post 30 http://clubsearay.com/forum/showpost.php?p=335882&postcount=30

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Added updates on my return haul which added the Roadmaster Active Suspension at post 48 http://clubsearay.com/forum/showpost.php?p=341353&postcount=48

 

[SeanO]

Nice machines. We will probably go for the same thing when my wife wears out her 07 Tahoe. It's amazing how the angle of the picture makes the boat/ or tow rig appear larger. Taken from behind the boat appears to be 10x larger than the Surburban!

 

[SeanO]

 

[shore]

What engine in the '10? I'm pushing it with my 05 6.0 with my 290.Thank go god for flat Florida.

 

[Sundancer]

I love the blue, that's what I have on a substantially older K2500, but the black looks sweet with the black boat in tow!! What engine and what is the tow rating these days? Mine has the 454 with 4.10 rear end rated to handle 10,000 lbs. Our other burb has the same setup with a 3.73 and has a lowered tow rating of 8,300 lbs. I wish it had the 4.10 too!

 

[tdappleman]

Looks good - wondering what your 260 on the trailer weighs. You may be over the rated capacity of the 'burb as it sits now since it has a towing capacity of ~9600lbs. BTW - what kind of box is on the tongue of your trailer? Looks like a great place to store a jack, spare parts, etc.

 

[ChuckW]

What engine in the '10? I'm pushing it with my 05 6.0 with my 290.Thank go god for flat Florida.

It's the 6.0L Vortec (366ci). Looking at yours, is that a Tahoe half-ton? That's a lot of boat for that rig...

 

[ChuckW]

I love the blue, that's what I have on a substantially older K2500, but the black looks sweet with the black boat in tow!! What engine and what is the tow rating these days? Mine has the 454 with 4.10 rear end rated to handle 10,000 lbs. Our other burb has the same setup with a 3.73 and has a lowered tow rating of 8,300 lbs. I wish it had the 4.10 too!

Yeah, the '07 had a 4.10 in it, they dropped that option for '10, so it has a 3.73, but still rates in at the same tow rating. The '7 had 16" rims, the '10 has 17", and sits about an inch higher at the hitch. It's rated at 9,400 for the 4WD version.

Looks good - wondering what your 260 on the trailer weighs. You may be over the rated capacity of the 'burb as it sits now since it has a towing capacity of ~9600lbs. BTW - what kind of box is on the tongue of your trailer? Looks like a great place to store a jack, spare parts, etc.

shhhhhh...it's rated at 9,400, same as my '07. She weighs in at 10,500. Tell me where I can buy a new 1 ton Suburban and I'm in :thumbsup:. But in 42k miles of towing this setup over the last 3 years, I never once had issues, either in hill climbs, rapid braking or avoiding being cut-off by the yahoos on the road.

The box is great! I keep tools, jacks, grease, spare hub and brake calipers, etc in there. Wouldn't tow without it :thumbsup: Picked it up at a local truck supply and hitch shop. Mounted it with 2 U bolts to the pole.

 

[ChuckW]

BTW - a great article on an interview with a GM truck exec about axle ratios. Debunking many of the myths out there...

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-121376/Gearing-down-when-it-comes.html

 

[At Ease]

Great looking rig!

 

[ChuckW]

... BTW - what kind of box is on the tongue of your trailer? Looks like a great place to store a jack, spare parts, etc.

It's a Pro Tech box - http://www.protech.net/product.php?product_id=49

 

[tdappleman]

Chuck - thanks for the reply back on the box - going to have to find one of those! Being over the limit by a bit wont hurt you - but that 16k GCVW rating will. Just be careful - and I'm with you - we need the some more choices on the heavy duty SUV front!

 

[thirtydaZe]

It's the 6.0L Vortec (366ci). Looking at yours, is that a Tahoe half-ton? That's a lot of boat for that rig...

that's what i was thinking too.
my next door neighbor lost his transmission on his tahoe pulling his 210 sundeck.

 

[SeanO]

that's what i was thinking too.
my next door neighbor lost his transmission on his tahoe pulling his 210 sundeck.

We had to replace the trans in our Tahoe after returning from a 7 hour trip with a nearly empty 6x12 trailer- did not think to check trans temp gauge (that's the ticket) and i was running about 80. At least it was covered under warranty.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Very nice, Chuck! Looks really good with that boat!:smt001

You mentioned "need more options" for a Suburban tow vehicle"... I agree 100%! You may know, when they changed the body style in 2000, GM deleted the diesel option since the tranny (Allison) wouldn't fit the Suburban chassis without a body lift. GM was working on a 4.5L Diesel that would use a different tranny (6L90E, I believe) - this would then fit in the Burb (and also be offered in 1/2 Ton trucks). It came very close to being available for the 2010 model year, but with the economy the way it was (is) it got mothballed. :smt013 Wouldn't it be nice to get 15MPG pulling that 260DA? Power-wise, it would've been on par with the 1st gen D-Max.

Just an FYI (for anyone reading this thread)... In regards to axle ratios, you could always change them (http://www.ringpinion.com/). You'd then buy a computer programmer to change the on-board ECM language to allow for the different axle ratio (to keep the speedo and shift points correct). The computer programmer would also give you a little more power and economy.

But I digress... back to your truck... VERY nice!!!!

 

[Kendall]

Nice setup Chuck! Love the black!

We just got back from towing our 2006 260 DA to Beaufort SC from Lake Wylie SC. First time using my new to me 2006 F-350 LB Dually diesel (4.10 gear). We only got 10 mpg at 65-70 mph on the trip but the truck was so nice to tow with I can't really complain. Funny to look at car drivers when you pass them up hill with a boat behind you. I guess I'm not really towing near capacity with this package though.

Wish I could have gotten a black F-350 but this one only had 14,000 miles when I bought her last July.

Happy towing!

Kendall

 

[ChuckW]

Nice setup Chuck! Love the black!

...Wish I could have gotten a black F-350 but this one only had 14,000 miles when I bought her last July.

Happy towing!

Kendall

You can always have it painted...:wow:

 

[Dave S]

Your boats engine is bigger than your truck engine............sorry...... I just couldn't resist that one Chuck. :smt043

 

[ChuckW]

Your boats engine is bigger than your truck engine............sorry...... I just couldn't resist that one Chuck. :smt043

Yeppers, gotta luv that :smt001

My boat's gas tank is bigger than my boats, too. I was thinking, it would be nice to run a fuel line from the boat to my Suburban, so I wouldn't have to stop for 35 gals every 300 miles... Just think how far I could run on 120gals...:thumbsup:

 

[zboaterctf]

The lease on my '07 Suburban K2500 was ending and it was time to decide what to do, keep it or buy a new one. Either way I had to "buy" as GM no longer leases these right now.

So here's the '07, replaced by the '10 K2500. No "major" differences, both loaded and ready for the task at hand. However, there are subtle differences that show refinement in the "machine". Custom ordered it and picked it up last week. Getting ready for our usual haul to FL for April break in a couple of days. This will be the true test of comparisons :wow:

The first pic is the blue '07, the second is the black '10.

Enjoy your new ride! The new 6 speed trans works well, and you will see improved MPG's not having the old 4.1 rear end. I purchased a loaded '09 2500 last year and have had no issues pulling our 290 up and down I-75 multiple times between OH and FLA (loaded with a family of 6 and everything needed for a week of fun). The 290 on traler is approx. 9.5K lbs ready to tow. I average approx 10-11 MPG and run at 2100 RPM at about 75-78 MPH with trans temp at approx 160-180 deg. With a 6" drop hitch, I sit perfectly flat across the rig. Keep the tire pressure at max, safe travels, and most importantly enjoy the time on the water.