08 Yukon Hybrid with 23 Ft. International

[nomad3622]

Hello to all. This is my first time posting a question to this forum and I hope someone can offer some advice. We currently use a 08 Yukon Hybrid to tow a 19' Bambi and it does a super job on the highway or backroads and through the hills. I have been looking at trading up to a 23' International. The GVW of the International is 6000 lb. The UBW is about 4800 lb. The maximum tow rating of the Yukon is 6000 lb. The dealer says that that is no problem, and with a different hitch setup the Yukon will do the job. I'm not convinced that this pairing would be any more than marginal and that I'm not going to be happy with the performance, especially on hills and or mountain travel.

Thank you for any info and advice you more experienced members can offer.

[subfan1]

We have a Tahoeand tow a 19 International and it does a very good job towing. You must have a 4X4 because according to the specs the 2wd has a rating of 6200lbs.
Either way you would be at the max rating for your set up. As you know you need to figure out how many people are travelling with you and lower the rating by that weight.
What type of hitch are you using for your current set up? We have a Equalizer brand hitch and had to buy the 12 inch drop to get it levelled as much as possible, and were still a bit nose high on the trailer.

[Road Ruler]

Get the dealer to hook up the 23' and go for a test pull. Then you will know where you are at. Regardless of the weight difference the dual axle 23' may tow better.

[nomad3622]

Originally Posted by subfan1

We have a Tahoeand tow a 19 International and it does a very good job towing. You must have a 4X4 because according to the specs the 2wd has a rating of 6200lbs.
Either way you would be at the max rating for your set up. As you know you need to figure out how many people are travelling with you and lower the rating by that weight.
What type of hitch are you using for your current set up? We have a Equalizer brand hitch and had to buy the 12 inch drop to get it levelled as much as possible, and were still a bit nose high on the trailer.

Subfan1,
Thanks for the replies guys. Yes, the Yukon is a 4WD. I, too, just love towing the 19 footer behind it. I did get a hitch with a 12" drop and it seems to ride pretty level. The dealer put it on when I bought the AS. I've never felt any sway, but can't recall the make of the hitch off the top of my head.

Part of what I like about the 23 foot international is the dual axels. I would like to take a cross country trip in a year or two and the dual axels and the little bit of extra open space would be desirable. I too have always heard (this is the only RV I have ever towed) that you have to take the passenger weight - around 350 lb. - and other gear (2 Honda Generators when boondocking) plus the clothes water food, etc. into account when thinking about vehicle weight. Judging by GMC and AS specs, this would be awfully close. I always like the idea of exceeding the tow specs and, to tell the truth, I always view them with a bit of skepticism since there doesn't appear to be a standard.

I bet the 23' would tow better than the single axel 19', it's just that with a UVW of around 4850 lb. there isn't much room to play. I really don't want to buy a new/used tow vehicle.

Again, thanks very much for the input. I appreciate it and hope that, as I gain experience, I'll be able to pass it along to other, too.

Peter

[BAB BMRZ]

Peter:

We've towed our 08 Int'l 28, over 13K miles, with our 08 Yukon Hybrid.

This includes several trips over the "Grapevine", to visit our kids in northern CA. A trip over NM St Rt 152 (over 7500 ft). And a trip to FL, to see a Space Shuttle launch (over 7200 miles).

We tow our AS at 6200 lbs, that's the Yukon Hybrid, 2 wd weight spec (because of the 308 gearing), no I don't subscribe to the 80% rule.

We've had a wonderful time with no problems what so ever.

We leave for a wedding in MT, in a month and intend to visit ID, UT, WY, SD, ND, CO, NM (Balloon Feista) and Canada. I understand we may see a few "hills" on the way.

Lyle & Margie

[nomad3622]

Lyle & Margie,
Thanks a lot for the info. If you're pulling the 28' over that kind of terrain, the 23 should be a piece of cake. It's been a while since I've traveled that kind of road, (1970's!) but it is what I am looking forward to doing again and I love the Yukon Hybrid enough that I'd hate to have to replace it.

Thanks so very much for your reply and insight.

Peter