Opinions vary

[RTurnConn]

In the process of buying an 85, 31 ft Limited, bringing it home with my 08 Tahoe but don't think that will work in the long haul. Thought I had settled on a Silverado 2500HD short bed crew cab. Now reading that this TV "beats up the AS"........What experience have others had with the 2500HD short bed? Would appreciate your thoughts.
RonT
PS: the 85 weighs in at 6300#

[Alumaholic]

After three Suburbans, I love my Chevy 2500HD.

[n2916s]

Little concerned about your weight numbers as my 86 31' Sovereign has been weighed at 7800# and is placarded for a max weight of 8600#.

For what it is worth, I have towed mine without incident some 45000 miles with a Nissan Titan so I would think a 3/4 ton would work fine.

mike

[RTurnConn]

The weight I am using is from the product literature from AS. They actually "list" the dry weight at 6200#. Tough to get one answer to questions like weight and vehicle towing capacity.

[overlander63]

I've towed our 31' many thousand miles with a Silverado 2500 HD. I'm now towing it with a Ram 1500. The tow capacity of the 2500 isn't that much more than the fully loaded trailer.

[Wingeezer]

When we bought our 2005 30' classic, I originally towed it home with our Sierra 1500 gas.

It was better than I expected, but the towing was on pretty flat roads. Since we regularly travel to Arizona and other points west, I decided to upgrade.

At the time, I had already found this forum and did note that at least one respected participant argued strongly against towing Airstreams with heavy duty vehicles.

On the other hand, many other people seemed to be quite happy with the experience.

In the end, I decided that I would take my chances that the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages and bought a 2500HD diesel.

We have now made three cross country trips with this setup as well as a few shorter trips and so far I have seen no evidence of any damage ....... and it sure handles the trailer with authority!

I opted for the 2500 rather than the 3500 thinking that it would be ore than adequate and that possibly the 3500 would give a rougher ride - not sure if that is true or not.

When we first bought the 2500, we did notice that the ride was a bit rougher than our 1500 - especially when unloaded, but it wasn't a huge difference. We use it as a daily driver and are quite used to it now.

Good luck with your decision.

Brian.

[Denis4x4]

The CGVW of the gas 2500 HD is 14000 pounds. My '06 short bed crewcab 4x4 has worked fine in the mountains of SW Colorado.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Both our 2500 Burb's have been excellent TV's.

The 95 had an acceptable ride when towing and handled both our AS's very well.

The 06 is softer with the Autoride suspension, (active dampening w/o leveling).
In my experience all the 2500 series GM's make very good TV.

The only GM suspension I would steer clear of for towing is the Z71 option.

Bob

[sandlapper]

Ask 10 Streamers for an opinion, you'll likely get 11 answers. Pay close attention to the rating of the spring bars. With a heavy truck less is more(better).
Safe and happy travels. John

[jgerardi]

Could someone expand / explain the concept of the more heavy duty TV " beating up" the airstream. How much is too much and why?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Rivet's loosen with the harsh ride of excessively stiff suspensions, especially in combination with overrated WD bars.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...tch-53341.html

[jdalrymple]

Before you give up on the Tahoe, how is it configured?

If it has the trailer package and the rear end gearing is right, it may be fine.

Unless, of course, you want a new truck..........

[Alumaholic]

The heavier 2500HD suspension requires lighter weight distribution bars.
This may seem counter-intuitive, but it is true.
Suburbans and Tahoes are great if the have at least a 6.0 Liter engine and even better if they have a 4.10 rear end.
Trouble is, since model year 2009, 1500 Suburbans and Tahoes don't even have 3.73 rear ends. They have 3.08 rear end to meet Federal fleet mileage requirements. My 2009 Suburban gets great highway mileage, but it can't pull squat.

[RTurnConn]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

Before you give up on the Tahoe, how is it configured?

If it has the trailer package and the rear end gearing is right, it may be fine.

Unless, of course, you want a new truck..........

My Tahoe has heavy duty trailer pkg with a 3.73 rear end, I had an after market trans cooler installed. I pull a 1700# open trailer with a 3300# corvette & 100-200# of tires and gear. It hauls that like a dream. Struggles a little on long hills. Hauled it to Rd America in Wisconsin with no problems also. I am more concerned about the shorter wheelbase (116 in) on the Tahoe. I have reconsidered my choices in tha last few days and now leaning to a Silverado 1500 possibly with the 6 L engine. Very confusing!

[sandlapper]

IMO, wheel base is a major component to safe towing with peace of mind. Some tow with short WB set up very carefully but it is not optimum. A 1500 Silverado, ideally long bed, with the 6.0 engine & 3:73 rear end & the other towing options should be a good TV.
Chevy trucks are sprung soft for a good ride. This is good for the AS also but you will need some weight distribution. Spring bars are part of the WD system. Depending on their size, some "spring" more than others. Their job is to take weight off the rear of the TV, distribute it to the trailer & the front of the TV, and still flex. The thicker the bar, the less the flex. Less flex makes is hard on the AS, it likes a soft ride. I'm no expert but would think you would need maybe 800# bars with a 1500 TV.
Safe & happy travels. John