Towing W/Chevy Avananche

[ncbambi]

Anyone tow with an Avalanche? We are thinking of trading in the Jeep Overland for the 4x4 5.3L V8 Avalanche, to tow our 23' Safari. All comments and advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Silvertwinkie]

It's a 1/2 ton which is more than enough for the 23 footer. I would suggest making sure it has at least a 3.42 gear ring in the back, 3.73s preferred and make sure it has a trans cooler. Other than that, I think it would make a great tow vehicle.

The RPO code for 3.73 gears is GT4 and 3.42 gears is GU6.... looking in the glove box area GM places a sticker with a bunch of codes...on that code list you will find one of these two codes on it and it will tell you what gears it had when it came from the factory....unless someone changed it after production.

As for the trans cooler, you can simply look in the grille and see if there is one.

[ncbambi]

Thanks Silvertwinkie for the info. If it has a towing package, all of the above mentioned should be in it, right?

[dfratini]

I have a 2003 Avalanche 4x4 with a 3.73 axle ratio and no transmission cooler. I have been regularly towing campers including my current 20' Safari LE. Typically in addition to the camper we are loaded with gear, firewood, canoe and / or tandem bike and the the Avalanche is a great vehicle. Since we live in WA state, we get a lot of opportunity for mountain towing. So far I have had no mechanical issues and the only major upgrade that I made was to replace the front brake rotors with high performance drilled rotors and put high performance brake pads on all 4 wheels. Braking performance when fully loaded was not comfortable without the upgrades.

[SteveH]

Not an Avalache, but we tow with an '07 GMC extended cab 1500 pickup equipped with the towing package (3.73 gears) and the 5.3 Liter engine. We towed a 23' Airstream to Alaska and back last summer with no issues at all. We've since upgraded to an '01 25', and still no issues. Best tow vehicle we've ever had.