Looking at a Jayco again

[6ofus]

Hello all

I am new to this forum but have been lurking for awhile. There is a ton of useful info on this site...thanks to all who post.

Some background...sorry a little long. DH, 4 kids and I have been pop up campers for over 10 years. Our first pop up was a 1978 Jayco. We upgraded to a 1998 Coleman. Even though the Jayco was older, that pup was built to last and I believe better than my Coleman. I’ll save that for another post though.

Our family is growing and as much as I love our pup, it’s time to upgrade. My children are much bigger and no longer fit as comfortably in the pup as they once used to and my DH and I are getting older and lazier. We also want to travel farther than we have in the past, i.e. Tennessee and Yellowstone.

We are still in the early stages of our research and we are not sure when our move to the darkside will be. We have plenty of time to do our homework.

Right now we have narrowed our search down to three Jayco models. The Whitehawk 24MBH, the 29BH and the Jayfeather 25BH. I believe the 29BH is too heavy for the distance we want to travel.

Which brings me to my worry …. our tow vehicle. I don’t see many Suburbans towing a TT. The GVWR on the inside of the door on our 2009 Chevy Suburban 1500 is 7400#. Engine is 5.3L and we have a towing package. I was told that with the tow package, we can tow up to 8000#. If anybody can clarify this, I would greatly appreciate it.

Has anyone on this forum towed any of these models with a Suburban? If so, what was your experience? Good choice, bad choice? I think we are being realistic in our choices but another point of view always helps.

Thank you all for any input.

[bearcat77]

I had a 2015 Suburban. Purchased a 2017 Jayflight 27BHS, and then realized that there was no way I was going to be able to stay within the payload limits. Ignore that 8000lb tow rating. Your payload will be around 1500lb. Depending on your fully loaded tongue weight, and the size of your family, that payload gets used up quickly. Needless to say, the Suburban is gone and I am super happy with the towing performance of my 2500 Sierra.


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[DonaandDon]

My F-250 6.7 has the power and I believe you have the power of the Suburban. I had to convert to Timbrens to support the additional weight of my NP 381 (#16,500lbs). Boy did it make my F-250 squat. So here's the question, can they do the Timbrens thing to a Sub?

[bearcat77]

Power shouldn't be an issue. Just make sure you will be within your payload capacity, max receiver weight, and rear axle weight rating.


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[6ofus]

Originally Posted by DonaandDon

My F-250 6.7 has the power and I believe you have the power of the Suburban. I had to convert to Timbrens to support the additional weight of my NP 381 (#16,500lbs). Boy did it make my F-250 squat. So here's the question, can they do the Timbrens thing to a Sub?

Due to the payload issue, the 29BH is probably too much for us. I think the other two models are okay. Still am not sure if a tow package would increase our towing capacity???? and I don't think we would put any suspension on the Burb such as Timbrens. We do, however, need a vehicle like the Burb that can seat 6 so I am limited to find something that is compatible with the Burb although the Sierra does look nice but won't work for us.

[bearcat77]

I didn't really check out the Whitehawk line, but the Jayfeather 25BH was the other trailer we were considering, and that is well within limits for the Suburban.


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[Iraqvet05]

I believe the tow package on most GMs is just the addition of a hitch, 7 and 4 pin trailer connector and a transmission cooler....none of which increase the towing capacity. Does that Suburban have a 4 speed or 6 speed transmission?

[DonaandDon]

My F-250 XLT seats six. The front seat is a 60/40 with a fold down arm rest.

[6ofus]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

I believe the tow package on most GMs is just the addition of a hitch, 7 and 4 pin trailer connector and a transmission cooler....none of which increase the towing capacity. Does that Suburban have a 4 speed or 6 speed transmission?

It is a 6 speed.

[Magnolia Tom]

6ofus

Can you get a different tow vehicle? Maybe a 2500 Burb or the king of SUVs, the Ford Excursion?(I used to tow a 36' TT with an 04 Ex that had the 6.0 diesel)


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[6ofus]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

6ofus

Can you get a different tow vehicle? Maybe a 2500 Burb or the king of SUVs, the Ford Excursion?(I used to tow a 36' TT with an 04 Ex that had the 6.0 diesel)


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As of now, we are trying to find a TT compatible with the Burb we have.

[vcbice]

How often and how far do you usually tow? I ask only because the heavier the trailer the more stress it puts on your truck, transmission especially. If you tow near max capacity a lot then the life of your truck will suffer. Our Tundra only got to 90k mi before it showed signs of transmission issues. That was about 30k miles of towing a 7500lb trailer.

[DonaandDon]

I traded my 08 SR5 while towing a 9500lb 5r to my current F-250 6.7, never had a issue after towing 50k miles. Yes it was close to max tow and yes you need to have is serviced more frequently, but it was still the best gasser I've ever owned. Or maybe my mechanic is the best mechanic I've ever paid?

[6ofus]

Originally Posted by vcbice

How often and how far do you usually tow? I ask only because the heavier the trailer the more stress it puts on your truck, transmission especially. If you tow near max capacity a lot then the life of your truck will suffer. Our Tundra only got to 90k mi before it showed signs of transmission issues. That was about 30k miles of towing a 7500lb trailer.

We camp about 4 to 6 times a year either within our state or neighboring state. We would like to travel out west and south, both would be about a 14 hour drive. I am beginning to believe the lighter trailer, the Jay Feather, would be our best bet right now. I believe that would put us well under the max capacity. I've heard the trans on a Suburban is not the greatest. As I said, we are still in the researching stage. I do like the idea of the F250 but having a truck payment and a trailer payment was not what we were thinking. I need to win the lottery

[vcbice]

For that small amount of towing you should be fine with the lighter truck. If you were towing cross country two or three times a year then you might want a heavier duty truck.