Towing a 30 REPR with a 90 Suburban

[Oldmopar]

I have been evaluating what toys I have, what I need and what I want.

I currently own a 2017 30 REPR, it is payed off, so it is not going anywhere, I would loose my shirt on it.

I have been towing it with a 1984 Chevy K30 Dually. It works great, but it is a service truck and the boxes limit my turning. (Already had to repair one hole when we fled a fire in a hurry) It also is a puck up and can only hold 3 max. My wife and I have 3 adult kids, our oldest lives on our property and likes to go with us, the other 2 are in other states.

We also have 3 dogs. This just does not work with the standard cab 84 Chevy.
I also want to be able to do some off road exploring, ghost towns, forest service roads etc. with my wife and camp in the vehicle, the pick up is a no-go for that.

I have always loved the 73-87 Chevy truck and 73-91 Suburbans. I have found a 3/4 ton GMC Suburban, 5.7l with the tow package, hitch, aux oil cooler, trans cooler, HD radiator, HD alternator all factory. It is also a 4x4 with an LSD and 4.10 gears. This is my dream Suburban and it is for sale at a price I can afford.

On paper the "Max" towing capacity of the Suburban is right at the gross weight of the trailer. (8000lbs)
This is the biggest, heaviest, most optioned Suburban that can be had. I tow the trailer 1-3 times a year and never out of the state. Am I pushing the limits? What can I do to "beef up" the already optioned out Sub to work better?
BTW, the Suburban is at a dealer and I do not own it yet, so I have not tried to tow with it.

I see smaller rigs towing trailers this big, but that does not mean it is safe.
Oh, and I have the Eaz-Lift ReCurve R3 WD Hitch and Hopkins InSight brake controller. Both are really good products.


What is really confusing is, a new 2019 Chevy 2500 says it will tow 14,000 with the gas engine. To me the older 2500's were better built, yet lower towing rating? Were they just more conservative back then, or really optimistic now?

Any advice?

[travelin texans]

Yes, the older trucks/suvs are probably just as stout but with 1/2 the horsepower/torque of the newer models which is what it takes to tow.
One advantage is the newer RV, they are built much lighter weight than those of the same vintage of the Suburban.
For the few short trips you take annually you could most likely git'r done with that Sub, but I'd offer no guarantee just my opinion.

[Oldmopar]

Yes, the older trucks/suvs are probably just as stout but with 1/2 the horsepower/torque of the newer models which is what it takes to tow.
One advantage is the newer RV, they are built much lighter weight than those of the same vintage of the Suburban.
For the few short trips you take annually you could most likely git'r done with that Sub, but I'd offer no guarantee just my opinion.


Thanks. Being that the Sub has a small block Chevy engine, the horse power issue is the easy one to fix. I have no doubt that I can, with a few tweaks, get another 50hp out of it, with more money 100hp is not an issue. But, because its a SBC, those things will be easy and cheaper than any other vehicle made.

In the end I will spend way less than getting a new truck and it will be paid for, and the truck that fits me.