'03 or '04 Lifted towing 6500 pounds

[dragr1]

I currently have a 2000 Suburban 2500 for towing duties, but with the way that 4th gen prices have come down, I am thinking about one for towing/light trail duty. (Currently have a similar post on 100 series cruisers on mud)

I would of course want to modify the 4th gen with 33's or 35's, regear to 4.88, bumper/winch, roofrack, etc. Of course just the V8 is what I would be looking at for towing.

I would be towing my '85 4Runner crawler on an 18' trailer-total weight around 6500 pounds, maybe a tad more. I use a weight distributing hitch.

What do you think? I know the V8 4th gen is rated at 7000 pounds towing capacity.

 

[boston_kevin]

You should be looking at an '04 or later as some of the '03's only had a 5000 lb hitch on the back. The heavier duty hitch for the V8 came in late '03 and '04.

As far as the weight, you should be able to handle that with a stock lift, but keep in mind you are getting close to that limit. The 4Runner won't pull like your suburban, it will be a bit slower on hills and maybe a bit more movement in the rig while you are on the road. Also, if you get an '04, and lift it, you would need heavy duty springs/shocks in the back. If you also add larger tires, keep that weight in mind as increased load on the drive train, so you will probably be at the peak of your towing limit with that setup.

 

[zimm]

V8 had the big power increase in 2005.

 

[davefisher]

I believe that power increase came in the form of HP due to the vvt-i being added on the V8. Actually the non vvt-i had a higher torque rating, more useful for towing in most situations. I believe the early 4th gens were 235hp / 335tq, and the later model vvt-i was... someone correct me... 285hp / 320tq???