Anyone have an opinion on this vehicle for towing heavy boats and hauling a lot of gear? I get the feeling that a half ton rig just isn't heavy enough for the 21 footers with all the extra stuff and tackle I am hauling long distances. I put a lot of miles on the trailer and have had issues with engines and transmissions after a couple or three years. Have owned two Ford diesels and while they pull great I can't justify the expense for pulling a boat and the other miles I rack up which average 50,000/yr.

My undle used a half ton suburban to pull his 21 foot boston whaler from SA to the cost for many years.

I have a friend that has a 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0 gas and it is definately a little stouter tow vehicle.

The longevity of your transmition will vary greatly with maintenance and driving habits. If you like to get on it with a trailer its gonna eat them like candy. If you keep up with maintenance and have a good cooler and drive respectably it will likely last a long long time.

The 2500 Suburban will pull a 21 foot boat all over the place with gear without a problem, that is what it is meant to do. It's definitely stouter than a 1/2 ton Suburban.

Thats plenty big enough. Like the other person said. It depends on your driving habbits as far as the trasmission goes.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Not ready to trade yet but just thinking about the future.

The other thing to consider is that a 1/2 ton suburban driven like I drive will get 18-19 mpg highway and 15-16 in a mix of city highway.

On the other hand a 3/4 ton suburban will get 14 or so on the highway and 12-13 in town.

What actual percentage of the time is the boat actually hooked to the truck?
I would get the 1/2 ton, save money on fuel unloaded, ride more comfortable, and save money on initial cost.
Just take it easy while hooked up

Well I put about 12,000 miles on the trailer last year out of about 45,000 total so around 25 % of the time I had the boat behind me. Some of the trips were quite long, approaching 1,000 miles one way. When you live in a near desert in a drought the pulls get longer and longer. I monitor the tranny temps and slow down if they start getting too high. I am currently pulling with an '08 Avalanche with the 5.3 and a 3.73 rear end and it does OK but I just wonder about a 1/2 tons ability to sustain these kind of pulls without undue wear and tear on the drive train. Appreciate all the comments.

What does the boat weigh loaded ready to go how you pull it?

How many miles do you have on the avalanch? Have you had any problems with it? What does your trans temp run while towing it?

Im sure I sound like a broken record, but it all boils down to how you do 2 tings

-drive it
-take care of it

1/2 Ton 4x4 Burb driver here. Look at the hundreds of suburbans on tour (FLW, BASS, etc.) that are pulling boats all over the country. They have no problem with it. 3/4 is nice, but I am not sure it is needed with a bass boat.

I am not sure what the boat weighs as I haven't weighed it on platform scales. I probably need to do that with all the stuff I carry. Its a Ranger 521 SVX with 250 Yammie, twin PP, Hydro Jack, 36 V and 160-200 lbs tackle and gear. Try to keep fuel levels low while hauling. Truck has 133,000 mi. maintain regularly esp. trans. fluid and oil. Drive conservatively but if speed limit is 75 and not many hills then that's what I'm gonna try to drive. Use cruise some but only on flat stretches and little wind. That truck pulls good, no gripes there. Tranny temp generally runs 185-195 which seems a little high but that's where it has always run when pulling and has a tranny cooler which I am not sure is all that great. Have thought of adding aftermarket cooler but haven't done it. Have had no troubles with vehicle and drive mine out...at 45,000/yr they don't last that long anyway, maybe 5-6 years before I 'll trade so. Bought this one used in '10 with 7500 mi.

For some reason I was thinking this was a deep v ofshore boat. Its a bass boat your fine with a 1/2 ton.

Thanks for all comments. Looks like 1/2 T is all I need

I had a '99 2500hd silverado I put 286k on. The 6.0L and 4l80e is a great combo for towing. Gas was killer but it was a great truck.

Jignspoon- 1/2 ton is fine, but realize you're working it harder,
specifically brakes, susp, transmission. knowing that, you will need to maintain stuff more frequently, or upgrade to a more HD part.
I.E- find the BIGGEST aftermarket trans cooler you can fit in that 'burb.
If the rear brakes are drum, make sure thay are (& stay) adjusted properly. this will be more often as well. which leads to trailer brakes. if you have them, make sure they're adjusted & working corectly, both mechanical, hydraulic &/or electrically
brake drag overheats parts/kills mileage. Tongue weight is huge,
but it's already been posted you're running a bass boat. In your case probably not a big issue, but an airbag kit to adjust ride
height does wonders for taking the strain off everything else.
I think the key to knowing whether your setup is balanced should be watching your trans temp get back down to around 175, & watching your net fuel mileage to go up a bit.
Obviously, don't haul in O/D, & actually, use the Cruise cont. as much as possible; the PCM wil sense things like load %, TPS, etc, & adjust accordingly a LOT faster than your foot.
I have hauled my 22' Hydra-sports offshore CC (4k# loaded)
behind my 2wd, 1/2t. Ram w/ a Hemi, and enjoy mileage #'s loaded that are very close to unloaded (avg 11-12 v. 13-14).
I've pulled it all over Texas for 5 years with no problems , yet!
tight lines!
-Brian