We purchased our RV off of Craigslist before we had a vehicle to tow it; luckily, the nice family we bought it from was willing to deliver it to our house for us. So, in desperate need of something to be able to move our RV with, we were on the search for the “perfect” tow vehicle… or at least the one we could afford! We purchased a 2004 GMC Yukon XL 2500. It has a 6.0 VORTEC engine paired to a 4L80E transmission. Here’s a rundown on the features & factors that put us in this bad larry.
The Search Begins:
Before we were in desperate need of a tow vehicle, I did what I always do; for months before the purchase of the RV I sat down and research the crap out of the subject. We knew we had 2 basic requirements in our search for the perfect tow vehicle. It needed to be able to:
- Safely tow our RV, obviously.
- Comfortably haul our whole family – 2 adults, a kid, a dog, and a cat (As many know, the human and creature count isn’t the extent… all require certain accoutrement as well… food, water, leashes, cages… I won’t reveal which accessories are for whom!)
Early on, my research showed me that a half ton truck just wouldn’t cut it. I mean, could I find one with the correct specifications to tow a large travel trailer? Sure, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. A ¾ ton truck just seemed to make sense – all the sense. These trucks have heavy duty suspensions & brakes. Parts designed to do exactly what we need it to do.
We also tried to imagine all of the stuff that one needs easy access to while on a road trip. At the outset of this decision making process we had a much younger, much needier toddler. So, there was a lot more stuff to be considered. This brought me to a ¾ ton SUV; perfect. We could haul all the people, pets, stuff, and RV in comfort and safety. Right?
Diesel or Gasser?
I started looking exclusively at Excursions of the Ford kind, and as most people probably do, I looked locally first. The 7.3 Powerstroke diesel piqued my interest first, but those suckers hold one hell of a value. Since we did not want a car payment, we were priced right out of them.
The infamous 6.0 diesel had my attention for a short while. I had heard they were rife with self-destructive tendencies; but it wasn’t until my extremely reliable mechanic said he had never found one good enough to bulletproof that I truly wrote it off as an option. I know individuals have had great experience with the 6.0, but the market tells a bigger story. Not only are they way cheaper, but there’s a whole aftermarket dedicated to saving these beasts.
That left the gassers. I wanted the V10, but there just weren’t any decent ones to be had. They were either rust buckets or had too many miles on them. We even drove to Albany, NY to check out a low mileage one, but it had too much rust for too high a price (of course that wasn’t in the photos).
The Golden Ticket:
After buying our RV, the search became a bit more imperative, so we had unofficially enlisted some people to help with the hunt. A short while after our abrupt purchase, my dad emailed me about a ¾ ton Chevrolet Suburban. It was green…like really green. I wish I had a picture of it. It had been in the service of some NJ forestry or parks department. It had low miles, looked in great shape, but was an offensive green color. Not only that, but it was more money than we were hoping to spend on a truck. But, a few clicks later revealed that the same car dealer had a 2004 GMC Yukon XL 2500. I quickly did my research on the vehicle. I called to see if it was still there, and it was.
We showed up first thing on a Saturday morning and bought it. Of course we picked it over and test drove it. We briefly (and I mean briefly) had a conversation about trading in the Xterra; the guy took a quick look at it, but didn’t have much interest (their loss!). Within a few weeks of bringing it home I had my mechanic check it out. Kevin gave it his approval with only needing a few things (front shocks and bump stops).
Repairs and Upgrades:
Since we’ve owned it for a bit over a year now here’s the list of what we’ve had to fix or have chosen to upgrade on this 120,000+ mile truck.
- Front shocks
- Bump stops (upgraded from factory)
- New stereo head unit – self installed
- Back up camera – self installed
- New starter – self installed
- Knock sensors replaced
- Both airbag sensors
- Instrument cluster rebuild (extremely common) – sent away during the pandemic and mailed back to our house after we moved out! Check out some more of our pandemic pandemonium here
Most of these modifications and repairs were made prior to us using it to tow, ever. When we took it on its maiden voyage up to Promised Land State Park the summer of 2019, it did well. I needed to figure out the weight distribution setup, and apparently didn’t really have trailer brakes, but the truck performed well.
When we hit the road for a trip that summer it towed the RV well. I mean, the speedo stopped working while we were dealing with fog, rain, and closed interstates, but you know, par for the course… There was a little overheating; 95 degree days combined with steep grades up from Hickory/Lenoir, NC up to Boone did a number on it, but it never actually DID overheat.
I’ll go into more detail in a future post about our specific likes and dislikes, but for now, I like the truck. Did we find our “golden ticket” of a tow vehicle? Well, let’s put it this way… we have a google photo album called “Nissan Xterra”, but not one called “GMC Yukon”. BUT, it was bought for a purpose and so far it has served that purpose. At least it came in handy moving out of our house in short order!
We realize most people pull their RV’s with a pickup truck, and although it may be the best option in many cases, it is not the ONLY option. Check out some of our favorite people who have towed with some unconventional vehicles!
Less Junk More Journey – GMC Savana 3500 (One of our favorite YouTube families)
The Hollar Homestead – Diesel Ford Excursion (They’ve pretty much done what we set out to do)
