Question - how much can a GMC Envoy pull? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-08-2010, 10:49 PM   #1
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Question - how much can a GMC Envoy pull?

I was told at a car dealer today that my 2002 Envoy 4.2 vortec engine is only rated to tow 3500 LB. I saw the salesman pull this up on the computer, yet everywhere I look online tonight I see that they are rated to tow about 6000 lb. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?

I am wondering with my other trailer (Amerilite 21)weighing about 3500 lb dry weight, why I only get 7 MPG on the highway with the Envoy pulling it. I have found no other forum to ask this question on, so hopefully someone here can help me out.
I did get 13 MPG towing my 2000 Casita. I only get 7 MPH towing my sticky and my son's sticky.
I know some of you have your little eggs, and also have or have had bigger stickies. Are those stickies really that bad on gas compared to a Scamp or Casita? Do I need a huge truck to pull a little sticky?
I am planning to get another egg, but just wanted to know your thoughts on my Envoy (somehow I don't trust the car dealer to be honest as he needs to sell something and I was hoping for an honest answer here). Hubby wants to keep the sticky, so I think I will end up with a his and her camper. LOL
Do I need a bigger tow truck?
I SURE AM SORRY I SOLD MY EGG, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY GETTING THIS OTHER EGG YET THIS WEEKEND.
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Old 10-09-2010, 05:06 AM   #2
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I have a 04 Envoy XUV 4 wheel drive with the V8 & air ride & it is rated at 6500lb towing.. Even towing my 16 SD I still get about 18 MPG on the hwy. I had 1 last year with the V6 & when towing I would only get 10 t0 12 MPG... When not towing the V6 only got 16 or 17 mpg My V8 get 22 to 24 mpg... If you have the short Envoy I think it drops the tow cap down to 3500 lbs...
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Old 10-09-2010, 04:00 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
I was told at a car dealer today that my 2002 Envoy 4.2 vortec engine is only rated to tow 3500 LB. I saw the salesman pull this up on the computer, yet everywhere I look online tonight I see that they are rated to tow about 6000 lb. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?

I am wondering with my other trailer (Amerilite 21)weighing about 3500 lb dry weight, why I only get 7 MPG on the highway with the Envoy pulling it. I have found no other forum to ask this question on, so hopefully someone here can help me out.
I did get 13 MPG towing my 2000 Casita. I only get 7 MPH towing my sticky and my son's sticky.
I know some of you have your little eggs, and also have or have had bigger stickies. Are those stickies really that bad on gas compared to a Scamp or Casita? Do I need a huge truck to pull a little sticky?
I am planning to get another egg, but just wanted to know your thoughts on my Envoy (somehow I don't trust the car dealer to be honest as he needs to sell something and I was hoping for an honest answer here). Hubby wants to keep the sticky, so I think I will end up with a his and her camper. LOL
Do I need a bigger tow truck?
I SURE AM SORRY I SOLD MY EGG, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY GETTING THIS OTHER EGG YET THIS WEEKEND.
I once had a 12ft Thorobred sticky, and my Ranger exerted MUCH more effort to tow it, than with my 13 Scamp.
The reason? Simple aerodynamics, the Thorobred had about the same impact, when towed. as the parchute on a drag car when deployed!

When you look at the Tow Rating on your Envoy, be sure and check the frontal area limits as well, these are actually at least as important as weight when determining the right TV, yet they are commonly ignored or missed.

BTW; While my 4CYL Escape tows my Scamp comfortably, I would never have towed the Thorobred with it.
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Old 10-12-2010, 09:02 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
I was told at a car dealer today that my 2002 Envoy 4.2 vortec engine is only rated to tow 3500 LB. I saw the salesman pull this up on the computer, yet everywhere I look online tonight I see that they are rated to tow about 6000 lb. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?

I am wondering with my other trailer (Amerilite 21)weighing about 3500 lb dry weight, why I only get 7 MPG on the highway with the Envoy pulling it. I have found no other forum to ask this question on, so hopefully someone here can help me out.
The tow rating will depend on the axle ratio of your standard length Envoy and if it is 4 wheel drive or not. The 2002 Envoy owners manual specifies a 6300lb rating for a 2 wheel drive with a 4.10 axle ratio. A four wheel drive with 3.42 gears will have the lowest rating - 5100lbs. The gross combined weight of trailer and vehicle is 10000lbs for all 3.42 axles and 11000lbs for 4.10 axle gearing regardless.

As far as your Amerilite 21, I suggest you weigh it while it is loaded with gear to find out the true weight. I think it is possible that it is much heavier than you realize, and may approach the tow rating of your particular Envoy. If you are only getting 7 MPG (assuming your Envoy is in proper tune) , either the trailer is too large and heavy, or you are trying to tow at too high a speed - or both. For better fuel economy you should really be towing in the 55 - 60MPH range. Your Casita was much more aerodynamic which may have allowed high tow speeds with more reasonable gas mileage.

I usually get between 11 to 13 MPG towing my 17' Bigfoot, which weighs about 4000 lbs. My 05 Envoy has the 4.2 Vortec, 4 wheel drive, with 3.73 axle ratio - according to my owner's manual, the tow rating is 5600lbs. A safety margin of at least 1000lbs is desirable for tow ratings, so this is a good match.

The Envoy is a great tow vehicle within it's limits, one of the few SUV's with a full frame designed with towing in mind. In fact, there is no "tow package" available - they all come standard with a heavy duty integrated class III hitch, HD cooling, transmission cooler and trailer wiring already installed. One could only specify the axle ratio for the desired tow rating.

As far as I know, there were no 2002 and up Envoys/Trailblazers with less than a 5000lb tow rating no matter how they were equipped.

Steve.
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Old 10-12-2010, 10:22 PM   #5
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Thanks everyone for your answers. I took the car to a chev service center and talked with the service manager. He told me to either get a smaller trailer or a bigger TV for best preformance. He says the Envoy can pull it, but it is working hard to pull it at 7 MPG. I guess next step is to research big rigs and their TV to see what others are getting.
SO-----------if anyone out there is towing a bigger rig, and would not mind telling me what you are pulling it with and what kind of mileage you are getting I would love your input. (Just email me please as this is not a big rig message board and I don't want to offend anyone here). I would like to start a chart to get an idea of what I should expect if I do decide to get a bigger TV. I am done camping for the winter now with the bigger camper and want to know by spring what to do about that bigger camper.
In the mean time I got a new to me Scamp today, and am going camping in the morning to try it out. I think I will be doing most of my traveling in the Scamp. I can not afford to tow that bigger rig with the TV I have.
Thanks again for your replies!
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Old 10-18-2010, 10:59 AM   #6
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Smile An Analysis

Your Amerilite 21MB lists at 3215 lbs.

Ameri-Lite 21MB Travel Trailers by Gulf Stream, The Original RVWholesalers. New RV's & Parts Sales, Wholesale Dealer

Your Envoy is rated at 5100-6100 lbs depending on your axle ratio.

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/ow...-GMC-Envoy.pdf

(See Pg 276)

Are you towing in 3rd gear not D?

How much "stuff" are you hauling? Get your trailer weighed as outfitted for your trips. You may have to leave your anvil collection at home.

How fast do you drive?
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Old 10-18-2010, 12:27 PM   #7
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There's lots of information specific to the Trailblazer/Envoy platform over on Trailvoy.
Towing - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum

We get ~ 14mpg towing our lifted 2900# Escape 17 in 3rd gear below 65 mph.
It tows fine in D power-wise, but the tranny pumps less fluid through the cooler & runs a lot hotter.
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Old 10-18-2010, 10:24 PM   #8
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Roger I was not towing in 3rd gear. I now know I should have been, so will see what happens next yr. The Amerilite is in winter storage now. I know I don't have more than 4500 LB in it and doubt that I have that much. No water, two full propane tanks though. I may not have more than 4000 LB.
As far as weighing the camper, I hate to go in and ask to weigh it for fear I will get in some truckers way at a truck weigh station. I have thought of weighing SUV and then weighing both when hooked up. Do they care if I unhook and rehook up? I would hate to make a trucker wait! Anyone ever had a problem with that???
Paul, I got about 12 mpg with towing the Scamp last week. I towed in drive part way and 3rd part way. I did not see a need to go to third but did "just because" once I remembered I should be. Is your trailblazer a V6 or V8??
Hopefully will take the Scamp out again this week and of course will be clocking mileage again.
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Old 10-19-2010, 06:30 AM   #9
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I have used truck scales twice (CAT scales). There were no trucks using or waiting for the scales either time. Once was in the afternoon, and the other time was at around 8pm. Maybe that had something to do with it. If there are no trucks waiting, they shouldn't have a problem with you unhooking... so long as it doesn't take a long time. I did not unhook, I just weighed the tongue myself with a shipping scale and some pieces of wood to get the tongue at the right level, then added that to the axle weight.

As far as the "D" vs. "3" issue, you can base it off of the way the truck feels, but it would be nice to know the transmission temperature. Perhaps you could add a trans temp gauge, or use a ScanGaugeII if trans temp is reported to the OBDII port on your truck. I tow my Scamp with a little car with a 1.8 liter engine and a 5-speed manual, and spend most of the time in 5th gear. I do have to downshift on hills to keep my speed up. Just remember that transmission fluid breaks down a LOT faster as temperature goes up, so replace your trans fluid more often than usual. I would recommend twice as often as usual if you tow often... maybe more if you are towing a very heavy load. You might even want to look into higher quality fluids, such as RedLine synthetics. These fluids will protect your engine and trans better than conventional fluids, especially at higher temps. I send samples of engine and trans fluids out to Blackstone labs for analysis from time to time. This can help you pick up on a problem in the system long before it causes expensive damage.
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Old 10-19-2010, 08:36 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
Roger I was not towing in 3rd gear. I now know I should have been, so will see what happens next yr. The Amerilite is in winter storage now. I know I don't have more than 4500 LB in it and doubt that I have that much. No water, two full propane tanks though. I may not have more than 4000 LB.
As far as weighing the camper, I hate to go in and ask to weigh it for fear I will get in some truckers way at a truck weigh station. I have thought of weighing SUV and then weighing both when hooked up. Do they care if I unhook and rehook up? I would hate to make a trucker wait! Anyone ever had a problem with that???
Paul, I got about 12 mpg with towing the Scamp last week. I towed in drive part way and 3rd part way. I did not see a need to go to third but did "just because" once I remembered I should be. Is your trailblazer a V6 or V8??
Hopefully will take the Scamp out again this week and of course will be clocking mileage again.
We have the 4.2L inline 6 cylinder & I use a ScanGuage II set up to display the transmission temperature. I also run mid-grade fuel when towing.
You're right to stay away from the highway scales in use by commercial traffic, but the CAT scales are an option. I'm lucky to have an old 'retired' weigh station available near me.
I'm not familiar with your Amerilite, but it probably has significantly greater frontal area than the Scamp. The extra drag probably impacts you more than the weight.
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Old 10-20-2010, 04:42 PM   #11
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tow weight max

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
I was told at a car dealer today that my 2002 Envoy 4.2 vortec engine is only rated to tow 3500 LB. I saw the salesman pull this up on the computer, yet everywhere I look online tonight I see that they are rated to tow about 6000 lb. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?

I am wondering with my other trailer (Amerilite 21)weighing about 3500 lb dry weight, why I only get 7 MPG on the highway with the Envoy pulling it. I have found no other forum to ask this question on, so hopefully someone here can help me out.
I did get 13 MPG towing my 2000 Casita. I only get 7 MPH towing my sticky and my son's sticky.
I know some of you have your little eggs, and also have or have had bigger stickies. Are those stickies really that bad on gas compared to a Scamp or Casita? Do I need a huge truck to pull a little sticky?
I am planning to get another egg, but just wanted to know your thoughts on my Envoy (somehow I don't trust the car dealer to be honest as he needs to sell something and I was hoping for an honest answer here). Hubby wants to keep the sticky, so I think I will end up with a his and her camper. LOL
Do I need a bigger tow truck?
I SURE AM SORRY I SOLD MY EGG, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY GETTING THIS OTHER EGG YET THIS WEEKEND.
The weight is not as important as the drag just get a trans cooler, Can-Am RV > Home check out the video at the bottom of the page.
we have a Corolla and a 17' Boler.
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Old 10-20-2010, 04:46 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
I was told at a car dealer today that my 2002 Envoy 4.2 vortec engine is only rated to tow 3500 LB. I saw the salesman pull this up on the computer, yet everywhere I look online tonight I see that they are rated to tow about 6000 lb. WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER?

I am wondering with my other trailer (Amerilite 21)weighing about 3500 lb dry weight, why I only get 7 MPG on the highway with the Envoy pulling it. I have found no other forum to ask this question on, so hopefully someone here can help me out.
I did get 13 MPG towing my 2000 Casita. I only get 7 MPH towing my sticky and my son's sticky.
I know some of you have your little eggs, and also have or have had bigger stickies. Are those stickies really that bad on gas compared to a Scamp or Casita? Do I need a huge truck to pull a little sticky?
I am planning to get another egg, but just wanted to know your thoughts on my Envoy (somehow I don't trust the car dealer to be honest as he needs to sell something and I was hoping for an honest answer here). Hubby wants to keep the sticky, so I think I will end up with a his and her camper. LOL
Do I need a bigger tow truck?
I SURE AM SORRY I SOLD MY EGG, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY GETTING THIS OTHER EGG YET THIS WEEKEND.
We needed a custom class 3 hitch, equilizer hitch, trailer brakes, and a cooler on the Corolla.
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Old 10-20-2010, 04:59 PM   #13
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Name: Jesse
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By "equalizer hitch" you mean a weight distributing hitch? I didn't know those were ever used on anything but ladder-frame trucks. Seems like they would put a LOT of stress on the body of a car. I don't know too much about them... just never seen it done on a small car.
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Old 10-21-2010, 09:28 PM   #14
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Towing my compact ii

I'm towing my Hunter Compact II with my 1980 triumph tr7. LOL
what a HOOT! GREAT FUN
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Old 10-22-2010, 07:23 AM   #15
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I love those old TR7s! Even my wife thinks they are 'cute', so maybe some day I'll be allowed to pick up another hopeless cause!
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