what truck to get
 

i plan to get a z302 in a few years and i was wondering what truck some of you are using? i was looking at a Yukon xl or a suburban. right now my parents have a Tahoe and we got a 252 shabbah i thing and it has a little bit of a hard time towing it but i can do it. so do you think i would be fine getting a Yukon xl or the suburban?

Re: what truck to get
 

I've never been impressed with the suburbans. I personally have a 2006 Nissan Titan. That thing is a towing beast. It will have no problem pulling that z302. I've used mine to tow a 28' race trailer loaded to 11k to Michigan and back to Seattle. Not a single hiccup or issue.

Re: what truck to get
 

A Titan for a 30' boat... man, I wouldn't have thought that. Cool.
The Yukon XL's tow capacity is going to be like another 1/2 ton better than that Tahoe's.

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well how much does the z302 weight because the yukon xl and the suburban can tow 8400

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I unfortunately had to get rid of my 2006 Suburban LTZ (6.0 AWD) a couple years ago when the economy turned south but that vehicle towed my Z302 without any issues whatsoever. I actually bought the boat from someone living on Long Island and towed it home to NE Florida. It was not a 2500HD or a F250 but did the job just fine.

Re: what truck to get
 

thanks just want i wanted to know.

Re: what truck to get
 

Yeah, you'd be surprised. The Titan is rated for 9500 lbs which is way more than a z302 weighs. Like i said, I towed a 28' race trailer weighing 11000 lbs and the truck pulled it quite well. Obviously we weren't flying up the passes, but the truck did quite well. We towed through the grape vine going down to Cali and with that being one of the most difficult stretches of road to tow on, it was quite the test for the truck. With the weight, we were in the far right lane doing 45 or so with the truckers to keep the tranny temps down, but the truck did well

Re: what truck to get
 

Willy 1290 I tow my 2000 Z 272 with a Yukon XL 4 wheel drive or a GMC Sierra 4 wheel drive 1/2 Ton HD 4 door crewcab with a 6 L V-8 Both do a great job towing my boat.I like the 4 wheel drive because some the ramps are very steep where we boat. I like the pick-up a little better because it has a little more power and seems to handle a little better. Thats my two cents worth. A really nice truck is a one ton dually they are made for towing. Gary G PS Both trucks have tow/haul mode which really nice whttp://www.mariahownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2116&stc=1&d=126654074 0hen towing.I also have a picture of the truck and boat Under Mariah boats by yeMariah ar Gary G's 2000 Z 272 Shabah Tan &The Mariah Owners Club Brown hull

Re: what truck to get
 

Towed my Z252 with an F-150 and a F-250 either truck did a great job, electric brakes really help.
Just purchased a Z280MCC wich is quite a bit heavier #8500 with fuel and plan on using the F-150 I'm currently driving

Re: what truck to get
 

I tow with a 2001 Ford Excursion V10. It's a monster, rated up to 10k. A bit overkill, but it was a great deal at the time. :)

It's always a general rule of thumb if you're towing over 24'-25', you'll need a 3/4 Ton truck. (ie Ford F250, F350, 2500 or 3500 series for GM & Dodge). I've always been impressed by the towing claims the of Toyota and Nissan, however MariahMan's the first actual real claim I've heard that's over 5000lbs!

Re: what truck to get
 

This fall I bought a Z272 and pulled it home about 650 miles with my 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500HD equipped with the 6.0 engine. From what I can tell, my 1500HD is pretty much compariable to the 2500 except that it has a slightly different frame, rear end, and one less leaf spring. I had no troubles whatsoever making the pull home.

Good luck in your search!

Re: what truck to get
 

I pull my Z-212 with an 09 GMC 2500HD V8 or a 08 Chevy Duramax with EFI Live tuner, and turbo back exhaust. I prefer the Duramax, theres something about pulling a boat outta the water with the truck whistling away :D The tow/haul mode on both of these trucks are very nice also, I rarely use the brakes stopping...I think the Yukons and Suburbans have the same thing...

Re: what truck to get
 

As a full disclaimer, my Titan is setup to tow much more than the off the lot version. I got beefy overload springs in the rear, a bigger diff cover for more cooling, larger sump for the transmission for more cooling, and load range E tires. We also use an equalizer hitch with 4 point sway control on the trailer.

All that said, i don't think i'll tow 11k with the truck again. Not only was it illegal and i would have been screwed if we'd of had any sort of accident, but 28' of enclosed trailer on the relatively short wheelbase Titan made for some interesting movements when we encountered wind. Even just going by truckers was interesting. In my defense, we didn't know it was 11k until after we got back and weighed it. Should've checked before we left, that's for sure.

I was EXTREMELY impressed with the truck though given that it held up to the abuse of that trailer over 7500 miles of towing and had plenty of power going up the passes. I would certainly have no concern towing a boat weighing 9,000lbs given what the truck has already towed successfully.

I hope that helps!

Re: what truck to get
 

If you want a truck that will tow a big boat, up hill, on cruise, and can hardly tell that you are towing anything at all, buy a diesel....a real truck. Preferably a Ford. But other diesels are fine too. (Cummins, Duramax)

Re: what truck to get
 

Exactly,
My F-250 with a 6.4 Turbo Diessel got me pulled over for speeding (up hill), pulling my Z252 Shabra
Unfortunatly now that I have upgraded the boat to the Z280MCC I'm back drivinf an F-150 that won't pull it very far safley.

Re: what truck to get
 

Re: what truck to get
 

Yup,
luckily i keep her in a boat house,and have the use of a buddys Chev 2500 p/u if I want to take it to lake Erie or Ontario
LJ
Goes in the water today!!!!