Towing w/87 1500 suburban

[kswitcheng23]

How much will my 87 suburban tow? I bought the suburban to tow my 95 jayco travel trailer to the lake. The trailer weighs 6900#. 
A little bit about the suburban its got a 350motor, 700r4 trans, and 3.43 rear end with factory reciever hitch. The truck is in great condition
runs strong shifts smooth and it all original. Ive looked around on the site and havent seen anything on how much it can tow. Also if i can tow it
should i get a weght distributing hitch also?

[manualburb]

I personally wouldn't tow that much weight for a distance with a 700r4.  That's just my 2 cents.

[bake74]

      Traditionally the 700R4 was not meant to tow a lot.  Advances have been made that can make a 700R4 almost bullet proof.  6900lbs is pushing the limits on a stock 700R4 transmission.
     I am a fan of the  weight distributing hitch, I have towed a lot and when your vehicle is under sized it makes a world of difference.  Your 1/2 ton suspension is really going to be tested without 1.

[Captkaos]

Did you look here: https://gmheritagecenter.com/docs/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits/Suburban/1987-Chevrolet-Suburban.pdf
Is it a 1/2 T or 3/4 T?  A 3/4T will pull up to 9500.  I think the 1/2 would be topped at about 6800.

[bake74]

Did you look here: https://gmheritagecenter.com/docs/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits/Suburban/1987-Chevrolet-Suburban.pdf
Is it a 1/2 T or 3/4 T?  A 3/4T will pull up to 9500.  I think the 1/2 would be topped at about 6800.

     At least in his subject header is states "towing w/87 1500 suburban", so I am assuming 1/2 ton.

[Irish_Alley]

Did you look here: https://gmheritagecenter.com/docs/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits/Suburban/1987-Chevrolet-Suburban.pdf
Is it a 1/2 T or 3/4 T?  A 3/4T will pull up to 9500.  I think the 1/2 would be topped at about 6800.

     At least in his subject header is states "towing w/87 1500 suburban", so I am assuming 1/2 ton.

burning the boss

i think whats going to hurt the most is the 3.43 ratio, this will help kill the tranny. 4.10s would make the trans work less, less work means less heat less heat means happy trans. with that in mind put a external trans cooler on if you dont have one. the weight distribution hitch imo if you think you need it you're probably going to blow the trans. i have a 4l60e in my 94 1500 pretty much the 700r4  i wouldnt trust is with a heavy load in the bed. and for this reason i dont have a hitch on it nor do i want one.