You want the longest wheelbase you can get. That's why a four door pick up with an 8' bed is the prefered vehical. Short wheelbase can get squirrly under hard braking.

The 2500 Avalanche DOES NOT have coil rear suspensions, it has leaf spring suspension. The 1500 has coil springs. The Avalanche 2500 shares the same chassis and suspension as a 2500 Silverado, 2500 Sierra, 2500 Suburban or 2500 Yukon XL, etc.

I pull a 35' Cigarette Mistress on a steel tri-axle trailer with my '04 Avalanche 2500/8.1/4.10, total tow weight is right under 12000 lbs (weighed it at a weigh station fully loaded with full tank and normal gear) and it pulls it extremely well.

Couldn't agree more, we just put a 2500HD Diesel in front of her and it handles great.

The hitch is not rated for the #11,500 I am towing, will need to upgrade to a cat 5 hitch for ins. Also get the solid head for your receiver. I could see the stress on the hollow first time we used it (ball would drop oh so slight) and the solid doesn't budge, they are around $80 but well worth it for hauling.

Good luck in the hunt.

P.S. We had a 1500 Burb for the first tow from storage to ramp (about .5 mile), I had to be a six inch rise solid just to keep her level. I am now using a 2 inch rise on the HD. Anybody needing a solid 6 inch rise $50.00 plus shipping (she ain't light) and she is yours.

Depends on how much you plan on towing. My boat is only 4000 lbs but my travel trailer is 10k. I tow 100 miles every weekend min and sometimes as much as 700 on a weekend. With a Chev 3500 Dooley 4x4 Duramax I can run 70mph and never worry about ending up on my head. I have towed with a single rear wheel truck also, it is not nearly as stable, like around curves at highway speeds. If you are going to tow short distances only once in a while then something less would be fine. I wouldn't consider using anything less as much as I tow and yes I drive the same truck for my daily driver.

Chevy started shipping 1-ton SRW's a few months ago. Just noticed they're even coming out with a 1/2 hybrid, interesting.

http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/

Not sure what your needs are exactly- are you towing for hours or a few miles from storage to the water? Hills?

for a third vehicle, just for towing local, an older truck, gas engine, even a small block will do just fine. As stated, go for 2500+ preferrably dually, with wheelbase. If you're spending a lot of time/covering a lot of distance it's easier to justify a newer diesel, exhaust brakes yada yada, unless you have the disposable income and just plain want one.

Isn't the H2 the same basic frame as the tahoe 1/2 and the avalanche 1/2ton not the avalanche 3/4??

Sounds that way. I belive the H2 has rear coils.

Ex

7.3 PSD Excursion. 70hp Edge Module, 100lbs of torque (added to the 560 stock ) There is ONLY ONE DIESEL SUV IN THE WORLD THAT IS STILL PRODUCED THAT CAN DO THE JOB.