Is that a stw towing a 47 from NC to MA?

Very interesting tread. I want to go with a 8,1 gas engine and convert it to run LPG gas. It makes it half as expensive to run as the diesels. and much more comfortable too...

It was at the shop when I pulled in one morning .Had to snap a pic. I asked the guy If he did this on a regular basis he told me his company truck dually(Brand X) Broke down so he used his own Chevy(Also company owned personal) said he had no issues towed great he slowed down a little more on the off ramps.

Thanks for all the good info about the 8.1, made a believer out of me. I opted for a 2004 Yukon XL instead of the dually due to some input from the wife as well as a good deal comming my way on a Yukon. They have the same engine, the 8.1, and it also has the disk brakes in the back which will be a big improvement from my old Suburban. The max capacity for this truck is 12K which will give me enough room to be legal. I now have to come up with a way to mount a receiver that is also capable of 12K. Several people have mentioned that a WD is not neccessary if the receiver is approved for the weight without WD. I know the factory manual states differently and is looking for someone to shed some light on this. The yukon is also equiped with the auto ride system which looks good on paper but I have no experience with it and look forward to post my findings.

Not only is it necessary to have WD, it is crucial for safety towing that boat and trailer with single rear wheels and an SUV setup. If you lose a rear wheel, you may have a prayer of holding it together with WD.

I would not have gone with the Yukon XL. Its no where near what a dually is. I towed 12K lbs. for 2 years with the same truck (2500 Avalanche). Its adequate, but that's it. You are at 100% of your towing capacity. Its nice to have a little in the bag. That's why I went to a dually. LZH here on OSO just went through this whole exercise.

I tow my 35 with a 2500 Avalanche with a 4.10 rear and does a good job. I upgraded the factory hitch with a Class V Putnam receiver with a solid ball mount. It does help that the boat sits on a aluminum Myco. Tows smooth as silk. Transmission never gets hot even after a long tow and my mileage is around 8-9 mpg.

How far, how often, and in what terrain do you plan to pull your boat? It's not a good option for highway speeds or hills, but local tows you'll get by. I pull about 10k lbs behind my '01 Yuk XL w/8.1L and 3.73s (GT4). But here in Florida the biggest hill I encounter is the ramp, and the occassional overpass. 90% of my towing is within 5 miles on city streets.

Spend the time, money and effort to get the right receiver (Putnam XDR or similar), right ball mount and ball AND get the trailer set up perfectly.

My take on weight distribution (WD) setups: it's more about wheelbase, or the lack thereof and it's relationship to tongue weight (TW). Too much TW and you run the risk of reducing weight on the front wheels diminishing both steering and braking ability. WD setups help by bringing weight back to the front wheels. They are a crutch for improper tow vehicle and/or too much tongue weight.

I'm not sure how your going to put a WD setup on a single pull tube boat trailer.... most WD setups are for triangle tongue's...

It is nice to have leeway, I agree 100%. However, I am now legal and should be doing OK. If for some reason this feels unsafe, I got such a deal that I can trade it in later with no loss.

Is that towing mileage? My 1997 Suburban 454 hardly gets that without towing...

Weight on trailer is perfect as I modified it to get the weight where I wanted it. Amount of towing is 20 min to the lake, maybe 20 times a year. We do have hills and hot weather and I do have the time to take it easy.

Sydaways have some pictures posted and it looks pretty impressive.