Towing Issues: Excursion Towing, maximum payload, yukon xl

Question
Hello,
We are looking at purchasing a 2005 Ford Excursion, Turbo Deisel, 4WD, Eddie Bauer, 6.0, V8, Powerstroke and I was wondering if it would pull our Camper which is approx. 10,000 lbs.  We bought a 2007, 3/4 ton Yukon XL gas engine last year and it overheates everytime we have tried to take it out with camper in tow.  I found a website that said the towing capacity was 5000lbs and the maximum payload was 11,930 on the Excursion but I wasn't quite sure what that meant.  I currently pull our capmer with a 2006 GMC Sierra 2500, 3/4 ton Diesel, and it pulls it pretty easily.  Any help would be appreciated?
Thank you,
David

Answer
Well its one of those questions which is asked all the time.

Payload Capacity is the difference between the actual weight and the GVWR of the vehicle or trailer. Options and accessories may add weight that is taken from the payload capacity, leaving you with less margin than you think you have.
So in a nut shell the "technical answer" is if you have an 11,930 payload capacity you would have to add the weight of the tow vehicle, which is around 7000 pounds average and as you can see that leaves you with about 6000 pounds left before you reach the payload capacity.. Now this is a technical answer and we all know that it takes into account axle weight ratings, and other factors in the design and building of the vehicle you are doing the towing with..

Weight distribution is also one thing to consider as the more on the rear axle of the tow vehicle means the less on the front (that is why you see some vehicles going down the road pulling trailers which the nose in the air)

As to why your Yukon was overheating, maybe it did not have all the equipment to properly cool down the engine, like larger radiator, transmission coolers and such which while they help, its also more heat to remove and as such tend to run hotter..
Also diesel engines tend to have a deeper power range than gas engines (remember the gas engines are the ones that have to reach a certain fuel mileage by government regulations and diesel are usually exempt)


I would hit up some of the RV websites as they can be a real treasure trove for finding ratings of tow vehicles and problems with them also.

www.rvtowingtips.com seems to have a lot of good information along with motorhome magazine's website.