Towing

J

jacktm

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Oct 16, 2006
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I have always kept my overdirve off when towing on long or short trips . A freind of my said he towed using the overdrive.

Can you let me know what you guys do?

2003 Expedition, 2000 Dodge Ram 1500

Thanks
Jack
 
On my Titan I have a Towing Button that disables shifting into OD which to me makes sense for city driving.

But if your on the highway doing 60-70 wouldn't you get better gas millage if you could shift into OD?
 
This depends on your towing rig, weight being towed, and terrain. Check your owners manual.

If you do not have the owners manual a good rule of thumb is if your transmisson is holding the gear it is in and the engine is not heating up you probably are OK. When the tranny is hunting a lower gear it creates heat and that is what wil kill the transmisson so go to a lower gear that the motor can hold. Try to pull in the power band of your motor and not lug the engine.
 
each vehicle is different, it's best to consult the owner's manual. on my Titan, i only need to cancel the overdrive when 75% of the tow capacity is exceeded or when towing in exceptionally hilly terrain. on my previous vehicle a Dodge Ram however, I cancelled the overdrive everytime i towed my boat.
 
STIHLBOLTS said:
Do either of your trucks have a transmission cooler?
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I don't know if mine does, it has a towing package but not sure if that included a transmission cooler. It does have a guage for the transmission temprature. Quick searchs on google talk about it having one so I'm going to assume it does.
 
Ditto on SeaRAYPaul....

it all depends on how you hold the gear, which really means that if you're trucks are geared for heavy towing you'll do fine.

I used to have to disengage my OV on my F150 when I had my 220SD because I had Over sized tire's on the truck and had not compensated by changing out the final drive gear.

Also if you don't have a transcooler you can have one installed after market to reduce the operation temp of your transmission when towing, probably not a huge deal for a short distance haul, but I would definatly look at geting one added if you haul any significant distances.
 
I don't think you will have much of a problem pulling the 220SD with either of those trucks even without the transmission cooler. It would be a nice added protection if you did have. You might consider running the boat empty of fuel and water so when you tow it's as light as it can be.

A 220SD with trailer is going to be in the 5500-6000 lb range. I'll bet it trailers better behind the Expedition than the Dodge.
 
tphinney said:
.....

Also if you don't have a transcooler you can have one installed after market to reduce the operation temp of your transmission when towing, probably not a huge deal for a short distance haul, but I would definatly look at geting one added if you haul any significant distances.
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:smt017 Not sure I totally agree with this statement. Pulling long distances on flat highways at relatively constant speed will put little to no strain on a transmission. It's City driving, stop and go traffic, and hillside towing that do. Additionally, each manufacturer defines their shift points differently. My Ford F250 Super Duty came from the factory with real "mushy" shift points. Additionally, the tranny would tend to "hunt" for gears on uphill climbs. I put an end to both of these issues with a simple aftermarket chip that lets me define the shift points up or down based on engine rpm. Now even when in OD the tranny will shift when I need it to 90% of the time. When in very steep terrain I still take it out of OD though. It tends to shift a bit earlier that way.

Lastly, a dedicated tranny cooler is allways a good idea when routinely towing upwards of 70% of tow capacity.
 
The Trailer Boats magazine test was to find a flat section of road and hold the accelerator in one spot. Then shift from Drive to OD listening to the engine when you do so. If it slows down (RPM's or MPH) in OD, then tow in Drive. I think the rationale was to keep the engine in it's powerband and to keep it from overheating in drive. I'm sure it's just a matter of understanding how much you are towing vs capacity, the terrain, stop and go versus highway, altitude and the other factors you encounter when towing.
 
I agree with searay paul. Check to see if your truck hunts for gears. I pull our 240 da with a 2000 chevy 1500 once to the marina and once back. The chevy has a tow/haul mode which changes the shift points, but on flat roads I can leave it in the normal mode. I like to keep in in the rpm range that doesn't lug the motor.
 
guy's read the original post agian.

JackTM lives in the Catskills as in Catskill MOUNTAINS!!!!

he needs all the support and relief his tranny can get.

the 2003 expedition properly equiped can tow 8,900 lbs. ie electric brakes, load distibution hitch/bars neither of which you will find on most boat trailers. So if we go back to the estimated weight on his boat and trailer he is hauling near or over 100% of his real max tow weight. So with that said take it out of over drive and if your going more than a few miles to lake. check on the cost of adding some of the items in the Heavy tow package which Ford/Dodge normally offer ( oversized radiator, Oil cooler, Tranny cooler, heavy duty hitch, etc) as after market items to you're pull toy.

If you want them to last.....
 
okay what would be the advantage of using the overdrive? Is it fuel economy? If so that would be blown the first time the tranny boils over and causes damage!

My 2001 dodge ram 1500 4x4 had factory tow package with oil and tranny cooler and the rest of the tow package. It got eaten up by a few miles of up and down hills in Tenn last year. I switched to a 2004 GMC 2500 and can't believe the difference. Not only can this truck pull the weight it can stop it better as well.

Money might be better spent on switching trucks as opposed to adding to an older vehicle.
 
I had learned that it all depends on the road condition, speed and rpms. I always start off in tow mode, in my Escalade, and use it always for local roads. But, on the highways I keep it in tow mode only the road is kind of difficult. In most cases I would switch to overdrive. For example, when I go 60-65mph I need to go back to tow mode to keep RPMs at about 2000+. If I keep it in the overdrive the RPMs are lower, the truck eventually looses power and shifts to a lower gear and would produce more rpms than if I would keep it in tow mode. Thus, when I can I usually try to stay in 70-75mph limit keeping it in overdrive and about 2500RPMs. If I keep it in tow mode with the same speed the RPMs will be 3000-3100. My basic driving to maintain the good speed and enough RPMs on highways, I start with tow mode and when I reach about 60-65MPH I switch to OD and let it pickup to 70-75MPH. If there's upcomming hill I would pick up extra 5-7MPH to raise RPMs and make the uphill a bit easier on the truck. If the hill is too long and I feel the it's not enough power for the trainy to stay in OD I kick the gas pedal to shif it to the 3rd. My RPMs would jump from ab. 2K to 3K. provideing I was able to stay within 65-70MPH, which I would try to keep until the end of a hill. When the hill is over, using the gas pedal I would just shift it back to OD.

I think there's a advantage to keep it in the OD. One is that you don't have to make the engine work extra with higher RPMs if there's enough torque at the same speed with lower RPMs. Second, you birn less feul. Since I'm not a prfessional mechanic I can't say 100% if you put extra weare and tear on the trainy if using OD. In my opinion, if your trip is a 500-1000 miles your trainy might be in more stress being all the time in the lower gear.

In the end, it all comes down to experiance and many hours of practice. With time you feel each breath the truck takes and you'll know your next step to keep it going just the way you like it. And of course, every truck/SUV is different. Thus, feeling it would be the key.

Thx,
Alex.
 
Alex F said:
..... Thus, when I can I usually try to stay in 70-75mph limit .........In the end, it all comes down to experiance and many hours of practice. .........
Thx,
Alex.
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You are kidding, right? 70-75mph pulling roughly 8,000 pounds with a pickup truck or SUV is not very smart! :smt021 Sure, your rig may tow just fine at that speed, but there simply is no way for you to stop that setup quickly and do so safely - no way! Besides the fact that around here on the west coast you wouldn't get 10 miles on the freeway before getting a ticket. To each their own. But if I see someone towing like that I make sure I get out of their way.
 
Thanks for all your input. We are going about about 100 miles up to Lake George fo the week, this is the first time using the Expedition. I will keep a close watch on the transmition shifting.

Jack
 
gengiant said:
You are kidding, right? 70-75mph pulling roughly 8,000 pounds with a pickup truck or SUV is not very smart! :smt021 Sure, your rig may tow just fine at that speed, but there simply is no way for you to stop that setup quickly and do so safely - no way! Besides the fact that around here on the west coast you wouldn't get 10 miles on the freeway before getting a ticket. To each their own. But if I see someone towing like that I make sure I get out of their way.
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I only do it when road conditions permit and speed limit either 65 or 75MPH. I understand your point, thought. It could be a little pushy, but I keep a good distance from a car in front to have enough time to stop. I also check my breaks/tires (truck and trailer) before each trip.
We take number of trips periodically and some are long distance (e.g. NJ to FL, cruising FL and then back) this is about 3,000 miles. If I'm in NC area with clear road and 75mph speed limit, and I know my rig well, I don't see why not go at least within the limits (70-75).

I guess, I should mention that when I purchasing my rig I had a condition where I want to travel anywhere but the rig must handle at least 65mph or more so I can get to places in reasonable time. When I had a regular boll I could feel that 65MPH was pushy for the rig. So, I invested in extra towing rig (stablizer-equilizer). And trust me, it's one of the best investments one can make. This thing "glues" the trailer with truck and for the test run whatever I felt at 60-65 with regular boll I felt doing 90+MPH with equilizer. Hey don't kill me now. When you stress test your rig you have to push a little to make sure you have a comfort level before putting your family in it.

Alex.
 
jacktm said:
Thanks for all your input. We are going about about 100 miles up to Lake George fo the week, this is the first time using the Expedition. I will keep a close watch on the transmition shifting.

Jack
Click to expand...

Hey Jack, we're going to Lake George this weekend. We're renting (first time) a slip on the Glenn Island. When are you going?

Alex.
 
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