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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Low Gear Towing ?", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
When towing our TT home tomorrow, we do need to go up a small incline of a hill; i would say it is roughly 5% grade MAYBE????
the TT will be roughtly 5,000pds and we do have the reese dual cam and prodigy break, but my ? is, do we need to drop into 2nd gear or keep it in drive while climbing a small incline of a hill (please keep in mind, this is NOT a mountain, but merely a hill).
The book says to leave it in drive, the torque converter will not lock in 2nd gear. I have towed heavy trailers at high speeds in drive and overdrive in mountains without any problems. If I have to hold the gas pedal way down in OD, or just have it cracked in D - I will stay in D. same thing for 2, but the book does say not to leave it in L, or 2 in hilly terrain. I would just do whatever feels right ie don't cruse at 4,500 rpm in second when it will do fine at 2,800 in D.
On an automatic you'll be fine no matter what. The only reason the book makes mention of selecting gears is so that you'll avoid changing in and out of gears repeatedly over long periods of time, which is bad for the tranny. Don't sweat it.
If the transmission is frequently shifting between 2nd and 3rd while climbing that hill, manually downshift to 2nd and keep it there while running at safe rpms.
If you used 2nd to climb the hill, you'll probably need 2nd to decend without overheating your brakes.
Thanks for your inputs, they are truly appreciated! will let you know how we do tomorrow (after getting it HOME!!!!)
Like I said the 'small' test drive that we did on Monday with the TT, even the TT Dealer Service Guy said the Tundra is and was performing EXCELLENT! It also handled the breaking great. that was a relief to hear too. (and this is without the sales mgr around). You DO know the TT IS back there, but the Tundra performed beyond excellent!
I have several thousand miles behind us while pulling a 5,000 lb. TT up and down the mountains here in Western, NC. Yes, the Smoky Mountains. I've been OK with just turning off the OD. Never felt compelled or found the need to force the tranny into a lower gear.
Yes, when going downgrade, selecting a lower gear helps save the brakes. If you ever get into a sway situation downhill, DO NOT use the truck brakes. Use your slide on the brake controller to "tighten up" the connection between you and the trailer.
Bottom line? Stay out of OD and you will be OK.
__________________ White 2000 Limited Access Cab, V8, 4WD, TRD with 223,040 miles
MODS: SUSPENSION: front - Cornfed 2" lift, rear - TRD add-a-leafs. INTERIOR: Sony MEX-1GP CD Receiver, tinted windows. EXTERIOR: Ventvisors, Covermaster Tonneau Cover, UTR bed liner, Reese hitch ELECTRICAL: Alarm and remote start package, Prodigy Brake Controller ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN:BF Goodrich AT KO LT285/75/R16 wrapped around Mickey Thompson Classics with 3 5/8" backspacing in front of brake calipers and drums painted red. Cat Back dual custom exhaust with glass packs and 2 1/2" Stainless tips straight back. Air intake box mod.
I have several thousand miles behind us while pulling a 5,000 lb. TT up and down the mountains here in Western, NC. Yes, the Smoky Mountains. I've been OK with just turning off the OD. Never felt compelled or found the need to force the tranny into a lower gear.
Yes, when going downgrade, selecting a lower gear helps save the brakes. If you ever get into a sway situation downhill, DO NOT use the truck brakes. Use your slide on the brake controller to "tighten up" the connection between you and the trailer.
Bottom line? Stay out of OD and you will be OK.
When I tow my Jeep I DON'T use OD (ie. "OD OFF") because on anything but level ground it will need to downshift from 4th to 3rd. The problem is the constant shifting from 4th to 3rd and back over several hundred (or thousand) miles, especially with a heavy load WILL shorten the life of the tranny. It's better just to accept the fuel economy hit and leave it in 3rd ("OD Off") the whole way. Here's the exception (previously detailed by me elsewhere):
When you're driving above about 70mph with the wide-open throttle (WOT), the tranny will stay in 3rd gear regardless of whether OD is "ON" or "OFF". However, with "OD OFF" the Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) will lock and remain LOCKED in this situation, but if OD is "ON" the TCC will UNLOCK and stay UNLOCKED. The difference is with the TCC UNLOCKED, there is slightly more pulling power available... so on steep grades where WOT in 3rd isn't holding speed, turn the OD "ON" -- it won't actually shift into 4th but it will unlock the TCC and give you the extra boost you need to pull the hill. As you crest, BEFORE you let up on the gas just turn OD "OFF" again and the TCC will lock and the tranny will remain in 3rd even after you release the gas pedal.
The exception to the exception: If it's really hot out and the hill is very steep or long, the tranny may overheat with the TCC unlocked while under such a heavy load situation. So keep an eye on the temp gauge. If you notice the temp gauge climbing past 1/2 way and/or the "Trans Oil Temp" warning lamp comes on, then turn OD "OFF" again to force TCC lockup and cool the tranny down. In 45,000 miles of driving my truck and 6,000# miles of towing I've never had to do this though -- never had the light come on or notice the temp gauge move from the normal position (just below 1/2 way). A lot of people don't realize this, but there is a oil-to-water tranny cooler in the radiator that works in conjuction with the stock auxillary tranny cooler in front of the A/C condensor. As a result, in situations where the tranny is running hot, it will tend to also make the engine coolant run a little hotter than normal.
As for use of manual 1st (L) and 2nd (2), if I'm pulling a heavy load (the Jeep) then from a stop I will manually shift it from L to 2 to D as I accelerate with about 1/2-3/4 throttle. I'll hold each gear to about 4,700 rpm and then manually shift it. If I don't manually shift it, the auto shifts seem to happen too early (under the 1/2-3/4 throttle) and the engine bogs when it hits the next gear. Holding it to the floor (WOT) under the same circumstances doesn't seem to make acceleration any faster, but I believe results in more stress on the driveline. I rarely ever manually downshift for going down grades (remember I leave OD "OFF" anyway when I'm towing), if I do it's only a LONG, STEEP grade and I'll shift to 2. Shifting into 1 unless you are accelerating during the shift (WOT) is really hard on the tranny and best to be avoided. In fact, I will usually time my manual D to 2 downshifts so that I force the auto downshift first (by flooring it) then move the lever to hold 2nd when I let off the gas.
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Low Gear Towing ?
Linear Mode
